I am a Slytherin

House Message

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 to the dungeon. As you'll see, it's windows look out in to the depths of Hogwarts's 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 Slytherins - and a few you should forget.

First, let's dispel a few myths. You might have heard rumours about Slytherin house - that we're all into 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 in students who come from long lines of witches and wizards, but nowadays you'll find plenty of people in Slytherin house who have atleast one Muggle parent.

Here's a little known fact that the other houses don't bring up too 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 desk of the illustrious ex-Hufflepuff, Eglantine Puffet, 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 just to get good marks, whereas we Slytherins are brothers. The corridors of Hogwarts can throw 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 look for in his students? The seeds of greatness. You've been chose by this house because you have the potential to be great, in the true sense of the word. All right, you might see a couple of people hanging around in the common room whom you might not think are destined for anything special. Well, keep that to your self. If the Sorting Hat put them 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 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 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 for the common room changes every fortnight. Keep an eye on the notice board. Never bring anyone from another house into our common room or tell them our password. No outsider has entered it for more than 7 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 Slytherin 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.

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