Slughorn, slytherins etc.

[IreneMikhlin]

No: HPFGUIDX 177839

It's not that I love him that much, it's just seems to me that he is as 
good as Slytherins can get, and if the author positions even him as a 
bad character, then what hope for the rest of them?

Just consider: he is firmly established as NOT being a Voldemort 
supporter. He went to great lengths and considerable discomfort not to 
be found by death eaters. Was he afraid to be killed by Voldy for 
knowing about Horcuxes? Probably not, because he had no way of knowing 
the extent of Voldy's madness and paranoia by that point.
Most likely he was afraid of being recruited. Now, that's an offer you 
can't refuse.
In Hogwarts, he makes no secret of admiring Harry Potter. Basically, he 
has completely thrown his lot with the good side.

I've discussed his club in my previous post, so I can only reiterate - I 
see nothing wrong with it.  YMMV, obviously.

So, the only thing we, as readers, are invited to hold against him 
remains - he wasn't immediately enthusiastic about fighting Voldemort in 
the battle of Hogwarts. I don't have my book with me, but I believe his 
words were "Is it wise?" And of course it was not wise; if not for 
Harry's sacrifice and all the unique magic that was involved, all the 
Hogwarts defenders would be dead, eventually.

And that's the fundamental difference between Gryffindor and Slytherin: 
when facing unsurmountable odds, the Gryffindor's answer seems to be 
"Bring it on!" while Slytherin would say "Thank you, I'd rather live to 
fight another day".

Any healthy society needs both of these extremes to survive. While the 
books seem to insist that Gryffindor's attitude is the only right one, I 
disagree.

Irene