Slughorn

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 145187

> Saraquel

> I agree Potioncat, I'm not sure that I would call what Slughorn does 
> networking.  It is very definitely about power and control, and 
> maintaining privilege for himself.  He sets up the Slug Club as an 
> exclusive must-have accessory, and this flatters those who are 
> invited.  Interestingly, it is Hermione who falls for this flattery 
> and effectively becomes Slughorn's potential servant of the future - 
> this is the Hermione of SPEW fame, who refuses to understand that 
> the house elves embrace their enslavement, (I have difficult with 
> that one too, but then that's a whole different argument) and then 
> falls into Slughorn's sugar coated poison trap.  Oh dear woops, is 
> my loathing for Slughorn and his RL counterparts showing.... 


Magpie:

Exactly.  Slughorn not show favoritism? He's all about favoritism!  He 
shows more blatant favoritism than Snape ever did, in fact.  Can you 
imagine being in a class with him fawning over one student (especially 
with that bezoar stunt) and going on and on about his mother--not to 
mention, when Slughorn is ignoring other students I really don't think 
the idea is that they're not talented.  They just don't seem like 
people who are going to have *power* which is a different thing.  It's 
not strictly talent unless that talent looks like it's going to turn 
into future fame and influence.  In the Potions class it's doubly 
brought home by the fact that the other students are the ones working 
honestly while Harry's book is responsible for his success.

I mean, it's silly to give Slughorn any credit for excluding Malfoy 
and Nott when it's made quite clear that if their fathers weren't 
actual DEs who were in jail (and were just bigotted snobs who taught 
their sons the same values) they'd be in like Flynn.  Lucius Malfoy 
was a favorite of Slughorn's.  He's not keeping them out on some sort 
of moral basis--ironically he seems to have potentially even favored 
the worse Malfoy.  (Though I too was very pleased to see Malfoy 
excluded, because it was very good for Malfoy to not have his name 
getting him favors; Slughorn *would* have favored him for his name if 
he'd been teaching in, say, third year instead of sixth.)

And yeah, I find it really interesting that Hermione's the one who is 
obviously tempted by Slughorn's flattery.  I like it.  Especially 
since she doesn't seem to be getting in strictly on her brilliance 
(the only student who really shines in the class is Harry, Son of 
Lily) but because Slughorn recognizes her as Harry's best friend the 
Muggleborn who's also very smart.  

-m