Draco and The New Death Eaters. Was: Good Slytherins

[Mandy]

No: HPFGUIDX 97817

> Sigune here:
snip
> In any case it has always struck me that the Slytherins are a kind 
of 
> outcasts at Hogwarts, despite the fact that they are purebloods. I 
> don't know very well how to formulate this... I mean, Slytherin is, 
> academically speaking, a 'good' house, is it not? It is successful 
as 
> a unit. And then there is the fact that it is mostly composed of 
the 
> offspring of wizards who rank rather highly in the WW. Yet it has a 
> bad reputation and the other houses band together against it.
> 

Mandy here:
It's a very interesting post.  I think it seems as if Slytherin is 
the outcast house because Harry see it that way, and we see the 
school though his eyes.  Plus the movies have added to the 
misconception of Slytherin by showing all Slyths apart from Draco as 
ugly and gormless.  WE simply don't have enough on Slytherin to make 
those judgments.  Pansy Parkinson for example is described has having 
a pug face.  Well, I knew a girl in school who had a pug face and we 
called her that because she was beautiful.  Little button nose that 
turned up at the end, full lips, dark hair in a bob that framed her 
face.  We were mean little things.  Of course Pansy is a tough little 
cookie as well, but perhaps she has older brothers?  Just like 
Ginny.  But Ginny is a Gryffindore and a friend of Harry's so we see 
her toughness as an attribute where Pansy is a little bully.

Most of what we know about the members of Slytherin is narrow minded, 
preconceptions from people who have been on the wrong side of a Slyth 
in the past; Hagrid, Sirius, Ron, Hermione, and Harry himself.  Being 
picked on by another kid, is awful and in a situation where there is 
a house system that is so strong, like Hogwarts, that hatred it is 
projected into the house that that kid comes from. Safety in numbers 
right?  Always back up you house no matter what, of course.  Don't 
assume all bullies come from Slytherin either.  Look at James and 
Sirius.  In their day I'm inclined to believe they put Gryffindore in 
a position where Slytherin is now.  The dominant house, full of 
arrogant bullying pureblooded kids.

Each house could seem like the outcast house depending on how you 
look them.  Ravenclaw takes the nerds, Huffelpuff the rejects, 
Slytherin the bad kids and Gryffindore the arrogant showoffs.  

I think Slytherin is ganged up upon by the other houses simply 
because they have been the top house for so long.  Not just the 
Quidditch Cup winners for years in a row, before Gryiffindor won in 
Harry's 3rd year.  (We don't have records for the House Cup so we 
don't know where they stood on that score.)  But also a house full of 
rich privileged kids.  Whenever you get the same top dog team winning 
every year the other gang up on them out of sheer spite.  Much like 
with the US in the Olympics.  I live in New York my husband is 
American, but I get so sick of the US winning everything I'll cheer 
for France in any sport they meet up in! (And I'm British, we never 
cheer for France!)  It's just spite and jealousy and the desire to 
see the champion loose.  It doesn't take away from the fact that the 
US are still the best in most sports they compete in.  

I don't see all Slytherins as bad, just fiercely ambitious, single-
minded.  And most alpha males and females are.  No one gets to the 
top in anything they do without ambition and a bit of selfishness.  
That's just a fact of life. 

Don't forget our hero is in Gryffindore because he chose to be.  That 
doesn't mean he wouldn't make a great Slytherin.

Cheers Mandy