Slytherins come back - Slytherin Perspective

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 180172

---  "dumbledore11214" <dumbledore11214 at ...> wrote:
>
> > Betsy Hp:
> > Um, no, there's nothing "artificial" about it.  There is
> >  a definite > distinction between Slughorn and Slytherin.
> > ><SNIP>
> 
> 
> Alla:
> 
> According to whom? From the moment Slughorn was introduced in
> HBP I thought - OMG, this is a guy who represents everything 
> Slytherin stands for. He does not join Voldemort, but he runs
> from DE to save his own neck. He is in no hurry to join the 
> fight as heroes do, but he is not joining maniac either. I 
> think it is very appropriate if JKR intended him to stand for 
> Slytherin and to experience such significant change of heart.
> 
> IMO of course.
>

bboyminn:

As rare as it is, I agree with Alla, from the moment Slughorn
appreared on the page, he was the most deliciously 
Slytheriny-Slytherin we've seen. But he was not evil, he was
such self-serving and self-absorbed in the way Slytherins are. 

What bothers me, and what I would like JKR to clear up, is
that she opened the concept of the Houses joining together,
then never followed through on it. I needed just the briefest
reference to one student who saw Voldemort in charge as a
bad thing. But it has to be a student. We have Slughorn and
Snape as 'good Slytherins', but i needed a student, just one.

Now, I propose that any student against Voldemort was against
him for very Slytherinish reason. I don't expect altruistic
Gryffindorish motivations. I have speculated in the past
that the anti-Voldemort Good Slytherin logic would go 
something like this. Good Slytherin speaks, 'I plan to be 
rich. What is good for business, is good for Slytherin. But
Voldemort absolutely will NOT be good for business, and 
therefore will not be good for me. If I want to be rich
anytime soon, then I have to oppose Voldemort'. 

Typical Slytherin logic, but absolutely true. Voldemort
in charge would have been an economic disaster, and any
reasonably wise Slytherin would have known it. Certainly,
as with all tyrannical governments, a very few, maybe 50,
at the very top get stinking rich while the middle class
evaporates and everyone else falls into oppressive 
poverty. The best of Voldemort supporters saw themselves
amoung those top 50 or so. 

Notice the evidence, when Harry goes to Diagon Alley, shops
are closed and boarded up. What new businesses that have 
opened are clearly dark and dodgy places. Does Voldemort
really think the rest of the world is going to continue
trading with him? Does he really think he can fix the 
wizard world by removing a substantial portion of its 
population, the muggle-borns? Does he really think he can
continue cooperative trade between muggles and wizards? 

So, where was the one Slytherin, who for his own Slytherny
reasons opposed Voldemort? I especially needed to see this
one person come from the students.

JKR in her own mind may think she covered this in the books,
but in my mind, on this one point, I think she dropped the
ball.

Steve/bboyminn