Scapegoating Slytherin - The Moral Majority

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 144370

> >>lealess:
> This might make us feel good, but what about the student in       
> Slytherin who, having an abundance of ambition, and perhaps       
> wanting to align him- or herself with Harry Potter, would never   
> have been invited to join the D.A. and might never have been      
> trusted by others merely based on house?  How others see Slytherin 
> is important.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
I totally agree.  In some ways I think the "No Slytherins" sign 
hanging on the DA club house door may well have helped form the 
Inquisitorial Squad.  The Slytherins were just as hurt by Umbridge 
as the rest of the school (she may well be the reason Crabbe and 
Goyle didn't get an OWL in DADA), and Umbridge was rather hostile 
towards Snape, their beloved head of house.  It doesn't make sense 
that Slytherin students would naturally want to help someone 
standing so obviously in their way.  Unless helping was the only 
real option left to them.

> >>lealess:
> Slythern House, I contend, is subject to a stigma, the house of   
> lesser, ambiguous or negative traits.  The Slytherin student is   
> forced to identify with their supposed traits and to embrace their 
> house's segregation, or be socially isolated (Snape as a          
> student?), as far as we know... whereas the majority, "good"      
> students, no matter how weird (Luna Lovegood), can mix among      
> houses and not automatically fear rejection or persecution, as far 
> as we know.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
I don't think any other house has their first years hissed at during 
the sorting.  But Slytherin has to put up with that sort of 
behavior.  At least, no teacher or prefect told the twins off for 
doing so, IIRC.  (I'm sure incidents like that only reinforce 
Snape's determination to "even out" the playing field as it were by 
showing a bit of favoritism to his own house.)

It's also interesting that Professor Binns put the blame for the 
Founders' split on Slytherin's shoulders, while the Sorting Hat (who 
should know, having been a witness) spread the blame around.  *All* 
the Founders faught.  Slytherin was just the only one to actually 
leave the school.  And the other Founders were *sad* to see him go.

I don't think the house system is all bad.  Frankly, I cannot think 
of a better logistical way of housing the students, or of setting up 
quidditch matches.  But Slytherin's role as Hogwarts scapegoat is a 
very bad thing, IMO.  Totally weakening for the school, and 
therefore for the British WW.  Healing really does need to occur, 
and I think it will have to come from Harry.  I think he will have 
to see the good in Slytherin, thereby allowing the WW and Slytherin 
itself, to see the good in Slytherin.  And I also think that Draco 
is going to be the representative of that healing.

He is the established face of Slytherin, both for the readers and 
for Harry.  He's a leader within his house, and he encapsulates both 
the negative and I think positive aspects of Slytherin.  The 
negative (the blood bigotry) is already starting to slip.  (I 
honestly don't think it was all that firmly attached to begin with.)

But I think that once the healing occurs, and Slytherin is no longer 
stigmatized, we'll still have the houses.  They'll just finally be 
equal.  Not perfect harmony, of course.  The houses will raise and 
fall depending on headmasters and students, but no one house will 
constantly fill the bottom role.  At least, that's my hope. <g>

Betsy Hp