The Harry Potter series is known for many things: magical creatures, wonderful role models, and a school that somehow seems enjoyable. At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry you can find four different houses that every student will be sorted into based on their personality: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. People that read the books, or watch the movies, find pride and unity within the house they belong to. One thing every fan seems to agree on, though, is that no one wants to be sorted into Slytherin house. Slytherin House is known for all the evil witches and wizards that belong there, which forms false stereotypes and a heavy bias towards the people that identify as such. Although Slytherins are given a bad reputation, readers should recognize how wonderful and necessary Slytherins are by looking at their defining characteristics and famous house members.

To fully understand what it means to be a Slytherin, one must look at the traits needed to be sorted into this house. Slytherins are defined by their ambition, leadership, loyalty, and determination. They are known to be very cunning, witty, achievement-oriented, and strong minded. They are loyal people who stick with what they believe in, and are people who never give up on what they have started. None of these characteristics of a Slytherin give any reason to believe that they are evil. Snape constantly shows his undying loyalty to Dumbledore throughout the series, and Draco is stubborn and bent on being the best he can be. Loyalty and determination are inherently good characteristics and only cause problems when a Slytherin member is loyal to the wrong person/thing. Every Slytherin should not be stereotyped as evil because it is their goodness that sorted them into the house in the first place. Overall, the characteristics that define a Slytherin are traits that are inherently good and give absolutely no evidence to support the idea that everyone in Slytherin House is evil.

These characteristics of a true Slytherin are obvious in many of the members that you read about in the books. Some of the characters that broke the biased stereotype include Albus Potter, Horace Slughorn, Narcissa Malfoy, Merlin, Andromeda Tonks, and many others. Two very obvious examples of Slytherin heroes are Regulus Black and Severus Snape. While many are familiar with his brother, Sirius, Regulus Black is a constantly overlooked character throughout the Harry Potter series. Regulus is the youngest of the Black family and spent a portion of his life as a death eater. However, as soon as Regulus learned how Voldemort used unnatural ways to become immortal, he spent the rest of his life working against Voldemort in secret. He discovered the first horcrux and dedicated his life trying to find a way to destroy it. Regulus Black truely breaks the mold because, although he comes from a broken family, and everyone thought he would amount to nothing, he proved them wrong and did the right thing in the end. He constantly treated the family slave, Kreacher, with kindness, and defied all expectations. Regulus Black acts as a role model for many generations of Slytherins in years to come. Another example of a Slytherin hero is Severus Snape. Snape was a key factor for the defeat of Voldemort. Because of his love and loyalty toward the people he cared for, Lily Potter and Albus Dumbledore, he proved to be a genuine friend who lost his life for the greater good. He worked as a double agent for Dumbledore and saved Harry’s life multiple times. Snape was bullied his entire student life and was in love with a woman who would never love him back. Even through all this, Snape continued to do what was needed of him, and Harry later named his child after him in remembrance. All in all, there are many famous Slytherins that prove how when their traits are put to good use, they can thrive in the light rather than dark.

Even though there are many Slytherins that prove it is false, the stereotype had to be based off of some truth, right? When most people think of Slytherin House, the name Voldemort comes to mind. Voldemort was the most evil wizard of his generation, and he happened to be a student from Slytherin. However, Voldemort is not the only evil wizard to come out of Hogwarts. There are many evil wizards that did not come out of Slytherin House such as Gilderoy Lockhart, Quirinus Quirrell, Peter Pettigrew, Percy Weasley, etc. One evil wizard in particular is Gellert Grindelwald. Before Voldemort, the most evil wizard of all time was a man named Gellert Grindelwald. Grindelwald was a truly evil man who was expelled from wizarding school at the age of sixteen due to his experiments on fellow students. Voldemort followed Grindelwald’s example, even though he was not a Slytherin. Even though Slytherin is home to many dark wizards like Voldemort, they are not the only ones that have a few stains on their house’s name.

In conclusion, the bias against Hogwarts students belonging to Slytherin House is completely unjust and based on false stereotypes. By looking at the defining traits of a Slytherin it is easy to see that they are not all corrupt or malevolent. Also, by looking at many well-known virtuous members, it is clear how wrong the cliche is. Although many readers have been brainwashed into believing the label that is put on Slytherin House, it is important for readers to recognize all the positive aspects that make the house stand out.  It is time for everyone to stop the prejudice towards Slytherin House and learn to be more understanding and accepting, rather than focusing on its bad reputation and negative attributes. Wear your green robes with pride!