Looking Back on Pride for Points.

This is saddening. Just coming out of this I have to say  it is saddening, and there are fewer showings of human tendency than the inexplicable desire for conflict.



That being said, to many of my readers, you may have guessed from my writing, I did participate. I threw a bit of shade, but not in an obnoxious way. I frontloaded it towards the beginning, and was motivated by my general displeasure (as well as a profound need to, putting it lightly, re-enact the Hulk-Loki scene from the Avengers). However, what I found interesting, listening, talking to others was the schism that had arose, and the sharpened jabs that came out. Not just between houses, as it does occasionally happen over the cup, but between housemates. I can only speak for Slytherin when I say that there were admirable and earnest contributions that may never have arose if not for the desire to keep our house on top. Shade was thrown, but there were quite a few competitions, as our house tried in an effort to show pride and I would say, to show our displeasure in a subtle way, that we were the loudest, most obnoxious children in the class and would never take no for an answer. Slytherin's pride is in how it comes together during adverse times. Which is partially why I am saddened here. I've seen shade thrown between housemates for participating, or in how they participated. I've seen it happen between houses. This contest has truly brought out some of the worst I have seen in Pottermore's inhabitents. Given, YES, this happens around the cups, and it has not been since the first win of Slytherin that I can recall a truly earnest end seen as a competition between friends, and not between rivals or worse, enemies.

Friendship is the magic that binds people to Pottermore. People jump houses in search of it, and Slytherin (to my own pride) seems to stick closest when odds are highest against us. Perhaps this is why we always find an enemy to unite us, but I digress. This has been a miserable competition and I will rest easy knowing that Pottermore is not planning on doing this again.

An explaination of
the contest in brief.

Yes, perhaps for participating I'm in no position to critique people's reaction to it. I fully understand it. To be honest I envy it. They chose D. They chose to not participate, out of principle or otherwise,  and that is a wonderfully brave and principled stand to make. In my own participation, I can only hope I speak for others when I say I felt forced. I wanted to help my house. Slytherin had floated a question for a massive prohibition and the result was... a no. People were choosing A, and even then I could feel the schisms forming. My own position in my house brought me to feel an obligation to participate with the majority, to help them, and to do my best to help my house. I will admit I felt irritable finding a person I considered a good friend was promoting their house to participate, and I knew at that point that if Slytherin were to stand a chance at this competion, participation would have to be mandatory. Certainly, if Slytherin wins this competition, I can only say I hope that the cup is won by a larger landslide, by a greater margin to the point where the million point mishap would be an asterisk, but not a game changer. I can only hope that whatever house wins it hope for the same, or better yet, hope for my own house that we overcome it.

That's the theme for this Slytherin. It's not Rowling's by any measure, but ours. We overcome the impossible. We do great and terrible things. We cure, we curse, we brew and duel and most importantly we stick together as a house, and more importantly, as friends. So it is sad, to see schism in the house over such a petty thing, and sadder to see it between friends.

Here's to Friday's Post, which, goodness willing, will be more optimistic. But till then, here is an image of Viktor Krum dancing with Katy Perry.



















-Runi