To kill or not to kill and resolutions of the storyline/ Slytherins (LONG )

[julie]

No: HPFGUIDX 185619

Montavilla47 wrote:
> 
> Again, if it weren't for the vocal minority, we'd simply read that
> passage as McGonagall justly expelling the dangerous, traitorous,
> racist element from the school.  
> 
> That they are allowed back in eventually could easily be 
> explained by the secret contributions of Regulus and Snape, 
> and Slughorn's return, and the realization that the Slytherins
> are, like Peeves and the moldy hallways, something to be 
> tolerated.  Why, some of them are even all right.
>

Julie:
Just curious, but how do you know it is a "vocal minority"
that noticed or felt a lack of resolution or redemption of
the Slytherins after reading the books? This list itself is
a very tiny minority of readers, and I'm not sure I could
assert that a minority on *this* list read the passage as
McGonagall justly expelling the entirety of Slytherin House
as a dangerous, traitorous, racist element. 

In fact, in an interview JKR was asked why no Slytherins 
came back to fight, and she replied "But of course they did."
This indicates to me that not only a few readers on this 
list were left wondering about the Slytherins and the lack
of definite resolution to their story in the books. Whether
it adds up to a minority or a majority I don't know--and I
don't know how we really would without a survey on the 
subject representing a cross-section of all HP readers.

Julie, who would find such a survey of general readers'
interpretations and feelings about different aspects of
the HP books very interesting, and no doubt illuminating
to read, whatever it revealed.