The Falling-Out of the Hogwarts Four

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 125964


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "someoneofsomeplace"
<someoneofsomeplace at y...> wrote:

> John:
> ...
> 
> What exactly precipitated such a fall-out between the Hogwarts 
> founders (namely SS and the others)? I get the impression, ..., that
> we haven't quite been given the full picture here. The creation of 
> different houses, ..., suggests that the four had already acknowledged
> their differences, found a solution and moved on. 
> 
> So why exactly did disagreement spring up, the like of which led to 
> fighting and dueling and, ultimately, SS leaving (being banished 
> from?) the school?? 
> 
> Enlighten me, oh wise ones!
> 
> John

bboyminn:

This has been discussed on and off on various occassions, but it is a
good question because I think many people have a very distorted idea
of what went on way back then, and an even more distorted idea about
Salazar Slytherin.

First, the selection of students by some characteristic (Smart, Brave,
Hardworking/Loyal, Ambitious) is a separate issue from why the
Founders had a falling out.

In the mythology of wizards, in the ancient past, it has always been
common for wizard to take on several apprentices to train personally.
The stories usually go something like a strange man visits a very very
 very poor family and agrees to pay the family a significant sum of
money in return for taking a specific one of their sons on as an
apprentice. Part of the promise of apprenticeship, is that the son
will be well taken care of and given a good education. In ancient
times, hardly anyone was educated, so this was no small promise.

Naturally, each wizard would look for certain characteristics in the
enchanted boys they took on as apprentices. Back in the time of
apprentices, I suspect there were far more magical children than were
ever found and apprenticed by wizards.

Given that Hogwarts was founded during a time of great oppression and
persecution of wizards, the apprentice method had probably not only
become impractical but dangerous. In addition, I'm sure the Founders
saw that under the old method, they simply could not train all the
available magical children. So, the idea of a central common school
for all magical children was born.

The House characteristics were simply a method for the Founders to
select the students that would do best under their tutelage; very much
as they had always done under the Apprentice system but with a greater
number of student. Given that Helga Hufflepuff wasn't too particular
about her students, they were assured that all students would get an
adequate education.

The split between the Founders did not come because of student House
characteristics, but because of Slytherins distrust of muggles, and
therefore muggle-borns. Remember that wizards at this time in history
were greatly persecuted by muggles. If muggles had found out about
Hogwarts, it would have been a disaster of unprecidented proportion. 

It's one thing for each founders to each have their own separate
castle somewhere at which to train their own personal apprentices, but
for every available magical child as well as the four greatest wizards
of the age to all be at one location at the same time is a recipe for
a massacre.

Now to one very important point, we have NO real evidence that
Slytherin was the pureblood-Nazi he is made out to be. All we really
know is that he didn't trust muggles, and given the times and
circumstances, that distrust was well founded, and note again, the
stakes were very high if anything went wrong.

So, I can easily see how Salazar wanted to safely restrict Hogwarts
students to those of magical ancestry. It's the only way they could be
sure that the school would be safe from betrayal and attack. Of
course, the other, more open minded more liberal, Founders thought
that muggle-borns would not betray the school because in doing so they
would betray themselve by revealing their own magical ability to the
muggle authorities. Both very reasonable and justifiable positions.

People, at later points in history, have taken Slytherins very
justified distrust of muggles, and used that as a foundation,
expanding it into some overblown pureblood mania. This is standard
operating procedure for tyrants who are trying to grab power. You take
the power of a famous person's name (validity by association), twist
and pervert his doctrine to your own ends (gee, that seems to make
sense), and given the masses an enemy to hate (Jews, Americans,
Blacks, muggles, take your pick) and to blame all their troubles on.

We do know how people have perverted Salazar's beliefs, but we don't
really know what his own personal beliefs were other than he,
rightfully so, did not trust muggles. 

I have no problem seeing the conflict over the admittance of
muggle-born students escalating to the level it apparently did. There
was a lot at stake, and the consequences of a mistake were grave
indeed. Ultimatley, Slytherin saw that he was out numbered and could
not win, so he was face with warring with people he once counted as
friends, or leaving the school. I think, in leaving the school,
Salazar did a very noble and selfless thing.

Not saying I'm right, but that's how I see it.

Steve/bboyminn