CHAPDISC: DH31, The Battle of Hogwarts

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 184656

> Potioncat:

> But I would like to respond to your summary. You wrote:
> "numerous  Ravenclaws, even more Hufflepuffs and half of the 
> Gryffindors remain
> „« seated,  determined to help fight."
> 
> I bring this up because the wording in canon is a little different 
> and I can clearly remember my gut reaction to it.  JKR wrote, "The 
> Slytherin table was completely deserted, but a number of older 
> Ravenclaws remained seated ¡Keven more Hufflepuffs stayed behind, 
and 
> half of Gryffindor remained in their seats¡K"
> 
> It seems JKR is indicating the Slytherins chose to leave. Deserted 
is 
> very telling. I read 'a number' as 'a few' Ravenclaws. I inferred 
> that JKR was saying something very important about Slytherins and 
> Ravenclaws. Maybe she wasn't. But from a character standpoint, it 
> seems clear JKR values courage and loyalty and dismisses wit and 
> ambition.

Magpie:
That was the impression I got as well. I remember pre-OotP already 
having the feeling that the houses were clearly ranked in terms of 
general "goodness" (meaning most showing the things valued in the 
series) as Gryffindor first, then Hufflepuff, then Ravenclaw and then 
Slytherin. We had not yet met Marietta, but it just generally seemed 
like those were the favored houses. Obviously we've got Zach Smith 
who was a red herring in OotP and did show himself to be bad in his 
one appearance in DH (coward). And Luna is good (but by obviously 
standing against rationality and brains by believing things because 
they're unbelievable). But in terms of the qualities the houses 
represent it always did seem like the "head" qualities of Ravenclaw 
and Slytherin were more suspect.

Though I don't know whether I'd consider "ambition" to really be a 
quality of Slytherin since when I think of the most ambitious 
characters they're all Gryffindors: Hermione, Percy and the twins. 
It's more like what I consider ambition is split so that the 
Gryffindors get the good version (talent + hard work=advancement, 
success and money) while the Slytherins have the bad version 
(croneyism, keeping others down who weren't born into power, 
cheating).

Anyway, that's a long way of getting to my saying that I had the same 
impression of the descriptions of the tables. Sure the Slytherins 
were ordered to leave, but obviously good people stay to fight 
anyway. It's like Lily vs. James again--why is Lily's death better 
than James? Because she was given the chance to run. In a story where 
cowardice is the ultimate bad there's no excuse in taking your chance 
to leave.

-m