Slytherins come back WAS: Re: My Most Annoying Character

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 180115

Magpie:
Yeah, it makes sense but it doesn't hold up. She's already had people
challenge her with the "why don't they just kill them?" question. She
was careful enough to set them up as turncoats with all
the "Slytherin needs to choose sides NOW" followed by them being
ordered out *at wandpoint* after dramatically siding against Harry
and a whole book of Slytherin being associated with Voldemort and
left out when the other houses band together, just as they did in
OotP. She hasn't characterized the Slytherins to be able to just join
in the good fight without us being told that. She didn't characterize
them that way in DH. It's not just that it wasn't triumphant, it's
that it wasn't there. <SNIP>

Alla:

I am not saying that she was sloppy or forgot to write in Slytherins 
coming back. I am saying that she wrote Slughorn coming back and let 
readers filling in the blanks. I am saying that in her mind the 
issue of Slytherins fighting or NOT fighting is of very secondary 
importance and she felt it is okay to write it symbolically - 
meaning to write only their head of the house coming back.

That is obviously my interpretation only of her possible intentions. 
But if you think that it is perfectly fine and in line with canon 
for example to assume that Dumbledore killed people because the job 
of leader of the war often requires that, even though we see in 
canon Dumbledore killing no people whatsoever, then I do not see how 
it is so different from filling out the blanks that some of 
Slytherin students came back to fight with their head of the house. 
Especially since Slughorn's return IS there.

Does it have to be the only intepretation? Surely not, since I am 
not disputing that there is no explicit mention of any Slytherin 
students 
coming back. But I do think that symbolism could be there, is there 
and 
Slughorn symbolises his house, especially since we know that 
Slughorn only year ago was running from DE. And he overcame his 
cowardice. I do not see why his return cannot be a symbol for some 
of his students.

JMO,

Alla