Slytherins come back WAS: Re: My Most Annoying Character

[montavilla47]

No: HPFGUIDX 180376

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dumbledore11214" <dumbledore11214 at ...> 
wrote:
>
> > 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?
> 
> Alla:
> 
> Not me, SOOOOO not me. And thank goodness on that topic I have lots 
> and lots old posts of mine to show that I argued that house unity is 
> NOT a predominant theme of HP books, had never been a predominant 
> theme of HP books and had been fandom invention for the most part 
> indeed.
> 
> One song and one interview, hehhe. And indeed if one takes a  
> consistent approach, for which I respect you very much Mike - no 
> double standards at all, even if disagree with this approach, the 
> interview does not exist indeed. So, we have one song and that is 
> the extrapolation that house unity is the predominant theme of HP 
> books? Not in my opinion.

Montavilla47:

Not to argue against the ultimate irrelevance of the House Unity
theme, because, well, you were right, weren't you?  It *was*
irrelevant... but it seems to me that there was more to it than
one song.  

There was, to begin with, the story of the Founders, that seemed
to me to be an ongoing story.  That is, the loss of Slytherin as 
a founder seemed to me a story that cried out for resolution,
especially since the last descendent of Slytherin was such a 
horror.  

Also, there was the rallying that took place at the end of 
GoF, when Dumbledore told Fudge that the Wizarding World
needed to unite with other species to fight against Voldemort.

While that didn't specifically include all humans, including 
the Slytherins as humans, it seemed strongly implied to me.

Of course, I got it wrong, but that was the moment that
really pulled me into the series.  It seemed incredibly 
important--and that it would drive the series from that
point onwards.

Heh.  Looking back on it now, I can't believe what a 
fool I was--since that moment was contradicted by the
whole of OotP (barring the Sorting Hat Song).  Instead 
of reaching out, the Order actually got more and more
insular as time went on.


Montavilla47