House characteristics

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 150630

> >>Lupinlore:
> > The various House characteristics have always struck me as more 
> > symbolic than actual.  
> > <snip>
> > Even the symbolism seems to shift over time, as Slytherin goes   
> > from the house of ambition to the house of pure blood 
> > and Hufflepuff from the house of hard work to the catch all.

Betsy Hp:
Is that the direction of the shift, though?  The Sorting Hat gives 
us the *history* of the Founder's ideals, but how the Sorting Hat 
ends up sorting the students is up to the Sorting Hat.  And the 
Sorting Hat looks for ambition and cunning for Slytherin, and 
hardwork and loyalty for Hufflpuff.  Never mind that Ms. Hufflepuff 
stated that she didn't want to weed *any* students out, and never 
mind that Mr. Slytherin said that pure-bloods only need apply. (Mr. 
Gryffindor had "chivalry" added to his request for the brave 
students, and Ms. Ravenclaw had "wit" added to her request for 
intelligence.)

We already know that Slytherin house is not made up of those with 
purest blood, and we know that Hufflepuff is not a catch-all.  So I 
think the Sorting Hat has been shifting the houses' characteristics 
a tad as the years have gone by.

Though, as we've seen, the various houses aren't turning out little 
clones either.  Neville is nothing like Lavender; Draco isn't much 
like Blaise; Luna and Cho barely exist on the same planet; Ernie is 
quite different from Cedric.  So there's a starting point, and 
probably differing emphases made in each house, but it's not a 
indoctrinating thing.  Usually.

> >>Lupinlore:
> The exception to this is, to an extent, Slytherin.  I think this   
> is in part due to honest reservations JKR herself has with regard 
> to Slytherin's symbolic house traits -- whether pure blood or      
> ambition. 
> <snip>
> True, we've seen McClaggen and Pettigrew in Gryffindor and        
> Marietta in Ravenclaw -- now we need to see a truly good character 
> in Slytherin (and I don't mean a DDM!Snape, who doesn't qualify as 
> good in any case).
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
That'll be Draco, I'm sure.  Though, rather than a shiny Slytherin, 
I think Harry will finally acknowledge their humanity.  I mean, 
there's not a golden Gryffindor, nor a sparkly Hufflepuff, nor a 
shiny Ravenclaw.  Harry just likes some of the students in houses 
not Slytherin, so he doesn't smush them all into one catch-all 
stereotype, as he's been doing with Slytherin from day one.

> >>Steven1965aaa:
> One interesting thing about Harry in this respect is that he has 
> characteristice of each of the houses.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
That's the thing: everyone does.  They just choose to go, or are 
more inclined towards, one direction.  Slughorn, for example, 
obviously has Slytherin tendencies of ambition and cunning.  But he 
also works hard to keep his network flowing (Hufflepuff), he's well 
informed, even in more esoteric areas like the Horcrux (Ravenclaw), 
and he doesn't back down if at first he doesn't seem to be 
succeeding (Gryffindor).

Hogwarts doesn't have a "bad" house.  Just as it doesn't have 
a "good" house.  The houses just are.

Betsy Hp