muggle baiting vs. muggle torture

[Sydney]

No: HPFGUIDX 155397


> Marion:

 
> What the twins are doing is only slightly on this side of legal.
They secretly bought illegal ingredients from Mundungus, they
smuggled/stole several Dark objecs from Sirius house when 'cleaning up'.
> It would be the ultimate painful confrontation when Arthur had to
assist the Auror department to procure an arrest for his own sons
because they supply muggle-baiters.
> The twins would then try to blackmail their father with his own
crime of owning an illegally charmed flying car. And they could use
the fact that Harry Potter is co-owner of their shop to get out of
trouble with the Ministry... They'd probably get away with it, as they
got away with everything their entire lives. 


Sydney:

What I wonder is, why on earth aren't the twins in Slytherin?  They
are by far the most Slytherinish of the kids we've met, certainly way
more so than Crabbe or Goyle, or even Draco who could stand to brush
up on his cunning and ambition. 

They're purebloods.  They use any means to attain their ends-- testing
products on the first years!  They are certainly cunning.  They are
ambitious, and clearly relish success and it's accoutrements.  They
enjoy rule-breaking for the sake of it-- it's easy to see how they
stumbled across "I solemly swear I am up to no good".  I have no
problem imagining the scenario Marion describes above.  

They're Griffindorish in that they seem to have no fear, but there's
nothing remotely chivalrous about them.  The word that would leap to
mind with the ton-tongue toffee incident is "dishonourable", using
magic like that on a muggle seems like a big man striking a woman,
which no matter how shrewish she was isn't exactly noble.  If JKR was
looking to paint a picture of the "good Slytherin", surely it would
look much like the twins?

So, what I wonder is, why didn't JKR put them in Slytherin?  As I see
it, either the point is that Slytherin IS the universal house of
vileness and of course no one with a trace of okayness would wind up
there;  or, as I think more likely, there's something hinkey with the
house system.  As in, it's actually pretty meaningless and only an
artificial source of division.

Regarding the 'commeupance' of the twins.. personally I doubt it will
happen.  I see them 'twinned' with Peeves, as indestructible spirits
of disorder around which the other characters must learn to adapt in
this rough world of ours.  Which is both positive and negative, and to
try to soften or play down the negative aspects isn't doing justice to
what chaos means, IMO. 

--Sydney-- burn the hat!