Slytherin as villains / Ender vs. Harry SPOILERS for Ender's Game

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 179113

> >>lizzyben:
> <snip>
> And Lord knows JKR doesn't miss an opportunity to tell us how much 
> the Slytherins suck. If some traitor Slytherins were fighting w/the 
> DE, I think that would've been mentioned in the text. 

Betsy Hp:
Hah!  Okay, *this* is a reason I can buy for deciding Slytherins 
didn't actually *fight* for Voldemort.  I suppose they just gave him 
the Slytherin version of a thumbs up and then scampered off to hide 
under their beds (at their homes, not Hogwarts, obviously).  More 
than likely pushing little firsties out of their way. <bg>

> >>lizzyben:
> Finally, actually fighting for a cause (however misguided) would 
> show *courage*. Courage is a Gryffindor virtue, & in JKR's eyes,   
> the ultimate virtue. In the Great Hall, all the Houses were judged 
> on their willingness to fight: the majority of Gryffindors stayed   
> to fight, while all the Slytherins turned tail & ran (after Pansy   
> tried to sell out Harry Potter). The message there is that          
> Slytherins are *cowards*, while Gryffindors are courageous. It     
> would mess with that message if some Slytherin students came back  
> to fight in the battle. 
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Yes, that makes sense.  Also, JKR was positioning the house to remain 
at Hogwarts (for some odd reason).  If all of Slytherin came haring 
over the ramparts, that Hogwarts did *not* forever remove them from 
the school would make no sense.  Instead Slytherin remains bad, but 
tolerable.  Which gives our heroes a group to be tolerant of, but 
also a group to smack around when the mood so moves them.

> >>lizzyben:
> <snip>
> McGonegal's reaction was over-the-top, violent, paranoid and       
> *correct*. Because Slytherins are really just worthless people who 
> would turn Hogwarts over to the bad guys. I don't know why it was   
> so important for JKR to beat us over the head with this particular 
> message. It just seemed so over-the-top in DH. Yes, Slytherins     
> suck, I get it! 

Betsy Hp:
I share your confusion, quite frankly.  What was the point of 
Slytherin?  They don't teach Harry anything: he recognized their 
innate badness quite instinctively.  I guess they gave him an 
opportunity to forgive someone, but I'm not sure I ever really saw 
him forgive.  He just kind of... got over them (as I believe Magpie 
has put it).  So it's not like Harry's dealings with Slytherin helped 
him grow as a character.

I guess they provided some bad guys (a team to boo and hiss at during 
quidditch season, for example) but they were pretty lame in that 
role, too.  And I'm afraid I rather miss the point of Voldemort being 
from that house and wanting just that house in Hogwarts.  Balance 
maybe?  But then, the story doesn't end with any kind of equality.

So yeah, they confuse me.

Betsy Hp