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

[montavilla47]

No: HPFGUIDX 185553

> Magpie:
> <SNIP>
> I can't believe
> it would break an intense mood to say "the Slytherins who left
> earlier" in a way it doesn't break the mood to say "shopkeepers from
> Hogsmeade." Hell, the Slytherins would be far more important to the
> mood here. Their return would be far more important than these
> peoples' entrance--to Harry, to the reader, and to the story. <SNIP>
> 
> Alla:
> 
> Just want to comment on this point - who says that it will be 
> important to Harry and to the story? I mean, if we are to assume that 
> the point is left ambigiuous deliberately, maybe in JKR's mind it is 
> not important to Harry? Maybe as Pippin says Snape's bravery was far 
> more important to convince Harry in changing his mind than seeing 
> that students returned to fight?
> 
> So if it is not important to Harry (if we assume that), I do not see 
> why it is so strange that narrator will not identify Slytherins.
> 

Montavilla47:
Not to put words in Sistermagpie's mouth, but I think that's pretty
close to her point:  The Slytherins aren't mentioned as returning
because it's not important to JKR that they did.  

Speaking for myself now, although  I believe her when she said that 
the Slytherins did return in the later interview (there's something 
about the way she describes them as using Slytherin cunning in 
getting reinforcements that convinces me that's not an
off-the-cuff idea), it wasn't that important a point to her because
the big thing was Snape's story.

And that does leave it ambiguous for the reader.  If you want to 
believe that the Slytherins returned, there's only Voldemort's 
statement about them joining him to contradict that.  If you want
to believe that all of them, with the exception of Draco, happily
joined Voldemort or cravenly went home to sleep, then you can.

I keep thinking of this resolution in musical terms--which is 
dangerous because I really don't know anything about musical
theory.  But I do know that to resolve a theme, you need to 
bring in the proper final note.  And it's like JKR was writing a 
final chord that only included two out of three notes:

She has the Snape note, and she has the Draco/Malfoy note.  But
without the final Slytherin note, the chord isn't complete.  She 
creates a minor chord, instead of a major chord.

Snape can't bring the Slytherin story to a satisfying conclusion,
because he turns out to be the anti-Slytherin.  As Dumbledore 
says, he was "sorted too soon."  He wasn't really a Slytherin at 
all, but Gryffindor at heart.  (Sad as it makes me to say that.)

Draco may be a true Slytherin, but everything about his 
conclusion is ambiguous.  Sure, he was willing to stay with
his friend during the fire, but he was still running around 
after that, trying to buddy up with the Death Eaters.  Sure,
he wasn't willing to identify Harry in the Manor, but he was
willing to stand by while Hermione was tortured and to keep
Ron and Harry captive.

Narcissa may have helped Harry at a critical moment, but 
Harry is careful to note that she's doing it for her own selfish
reasons.

Slytherin is deliberately left apart from the other Houses, 
even at the end of the story.  Maybe it's not so bad that
Harry's love for his son can over come it--but it's bad 
enough that James can taunt his brother with the possibility
of being sorted into it.

And, as Alla says, that's not a problem if you, as a reader,
still despise the House and its values.  But it's bummy for
people who want that theme resolved.  Not that JKR owes
those people a resolution.

Montavill47