Harry and Snape's Salvation (Re: No progress for Slytherin?)

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 173845

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "sistermagpie"
<sistermagpie at ...> wrote:

> So I was just saying that it was not part of Harry's development to 
> be humbled and see a real connection between himself and the uglier 
> parts of his enemies, which I consider a bare minimum of a character 
> who's a model of compassion. 
Pippin:
But surely you don't have to be an evildoer yourself to have
compassion for evildoers? In fact, that sort of compassion might read
as self-serving. I think Harry does understands that he, Snape and
Riddle were all damaged through abandonment, and that it was luck more
than virtue that he, having  received more love than they did, took
less damage than they. Surely baby Riddle and baby Snape
haddonenothing to make their families reject them. Harry, at any rate,
has no trouble at all understanding why they were so bitter and angry
once he has learned their history.

I haven't read all the posts, and what's more, my copy of DH is
somewhere in lost luggage limbo (grrrr!) but I'm concerned that it's
rapidly becoming fanon that there's been absolutely no change in the
sorting process. IIRC, that's not so. 

The Sorting process was  a mystery and a Big Secret to Muggleborn and
pureblood alike in Harry's year; Ron thought he  might have to wrestle
a troll. That isn't the case any more, to judge by Harry's
conversation with Al. So  parents have relinquished some control and
they're doing what's right, helping the kids make their own choices
rather taking the easy path of puppetmastering them into the House the
parents think is best. 

Naturally Harry hopes that Al would be chosen for Gryffindor, and has
some concerns about Slytherin still, but I think it's clear that it's
better by far in Harry's eyes to be a brave Slytherin than a cowardly
Gryffindor.  If you can only be brave for selfish reasons, that's
still better than being an altruistic coward.
 
As we've learned, the Slytherins do *not* always save their own skins
first, and can fight fiercely for their beliefs, right or wrong.  I
doubt any attempt to abolish the House would succeed unless the
Slytherins themselves wanted it abolished, which they clearly don't,
and why should they? 


 
Pippin