Note: I am aware that pedophilia means an interest in pre-sexual children; however, it is a word that has come to generally mean an interest in underage people, and this is the sense in which it is used in this esssay. Ephebophilia is the attraction to adolescents, and probably the better term for what I think Slughorn is.I've thought for some time ( Read more... )

The REAL Slug Club: The teachers Harry has met before arriving at Hogwarts and the significance of their introductions.Chapter Seven of HBP features Professor Slughorn in a central way - indeed, the chapter is even named after him. Slughorn is far from the only teacher to be introduced prior to the start of term at Hogwarts. In this essay the ( Read more... )

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 ( Read more... )