Slytherins and Werewolves (was:Snape vs Lupin/UK vs. US

[houyhnhnm102]

No: HPFGUIDX 170530

Magpie:

> > I'm kind of fascinated by the way JKR's linked both 
> > Snape and Draco to fear or werewolves, as if that's 
> > a Slytherin thing (while Sirius is all "Wish it were 
> > a full moon! Having a werewolf buddy is fun!).

Betsy Hp:

> I have a couple of ideas. One is tied to the blood 
> purity thing. If Slytherins are all about blood-purity 
> (which I have a hard time buying, since no other house 
> is *all* about just one thing, but yes I'll agree 
> Slytherins are more interested in blood than other 
> houses, or at least they'll admit to it <g>) it 
> stands to reason they'd fear the one creature that
> can take it all away from them. From pureblood to 
> half-breed with one bite.
> [...]
> The other is the Slytherin as a female house thing. 
> Werewolves are the embodiment of male aggression, so 
> naturally the feminine Slytherins fear them, and the 
> masculine Gryffindors love them.

houyhnhnm:

Both of those explanations make sense, though I hadn't 
really thought about the way the two Houses react to 
werewolves.  I have thought about the differences 
between Slytherin and Gryffindor with respect to 
fear in general.  I think fear is a specifically 
Slytherin issue.  Which is not to say they are 
cowards, but rather that fear is something that 
those with a Slytherin temperament have to come 
to terms with as they grow up in a way that young 
Gryffindors do not.

Draco is not afraid only of the werewolves in the 
Forbidden Forest.  "--there's all sorts of things 
in there--."  It wasn't a werewolf that caused him 
to let out a terrible scream and bolt from the forest. 
I had the feeling that it was really fear behind the 
bravado that got him in trouble with the Hippogriff, 
and all through HBP we see Draco grappling with fear.  
And can anyone doubt that Severus "Snivellus" "DON'T 
CALL ME COWARD" Snape hasn't wrestled with fear issues? 

Magpie:

> I don't know, I just thought it was kind of interesting. 
> I wonder if there's something that works in the opposite 
> direction--though I don't think so, since we don't know 
> Slytherin as well.

houyhnhnm:

I think it might be Dementors.  Gryffindors are much 
more dependent on "spirits" or "heart" as a driving 
force.  A dark creature that can make them *depressed* 
has got to be the worst nightmare for a Gryffindor.  
For Slytherins, being such emotional creatures to 
start with and *having* to learn to deal with emotions, 
including bad ones, Dementors probably do not hold 
the same kind of terror.  I don't mean that they are 
not affected by Dementors or that they are immune to 
their effects in some way (Gryffindors are not immune 
to werewolves).  I mean little Slytherin kids may be 
afraid of a werewolf in the closet.  With Gryffindor 
kids, it's more likely to be a Dementor.