The Good Slytherin

[mfterman]

No: HPFGUIDX 127089



My own feeling is that book six is going to be the book where the
whole "Slytherin = evil" bit hits the fan, and that will be the
dominant theme of the book. Why do I think this way? Because of the
political fallout of the exposure of Lucius Malfoy and cronies as
Death Eaters.

Remember that Seamus' mum didn't want him going to school with a loony
like Potter? Imagine how she's going to be feeling about his going to
school with the children of four known Death Eaters? Admittedly,
they're all over in Slytherin, but she's going to have some very
legitimate worries about her son's safety. So are a lot of students as
well. I expect there to have been a storm of letters demanding the
students be expelled, and even the Ministry will be tempted to get rid
of them now, as a sign that they are taking constructive action.

Dumbledore won't stand for it. Dumbledore will point out it is their
parents who have been convicted, not them and believes in giving them
a chance. Of course I suspect even Dumbledore doesn't expect them to
mend their ways, but his own sense of honor and integrity will demand
that he give them a chance to redeem themselves. This is probably
going to widen the breach between Harry and Dumbledore as Harry
himself will be all for the expulsion of these four.

The whole issue of Slytherin is really going to polarize the school.
There are going to be those who believe that all Slytherins are
potential Death Eaters. Of course most of the Slytherins are going to
put a great deal of distance between themselves and Malfoy and his
cronies. Nor do I believe that all of the loyal children of Death
Eaters are only to be found in Slytherin. But the vast majority of
students are going to be seeing things that way.

My own feeling is this is the book when the four Houses will learn to
unite, and Harry is going to have to confront and overcome his
prejudice against the Slytherins in order to do it. I don't think that
Draco is going to redeem himself. On the other hand, I won't say that
Pansy Parkinson, for example, won't switch her allegiances either. But
I like to think after some trap aimed at Harry, the students of all
four Houses who are in Voldemort's camp will be exposed and expelled,
and the four Houses will truly be able to unite together. At least
that's what I hope will happen.

Ultimately this series is really a coming of age story about Harry.
He's starting to grow up and start facing some of his prejudices. He's
learned over the course of the last couple of books that the
government isn't perfect, Dumbledore isn't perfect, and things don't
always work out for the best. One of the major areas where Harry has
some growing to do is in his prejudice against Slytherins, and I think
that book six is the best time to do it, to ready him to face
Voldemort in book seve.

mfterman