Slytherins come back WAS: Re: My Most Annoying Character

[Mike]

No: HPFGUIDX 180315

> Angel:
> How many people equated this sentence with Slytherins returning
> before JKR said so, I wonder?  Even so, that is highly optimistic
> ...drats to be me then :)

Mike:
Raising my hand again, I said before that I assumed I missed it on my
first read through, but that it must have been there. I also thought 
I had seen a bunch of Slytherins in the Great Hall wrap-up party, 
besides the Malfoys. I figured Phineas Nigellus wouldn't have made 
his "Slytherin played it's part" comment after only Snape and Sluggy,
and I didn't figure he knew about Regulus any more than anybody else
did, besides Kreacher and the Trio.

Actually, my first reaction to Phineas was, 'Yeah, and their part was
to get the hell out of the way'. But then I figured that was not what
Phineas meant.

I'm not claiming to be an empath with JKR's imagination, I'm claiming
to be a sloppy and soppy reader. It wasn't until we, on this list, 
got to discussing Slytherin's lack of redemption that I realized my 
perception was mistaken.

Alla's, Carol's, and others arguments have caused me to replace this
nugget into my personal perspective bank, it just works better for 
me, even if I won't try to argue the point. Your mileage obviously 
does vary.



> Angel:
> I cannot get over the fact though that Slytherin deserting the 
> ranks was perfectly in print. No question about it. Their return
> would thus be a big issue yet somehow it is slipped in seemingly,
> deftly, subtly twixt a group of others that were mentioned except
> them!

Mike:
I would never argue that Slytherin returning was there or that there
even is room to interpret that it's there, for my own part. First 
off, I stopped considering JKR interviews, *all* interviews - past, 
present, or future - to be canon. Second off, imo something this 
important had to be clearly written, leaving room for speculation 
doesn't cut it in this case. But that's my interpretation of canon.

Someone said that maybe JKR didn't consider it important enough to 
waste the words. That redeeming Slytherin was neither her objective 
nor something that importantly affected Harry's journey. In that 
spirit, I can understand how some can see room for allowing some 
Slytherins to be in that group of reinforcements.

Mind you, I didn't and don't care a lick whether Slytherin was 
redeemed. I'm not sure if they either need to be, or if they should 
be redeemed. I've always approached Slytherins involvement with 
Voldemort as a seduced group, predisposed to be sure, but fooled as 
much as was Ginny in CoS and explained by Dumbledore. But I also hold 
with Steve's assessment that Slytherin's road to redemption has to 
come from within. Slytherin is responsible for their reputation 
because of their attitudes. Change their attitudes and others may 
change their assessments, but Slytherin must own up and make the 
first step.



> Angel:
> House UNITY is an integral part of HP.  We had been reading about
> it for 6 whole books.

Mike:
I must disagree. AFAIK, House Unity consisted of one song by the 
Sorting Hat, rejected out of hand by all concerned at that time. Just
because fandom picked up the flag and carried it on, does not make it
a predominant theme of the books. 

And that mention by the Sorting Hat came in the fifth book, after 
Voldemort's return. I didn't see any unity theme cropping up in the 
first four books. If I missed it, could some here enlighten me?



> Angel:
> That need not have been corrected. 

Mike:
Not to be argumentative, but you kind of side-stepped Alla's 
question. She was making the point that Harry thought maybe Snape 
was softening him up for Voldemort's mind incursions. Despite 
knowing Snape's ultimate loyalty, we still don't know if those 
Occlumency lessons actually made it easier for Voldemort to plant 
the false images into Harry's mind. It wasn't a matter of needing 
something corrected. Alla was using it to point out something vague 
and undecided in Harry's past perceptions that was never ultimately 
resolved.

Mike