Are there muggleborns in Slytherin?

[conuly]

You'd think there wouldn't be, seeing as how Slytherin was opposed (possibly even for good reasons, read a great fic about that a while back which I should've bookmarked....) to having muggleborns in the school.

But... Slytherin isn't the one deciding who goes where. Everybody believes the hat is. The hat which *Gryffindor* made. (And I, personally, believe that the hat is just confirming the student's own choice as to which house they belong in, but that's another issue.)

The hat only lists "ambition" as the requirement for getting into Slytherin, right? Not some degree of pure blood, that sort of thing...? So couldn't some naive muggleborn who hasn't somehow heard what "all Slytherins are like" think that it's just the place for them?

They'd regret it, but... is it possible?

Comments

[interactiveleaf.livejournal.com]

The hat listed "ambition" as one of the requirements, not as the only requirement. No doubt there's quite a bit more that goes on there than we are told about.

[conuly]

But it didn't list "pure blood" is my point, right?

*scrolls through*

Okay. He mentions pure-blood fifth year. But, again, Slytherin isn't choosing who goes where, and we know half-bloods have been in Slytherin. What does that mean?

[interactiveleaf.livejournal.com]

My best guess is that it means very little.

But, you know, I could be wrong.

[furiosity.livejournal.com]

The hat does list purity of blood directly in the text.

"For instance, Slytherin took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning, just like him.
(Order of the Phoenix)

[conuly]

I realized. Drat. Still....

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

If "pure blood" had been an absolute requirement for a young wizard to be put in Slytherin, neither Tom Riddle nor Severus Snape, both half-blood, would have ended up there, no?

[conuly]

*nods*

That's my thinking. But what about people without even pretensions of purebloodedness to go back on?

[sporks5000.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure that the hat would advise them against it if it really thought that they wouldn't do well in there, even if the hat only chooses based on a person's desires.

not related to harry potter...

[sayga.livejournal.com]

i thought this community name might bother you as much as it bothers me: eatgood4life

http://community.livejournal.com/parenting101/518952.html?thread=8171560#t8171560

couldn't she just've named it "eatwell4life"?!

:P

Re: not related to harry potter...

[conuly]

Well, technically I take the stand that language change is inevitable, and praiseworthy.

Personally, I think that just because language changes doesn't mean we have to like every change we come up with. Though I suspect we're losing the battle with well/good.

Re: not related to harry potter...

[conuly]

And is it okay if I smackdown the next person to call everyone there "ladies"? I really really *really* hate that form of address, especially in a comm I *know* is mix-gendered. Mixed-gender?

[darkpoole.livejournal.com]

In Book 1, the hat says of Slytherin:

Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends

So it seems the criteria are cunning and ... amorality, maybe?

Then in book 4, the hat says

Power-hungry Slytherin
Loved those of great ambition

So there's ambition, but no reference to cunning.

And in book 5, it becomes

For instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning, just like him

So that's two references for cunning (which doesn't fit about two-thirds of the Slytherins we've seen), one for ambition, one for a lack of moral inhibition, and one for genetic purity.

My guess? Whatever Slytherin's original criteria, maybe the hat can't read either intellect or bloodlines, and just sorts people according to personality.

[interactiveleaf.livejournal.com]

The hat listed "ambition" as one of the requirements, not as the only requirement. No doubt there's quite a bit more that goes on there than we are told about.

[conuly]

But it didn't list "pure blood" is my point, right?

*scrolls through*

Okay. He mentions pure-blood fifth year. But, again, Slytherin isn't choosing who goes where, and we know half-bloods have been in Slytherin. What does that mean?

[interactiveleaf.livejournal.com]

My best guess is that it means very little.

But, you know, I could be wrong.

[furiosity.livejournal.com]

The hat does list purity of blood directly in the text.

"For instance, Slytherin took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning, just like him.
(Order of the Phoenix)

[conuly]

I realized. Drat. Still....

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

If "pure blood" had been an absolute requirement for a young wizard to be put in Slytherin, neither Tom Riddle nor Severus Snape, both half-blood, would have ended up there, no?

[conuly]

*nods*

That's my thinking. But what about people without even pretensions of purebloodedness to go back on?

[sporks5000.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure that the hat would advise them against it if it really thought that they wouldn't do well in there, even if the hat only chooses based on a person's desires.

not related to harry potter...

[sayga.livejournal.com]

i thought this community name might bother you as much as it bothers me: eatgood4life

http://community.livejournal.com/parenting101/518952.html?thread=8171560#t8171560

couldn't she just've named it "eatwell4life"?!

:P

Re: not related to harry potter...

[conuly]

Well, technically I take the stand that language change is inevitable, and praiseworthy.

Personally, I think that just because language changes doesn't mean we have to like every change we come up with. Though I suspect we're losing the battle with well/good.

Re: not related to harry potter...

[conuly]

And is it okay if I smackdown the next person to call everyone there "ladies"? I really really *really* hate that form of address, especially in a comm I *know* is mix-gendered. Mixed-gender?

[darkpoole.livejournal.com]

In Book 1, the hat says of Slytherin:

Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends

So it seems the criteria are cunning and ... amorality, maybe?

Then in book 4, the hat says

Power-hungry Slytherin
Loved those of great ambition

So there's ambition, but no reference to cunning.

And in book 5, it becomes

For instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning, just like him

So that's two references for cunning (which doesn't fit about two-thirds of the Slytherins we've seen), one for ambition, one for a lack of moral inhibition, and one for genetic purity.

My guess? Whatever Slytherin's original criteria, maybe the hat can't read either intellect or bloodlines, and just sorts people according to personality.