"Slytherin" Hermione?

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 112821


> > HunterGreen:
> > Having Slytherin traits is not a bad thing though. Her being 
> > ambitious is what leads her to do so well in school, 
disregarding  the  rules helped Harry get to the stone (among other 
things), and using  any means to achieve her ends saved Harry from 
being Crucio-ed by  Umbridge. All very helpful.


Totorivers: 
> Huntergreen, I see an enormous difference between *having 
> ambitions* and *being* ambitious... Slytherin are often the later, 
> meaning they want power for power (or because they are afraid of 
> others, like the wimp), but having an ambition, if it is incased 
in  strict morals, is ok (Percy's case does not have the morals).

Potioncat:
I finally see the problem.  It's the word ambition/ambitious itself. 
My dictionary says that the word ambition/ambitious can be used in 
either an approving or disapproving way. I think many of us see it 
only as one or the other.  

It remains to be seen whether Slytherins as a group use their 
ambition poorly.  But at any rate, I think several Gryffindors have 
an ambitious streak! (In the positive sense.)