“Riddikulus with Elise & Sydney” is a column about the Harry Potter series. A new column is posted every other Wednesday. Columns may contain spoilers.
This entry will be the second of a four-part series that covers all four houses of Hogwarts.
Possibly the most misunderstood house at Hogwarts, Slytherin is often labeled as the “bad” house. This assumption stems from Slytherins’ natural instinct to get ahead by any means necessary.
Slytherins are characterized by their cunning minds and their strong self-motivation. But, unlike Hufflepuffs, they do not always see the value in hard work. This makes Slytherins very likely to use other means, such as bribery, to achieve their ends.
Founder: Salazar Slytherin
House Mascot: Snake
House Colors: Green and silver
Sorting Hat Song: “… Or perhaps in Slytherin, you’ll make your real friends. Those cunnning folk use any means to achieve their ends ….”
Most people view these traits in a negative light because Draco Malfoy, a spoiled bully, is the main Slytherin character. However, judging this house purely based off of Malfoy’s actions is only seeing one point of view. After all, it is not the traits themselves that are bad — it is the way in which they are used.
Another factor that contributes to Slytherin’s reputation is the fact that almost very wizard who joins Voldemort is in the house, including Lord Voldemort himself.
While Slytherins can be ruthless and ambitious, they also are very loyal to their families. Most Slytherins are willing to put a lot on the line in order to protect their families and the ones they love.
This one quality, ironically, is best portrayed by Malfoy and his mother, Narcissa. Toward the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it is revealed that they only ever served Voldemort to save each other. Though it may have not been the right thing to do, this displays the strong, special loyalty between a Slytherin and a loved one.
While there are undeniably more bad wizards from Slytherin than from any other house, this does not mean that they are all evil. However, because they often lack courage, they are less likely to stand up for their beliefs and more likely to go along with the popular trend.
For example, Horace Slughorn (a Hogwarts professor) never actually does anything wrong, but he withholds information that would have expedited the fall of Voldemort. He does this out of fear, for he believes that revealing it will tarnish his reputation. Slughorn is not evil by any means, but his pride temporarily prevents him from doing the right thing.
But don’t get us wrong: We are not saying that Slytherins are cowards either. On the contrary, one could argue that the bravest and most selfless character in the book belonged to this house.
Severus Snape, head of the Slytherin house, spends years upon years pretending to be one of Voldemort’s most trusted followers. But he actually is acting as Dumbledore’s right-hand man and is one of the main reasons why Harry is still alive. The fact that he was even willing to risk his life multiple times for Harry is surprising, for Harry’s father (a Gryffindor) bullied him mercilessly.
Snape serves as a perfect reminder that not all Slytherins are cowardly. In fact, Harry names his second child after Snape and refers to him as “the bravest man I ever knew.”
Overall, this is an excellent house dedicated to teaching its students the importance of fighting for their goals and being the best that they can be. These are two of the most important life lessons that one can learn.
Students from Fresno Christian who would probably be sorted into this house are Austin Ward and Elora Hargis. Their determination to see their goals become reality always rewards them in the end.
For the previous installment, read the Sept. 15 column, Riddikulus with Elise & Sydney: What the heck is a Hufflepuff?
