Long, rambly thoughts about HP and the Deathly Hallows
Honestly, I think I'm think still processing. I think there is a lot I haven't dealt with yet, simply because HP (the books, the fanfic, the meta, the fandom) have been such a big part of my life for so many years. Anyway, here are some random thoughts, based on my first, fast reading: ( DH SPOILERS AHOY!!! )
I think the murder of Charity Burbage in the first chapter is significant to JKR's conception of the Death Eaters, and by extension all Slytherins. We see Charity's advocation of diversity versus their insular wish to keep wizarding blood pure, and we see her very name advocating truly unselfish love for others, a level of redemption that even the Malfoys and Snape can't quite seem to achieve in their resistance to Voldemort (the Malfoys resist him with familial love, which is still fairly insular; and Snape gets as far as loving an individual Other, but can't bring himself to extend that compassion beyond her).
To be sure, Regulus shows caritas in his ultimate kindness to and protection of Kreacher, but again, that happens in the past.
So, I too would have liked to see even a few Slytherins of Harry's generation actively using their ambition and cunning against Voldemort (heck, with all the Quidditch cameos, couldn't one have arrived with Oliver Wood? *g*) but if JKR means us to take those qualities as going hand in hand with an insular pureblood agenda, then really, Slytherin is a dinosaur house, doomed to extinction in the long run (whereas the much-mocked but diversity-accepting Hufflepuff is, by the same token, destined to become ever-stronger).
Which is, as you say, not exactly the ideal of Houses working together that we might have hoped for from the Sorting Hat's song.
Reply
Leave a comment