Welcome to Slytherin, new snakes. Now that you have had some time to settle into your new house, you may have a few questions or have heard some of the stereotypes about us. While these stereotypes may have some basis in reality, I can assure you that there is more to your home for the next seven years than you might have heard already. Let me tell you a little bit about what you can expect here.
Your Fellow Slytherins
You will soon come to realise that what it means to be a Slytherin is not set in stone. Yes, we are ambitious, cunning, and determined, but it would be highly unrealistic to think that means that we are all the same. So let us break these traits down a little further.
Ambition – Our goals vary wildly, as do our interests, from budding potioneers, skilled herbologists, future healers, professional Quidditch hopefuls, and those who dream of someday reaching the stars. And no, I do not mean the latter in the metaphorical sense. Ambition manifests in multiple ways.
Cunning – This is, for me anyway, one of our most interesting qualities because it is such a simple word for such a complex idea. As with ambition, cunning shows in a variety of ways. Sometimes, this may be the dictionary definition of sneaky tactics, deceit and manipulation, but this has appeared more rarely in my experience than the other ways it can present itself. Cunning can mean that you are capable of solving a problem in ways that others may not have thought of, perhaps thinking ‘outside the box’. Cunning can mean you have incredible observational skills, allowing you to assess a situation quickly to keep yourself and your friends out of harm’s way. Cunning can mean that you know there is more than one way to achieve your goals, which leads us to the next trait…
Determination – If ambition is the trait that gets us to try the first time, and cunning is the trait that leads us to find a way towards our goals, then determination is the trait that says to keep moving, even when we hit the wall (metaphorically, of course. Please do not attack the walls). Not everything we do will be successful, no matter how much ambition we have or how much we plan. This is normal. But look around at those in our house who have experienced failures before, whether it be a spell gone wrong or a potion that turned into a strange gelatinous glob or perhaps they got bitten by a Chomping Cabbage. These students are still trying, using their cunning to find new ways to approach the problems they face, and meeting it all with the determination to succeed in the end.
Your Common Room
The Slytherin common room is one of the cosiest rooms in the castle, although I know that I may be biased. You will soon come to realise that some of us have our favourite seats, some of us have strong opinions about which fireplace is the best, and that this is a place for you to enjoy a good cup of tea with your housemates. The common room is a place to meet, officially and unofficially, and it is where you are most likely to discover that Slytherins know how to enjoy themselves. It is, in fact, where I, as a wide-eyed first year, discovered that even the most serious of prefects could have a great time with paper bags, googly eyes, and a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Just remember that it is, by definition, a common area; it is not a place to dump the things you do not wish to have cluttering your bedside table, and do not get annoyed with other people wandering through or sitting down for a spot of tea themselves. Oh, and do not be alarmed if you see the Giant Squid floating on by. This is completely normal.
Why Slytherin?
Maybe you know exactly why you fit well into this house, and that is an amazing place to be. This section is not for you. This is for those of you who are wondering whether the Sorting Hat got it wrong. I will give the rest of you a moment to scan past….
Are they gone? Great. You are not alone in wondering whether the hat confused you with the next person. I assure you now that this is not the case. The Sorting Hat knows these things. I know, that is a little too cliche to really calm your nerves, so let me tell you a story.
When I sat on that stool, legs swinging nervously back and forth while I tried not to rip the hat from my own head, I was convinced – completely and utterly convinced – that I would be… a Ravenclaw. The hat decided very quickly that this was not to be; I was a Slytherin and that was that. So, naturally, I wondered why. I did not deem myself particularly cunning or ambitious. I was curious, especially academically, and I had a sense of fairness that might even make a Hufflepuff blush. I still am all of these things five years on, but now I am older I see that the hat knew exactly what it was doing that evening. I may not have seen that my dreams for the future were ambition, or that my curiosity might have been cunning in disguise, or that I could ever be as determined to succeed as I have come to realise I am. The hat does not see only what you think you are, but what is hidden inside you, and it notices your potential. Sometimes, it takes a while for us to understand what the hat knew from the moment it met us.
Conclusion
If you are still with me, thank you very much for reading this far, and I hope that this has helped to calm a few nerves and given you a bit more insight into what it means to be sorted into Slytherin. There is so much more to our noble house than I could ever fit into one article, and you will soon see that for yourselves, I am sure. For now, though, I shall leave you with one final question. Whatever your goal may be right now, even if it is simply not getting lost on the way to class, what is the next step you can take to ensure you succeed?
Alex J. Halsey
