[HPforGrownups] Disappointment and Responsibility (was Re: Requiescat in Pace: Unforgivables)

[elfundeb]

No: HPFGUIDX 175124

lizzyben:
>
> It's nice that Harry tells his child that it's OK to be in Slytherin,
> but even that message is subverted when he also tells (encourages?)
> his child to select a different house.

Pippin:
Where does he say this? He says Albus *can* select a different house.
It's up to Albus to decide which house, or even if it matters. Harry
says it doesn't matter to him and Ginny. There's no denying it's
going to matter to other people. Harry's changed his opinion of
Slytherin, but not everyone has. And there are still some things
to be concerned about, though Harry seems to feel it won't be
anything Albus Severus can't handle.

It's the price of freedom, in a sense. If we give everyone the
political and spiritual freedom to teach their beliefs to their children,
then some children are going to be taught things that others find
abhorrent. Even damnable.

Debbie:
I agree with at least 90% of Pippin's post, but on this point, I think
lizzyben is right.  Too many children arrive at Hogwarts with stereotyped
opinions of the houses and what each one stands for.  For Harry, Slytherin
was Voldemort's house and Draco's house.  Snape thought it was the house of
brains.  Though it's not clear, Sirius appears to have thought it was the
pureblood pride house.  As long as the Sorting Hat allows children to plead
"Slytherin!" or "Not Slytherin!" on the basis of such prejudices, the
imbalance will be perpetuated.

I once speculated that the Sorting Hat attempted an Ignation study of each
child with the objective of placing them, not in the house that was an
obvious match, but in the house that would enable them to develop a hidden
talent.  The prime example of this would be Hermione, who seemed an obvious
candidate for Ravenclaw but would not have developed her bravery there.  I
still think this would be a much better system, one which would promote
understanding -- and unity -- among the houses.

Pippin:
I was kind of hoping, and I think this is where a lot of disillusionment
comes from, that JKR would try to finesse this inconvenient
truth. Slytherin would be completely rehabilitated, or else the other
houses would discover that it didn't need rehabilitation after all. Just
like The Little White Horse. But JKR is too honest a writer for that,
IMO.

Debbie:
I do agree here that the complete and immediate rehabilitation of Slytherin
house would have been highly implausible and incredibly saccharine.  It's a
slow process that can be fully accomplished by building up a new generation
that wasn't raised on the old prejudices, for while Harry intellectually
understands this, so that he can endorse Slytherin house as an appropriate
house for his son, his relationship with Slytherins of his own generation
will never be more than formally cordial; there's too much water under the
bridge.  It's up to the Albus/Rose/Scorpius generation to do that, and the
epilogue contains just enough hints to allow us to believe, if we choose,
that this can be accomplished.

But only if the Hat doesn't subvert the whole thing.

Debbie
who's starting to understand what's going on in that epilogue, but must save
most of it for another post


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]