Good Slytherins / HBP idea

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 104935

Christina in GA wrote:
<snip> 
> I finished GoF the other night and noticed something at the end. DD
had finished his speech about Harry and Cedric and the students were
honoring them with a toast. On p 723, US Paperback, it says "...Harry
saw that Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and many of the other Slytherins
remained defiantly in their seats, their goblets untouched." 
> 
> That hit me because it doesn't say "all of the Slytherins" but "many
of the Slytherins", so I am interpreting that as meaning that some of
the Slytherins did toast to Cedric and Harry.  I hope we do get to see
some of the Slytherins that are not part of Malfoy's group and think
for themselves. <snip>

Carol:
IIRC, *all* of the Slytherins (and all of the teachers) stood up and
raised their goblets to Cedric Diggory.

"They did it, all of them: the benches scraped as everyone in the Hall
stood, and raised their goblets, and echoed in one loud, low, rumbling
voice, 'Cedric Diggory'" (GoF, Am. ed., 721).

It was only Harry whom some of the Slytherins refused to honor. In his
case, "nearly everyone in the Great Hall . . . murmured his name . . .
and drank to him" but Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and "many other Slytherins
remained defiantly in their seats" (723). Many, but not all. As you
say, it's significant that some of them *did* honor him, or at least
had the courtesy to stand and raise their goblets half-heartedly.
Theodore Nott, who is not a Draco follower according to JKR's website,
may well have been in this group. And *all* of them, even Draco,
honored Cedric. So I agree, there's hope that some Slytherins at least
will come around (though not much hope for Draco and company).

Interestingly, we're not told whether Snape stood up to honor Harry,
but he must have done so or someone would have pointed it out. And he
certainly did stand for Cedric, because we're tld that everyone in the
hall did. I wonder what would happen if Draco and company find out
where Snape's loyalties lie. Or I should say, what will happen when
that loyalty is revealed. (I trust Dumbledore that Snape is really on
the good side.)

Carol