This is my welcome letter from Slytherin. Just wanted to share and show that Slytherins AREN'T as bad as everyone says.
Congratulations! I’m Prefect Gemma Farley, and I’m delighted to welcome you
to SLYTHERIN HOUSE. Our emblem is the serpent, the wisest of creatures; our
house colours are emerald green and silver, and our common room lies behind a
concealed entrance down in the dungeons. As you’ll see, its windows look out
into the depths of the Hogwarts lake. We often see the giant squid swooshing by
– and sometimes more interesting creatures. We like to feel that our hangout has
the aura of a mysterious, underwater shipwreck.
Now, there are a few things you should know about Slytherin – and a few you
should forget.
Firstly, let’s dispel a few myths. You might have heard rumours about
Slytherin house – that we’re all into the Dark Arts, and will only talk to you
if your great-grandfather was a famous wizard, and rubbish like that. Well, you
don’t want to believe everything you hear from competing houses. I’m not denying
that we’ve produced our share of Dark wizards, but so have the other three
houses – they just don’t like admitting it. And yes, we have traditionally
tended to take students who come from long lines of witches and wizards, but
nowadays you’ll find plenty of people in Slytherin house who have at least one
Muggle parent.
Here’s a little-known fact that the other three houses don’t bring up much:
Merlin was a Slytherin. Yes, Merlin himself, the most famous wizard in history!
He learned all he knew in this very house! Do you want to follow in the
footsteps of Merlin? Or would you rather sit at the old desk of that illustrious
ex-Hufflepuff, Eglantine Puffett, inventor of the Self-Soaping Dishcloth?
I didn’t think so.
But that’s enough about what we’re not. Let’s talk about what we are, which
is the coolest and edgiest house in this school. We play to win, because we care
about the honour and traditions of Slytherin.
We also get respect from our fellow students. Yes, some of that respect might
be tinged with fear, because of our Dark reputation, but you know what? It can
be fun, having a reputation for walking on the wild side. Chuck out a few hints
that you’ve got access to a whole library of curses, and see whether anyone
feels like nicking your pencil case.
But we’re not bad people. We’re like our emblem, the snake: sleek, powerful,
and frequently misunderstood.
For instance, we Slytherins look after our own – which is more than you can
say for Ravenclaw. Apart from being the biggest bunch of swots you ever met,
Ravenclaws are famous for clambering over each other to get good marks, whereas
we Slytherins are brothers. The corridors of Hogwarts can throw up surprises for
the unwary, and you’ll be glad you’ve got the Serpents on your side as you move
around the school. As far as we’re concerned, once you’ve become a snake, you’re
one of ours – one of the elite.
Because you know what Salazar Slytherin looked for in his chosen students?
The seeds of greatness. You’ve been chosen by this house because you’ve
got the potential to be great, in the true sense of the word. All right, you
might see a couple of people hanging around the common room whom you might not
think are destined for anything special. Well, keep that to yourself. If the
Sorting Hat put them in here, there’s something great about them, and don’t you
forget it.
And talking of people who aren’t destined for greatness, I haven’t mentioned
the Gryffindors. Now, a lot of people say that Slytherins and Gryffindors
represent two sides of the same coin. Personally, I think Gryffindors are
nothing more than wannabe Slytherins. Mind you, some people say that Salazar
Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor prized the same kinds of students, so perhaps we
are more similar than we like to think. But that doesn’t mean that we cosy up
with Gryffindors. They like beating us only slightly less than we like beating
them.
A few more things you might need to know: our house ghost is the Bloody
Baron. If you get on the right side of him he’ll sometimes agree to frighten
people for you. Just don’t ask him how he got bloodstained; he doesn’t like
it.
The password to the common room changes every fortnight. Keep an eye on the
noticeboard. Never bring anyone from another house into our common room or tell
them our password. No outsider has entered it for more than seven centuries.
Well, I think that’s all for now. I’m sure you’ll like our dormitories. We
sleep in ancient four-posters with green silk hangings, and bedspreads
embroidered with silver thread. Medieval tapestries depicting the adventures of
famous Slytherins cover the walls, and silver lanterns hang from the ceilings.
You’ll sleep well; it’s very soothing, listening to the lake water lapping
against the windows at night.
