Fans of Harry Potter were delighted with the launching of the “Starting Harry Potter” hub, whose cool features connect them with the franchise at a greater level. Another way to understand the elements within the series is through the Hogwarts house system. Slytherin house has a lot of fans through characters such as Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange, to name just a few.
While these characters largely conform to a powerful and dominant image, Slytherins actually carry quite a lot of fears. These range from being scared to disappoint their masters or parents, as well as the fear of letting the house’s values down. To better understand the Slytherin psyche, it’s worth considering how these fears bring everyone from Voldemort to the Malfoys together and how they tie into their characterizations.
To Be Upstaged By Their Rivals
There were quite a few times when Draco Malfoy proved why he was a Slytherin in Harry Potter, usually due to his need to one-up the protagonist. This came from a fear of being overshadowed himself, as Slytherins try to avoid the possibility of playing second fiddle to anyone.
People from the house are glory seekers who worry about not getting to experience the respect and adoration they seek. Being upstaged is even worse, because it means someone else has robbed them of their triumph. Draco Malfoy was constantly afraid of Harry claiming popularity at Hogwarts, since he perceived it as his rival upstaging him.
To Be Forced To Fight For A Cause They Don’t Believe In
Even with all the talent they have, Slytherins can be cowardly when it comes to partaking in battles. This is mostly because a lot of them didn’t want to fight in the first place and their knack for self-preservation kicked in. The likes of Lucius Malfoy, Igor Karkaroff, and several others all displayed this fear.
Heroic Slytherins like Horace Slughorn held the same attitude, with Slughorn even fleeing for years when the Second Wizarding War began. Slytherins only show true bravery in battle when they believe in the cause, such as Bellatrix’s loyalty toward Voldemort. However, people from the house are otherwise scared to join into these conflicts for fear of losing their lives.
To Be Rejected By Their Peers
Slytherins are somewhat ostracized by the rest of the school and rely on people in their own house for the most part. This has the effect of causing fear of losing their peers’ favor, with many characters stressing over the possibility – this includes characters like Lucius, Draco, and even Voldemort, who all tried hard to hold on to the respect they commanded.
Lucius, in particular, was a shell of his former self when his fears were realized, and he’d lost all the command he once had among the Death Eaters. Slytherins might be self-serving, but they need people around them to make them feel important; not having such peers respect them is a major cause for worry.
To Face Loneliness And Isolation
Fans got to see that Draco Malfoy wasn’t all that bad in Harry Potter when he was chosen by Voldemort to assassinate Dumbledore. Malfoy was constantly scared and isolated during this time, living the very life that Slytherins generally fear.
Severus Snape was also a Slytherin who was afraid to live like this, although that’s exactly how he ended up. Snape saw Lily as his escape from loneliness, which ties into how Slytherins need at least one avenue to try and avoid isolation. People from the house crave admiration and glory, which aren’t possible to achieve if they have no one around them.
To Be Betrayed By Their Family
Albus Dumbledore is a Harry Potter character who would defeat Voldemort in a fight, mainly because the latter was intimidated by Dumbledore’s knowledge of his familial history. Voldemort was afraid to learn the truth of his abandonment, having made himself believe his father was a magical man unaware of his existence.
In the same way, Bellatrix Lestrange and the majority of the Blacks were scared of any mention of “traitors” like Sirius. Slytherins are very proud in general, and it worries them if their family members don’t have the same values as them. They tend to channel this fear into anger toward the people they feel have betrayed their trust.
To Face Repeated Failures
Slytherins have a fear of failure since their cunning mentalities encourage them to be perfect at all times. Repeated failures are what people of the house are really afraid of, though, because it opens up the possibility for them to consider that they might be weak in some way.
The majority of Slytherins in the Harry Potter series behaved like this, such as Malfoy breaking into tears when he couldn’t initially repair the Vanishing Cabinet and Bellatrix when she couldn’t deliver Harry to Voldemort in Malfoy Manor after previous failures. Slytherins usually have certain consequences to worry about that are tied to these failures, resulting in greater fear of not being perfect.
To Disappoint Authority Figures
Slytherins generally come from pureblood families and there’s a benchmark they are expected to reach. However, this causes many to be afraid of disappointing their seniors or parents. It was especially true for the Death Eaters who were terrified of suffering Voldemort’s wrath should they let him down.
Draco was shown to be worried about Lucius’ disappointment at him being beaten by Hermione in studies since she was a Muggle-born. Dolores Umbridge was constantly seeking the approval of the Minister and was frightened at the prospect of him learning about her worst decisions like attempting to use the Cruciatus Curse on Harry.
To Be Rejected By The Person They’re In Love With
The matter of love is where Gryffindors and Slytherins are similar in Harry Potter, as both house members are fierce but insecure here. Slytherins can become bitter if they should lose in the battle of love, such as Snape who spent his younger years scared of losing Lily to James and eventually held a lifelong grudge when he did.
Bellatrix had a fear of rejection as well where Voldemort was concerned, wanting nothing more than to please him but was always frightened that she would lose his favor. Slytherins are used to getting what they want and a rejection from the one they desire the most is a particularly uninviting prospect.
To Fail To Live Up To The House’s Ideals
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Slytherin house places a big chip on the shoulders of those sorted in it right from the get-go. It’s impressed upon the students to be at the top of their game, to value pureblood ideals, and to chase glory, all of which can be quite overwhelming for the students involved.
They tend to have a fear of letting the house down, such as Snape’s decision to become involved with Slytherins obsessed with the dark arts just so he could fit in. Malfoy also started to parrot the ideals that Lucius had learned as part of Slytherin, realizing too late that he didn’t exactly agree with them and becoming scared of going against it.
To Be Deemed As Week
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Slytherins are all about power and are attracted to things that can make them feel commanding. It’s also why the opposite end of that spectrum scares them, as they try to hide any sign of weakness. Everyone from Voldemort to minor Slytherins such as Crabbe and Goyle were wary of being deemed weak.
In fact, Voldemort was scared more than anything of Harry’s request for him to repent for his sins in their climactic encounter, misconstruing it as Harry deeming him to be weak. Slytherins will do their best to keep hints of doubt or trepidation hidden from others, because letting this side of them shown carries the risk of ruining their powerful image.
