My Most Annoying Character

[lealess]

No: HPFGUIDX 180092

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "sistermagpie"
<sistermagpie at ...> wrote:
>
> Irene:
> > Not to mention that if she'd played by her own rules, Percy should 
> have 
> > been in Slytherin with all that ambition.
> > 
> > But one of JKR's problems is she just could not bring herself to 
> have a 
> > bad Weasley. Same as Harry could never lose a quidditch game 
> through his 
> > own mistake.
> 
> Magpie:
> To be honest, I think the whole "ambition" thing is sort of a red 
> herring because Percy's not the only ambitious character not in 
> Slytherin. The real thing seems to be that you're in Slytherin if 
> you have things associated with ambition in a negative 
> way--cheating, old boy networks, elitism, croneyism and keeping 
> others down (ironically this often translates into lazy people who 
> don't do much on their own).
> 
> Now, to me this, isn't really ambition, but it's what we get in 
> Slytherin. When I think of ambitious characters I tend to think of 
> people who are talented and work hard with definite goals--like 
> Hermione, the Twins and Percy, all of whom are in Gryffindor. The 
> only Slytherins who seem sort of that way are Snape, who we know is 
> creative but only really went for poewr by joining the DEs, and Tom 
> Riddle who was, of course, a megolomaniac. Both of them seem to more 
> be in Slytherin because they were dreadful, though, not because they 
> were ambitious.
> 
> Even Harry's supposed Slytherin qualities I've heard rumors JKR 
> corrected as being the hat "reading" Tom Riddle in him.
> 
> -m
>

I think you are right that it's a desire for power as much as ambition
that defines Slytherins, but I think Hermione, Percy and the Twins are
still taken to task by the author for being ambitious.  Hermione is
ridiculed for her obsession over book knowledge, Percy is shown to be
a servile apologist for mediocrity, if not evil, and the Twins are
faulted for the mindless sale of Peruvian Darkness Powder and love
potions.

Also, the factors you list for Slytherins -- cheating, old boy
networks, elitism, croneyism and keeping others down -- pretty much
describe the Marauders, the Trio, Gryffindors and Dumbledore for me! 
They describe the whole Wizarding World.

But desire for power is something the Slytherins seem to have.  It
doesn't seem to be a Gryffindor motivation, anyway, unless "love" is
involved.

lealess