Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory.
Today we’re going to be tackling a question/theory that was sent to me via a subscriber on Instagram.
If you don’t follow me on Instagram already, then go do it!
The question, put quite succinctly, is this- if Salazar Slytherin was such an advocate
for Pure-blood supremacy, how is it that, many centuries later, his own Hogwarts house
allows half-bloods?
Specifically, we’re going to be tackling this question in relation to The Sorting Hat
as the hat is ultimately responsible for student placement.
The Sorting Hat, a magical artifact at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has the
essential task of assigning new students to one of the four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff,
Ravenclaw, or Slytherin.
Each house was founded by one of the four original founders of Hogwarts: Godric Gryffindor,
Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin.
The hat was created when Godric Gryffindor pulled his completely REGULAR hat off of his
head and made the suggestion to the other founders that, using their collective magic,
they enchant the hat and turn it in to a sentient being.
The purpose of this was simple- they wanted to leave something behind that could carry
on their house legacies LONG after their deaths.
As long as they were alive, the Founders could easily select students for their houses based
on their own values and characteristics.
But one day they wouldn’t be there, which led to their desire to leave behind something
that was capable of selecting students.
And why was this so important, you may ask?
Well, each of the Hogwarts founders valued VERY different things- imbuing their own characteristics
in to their respective houses.
These characteristics would become the defining attributes of each house.
These attributes can be summed up in the sorting hat’s own words:
“By Gryffindor, the bravest were Prized far beyond the rest;
For Ravenclaw, the cleverest Would always be the best;
For Hufflepuff, hard workers were Most worthy of admission;
And power-hungry Slytherin Loved those of great ambition.”
In ESSENCE, Godric Gryffindor valued bravery, Helga Hufflepuff prized loyalty, Rowena Ravenclaw
sought wisdom, and Salazar Slytherin prized cunning and ambition.
However, it IS certainly worth noting that these are not the ONLY traits attributed with
each house, just some of the more noteworthy ones.
To perform it’s task, the hat uses Legilimency, which is the art of magically navigating through
a person’s mind.
As soon as the hat is placed on your head, there’s NOTHING it won’t know about you.
This is reflected in the Sorting Hat’s own song:
“There's nothing hidden in your head The Sorting Hat can't see”
But one major consideration that needs to be made here is that Salazar Slytherin's vision
for his house went far beyond these basic traits; you see, he was a firm believer in
the supremacy of pure-blood wizards and sought to admit only those with pure magical lineage
into his house.
And it was this very belief that created tension among the other founders and eventually led
to Slytherin's departure from the school.
Given this history, it may seem contradictory that the Sorting Hat, designed to select students
based on the founders' values, would place half-blood wizards like Severus Snape, Dolores
Umbridge and Tom Riddle into Slytherin House.
Today I want to explore the reasons behind the Sorting Hat's selection of half-bloods
for Slytherin, despite the house's foundation on pure-blood supremacy.
Blood status is one of the most controversial aspects of the wizarding world- a concept
in which wizarding families can be distinguished by the level of magically-endowed family members.
Generally speaking, people are slotted in to one of the following categories: Pure-blood,
half-blood, muggle-born or simply MUGGLE.
‘Pure-blood’ refers to a witch or wizard who has magical ancestry on both sides of
their family and has no known Muggle (non-magical) ancestors.
‘Half-blood’ refers to a witch or wizard with mixed blood and heritage.
That is, they have magical abilities and come from a magical blood line but ALSO have at
least one Muggle parent or ancestor.
‘Muggle-born’ refers to a witch or wizard with NO magical ancestry who is born to non-magical
parents but possesses magical abilities.
And lastly, ‘Muggle’ refers to a NON-magical person with no magical blood or magical abilities.
And what’s worth mentioning is that Slytherin's vision for his house was not merely a preference
for pure-blood students but rather..
a strict requirement.
He believed that ONLY those who could prove their magical heritage should be admitted
to Hogwarts, instilling this belief into the very foundation of his house.
So I ask again- what caused the infiltration of Half-Bloods in to Slytherin House?
By admitting them, it appears to contradict the values of the house itself.
The first thing we need to look at is HOW Slytherin house (and the Wizarding World)
has evolved over time.
Hogwarts School was founded in 990 AD, and with such a considerable time span it goes
without saying that much changed in the Wizarding World from then to now, with Slytherin house
being no exception.
Here are my thoughts:
It would appear that, over the centuries, Slytherin House has undergone a gradual transformation
as the values and beliefs of the wizarding world evolved.
While Salazar Slytherin's original vision for his house was centered around blood purity
and the supremacy of pure-blood wizards, I’m of the impression that the house has since
adapted to accommodate a more diverse range of students and values.
One factor contributing to this evolution is the influence of the other founders on
the Sorting Hat's selection criteria.
As the Sorting Hat was imbued with the thoughts and values of all four founders, it has the
ability to adapt and change its selection process to reflect the evolving values of
the school and the wizarding community.
This means that, over time, the Sorting Hat may have placed less emphasis on blood purity
when sorting students into Slytherin House, allowing for a more diverse range of students
to be admitted.
Another factor contributing to the evolution of Slytherin House is the changing values
within the wizarding world.
As the harmful consequences of blood purity beliefs and discrimination against Muggle-borns
and half-bloods became increasingly apparent, many wizards and witches began to reject these
ideas in favor of a more inclusive and egalitarian approach.
This shift in values likely influenced the students sorted into Slytherin, as well as
the house's overall culture and reputation.
The presence of half-bloods and Muggle-borns in Slytherin House also played a role in its
evolution.
As these students brought their own perspectives, values, and experiences to the house, they
contributed to a more diverse and inclusive environment within Slytherin.
This diversity allowed for a broader range of qualities and traits to be valued and celebrated
within the house, moving it further away from Salazar Slytherin's original vision of pure-blood
supremacy.
However, despite these changes, it would be a lie to reject the notion that the legacy
of Salazar Slytherin's vision for his house still lingers.
Slytherin House continues (and will forever continue) to be associated with dark magic,
ambition, and cunning, and its members are often judged based on the actions of past
Slytherins who upheld the blood purity ideals.
However, the evolution of Slytherin House over time demonstrates that it is possible
for the values and identity of a house to change, reflecting the growth and progress
of the wizarding world as a whole.
The growth of the wizarding world with regards to prejudice, as depicted in the Harry Potter
series, can be seen as an allegory for our own real world.
Throughout the series, we witness the harmful consequences of discrimination, prejudice,
and the belief in the supremacy of certain groups over others.
And though our own world has made significant developments over the centuries, I’d venture
to say that we, like Slytherin house, have a long way to go.
But while this purported evolution of Slytherin House is an easy idea to warm up to, I may
simply be giving the house too much credit.
It’s entirely possible that the placement of half-bloods and muggle-borns in to Slytherin
is the product of something else altogether, and as it happens I’ve got a theory prepared
which addresses just that scenario.
I think it’s possible that, when enchanting the Sorting Hat, Godric Gryffindor placed
a ‘loophole’ on the hat- unbeknown to the school’s other founders - that would
undermine Slytherin’s advocacy for pure-blood witches and wizards.
Godric Gryffindor, known for his bravery and chivalry, foresaw the potential problems that
Salazar Slytherin's discriminatory views could pose for the school and the other founders,
and In order to counteract this created a loophole in the Sorting Hat to allow non-pureblood
students to be sorted into Slytherin House.
This act would ensure that the house would not become a breeding ground for pureblood
supremacy, and would also help to promote diversity and inclusivity within Hogwarts.
I imagine that this loophole could have been introduced in a few different ways:
Subtly influencing the Sorting Hat's decision-making process: Gryffindor could have included a
hidden enchantment that would encourage the hat to consider non-pureblood students for
Slytherin House, regardless of their blood status.
Exploiting Salazar Slytherin's own enchantments: Gryffindor might have found a way to manipulate
Slytherin's enchantments on the hat, turning them against his own intentions and allowing
non-pureblood students to be sorted into his house.
Creating a failsafe mechanism: Gryffindor could have created a failsafe within the hat's
enchantment that would activate if the other founders were no longer present, allowing
the hat to sort non-purebloods into Slytherin House in their absence.
This is JUST a theory, but it would certainly highlight Godric Gryffindor's foresight and
commitment to ensuring that Hogwarts remained a diverse and inclusive institution.
It also helps that the hat they used for the sorting hat happened to be one of Godric’s
own.
Another factor to consider here is that it’s never fully explained WHY Salazar left the
school.
We know that him and the other founders disagreed, and we know that he had a major disagreement
with Godric Gryffindor prompting his departure, but it’s never properly explained what the
exact CATALYST was for this.
On this line of thought, it’s entirely possible that, after unveiling Gryffindor’s ‘loophole’
in the Sorting hat, he simply no longer wanted anything to do with his co-founders.
What do you think?
Do you think that Slytherin house has grown in a more inclusive, positive direction over
time?
Or do you think that Godric Gryffindor was responsible for the houses change?
Let me know down in the comment section below
Until next time
Remember
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live