[HPforGrownups] Re: Slughorn makes me uneasy

[Magda Grantwich]

No: HPFGUIDX 138291

--- delwynmarch <delwynmarch at yahoo.com> wrote:

> 2) I did say that Slughorn is not a pedophile. I said that JKR 
> wrote him AS a possible pedophile, to raise suspicion IMO. I think 
> she's trying to say: "Caution! Slughorn's liking of some students 
> is not as innocent as it looks, it's hiding something darker, some 
> kind of Dark Magic or something."

I would respectfully suggest that you're reading more into Slughorn
than is actually there, Del.  You yourself raised the possibility
that your personal experience might be colouring your reaction to him
and I won't disagree with you there.

To me, JKR wrote Slughorn as a big baby, a me-obsessed individual
with no real harm in him, someone who takes a childish delight in his
little luxuries and his candied pineapple, his free professional
Quidditch tickets and his little annual prezzies from his former
pupils.  He fancies that he's powerful because he introduces
people-who-are-going-to-matter to each other at a young age and then
he takes credit for their future success.  It's delusional but its
harmless and there's no indication that he tries to wangle favours
from them professionally or ask for inappropriate things.  He's happy
being remembered and getting little gifties, and on the whole I'm
willing to bet that his former pupils are quite fond of him.  I think
Lily quite liked him as much as he liked her.

He's an elitist but not a snob: he blows off Malfoy pretty
effectively and cherishes Hermione's talent.  He reaches out to
students from all houses - not something we've seen a lot of to date
- and the Slug Club is a great place to mingle.  I would love to go
to one of his Christmas parties.

Does Snape like him?  He was at his Christmas party.  With Snape,
that's enough proof for me.

Does Slughorn cultivate younger students?  I doubt it.  Younger
students are too unfocussed and unambitious.  Slughorn is probably
pretty ruthless at culling the herd for up-and-comers.  When they're
in 5th or 6th year, students are concentrating more on the future and
they know what they want to do with their lives.  Slughorn's genius
lies in his ability to know which students are comers almost before
they know themselves.  

Did James and Sirius belong to the Slug Club?  I'm betting they
didn't.  They had the bright-at-everything quality of good students
without the concentrate-on-one-subject-for-a-future-career initiative
that certain other students have.  Remember, it's not enough to be
bright to belong to the Slug Club; you've got to have that special
talent and/or drive and/or connections to go all the way.  Since both
stood to inherit wealth, I think James and Siirus just didn't feel
the need for careers and didn't pursue any particular course of
studies.

How did Dumbledore know it was Slughorn who gave Riddle the info on
horcruxes?  Process of elimination.  Once Dumbledore figured out that
Voldemort was effectively immortal through splitting his soul (not
sure when, but assume it was after COS) then he sat down and figured
out which former professor was in the best position to give Riddle
the info.  It would have to be a teacher who had the knowledge and
who Riddle had wrapped around his little finger.  The list was
probably a short one.

So, I really didn't get any kind of sinister vibe from Slughorn.

Magda

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