In Harry Potter, the Hogwarts house of Slytherin has gained a bad reputation not just within the series itself but among fans of it as well. All students attending the magical school are sorted into houses by the Sorting Hat based on what it determines to be their dominant personality traits.
Godric Gryffindor created a house where students can boldly go to break boundaries, defy odds, and – if they’re lucky – make a name for themselves. Rowen Ravenclaw founded her house as somewhere in which students can share a love for all things learning, wisdom, and all forms of knowledge. The house founded by Helena Hufflepuff marks the home of a merry bunch who just wants to get along, have a good time, and make a few friends along the way. For the most part, students from various houses get along well. In fact, both the book & movie series shows students from each house in strong friendships. Luna Lovegood, for example, was in Ravenclaw but bonded with more characters in Gryffindor such as Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom. Then there’s Slytherin.
Founded by Salazar Slytherin, this particularly snakey house has a very bad reputation throughout Harry Potter. It’s even been considered the evil house. The reasons for how other houses perceive them are complicated. However, it largely stems from the archetypes of the houses themselves. While Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff have relatively positive characteristics, they still flatten the personalities of students to one dimension.
Fortunately, these archetypes are challenged by specific characters. Gryffindor being known for bravery is challenged by Peter Pettigrew’s villainry. Ravenclaw being known for intelligence is challenged by Gilderoy Lockhart prioritizing personal gain over academic pursuits. Hufflepuff being known for friendliness is challenged by Nymphadora Tonks being a badass who follows her own rules no matter what anyone says. Once again, though, then there’s Slytherin. It’s the only Hogwarts house lacking notable characters who challenge traits associated with it like sneaky, untrustworthy, ambitious, self-centered, and arrogant.
Slytherin is marked by an intentional absence of muggle-born students which reflects the prejudice of Salazar’s own feelings about blood purity at Hogwarts. His refusal to allow muggle-borns into the house of green & silver was a direct result of violently real persecution wizards & witches faced at one point from Muggle society. This later gives Slytherin the reputation of a house that not only refuses to accept muggle-born students but one that is willing to serve only itself to preserve its own sense of pure-blood supremacy. It certainly doesn’t help that most of the worst characters in Harry Potter – such as Bellatrix Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, and even Lord Voldemort himself – were once Slytherin students who went on terrorize the rest of the Wizarding World while also just being wildly prejudiced against anyone associated with muggles, or non-magical people.
Slytherin’s bad reputation is not just the result of the actions of a notable few. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, a group of Slytherin students actually refuses to stand & fight with Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters who follow him. This is arguably one of the most important deviations from what’s expected of their house. Their bravery challenges the idea that Slytherin is mostly home to followers of bad people. Unfortunately, though, instead of fighting on the side of good they instead choose to flee to protect themselves. Once again, the narrative takes time to paint even Slytherins who don’t fight for Lord Voldemort as selfish, self-serving, and cowardly. This makes their house an easy target for feelings of ill-will from characters within the series and even from fans. Hence, the reputation that Slytherin has of being evil as a whole. But what does it mean to be evil in the Harry Potter series?
Evil takes on many forms in the Wizarding World. With characters like Dolores Umbridge, evil is subtle and hides behind the guise of maintaining order. She’s promoted to the position of Headmaster in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix after Professor Dumbledore is removed only to use her access to the students to control them. The Ministry of Magic may not be evil, but they’ve often shown an unwillingness to see beyond their own fears which makes them dangerous to anyone trying to fight back against evil forces.
Even when The Boy Who Lived warns them of Lord Voldemort’s return, they’d rather punish him for telling the truth than face the facts. Yet, when it comes to Slytherin, evil is presented in its most binary form. There are no layers or complexities, just a lack of any positive contributions to Wizarding society. Slytherins like Merlin, Andromeda Tonks, Horace Slughorn, and Severus Snape who truly break the mode are seen as exceptions rather than proof that not all members of this house are alike.
In the world of Harry Potter, such simplicity really stands out. This is the same universe in which prejudice is seen as bad and people who practice it are painted as close-minded. Many fans have questioned this perspective. They’ve even gone so far as to curate fanfiction in which they create or change the depiction of already created Slytherin students who go against the grain. They fight for others, stand up for what they believe in, and have a strong moral compass for discerning what’s right.