THE DAILY PROPHET

All of my stories end up relating back to Ginny here! Okay, she hates this idea, but this section is for expressing MY opinion on certain subjects. This week's topic? Slytherins.

I personally believe that Slytherin is a very misunderstood house. I think that Slytherin is a sterotype that is meant to be there in the books. I have heard many times lately, that the whole point of the series is to show that people should not be treated a certain way just because of how they act, look, or what their history is. Slytherins are possibly put in the series to express what we call "The Popular Crowd" in our day. They can be cruel, cunning, and simply violent to others because they are suposedly better than everyone else. But what we don't see is that they are ambitious, determined, and subtle.

Slytherins tend to be very laid back. They want to get what they want, sometimes not easily, and go through any means to do it. You can see how this can become an only-spoiled-child thing. But no. This is a reference to ANYONE! Gryffindor and Slytherin are very closely related. Gryffindors aren't as laid back as Slytherings, but they are both really determined and set high standards.

However, Slytherins can be selfish. Unlike Gryffindors, they will always put themselves first. And sometimes, when we are in a terrible situation, this view can happen to us. Because we're all not perfect, and every time we think, we're not going to think of the person right next to us.

And we have met at least two (maybe three *grumbles*) good Slytherins. May I remind you of Professer Slughorn? He may have been a tad annoying, but he did not serve Voldemort, hate Harry or any of his friends, or try to do so in any way. I think this is because J.K. Rowling wanted to bring out the good in Slytherins for once. I would also like to bring up Snape (even though I did a whole article bashing him last time). He did secretly continue to try to help Harry. Again, what about Phineas Nigellus, a headmaster of Hogwarts? We may not have ALL liked him, but I think he is a pretty cool character. After all, Dumbledore and Nigellus get along, even with the house rivalry!

Ah, the house rivalry. This is one of the many restrictions we recieve from seeing from only Harry's point of view. We only see the bad in Slytherins, the annoying little "pure-blood maniacs." We get our first taste with Malfoy. But in the end, doesn't he turn out a little better, just acknowledging Harry at King's Cross? I think so. But back to rivalry, Harry is a Gryffindor, who knew all about how Slytherin was suposedly a "bad" house. But he almost got sorted there, didn't he? The story would be a lot different if he HAD got sorted there. But, we see a little bit that maybe Slytherins aren't so bad. If Harry can be one, then maybe we should just move on with hating Slytherins, and just say "You know, they aren't so bad." Exactly.

And I would like to bring up another point. I have heard so many times that Percy would make an excellent Slytherin. You know, maybe he would. He's cunning, ambitious, but not very subtle. He has that pure-blood heritage, which may be damaged by "blood-traitering," but that's not the point. We do not say that Percy is a Slytherin just because we don't like him. Slytherin is not just the house where everyone we hate goes. No! Just like Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, or Hufflepuff, you've got QUALITIES that make you who you are!

This has been stated over and over in the books, yet no one gets it. They say that Slytherins are ambitious, cunning, and determined. That is not bad. If I had shown just the qualities to you, you would say "Oh! Ambitious and determined are always good qualities to have. But, I'm not quite sure about cunning." Later, if you tell them these are the qualities that make up Slytherins, you would immediately bash it. "All Slytherins are evil and shouldn't even be in the Harry Potter books, as they ruin the series!" No...Slytherins definately serve their purpose. Voldemort-Slytherin. Snape-Slytherin. Harry-Almost Slytherin. SLYTHERINS ARE NOT AS BAD AS THEY ARE MADE OUT TO BE! That is my final point.

Thank you for reading my topic this week, especially if you despise Slytherins. If you would like to see a more in-depth discussion on the good side of Slytherins, go here: http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/editorials/edit-blacklily01.shtml  

I cannot convince you to like Slytherins. I can only say what I think. I hope this article has changed your view on them at least a little bit.