It’s just a fact of life: people stigmatize groups they don’t understand. Slytherins (though part of a fictional group) experience the same kind of prejudice that other groups do in the world today. I’m not saying that this is the most important group to be talking about, but through understanding the hardships that Slytherins go through, I’ve learned how to overcome my preconceived notions about other groups in the (muggle) world.
So let’s go through some misconceptions about Slytherins. Some of these I’ve noticed in the books, some are taken from interviews and tweets from J.K. Rowling herself, and some are my own interpretations.
All Slytherins are evil.
J.K. Rowling herself has stated that this is wrong. It may seem so from the perspective of the first few books, but as the plots get more and more complicated, Rowling shows just how complex Slytherins really are. In an interview with Melissa Anelli and Emerson Spartz in 2005, she says,
“You are seeing Slytherin house always from the perspective of Death Eaters' children. They are a small fraction of the total Slytherin population. I'm not saying all the other Slytherins are adorable, but they're certainly not Draco, they're certainly not, you know, Crabbe and Goyle. They're not all like that, that would be too brutal for words, wouldn’t it?”
In the Pottercast interview of 2007, she says,
“[Slytherins are] not all bad. I know I've said this before. I think I said it to Emerson— they are not all bad and— well, far from it, as we know, at the end— they may have a slightly more highly developed sense of preservation than other people, because— A part of the final battle that made me smile was Slughorn galloping back with Slytherins. But they've gone off to get reinforcements first, you know what I'm saying? So yes, they came back, they came back to fight. But I'm sure many people would say, well that's common sense, isn't it? Isn't that smart, to get out, get more people and come back with them? It's the old saying, there is no truth, there are only points of view."
All villains come from Slytherin.
Slytherin Regulus Black, the little brother of Sirius Black, was a sweet, naive boy influenced by his Voldemort-loyalist family. Sirius described him as “soft enough to believe [their family]” regarding pure-blood status. He joined the Death Eaters while still in Hogwarts, but when he learned of Voldemort’s truly horrific plans, he stole one of his precious Horcruxes with the intention to destroy it, sacrificing his life so that others may live.
Slytherin Andromeda Tonks, sister of Narcissa Malfoy and Beatrix Lestrange, was always accepting of others. She renounced her prejudiced family and married muggle-born Ted Tonks. The Black family disowned her, but she led a happy life and had Nymphadora Tonks, who later became a member of the Order of the Phoenix.
Slytherin Merlin, known as one of the greatest wizards of all time, was a member of King Arthur’s court and founded the Order of Merlin, an organization which promoted Muggle rights, creating rules against using magic on them. This is taken straight from Pottermore.
Let’s not forget that some pretty terrible villains have come from other houses.
Gryffindor Peter Pettigrew, once a good friend of the Marauders Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and James Potter, became a Death Eater and later disclosed James and Lily Potters’ location to Voldemort, knowing that his intention was to kill them and their child, Harry.
Ravenclaw Quirinus Quirrel went out in search of Lord Voldemort, believing he could achieve recognition for finding him. He later gave his body to Voldemort so he could infiltrate Hogwarts as a professor and kill Harry Potter.
Durmstrang student, Gellert Grindewald, planned on leading a Wizarding revolution with the aim of ending the International Statute of Secrecy and creating a global order led by witches and wizards that dominated Muggles. He partnered with young Albus Dumbledore to achieve this but carried on alone when Dumbledore left him. He committed numerous crimes, including theft of the Elder Wand, several known murders, and eventually genocide. In 1945, at the height of his power, Dumbledore confronted and defeated him in a legendary duel. Grindewald was subsequently imprisoned in his own fortress for decades. Taken from Harry Potter Wikia.
Slytherins have nothing in common with the other houses.
Slytherins are like Hufflepuffs because they are empathetic. Slytherins understand more than the other houses that life is hard, so they are more than willing to sit down and lend an ear. They listen more than they speak and, after getting to know them, will be endlessly kind. They are honest and speak their minds, which often leads them to be excellent advice-givers.
Slytherins are like Ravenclaws because they only accept the best work from themselves. Though they tend to stick to one subject rather than going for straight Es on their exams, Slytherins put everything they have into their work. They thrive on excellence and praise, and failure for a Slytherin is very discouraging, as many Slytherins are emotionally sensitive.
Slytherins are like Gryffindors because they are two sides of the same coin. Slytherins are fiercely loyal like Gryffindors are, though they choose their loyalties carefully. They are competitive and passionate, with many excellent athletes. Like Gryffindors, they are most often honest about what they feel, though because of their reputation it may sound more offensive than honest.
Slytherins are heartless.
Severus Snape dedicated his life to defeating Voldemort as a double-agent for Dumbledore. He did this because of his immeasurable love for Lily Potter. Chapter 33: “The Prince’s Tale” from The Deathly Hallows describes the trials and tribulations of Snape’s life, including the protection he gave Harry time and time again, despite his hate for him.
Narcissa Malfoy, member of the House of Black and mother of Draco Malfoy, was loyal only to her family. Not a Death Eater herself, Narcissa treated Kreacher the house elf with kindness and sent Draco presents throughout his school years. Behind Voldemort’s back, she made an unbreakable vow with Snape to protect her son and encouraged her husband to give Voldemort his wand to get back in his good graces. Most importantly of all, she lied to Voldemort about Harry’s death, claiming that he had been killed only because Harry had kept Draco alive. Though she knew this meant that the war was not over, she chose her family before all else.
Horace Slughorn, potions professor at Hogwarts during Harry’s sixth year, fostered bonds with his students based on talent, not house or blood status. His favorite student of all time was Gryffindor Lily, who he grieved considerably after her death. He never discriminated, even “beam[ing] when [Hermione] tells him she is a Muggle-born, recognizing her as the talented friend Harry mentioned to him” (Chapter 9, "Half-Blood Prince"). He gives Harry Felix Felicis for his skills and later gives him a memory that helps him fight and eventually defeat Voldemort. He also participates in the Battle of Hogwarts, leading the wave of reinforcements and protecting students.
Slytherins have bad traits.
Cunning (mentioned in the books): Though cunning is defined as “having or showing skill in achieving one's ends by deceit or evasion,” it can often be mistaken as malicious. Cunning could mean leading someone to believe that everyone forgot their birthday when they’re actually setting up the surprise party at that moment. It could mean covering for a friend being late to class by describing a terrible car accident on the road to school to the teacher. It could mean having a grade A poker face. Cunning is not always malicious.
Ambition (mentioned in the books): People mostly mistake ambition with making money when that’s just not true. Ambition is the stubborn perseverance to achieve a goal. That goal could be working tirelessly to build houses for the homeless or staying hours later than necessary at a soup kitchen because not everyone has been fed yet. It could be playing guitar until their fingers bleed because the song has to be just right, or struggling under the weight of fifteen grocery bags to make it from the car to the front door in one trip. It could even be finishing an entire triple cheese meat-lovers pizza in one sitting. Ambition does not equal money.
Self-Preservation (interview with J.K. Rowling): People mistake self-preservation with selfishness. Self-preservation is the instinctual need to protect oneself from harm. That could mean knowing that sledding down a steep hill on a trashcan lid will not end well. It could mean going to someone if depression sets in because they know putting it off has bad consequences, or being cognizant of how much they drink in public because they know that it’s possible to be taken advantage of. Self-preservation is smart living, not selfishness.
Fraternity (Pottermore description): People mistake fraternity with exclusivity. Fraternity means loyalty to your group, be it house or profession or support system. It could mean planning the office Christmas party all by yourself because it’s been a rough season. It could mean taking new teammates out to eat after practice to bond. It could mean sitting with a friend from AA for hours, encouraging them to stay strong. Fraternity is a brotherhood, not exclusivity.
These are just a few of the many. Through understanding Slytherins, I believe we can understand other stigmatized groups in the world today. Next time you think of a group as evil, inhuman, or poisonous to society, remember that you are only seeing the world through one person’s eyes. Not all members of certain groups are extremists, violent, or deviant. They are people and they deserve to be understood.
