Lack of Slytherins banner in ROR and Slytherins in the final battle.

[career advisor]

No: HPFGUIDX 178750

> >>Del comments:
> > I still remember the horrifying moment when I first read about 
> > Harry entering the RoR for the first time in DH, and noticing 
> > that there is no Slytherin banner in it. My mind reeled with 
> > disbelief and shock at that time: this was just so WRONG! 

Well to ease your mind the lack of the banner doesn not mean there were no Slytherins. Just that they did not advertise themselves with a banner. Unless there is an interview answer to the contrary there is no proof their were no Slytherins there canon wise, just a surface impression. What we do know if you read the passage that describes the room as Harry enters is that there are about thrity people in that room (and counting the trio there were orignially twenty-eight DA members) , which means Neville must have recruited a few new members because adding together those that graduated plus those that probably would  not have been in that room (Zack Smith), plus the muggle-born or pseudo-muggle-born (Colin, Dean, Justin) there were not more then twenty DA members at the begining of the year. These were: Neville, Ginny, Luna, Seamus, Lavender, Parvati, Padma, Michael Corner, Anthony Goldstein, Terry Boot, Ernie MacMillian, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbot.
 Fourteen total.

The trio was missing, Colin, Dennis and Justin were muggle born. Dean was thought to be and thus on the run. Cho, Angelina, Alicia, Katie Bell, Fred, George, and Marietta had graduated. Marietta is questionable as we don't know her year, but she is a traitor.  

Neville, Ginny and Luna managed to about double the numbers of available DA. They were probably mostly younger Gryffindors like Romidla and Demelza and Natalie MacDonald (and don't tell me JKR wouldn't have put Natalie in the DA in her mind if not on paper) plus say Jimmy Peakes who is mentioned by McGonagall as being too young to fight (but not join the DA maybe). 

But logic says one or two Slytherins could have joined and if so they would have been naturally shy when Harry was in the room and they would not have raised their banner, because to join the DA they would have had to lose almost all pride in their house. It is not something they would want to advertise if they want to get along with their fellow DA members. It would be very hard to convince the DA that a new Slytherin member was not a spy. And the Gyffs and Huffs would be suspicious perhaps of new Ravenclaws as well but not to the same extent. I always beleive that JKR was trying to be somewhat realistic in the portrayal of the actions of her characters in terms of psychology. I mean if you were a Slytherin would you have raised your banner?  

And yes I now that JKR has bad math and that thirty was just Harry's rough estimate but JKR would not I think have accidentily doubled the numbers.  

But I will admit any Slytheirns that did stand up would have to be extraordinary brave and thus belong in Gryffindor. But JKR made sure that there  are cowards in Gryffidor too. Every has has its heroes and cowards. Hufflepuff has Ernie and Hannah as its haeroes and Zaxk as its coward. Ravenclaw has Marietta as its coward and Luna and Michael and to a lesser extent Cho as its heroes. And Slytherin has Snape and Slughorn and Regulus and to a lesser extent Draco. And you can take the passage where Draco is saved by Ron and company as an awkward or half-hearted or failed sneaky attempt by Draco to do something to a Death Eater.   

DA Jones

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