Phoenix fire?

[Tonks]

No: HPFGUIDX 154159

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "houyhnhnm102" <celizwh at ...> 
wrote:
>
 I am not sure that selfishness 
> is a Slytherin trait at all. (snip)

> I was fascinated to read that Rowling associated the 
> four Hogwarts Houses with the four elements because I
> had been thinking along those lines myself.  Then we 
> had the assertion by the Sorting Hat that the four 
> houses must unify to defeat Voldemort and Rowling's 
> words about the "idea of harmony and balance, that 
> you had four necessary components and by integrating 
> them you would make a very strong place".
> 

Tonks:
When I think of Slytherin I think of shrewdness, cleverness, 
cunning. (DD had some of that. And so does Harry. Remember he 
reconized "a master at work" when he was watching Tom in the 
pensive.) So yes, Slytherin's are out for themselves, but I thing 
the key to Slytherin house is more along the line of being "wise as 
serpents".

I am intrigued by the idea of the four elements. Until you mentioned 
the houses working together in connection with the elements I have 
not thought of this idea.  Is it possible that there is some 
alchemical significance to mixing water, earth, air and fire?  I am 
not an alchemist, maybe the alchemist among us can help with this 
one. What would you get if you mixed these four elements together?

And what would you get if you mixed water, earth, air, fire, and a 
Lion, Eagle, Badger, and Snake??  Or the colors of these.  Do the 
colors correspond to anything in chemistry or alchemy?  

What would a Lion, an Eagle, a Badger, and a Snape be able to DO if 
they were an army working together??  How would that look?

Just some ideas to ponder.

Tonks_op