Slytherin as HBP?

[jakedjensen]

No: HPFGUIDX 105116

"There are strange likenesses between us, after all. Even you must 
have noticed. Both half-bloods, orphans, raised by Muggles. Probably 
the only two Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great 
Slytherin himself" (CoS, p. 317).

Who is the half blood prince? I think the books suggest Slytherin. 
Afterall, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was originally a 
possible title for CoS. CoS focuses a lot on Slytherin and his 
background. Half Blood Prince would make sense as a title if (1) 
Rowling discussed Slytherin's background in book two and (2) 
Slytherin was a half-blood. 

Here is some more support for this idea. 

Yes, Slytherin was a pure-blood fanatic. In fact, he may have started 
the whole pure-blood fanaticism movement.

"I never knew (Slytherin) started all this pure-blood stuff" (Ron, 
CoS, p. 152).

But Tom Riddle was also a pure-blood fanatic

"You stand, Harry Potter, upon the remains of my late father . . . a 
Muggle and a fool" (see this whole exchange with HP for his feelings 
about mudbloods, etc, GoF, p, 646).

And he was a half-blood himself

"Did you know he's a half-blood too? Voldemort? Yeah, his mother was 
a witch but his dad was a Muggle—or has he been telling you lot he's 
pureblood?" (OoTP, p. 784).

Even though Tom was not a pure-blood, his hatred of Muggles led to 
his pure-blood fanaticism.  We know that Slytherin also had bad 
feelings about Muggles. He didn't just hate them, Rowling says 
he "distrusted" them (perhaps he was harmed by Muggles just like Tom).

"(Slytherin) disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing 
them to be untrustworthy" (CoS, p. 150). 

Muggles certainly weren't known for being kind to wizard folk back 
then.

"for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and 
witches and wizards suffered much persecution" (CoS, p. 150).

If Slytherin was a half-blood, that would explain why Tom Riddle is 
his "own true heir" (CoS, p. 151). Tom's blood lineage, unusual in a 
family of pure-blood fanatics, is identical to Slytherin's (hence 
the "true heir" part).

Why would all this matter? The "prince" part is a mystery to me, but 
the blood lineage is important because pure-bloods worship Slytherin. 
As Harry would say, "has he been telling you lot he's pureblood? 

Just a thought,

Jake Jensen