Misconception of Slytherin House

The common Slytherin traits and misconceptions come from overlooking all the members of this house embody. Although Slytherin students are ambitious, cunning, and determined, there is one problem that needs to be explored: acceptance/tolerance.

In a world where everyone wants to be accepted for who they are and who they choose to be, Slytherin students deserve to have their personas welcomed. Slytherin is one of four houses in the Harry Potter world; the others are Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw. Students get sorted into each house based on their character traits. Slytherin members are ambitious, cunning, and determined. These traits are used to benefit them. Members of Slytherin, such as Tom Riddle (Voldemort), give the house a negative perception, while Merlin is a great wizard who is highly respected.

The legacy of the dark wizard, Voldemort, possessed these traits and used them to inflict misery on those who were muggle-born. He was a believer in blood purity. Voldemort’s ideals were rooted in immortality. When his mother died, he viewed death as a weakness until learning his gifts came from his mother. Voldemort was half-blood — his mother a pure blood and father a muggle. This caused him to have self-hatred.  If Voldemort was to take over the Wizard World, muggles would be in danger. On the other hand, Merlin was also a Slytherin. He did not share the same hatred towards muggles. He wanted both muggles and wizards to live peacefully among each other. The order of Merlin was created to protect the rights of muggles in the wizard world. These two wizards were from the same house and were powerful but different based on the principles they both exemplified. 

Slytherin has students who make good or bad choices, just like Merlin and Voldemort. A complicated character from Slytherin house is Narcissa Malfoy; she possesses both good and bad traits. She was bad because of her racism toward muggles. One thing about Narcissa Malfoy is that she was a mother first; cunning, ambitious, and determined. She was a Slytherin through and through. Narcissa was good at flying under the radar and doing what needed to be done for her best interest. In the last movies of Harry Potter, Narcissa made an unbreakable vow, only to be broken through death. She wanted to protect her son Draco Malfoy from a task given to him by Voldemort that was to test his strength and loyalty. Instead, it was psychologically torturing him because it was not what he expected. Narcissa was never a follower of Voldemort, but she played her role wisely. She never spoke but when necessary. She feared Voldemort the most, which made her seem loyal. When it was time to exit stage left, she lied that Harry Potter died. When she found out her son was safe during the battle of Harry and Voldemort, Narcissa and her son and husband left. Narcissa only stayed in an environment long enough until it served her no more. Slytherins are great at leaving a situation that no longer serves them. It may seem selfish, but it is an important lesson to learn.