House Qualities (Was: Re: Slytherin Purebloods?)

[meriaugust]

No: HPFGUIDX 88246

> > Meri's original post:
> > Yes, but (and I say this if only to be argumentative) Hogwarts is
> > not, and was not, ever what I would call a normal school, and I'm
> > not talking about the whole wizarding curiculum. This is a school
> > that, in the coming war between LV and DD, could not only be a
> > potential target for attack, and a potential stronghold against 
LV,
> > but also a potential recruiting ground for boh sides. While, in
> > normal Haogwarts years, a little friendly competition is healthy,
> > fun and beneficial (hey, I cried along with Oliver Wood when
> > Gryffindor took the Quidditch Cup), at this point in time, when
> > divisiveness and animostity among wizards could very well be the
> > downfall of all magical peoples, I think that Hogwarts and DD 
owe it
> > to the population to try to make the school a breeding grounds 
not
> > for more animostiy and hate but for kindness, friendship, or at
> > least cooperativeness.
> < snipped >

Ali argues:  
> I'd actually have to argue the opposite.  I think that keeping the 
house
> system intact, now more than ever, is a good idea.  It's the kind 
of
> stability you grasp onto when the world is swirling madly about 
you.  The
> competition fostered at Hogwarts is a healthy one.  As it isn't 
fueled by
> hate, there's no harm in it.
> 
> My argument is that, given the oncoming war against Voldie, the 
more
> Hogwarts keeps itself running normally, the better.  

minor snips 

> Besides, the kids have already shown that, when they so desire, 
they are
> able to reach across houses to form a united front against their 
foes.
> Umbridge & the DA comes to mind.  I think they'll be fine 
regardless of the
> house system.

Meri again: 
You make an excellent point. I didn't take into consideration the 
fact that the interhouse competitions are normal for Hogwarts, and 
that this normalcy will be comforting to the kids who will clearly 
be facing some tough times. However I think that your last statement 
("the kids have already shown that, when they so desire, they are 
able to reach across houses to form a united front against their 
foes") is a little misleading. Yes, the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and 
Ravenclaws have shown that they can unite against their foes, but 
the Slytherins are excluded from that union. Now admitedly the 
Slytherins were the Inquisitorial Squad that the DA found them up 
against and many of the Slytherin's families appear to be DEs, but 
there should be, IMHO, at least an attempt to make the whole of the 
four houses unified. We have seen before the willingness of the 
other three houses to be very anti-Slytherin, and again IMHO, this 
is the divisiveness that must be stopped. Assuming that just because 
someone is sorted into Slytherin house makes them evil is too one-
sided for JKR, and I personally hope that she does explore more both 
the good and bad qualities of all the houses. Afer all, Harry could 
have easily been a Slytherin, and it was a Ravenclaw (Marietta 
Edgecombe) who betrayed the DA to Umbridge. 
Meri (who would be sorted into Hufflepuff should she ever get 
accepted to Hogwarts)