No progress for Slytherin? (Was: Slytherins: selfish, not evil)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 173101

Magpie wrote:
> <snip> I don't think anything was integrated, the personal
redemption of brave Snape notwithstanding. <snip> I guess to me, as
soon as Slytherin was introduced the way  it was, that was obviously
the problem that needed to be solved, the one Voldemort was just a
symptom of. I felt the book did it backwards, getting rid of the
metaphor without ever much considering the way I expected them to
handle it. And looking at interviews after the fact, JKR never seemed
to expect them to.  I don't have a problem with self-interest, myself,
but I wasn't on the same page about Slytherin either.

Carol responds:
I think that the epilogue reflects a natural, slow progression toward
prejudice against slytherin. It's hard to wipe it out all at once, but
if Snape received a posthumous Order of Merlin that's on display in
the trophy case and has a portrait in the headmaster's office (after
all, it allowed him to occupy it and DD's and Phineas Nigellus's
portraits, at least, recognized him as the legitimate occupant), that
will go a long way toward showing that Slytherins can be brave and loyal.

The Sorting Hat, which has been preaching unity, is likely to keep on
advocating that message. It would help if it stopped bringing in
Salazar Slytherin's faults "power-hungry Slytherin" and Slytherin
wanting only "those whose blood is purest." Snape, it could be made
known to the Slytherins, was a half-blood. And Draco has undoubtedly
learned some lessons about blood purity not making a wizard superior,
which we can hope he passes on to his son. The next step is for Albus
Severus and the other kids to treat Scorpius Malfoy civilly, even if
they're not friends with him, just as they've seen Draco and Harry nod
to each other. Contrast James's and Sirius's treatment of Severus (and
Lily!) on the Hogwarts Express and Mr. Weasley's lifelong enmity with
Lucius Malfoy (adult men fighting in a bookstore like boys on a
playground). 

To return to the Sorting Hat, why not use a more or less neutral
criterion like "ambition" for Slytherins, and eventually, when the
prejudice has died down, allow Muggle-borns in if they feel
comfortable there? Or pure-bloods like Percy, who have the ambition
without the pure-blood prejudice? Waiting to sort the students and
allowing them to mingle instead of sitting at their own tables would
be a start. And how about more classes together, instead of just a few
mixed Gryffindor-Slytherin classes, one mixed Gryffindor-Hufflepuff
class, and none at all with the Ravenclaws? Harry at least knew the
names of four Slytherins (six by fifth year). He didn't know the names
of *any* Ravenclaws until the first DA meeting. (I wanted to get a
least a glimpse of Theo Nott. At least he apparently didn't become a
Death Eater.)

You can't expect miracles, but it's a step in the right direction. And
Hermione, we can be sure, is working for house-elf rights and an end
to bigotry in her position in the MoM (confirmed by JKR in an
interview). Teddy Lupin will be living proof that werewolves don't
produce "cubs."

Did anyone really expect a wholly revolutionized WW, with no prejudice
and no problems? We don't have any such thing in the real world. Why
would we see it in the WW, which is in some ways a reflection of our
world? What we see in the epilogue is a WW at peace--the Hogwarts
Express as it always was, diagon Alley presumably restored to normal,
no harassment for Muggleborns (Hermione is in no danger), and a
glimmer of an end to the division between the houses. Probably, these
kids, unlike their parents, have a chance for the kids to get a good
education that isn't quite so focused on survival--and a consistent,
progressive DADA education. There's no DADA curse: JKR says there's a
permanent DADA teacher (presumably a qualified person survived, maybe
one who was kept from applying before by the rumor that the position
was jinxed. The new Muggle Studies teacher can follow Charity
Burbage's example, teaching that Muggles aren't so different from
wizards. And can someone persuade Professor Binns to retire?

The epilogue gives Harry what he wanted a chance to be Just Harry and
have a happy family. No more being the Chosen One forced to fight Dark
wizards whose powers are far beyond his. I hope, personally, that HRH
had a chance to go back to Hogwarts a year late and finish their
education, but they seem to have learned what they needed to learn
somehow or they could not have gotten jobs as Aurors and/or
high-ranking MoM officials ("Today show" interview).

Carol, who just realized that she missed today's "Today" segment!!!