HBP Chapter 4: Horace Slughorn [for the community read-along]

[pauraque]

Before the release of HBP, I'd often heard it said that by the end of the series, Harry would surely have to come to terms with the idea that Slytherin House is not evil, whether because the fan in question was hoping for redemption (in Harry's eyes) for a particular character -- generally Draco or Snape -- or because they simply found it

Comments

[unlikely2]

I find it interesting that you consider what Slughorn is doing is harmless. His favorities gain a 'leg up' (perhaps where others are more deserving) and, in return, they owe him. This isn't all that different from nepotism although the relationship is voluntary rather than one of blood. The expression in Britain is 'the old school tie' ~ the favoring of the 'in group' at the expense of outsiders. While I realise that this is human nature, it is probably harmful to those who are excluded through no fault of their own. Certainly Draco Malfoy would appear to think so

[impinc]

But how is it harmful to them? Sure, Draco and Ron are offended and that's understandable, but what do they really lose?

[unlikely2]

Those who are 'favoured' sooner or later find themselves having to choose between friends and those who can be useful, knowing that those who make the former choice are likely to find themselves being quietly dropped. Those who make the latter choice will be assisted and may be more likely to 'succeed'. Thus, in the upper echelons, a certain type of person comes to predominate. Even if they don't start out that way.

Those who are excluded are likely to see the success of the 'favoured' ones as unfair and undeserved, even if this isn't the case. This is divisive. Where the excluded have the opportunity to 'cheat' in their turn, they are likely to do so.

Or is that very Hufflepuff of me?

[pauraque]

I understand what you're saying here, but I meant more that it's harmless when compared to what happens to those who are used by other very ambitious people in the HP books (Lockhart, Voldemort).

[bethbethbeth]

What an excellent essay!

Mind you, I don't have a great deal of faith that Harry will suddenly experience that much improvement in his ability to see with any kind of clarity into his own motivations and actions, but I can only hope (meanwhile, recognizing that having been coerced into promising to force Dumbledore to drink what had to be a poisonous potion and thus having to share the 'blame' for Dumbledore's death with Snape is the only way I can see Harry not trying to kill Snape the first minute he sees him in book seven, so I have extra reason to hope Harry learns to see beyond his own prejudices).

[cygna_hime]

That's a very interesting angle on Slughorn's character. Really, not enough page space is given to the moderates in the series; what you mostly see are the hard-liners, the Order and the Death Eaters, going at it. Slughorn is the most neutral character, really, we've seen in detail.

As much as I would like Harry to develop a conscience and ability to self-examine (and maybe start with an empirical, rather than faith-based, method of decision-making), I doubt he's going to change that much. Harry and his prejudices have been really attached to one another, in this book almost more than ever. He really ought to learn to see beyond them, but it'll be an uphill battle, if it happens at all.

*quietly starts singing* The Head of Slytherin sleeps with men, sleeps with men, sleeps with men...

[penny_sieve]

I think Harry is already starting to look beyond his prejudice when he starts feeling pity towards Malfoy in the end.

And while it's true that Harry usually has gut reactions about the good and bad people, his instinct has always been right.

[bethbethbeth]

And while it's true that Harry usually has gut reactions about the good and bad people, his instinct has always been right.

I hope not *always* right, because then Snape is doomed. *g*

[penny_sieve]

Maybe not always, but then Snape hasn't shown his good side to Harry yet. So based on what he's seen and experienced, Snape does go in the bad side.

[sistermagpie]

One thing I find interesting about Harry's reaction to Slughorn is that sometimes I think the word "instinct" is used incorrectly with Harry. For instance, Harry having a gut instinct that Snape is bad or Lupin is good...he really doesn't have gut instincts about them. To show that, imo, Harry would have to meet someone who was superficially dislikable but he liked him anyway. Dumbledore is perhaps better at this, if he understands how characters on the edge will jump when push comes to shove (Snape, Peter, Draco

[nonamouse]

Yeah, I'd have to agree with you... it seems that Harry's assessments are more... well, assessments based on bits of information, initial impressions, and associations he has, than instinct (which at times runs counter to a "surface impression

[pauraque]

I never used the word "instinct"! I did say "gut reaction", which I probably should have thought about more carefully. I really did mean a superficial knee-jerk reaction.

[sistermagpie]

Heh--watch me grab someone's essay and hijack it for my own agenda. Oops!:-)