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

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 173183

> Ken:
> 
> I agree with Carol. In its understated way I think the epilogue 
says a lot
> about how things are changing. Snape turned out to be good and a 
> vital part of the fight against Voldemort. Slughorn was there at 
the end
> and we don't *really* know that no other Slytherins straggled back 
with
> him. Five horcruxes were destroyed by Gryffindors, the remaining two
> by Slytherins. 

Magpie:
Slytherin *played* their part. They didn't *do* their part the way 
other houses did. I just don't understand the logic of saying that 
Slytherin was distrusted in the beginning of the book because it was 
the Dark Lord's house, but after this adventure, when Slytherin 
students all left the way they did, things naturally change because 
of one Death Eater whose personal grudge against the Dark Lord 
helped. I would think the Battle of Hogwarts became a part of the 
history of the house from that day on, with every house knowing that.

Ken:
There came a point where everything depended on 
> Narcissa choosing right over easy. She chose right, can you imagine
> what would have happened to the Malfoys if Harry had failed after 
she
> lied for him? What was that squeeze she gave him anyway? Involuntary
> twitch or sign of affection and encouragment? Phineas (does a 
portrait
> count?) certainly played a key role. 

Magpie:
Again, Slytherin played a part. Narcissa made a better choice, but 
it's not like she was choosing between right and wrong and chose 
right. They weren't part of the celebration, but nobody killed them 
either. After the storyline for Slytherin in the books I just don't 
see how this problem was supposed to be solved by it explicitly *not* 
being solved. 

Ken:> 
> Harry and Draco acting civil towards each other?

Magpie:
The Gryffindors stare at Malfoy and he nods to them--progress, but 
no, doesn't seem like there's much reason to celebrate that change. 
They're not beating each other up and spitting at each other. That's 
not that great.

Ken:> 
> Harry telling his son it is ok to be a Slytherin?

Magpie:
Harry loves his son no matter what. Harry followed that line telling 
him why he would not be in Slytherin. He doesn't want to be. Show vs. 
tell. Harry's telling. Meanwhile his kids worried about being in 
Slytherin 19 years after the story--where's the big change?

Ken:> 
> Harry naming his son Severus?

Magpie:
Harry has a personal debt to Severus Snape--the Slytherin who earned 
the compliment that maybe he was Sorted too soon.

Ken:
> Ron joking about Rose marrying Scorpius?

Magpie:
Would Ron have objected to the idea of a Weasley marrying Sirius? He 
came from a Slytherin family too. 

Look, I see that everybody is generally in a better mood and is 
therefore jokier about Slytherin where they used to be deadly 
serious, but no, I don't see this as any big change coming from 
Slytherin and Gryffindor coming together.

Ken:
> 
> Things have changed folks. A vague epilogue doesn't give you the 
certain
> resolution to the house split that many of you wanted, it does 
allow you
> to imagine that any resolution you hoped to see has/is/will take 
place.

Magpie:
Yes, just as it allows people to imagine all those brave Slytherins 
fighting when we're told they all left, and all those great Slytherin 
healers that JKR just somehow "avoided" telling us about (while 
giving interviews about how they encapsulate the less than noble 
qualities of the house and Snape isn't really a hero even though she 
had Harry name his kid after him). 

Speaking of the Battle of Hogwarts, you know the Slytherin I think 
would be most remembered in history? Not Snape, whose story Harry 
delivered in the past tense to explain why Voldemort made a mistake. 
Not Narcissa Malfoy whose search for her son helped Harry out (and 
who wasn't associated with the school at the time).

I think the Slytherin who would be most remembered would be Pansy 
Parkinson. 

-m