Sorting Hat - Slytherin Truth -Additional Thought

[scoutmom21113]

No: HPFGUIDX 115796


Professor Binns paused again, pursing his lips, looking like a 
wrinkled old tortoise.

"Reliable historical sources tell us this much," he said. "But these 
honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the 
Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden 
chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing."

"Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets 
so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir 
arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the 
Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge 
the school of all who were unworthy to study magic."

- - - end quote - - -

Steve/bboyminn:
It's true the book does try to lead us to believe that Slytherin was 
a /racist/. But it's hard to tell how much of that is self-serving 
exaggeration, and how much is truth. It's clear Slytherin had a bias 
against Muggles, and had justifiable reasons to hate what some 
muggle were doing at that time, but I don't feel that confident that 
Slytherin was an evil nasty hatefulled monster. He and Gryffindor 
were apparently very close friends, and if Slytherin was that nasty 
and hate-filled, it would seem reasonable that Gryffindor would have 
figured it out before he entered into a partnership in the school 
with him.

Bookworm:
I'd like to agree with you and think that Salazar's
reputation has been distorted over the years.  But that doesn't 
explain *why* he built the Chamber in the first place, hid it from 
his supposed-friends, and wait for an heir to come along and
"purge the school".   That would have taken much more
planning and effort than a quick revenge spell cast as he stormed 
out of the school after an argument.

Ravenclaw Bookworm