Sorting Hat post DH

[m***@hotmail.com]

The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
positive attributes?

Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?

What if the Sorting Hat felt that what Hogwarts needed was a few GOOD
Slytherins? What would they be like?

Marli (who'd probably be Sorted into Hufflepuff)

[soup]

Post by m***@hotmail.com
Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?

Slytherins are *resourceful* . It is not so much that Slytherins are
intrinsically evil but they don't let others stand in their way.
Most (not all) bad wizards were Slytherins but most Slytherins are not
bad wizards.

[Tim Bruening]

Post by soup

Post by m***@hotmail.com
Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?

Slytherins are *resourceful* . It is not so much that Slytherins are
intrinsically evil but they don't let others stand in their way.
Most (not all) bad wizards were Slytherins but most Slytherins are not
bad wizards.

Like most terrorists being Muslims but most Muslims not being terrorists?

[Doug Weller]

On Thu, 26 Jul 2007 02:19:00 -0700, in alt.fan.harry-potter, Tim Bruening

Post by Tim Bruening

Post by soup

Post by m***@hotmail.com
Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?

Slytherins are *resourceful* . It is not so much that Slytherins are
intrinsically evil but they don't let others stand in their way.
Most (not all) bad wizards were Slytherins but most Slytherins are not
bad wizards.

Like most terrorists being Muslims but most Muslims not being terrorists?

Ask some peasants in South America about terrorists, we tend to have a
narrow view of what terrorism is.

Doug

[Timothy Bruening]

Post by Doug Weller
On Thu, 26 Jul 2007 02:19:00 -0700, in alt.fan.harry-potter, Tim Bruening

Post by Tim Bruening

Post by soup

Post by m***@hotmail.com
Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?

Slytherins are *resourceful* . It is not so much that Slytherins are
intrinsically evil but they don't let others stand in their way.
Most (not all) bad wizards were Slytherins but most Slytherins are not
bad wizards.

Like most terrorists being Muslims but most Muslims not being terrorists?

Ask some peasants in South America about terrorists, we tend to have a
narrow view of what terrorism is.

What is their definition of terrorism?

[Justin Alexander]

Post by m***@hotmail.com
The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
positive attributes?

Ambition is their positive attribute. It's not a synonym for evil.

I think I said this in another thread, but it's important to remember
that we see Slytherin across three generations in which the house is
completely dominated by the influence of Tom Riddle. (Either he's
there, he's using it as a recruiting ground for his first Death
Eaters, or the children of his Death Eaters are there.)

Outside of that relatively narrow span of time, it's apparent the
Slytherin is a more well-balanced house. From before that time period
we have the example of Slughorn. After that time period we have the
important data point that Harry and Ginny wouldn't care if their son
was sorted in Slytherin -- which obviously wouldn't be the case if it
was still a haven for evil.

--
Justin Alexander
http://www.thealexandrian.net

[lily]

Post by Justin Alexander
Outside of that relatively narrow span of time, it's apparent the
Slytherin is a more well-balanced house. From before that time period
we have the example of Slughorn. After that time period we have the
important data point that Harry and Ginny wouldn't care if their son
was sorted in Slytherin -- which obviously wouldn't be the case if it
was still a haven for evil.

Good examples are seriously lacking in Slytherin. I could only think
of snape and r.a.b. Both out to destory v because of their love for
someone or family.

[T.M. Sommers]

Post by Justin Alexander
Outside of that relatively narrow span of time, it's apparent the
Slytherin is a more well-balanced house. From before that time period
we have the example of Slughorn. After that time period we have the
important data point that Harry and Ginny wouldn't care if their son
was sorted in Slytherin -- which obviously wouldn't be the case if it
was still a haven for evil.

What do you expect them to say: "If you get sorted into
Slytherin, don't bother coming home"? Also note that Harry
immediately thereafter told his son how to avoid being sorted
into Slytherin.

[Tim Bruening]

Post by Justin Alexander

Post by m***@hotmail.com
The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
positive attributes?

Ambition is their positive attribute. It's not a synonym for evil.
I think I said this in another thread, but it's important to remember
that we see Slytherin across three generations in which the house is
completely dominated by the influence of Tom Riddle. (Either he's
there, he's using it as a recruiting ground for his first Death
Eaters, or the children of his Death Eaters are there.)
Outside of that relatively narrow span of time, it's apparent the
Slytherin is a more well-balanced house. From before that time period
we have the example of Slughorn. After that time period we have the
important data point that Harry and Ginny wouldn't care if their son
was sorted in Slytherin -- which obviously wouldn't be the case if it
was still a haven for evil.

I would like to know how Slytherin recovered from the public relations
damage caused by Voldemort.

[Tim Bruening]

Post by m***@hotmail.com
The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
positive attributes?
Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?
What if the Sorting Hat felt that what Hogwarts needed was a few GOOD
Slytherins? What would they be like?
Marli (who'd probably be Sorted into Hufflepuff)

DH spoilers:

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
11
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

I saw Voldemort set the Sorting Hat on fire with my own two eyes. How
can a burnt hat be used to Sort anything?

[Richard Eney]

Post by Tim Bruening

Post by m***@hotmail.com
The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
positive attributes?
Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?

Of course there can be, but one of the defining characteristics has
been a certain sense of desperation underlying great ambition.

Slytherins are generally intelligent, can judge a situation and use
social mechanics for their own advantage. If they don't feel threatened,
that talent can be used for running something well, for whatever the
wizard equivalent of psychology is, perhaps even using real psychology
under the cover of some kind of 'mind magic'...

Slytherin also tend to be brave, but they are also capable of deciding
when it is more useful to avoid direct conflict. Malfoy and his buddies
were noticeable, but as I've said before, there are lots of Slytherins
we never heard from, who probably quietly despised Malfoy but were too
busy with their own studies to bother to swat him down.

Post by Tim Bruening

Post by m***@hotmail.com
What if the Sorting Hat felt that what Hogwarts needed was a few GOOD
Slytherins? What would they be like?
Marli (who'd probably be Sorted into Hufflepuff)

18
1
16
1
14
1
12
11
10
1
8
1
6
1
4
1
2
1
I saw Voldemort set the Sorting Hat on fire with my own two eyes. How
can a burnt hat be used to Sort anything?

The hat fire was put out soon enough for Neville to pull the hat off
and pull the sword out of it.

=Tamar

[Murkin]

Post by Richard Eney

Post by Tim Bruening

Post by m***@hotmail.com
The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
positive attributes?
Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?

Of course there can be, but one of the defining characteristics has
been a certain sense of desperation underlying great ambition.
Slytherins are generally intelligent, can judge a situation and use
social mechanics for their own advantage. If they don't feel threatened,
that talent can be used for running something well, for whatever the
wizard equivalent of psychology is, perhaps even using real psychology
under the cover of some kind of 'mind magic'...
Slytherin also tend to be brave, but they are also capable of deciding
when it is more useful to avoid direct conflict. Malfoy and his buddies
were noticeable, but as I've said before, there are lots of Slytherins
we never heard from, who probably quietly despised Malfoy but were too
busy with their own studies to bother to swat him down.

Post by Tim Bruening

Post by m***@hotmail.com
What if the Sorting Hat felt that what Hogwarts needed was a few GOOD
Slytherins? What would they be like?
Marli (who'd probably be Sorted into Hufflepuff)

18
1
16
1
14
1
12
11
10
1
8
1
6
1
4
1
2
1
I saw Voldemort set the Sorting Hat on fire with my own two eyes. How
can a burnt hat be used to Sort anything?

The hat fire was put out soon enough for Neville to pull the hat off
and pull the sword out of it.
=Tamar

Also the Hat fire seemed to have no lasting effect on Neville. This
was after HP consented to die for the others

[Shiral]

Post by Richard Eney

Post by Tim Bruening

Post by m***@hotmail.com
The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
positive attributes?
Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?

Of course there can be, but one of the defining characteristics has
been a certain sense of desperation underlying great ambition.
Slytherins are generally intelligent, can judge a situation and use
social mechanics for their own advantage. If they don't feel threatened,
that talent can be used for running something well, for whatever the
wizard equivalent of psychology is, perhaps even using real psychology
under the cover of some kind of 'mind magic'...
Slytherin also tend to be brave, but they are also capable of deciding
when it is more useful to avoid direct conflict. Malfoy and his buddies
were noticeable, but as I've said before, there are lots of Slytherins
we never heard from, who probably quietly despised Malfoy but were too
busy with their own studies to bother to swat him down.

Post by Tim Bruening

Post by m***@hotmail.com
What if the Sorting Hat felt that what Hogwarts needed was a few GOOD
Slytherins? What would they be like?
Marli (who'd probably be Sorted into Hufflepuff)

18
1
16
1
14
1
12
11
10
1
8
1
6
1
4
1
2
1
I saw Voldemort set the Sorting Hat on fire with my own two eyes. How
can a burnt hat be used to Sort anything?

The hat fire was put out soon enough for Neville to pull the hat off
and pull the sword out of it.
=Tamar- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

A hat that can sing and sort students into four different houses and
produce swords from thin air and which has lasted hundreds of years
can PROBABLY weather a short bonfire. IT's outlived the four founders,
Dumbledore, Voldemort and Snape. And then there's the ever useful
"Reparo" spell in case it was looking a little threadbare after the
battle. But then, nobody has ever seen where the Sorting Hat keeps
its brain, HAVE they....?

Melissa

[Welsh Dog]

On Tue, 24 Jul 2007 22:11:09 -0700, Tim Bruening

Post by Tim Bruening

Post by m***@hotmail.com
The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
positive attributes?
Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?
What if the Sorting Hat felt that what Hogwarts needed was a few GOOD
Slytherins? What would they be like?
Marli (who'd probably be Sorted into Hufflepuff)

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
11
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
I saw Voldemort set the Sorting Hat on fire with my own two eyes. How
can a burnt hat be used to Sort anything?

Reparo... with the Elder wand before it's returned to DD's tomb!?!

Welshdog

[Welsh Dog]

Post by m***@hotmail.com
The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
positive attributes?
Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?

And just where do you think all the politicians come from?? :)

Post by m***@hotmail.com
What if the Sorting Hat felt that what Hogwarts needed was a few GOOD
Slytherins? What would they be like?

Dead?

Welshdog

[Richard Eney]

Post by Welsh Dog

Post by m***@hotmail.com
The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
positive attributes?
Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?

And just where do you think all the politicians come from?? :)

Hufflepuff. Ernie is pompous enough to become Minister for Magic.

=Tamar

[Louis Epstein]

Richard Eney <***@radix.net> wrote:
: In article <***@4ax.com>,
: Welsh Dog <***@gmail.com> wrote:
:>On Tue, 24 Jul 2007 21:27:39 -0700, "***@hotmail.com"
:><***@hotmail.com> wrote:
:>
:>>The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
:>>but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
:>>Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
:>>house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
:>>positive attributes?
:>
:>> Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
:>>body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?
:>
:>And just where do you think all the politicians come from?? :)
:
: Hufflepuff. Ernie is pompous enough to become Minister for Magic.
:
: =Tamar

Certainly Fudge struck me as a Hufflepuff,probably a prefect at
the same time Umbridge was in Slytherin.

-=-=-
The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again,
at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.

[santosh]

Post by m***@hotmail.com
The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness.

Much like much of the rest of us in the Real World, isn't it? :)

[Ron Hunter]

Post by m***@hotmail.com
The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
positive attributes?
Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?
What if the Sorting Hat felt that what Hogwarts needed was a few GOOD
Slytherins? What would they be like?
Marli (who'd probably be Sorted into Hufflepuff)

Well, while Slughorn wasn't my idea of a good person, he at least was
not bad. Well within the range of socially acceptable, at least. There
is nothing wrong with shrewdness, cunning, or ambition. Even some
selfishness is of benefit to a person, if it is not overdone.

[Petrea Mitchell]

At Tue, 24 Jul 2007 21:27:39 -0700,

Post by m***@hotmail.com
What if the Sorting Hat felt that what Hogwarts needed was a few GOOD
Slytherins? What would they be like?

The paradox of a good, effective Slytherin is that no one will notice
what they did. If you accomplish something by stealth and manipulation,
success is measured by keeping it quiet. Personally, I think the reason
a lot of Slytherins turn bad is they get tired of doing things they
can't be recognized for. :-)

Look at Snape, just in the first book. He's got to stop Quirrell and not
let the students know about it. He gets all chewed up by Fluffy, and what
can he say without it sounding suspicious? He volunteers to referee a
Quidditch match to protect Harry, and everyone thinks it's to harrass
Harry, and what can he say in his defense and still keep what he's really
doing secret? I mean, it's no wonder he's a little grumpy.

[m***@hotmail.com]

Post by Petrea Mitchell
At Tue, 24 Jul 2007 21:27:39 -0700,

Post by m***@hotmail.com
What if the Sorting Hat felt that what Hogwarts needed was a few GOOD
Slytherins? What would they be like?

The paradox of a good, effective Slytherin is that no one will notice
what they did. If you accomplish something by stealth and manipulation,
success is measured by keeping it quiet. Personally, I think the reason
a lot of Slytherins turn bad is they get tired of doing things they
can't be recognized for. :-)
Look at Snape, just in the first book. He's got to stop Quirrell and not
let the students know about it. He gets all chewed up by Fluffy, and what
can he say without it sounding suspicious? He volunteers to referee a
Quidditch match to protect Harry, and everyone thinks it's to harrass
Harry, and what can he say in his defense and still keep what he's really
doing secret? I mean, it's no wonder he's a little grumpy.
--
/
"Deconstruct *this*, Pink Boy!" ---Joe Merlino
"I will pay cash money to see you prance and frolic." ---ikaros (not to me)

Yes, an excellent point. As a kid, Snape probably had to resort to
stealth.manipulation and an arsenal of curses to get the bullies of
the house just to leave him alone!

[Green-Eyed Chris]

Post by m***@hotmail.com

Post by Petrea Mitchell
At Tue, 24 Jul 2007 21:27:39 -0700,

Post by m***@hotmail.com
What if the Sorting Hat felt that what Hogwarts needed was a few GOOD
Slytherins? What would they be like?

The paradox of a good, effective Slytherin is that no one will notice
what they did. If you accomplish something by stealth and manipulation,
success is measured by keeping it quiet. Personally, I think the reason
a lot of Slytherins turn bad is they get tired of doing things they
can't be recognized for. :-)
Look at Snape, just in the first book. He's got to stop Quirrell and not
let the students know about it. He gets all chewed up by Fluffy, and what
can he say without it sounding suspicious? He volunteers to referee a
Quidditch match to protect Harry, and everyone thinks it's to harrass
Harry, and what can he say in his defense and still keep what he's really
doing secret? I mean, it's no wonder he's a little grumpy.
--
/
"Deconstruct *this*, Pink Boy!" ---Joe Merlino
"I will pay cash money to see you prance and frolic." ---ikaros (not to me)

Yes, an excellent point. As a kid, Snape probably had to resort to
stealth.manipulation and an arsenal of curses to get the bullies of
the house just to leave him alone!

Perhaps in muggle school, but I don't think Snape had any problems in
Slytherin. Lupin tells us (GoF, Ch. 27) that:

"Snape
knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in
seventh year, and he was part of a gang of Slytherins who
nearly all turned out to be Death Eaters."
--
Chris

[gjw]

SPOILERS:

-
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Post by m***@hotmail.com
The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
positive attributes?
Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?

Re-read the last thing in the book said about Slytherin, as Harry
talks to his child at the train station:


“What if I’m in Slytherin?”
The whisper was for his father alone, and Harry knew that only the
moment of departure could have forced Albus to reveal how great and
sincere that fear was.
Harry crouched down so that Albus’s face was slightly above his
own. Alone of Harry’s three children, Albus had inherited Lily’s eyes.
“Albus Severus,” Harry said quietly, so that nobody but Ginny
could hear, and she was tactful enough to pretend to be waving to
Rose, who was now on the train, “you were named for two headmasters of
Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest
man I ever knew.”
“But just say—”
“—then Slytherin House will have gained an excellent student,
won’t it? It doesn’t matter to us, Al. But if it matters to you,
you’ll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The Sorting Hat
takes your choice into account.”

[Drusilla]

Post by gjw
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Post by m***@hotmail.com
The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
positive attributes?
Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?

Re-read the last thing in the book said about Slytherin, as Harry

[...]

Yes, but Al was still resented about being Slytherin, as though there is
still apprehension about the house. And it always be, at least for more
than 20 years. The last Dark Lord and mostly of his minions came from
Slytherin.

[Bill Blakely]

On Thu, 26 Jul 2007 01:52:40 -0500, Drusilla

Post by Drusilla

Post by gjw
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Post by m***@hotmail.com
The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
positive attributes?
Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?

Re-read the last thing in the book said about Slytherin, as Harry

[...]
Yes, but Al was still resented about being Slytherin, as though there is
still apprehension about the house. And it always be, at least for more
than 20 years. The last Dark Lord and mostly of his minions came from
Slytherin.

In that dreadful epilogue, Harry basically talks out of both sides of
his mouth about Slytherin, as JKR does throughout the series.
Supposedly there are good people in Slytherin and it has redeeming
qualities, etc., but you're hard pressed to prove it based on what
Slytherins actually do in the story. It would have been more
convincing if, in the end, even a few Slytherins, aside from Slughorn,
who fears for his life, and the very dubiously motivated Severus
Snape, had joined the fight against Voldemort.


-------------------------------------------------
Stopping a president who thinks he can do no wrong takes people with the courage to do what's right.

[Drusilla]

Post by Bill Blakely
On Thu, 26 Jul 2007 01:52:40 -0500, Drusilla

Post by Drusilla

Post by gjw
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Post by m***@hotmail.com
The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
positive attributes?
Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?

Re-read the last thing in the book said about Slytherin, as Harry

[...]
Yes, but Al was still resented about being Slytherin, as though there is
still apprehension about the house. And it always be, at least for more
than 20 years. The last Dark Lord and mostly of his minions came from
Slytherin.

In that dreadful epilogue, Harry basically talks out of both sides of
his mouth about Slytherin, as JKR does throughout the series.
Supposedly there are good people in Slytherin and it has redeeming
qualities, etc., but you're hard pressed to prove it based on what
Slytherins actually do in the story. It would have been more
convincing if, in the end, even a few Slytherins, aside from Slughorn,
who fears for his life, and the very dubiously motivated Severus
Snape, had joined the fight against Voldemort.

True. No one stayed. Even underage wizards from other Houses stayed, but
no Slytherin. All of them resulted in a bunch of cowards and I don't
think that's the case. Whatever happened after that, in the next 20
years, new students wouldn't like to be in the house of those who never
fought in the Battle of Hogwarts.

[Bill Blakely]

On Thu, 26 Jul 2007 12:42:01 -0500, Drusilla

Post by Drusilla

Post by Bill Blakely
On Thu, 26 Jul 2007 01:52:40 -0500, Drusilla

Post by Drusilla

Post by gjw
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Post by m***@hotmail.com
The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
positive attributes?
Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?

Re-read the last thing in the book said about Slytherin, as Harry

[...]
Yes, but Al was still resented about being Slytherin, as though there is
still apprehension about the house. And it always be, at least for more
than 20 years. The last Dark Lord and mostly of his minions came from
Slytherin.

In that dreadful epilogue, Harry basically talks out of both sides of
his mouth about Slytherin, as JKR does throughout the series.
Supposedly there are good people in Slytherin and it has redeeming
qualities, etc., but you're hard pressed to prove it based on what
Slytherins actually do in the story. It would have been more
convincing if, in the end, even a few Slytherins, aside from Slughorn,
who fears for his life, and the very dubiously motivated Severus
Snape, had joined the fight against Voldemort.

True. No one stayed. Even underage wizards from other Houses stayed, but
no Slytherin. All of them resulted in a bunch of cowards and I don't
think that's the case. Whatever happened after that, in the next 20
years, new students wouldn't like to be in the house of those who never
fought in the Battle of Hogwarts.

Or fought on the wrong side!!


-------------------------------------------------
Stopping a president who thinks he can do no wrong takes people with the courage to do what's right.

[Tangent]

Post by Bill Blakely
On Thu, 26 Jul 2007 01:52:40 -0500, Drusilla

Post by Drusilla

Post by gjw
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Post by m***@hotmail.com
The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
positive attributes?
Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?

Re-read the last thing in the book said about Slytherin, as Harry

[...]
Yes, but Al was still resented about being Slytherin, as though there is
still apprehension about the house. And it always be, at least for more
than 20 years. The last Dark Lord and mostly of his minions came from
Slytherin.

In that dreadful epilogue, Harry basically talks out of both sides of
his mouth about Slytherin, as JKR does throughout the series.
Supposedly there are good people in Slytherin and it has redeeming
qualities, etc., but you're hard pressed to prove it based on what
Slytherins actually do in the story. It would have been more
convincing if, in the end, even a few Slytherins, aside from Slughorn,
who fears for his life, and the very dubiously motivated Severus
Snape, had joined the fight against Voldemort.
-------------------------------------------------
Stopping a president who thinks he can do no wrong takes people with the
courage to do what's right.

I can see why Slytherins might not have been motivated. They, themselves,
probably see DD and Harry through the distortions of house rivalry, and have
no objection to seeing both of them being taken down a peg or two. Besides,
just as many Griffyndors aren't directly connected with the Order (except,
perhaps, through DA), many Slytherins aren't directly involved with the
Death Eaters - so they're not entirely aware of the ramifications of V's
takeover of the MofM and, unlike Draco, are unaware of the true horror of
what serving V actually means. It's possible that they have convinced
themselves that the events of the year mainly mean that purebloods will get
their proper due and muggleborns be taught a lesson - to take a Nazi
parallel, they'd be the right-wing Germans who wanted to see Germany become
a dominant power again, but were privately queasy about Hitler's methods.

[Timothy Bruening]

Post by Drusilla

Post by gjw
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Post by m***@hotmail.com
The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
positive attributes?
Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?

Re-read the last thing in the book said about Slytherin, as Harry

[...]
Yes, but Al was still resented about being Slytherin, as though there is
still apprehension about the house. And it always be, at least for more
than 20 years. The last Dark Lord and mostly of his minions came from
Slytherin.

Spoilers for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0
0
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

Albus Severus Potter gets Sorted into Slytherin! He had met Scorpius on the train, which must have abated his opposition to Slytherin!

He was a bit stunned, but not as stunned as I had expected. I had thought that he might scream and faint, or stomp on the hat!

[Thom-Madura]

Post by m***@hotmail.com
The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
positive attributes?
Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?
What if the Sorting Hat felt that what Hogwarts needed was a few GOOD
Slytherins? What would they be like?
Marli (who'd probably be Sorted into Hufflepuff)

Noting that the Hat would have put Harry into Slytherin if Harry had not
objected - Slytherin house is the home of greatness and resourcefulness.
It would be wrong to assume that every person in Slytherin was on the
side of Evil - my guess would be that Narcissa was a Slytherin for
instance - do you think Lucious would have married a Gryffindor? Yet -
she eventually helped Harry.

[Welsh Dog]

On Sun, 29 Jul 2007 20:58:08 -0400, Thom-Madura

Post by Thom-Madura

Post by m***@hotmail.com
The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
positive attributes?
Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?
What if the Sorting Hat felt that what Hogwarts needed was a few GOOD
Slytherins? What would they be like?
Marli (who'd probably be Sorted into Hufflepuff)

Noting that the Hat would have put Harry into Slytherin if Harry had not
objected - Slytherin house is the home of greatness and resourcefulness.
It would be wrong to assume that every person in Slytherin was on the
side of Evil - my guess would be that Narcissa was a Slytherin for
instance - do you think Lucious would have married a Gryffindor? Yet -
she eventually helped Harry.

Correction - she used Harry to help herself and her family..

Welshdog

[Toon]

Post by m***@hotmail.com
What if the Sorting Hat felt that what Hogwarts needed was a few GOOD
Slytherins? What would they be like?

Snape, Slughorn.

[Louis Epstein]

***@hotmail.com <***@hotmail.com> wrote:
: The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,
: but again and again, there is no good to be said of Slytherin House.
: Shrewdness, cunning, ambition, selfishness. Is it possible for a
: house to have no virtues whatsoever? If not, what are Slytherin's
: positive attributes?
:
: Is Slytherin merely the toxic waste dump of the Hogwarts student
: body--or could there be good, decent people also in that House?
:
: What if the Sorting Hat felt that what Hogwarts needed was a few GOOD
: Slytherins? What would they be like?
:
: Marli (who'd probably be Sorted into Hufflepuff)

A Slytherin needs to wish to better himself...but there
is no need that he be partial to unethical means!
Anyone who is not self-effacing could fit in if dedicated
to getting ahead.

-=-=-
The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again,
at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.

[JimboCat]

Post by m***@hotmail.com
The Sorting Hat did its job according to the values of each founder,

But where does it keep its brains?

"Ginny!" said Mr. Weasley, flabbergasted. "Haven't I taught you
anything. What have I always told you? Never trust anything that
can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain?
Why didn't you show the diary to me, or your mother? A suspicious
object like that, it was clearly full of Dark Magic..."
(CoS, ch. 18)

So the question becomes: is the Sorting Hat *Evil*? Sure doesn't seem
so. But where *does* it keep its brain???

Jim Deutch (JimboCat)
--
mind is the song the brain is playing -- Robert Kolker