The Bloody Baron and Severus Snape: flaws and strengths of the Slytherin House.

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No: HPFGUIDX 172982

The Bloody Baron and Snape both displayed classic Slytherin 
characteristics in this book. The Bloody Baron was passionately in 
love with a woman he couldn't have, so he killed her in a fit of 
rage and then killed himself in remorse. "All these centuries later, 
he wears his chains as an act of penitence -- as he should," says 
the Gray Lady. Hot-tempered, passionate, brooding, dangerous, self-
centered, punishing himself as well as others.

Compare the Bloody Baron with Severus Snape, the Death Eater. He was 
sensitive and naturally intuitive, but used his intuition to hit his 
victims in the most sensitive spots. He called the object of his 
affection a Mudblood and was willing to let her husband and son die, 
but continued to have an obsessive love for her even after her 
death, begrudgingly protected her son and begged to look into 
Harry's eyes as he was dying because they were just like Lily's.

Slytherin represents the Element of Water. The three water signs in 
astrology are Cancer, Pisces, and, appropriately enough for Scorpius 
Malfoy, Scorpio. A Scorpio in particular is a dangerous sign when it 
twists inward. Snape and the Bloody Baron are both great 
representatives of twisted Scorpios, but they could easily have been 
something else. It would have been interesting to see an example of 
a good Slytherin in this series -- a person who used his sensitivity 
and intuitiveness to heal rather than to destroy his enemies. I 
would bet that some of the greatest healers at St. Mungo's and the 
greatest mystics and religious leaders of the age are also 
Slytherins. JK Rowling simply avoided telling us about them.

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