In theHarry Potteruniverse, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry sorts students into one of four houses. While three of the houses are known for producing some of the best witches and wizards of the magical world, Slytherin House is recognized for its evil students.
However, not every Slytherin is evil, and many Slytherins did good things for the magical world ofHarry Potter, including some who may have made more bad choices than good. In the end, these Slytherins rose to the challenge to help others, at least once in their lives, and make the magical world a better place.
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8Draco Malfoy
At first, Draco Malfoy embodied everything wrong with Slytherin House. He was haughty, proud, arrogant, vindictive, and downright cruel. He looked down on anyone he didn’t see as an equal or who wouldn’t put him on a pedestal he believed he should be on. He tried to follow in his father’s footsteps as a Death Eater, and that’s when his good qualities started showing.
Draco couldn’t kill Albus Dumbledore when Lord Voldemort gave him the task in the sixth book. InHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, he has the opportunity to turn Harry and his friends over when they’ve been captured and brought to Malfoy Manor but doesn’t confirm their identities. He was far from perfect, but he had some good qualities.
7Salazar Slytherin
Even though Slytherin House produced some of the worst witches and wizards in magical history, it also produced some of the best. That’s why it’s impossible to argue against Salazar Slytherin’s work improving the magical world. His house produced Regulus Black and Leta Lestrange, who both gave up their lives to stop evil wizards.
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Slytherin had a warped view of right and wrong and was certainly prejudiced against Muggles and Muggle-born wizards and witches. He was responsible for a lot of the negative attention his house would receive, but he still demonstrated strength and value, even if it wasn’t on the same level as the otherthree Hogwarts founders.
6Horace Slughorn
Professor Horace Slughorn was a social climber who always wanted to beclose to someone famous. He was ambitious but recognized his place. He wasn’t meant to be the star; he was meant to leech off the star. Still, despite all this, he had his heroic moments.
He had a good relationship with Albus Dumbledore that led to him returning to Hogwarts during the second Wizarding War. He gave his unaltered memory to Harry Potter to help in the quest to find Voldemort’s Horcruxes, mainly due to his appreciation for Harry’s mother. And he stayed at Hogwarts and fought against Voldemort in the final battle of the series.
5Andromeda Tonks
One of the few members of the Black family whose picture was blown off the family tree, Andromeda was the sister of Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy. Andromeda followed her heart and chose to marry a Muggle-born wizard named Ted Tonks rather than stick to her family’s pureblood ways.
She and Ted welcomed a daughter named Nymphadora, who became a well-respected auror, an important member of the Order of the Phoenix, and one of the Best Hufflepuffs in the entireHarry Potterseries. Andromeda also raised her grandson Teddy Lupin after her husband Ted, daughter Nymphadora, and son-in-law, Remus Lupin, were all killed in the second Wizarding War.
4Regulus Black
When first mentioned, it seems likeRegulus Blackis a typical, cowardly Slytherin. Sirius mentions his brother joined the Death Eaters not long after school, got cold feet, and then was killed either by Voldemort or on Voldemort’s orders. But Harry’s quest for the Dark Lord’s Horcruxes changed the entire perception of Regulus.
Kreacher reveals that Regulus figured out what Voldemort was doing and went to destroy one of the Horcruxes himself. He sacrificed his life to save his house-elf Kreacher and tried to weaken Voldemort’s protections for immortality. He proved himself to be one of the best Slytherins in an effort to take down the worst of them all.
3Merlin
Merlin is a well-known wizard throughout history and mythology due to his connection to the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, as well as other fantasy stories. Merlin also appears inHarry Potterthrough mentions of the Chocolate Frog cards and the established “Order of Merlin.”
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Supplemental material reveals that Merlin advocated for a harmonious relationship between wizards and muggles and forbade the use of spells on muggles. In theHarry Pottermaterial, his defeat of Morgan Le Fey is shown as him protecting muggles and being a heroic Slytherin.
2Leta Lestrange
While the Lestrange family is known for producing some of the most evil Slytherin wizards, Leta Lestrange proved to be one of the better ones in theFantastic Beastsseries. During her time at Hogwarts, she helps Newt Scamander nurse an injured raven back to health.
Her most noble act came during Grindelwald’s Paris rally. She provides a distraction that allows Newt and his allies to escape. When she commits to this act, she knows that she is going to die at Grindelwald’s hand. Shelays down her own lifeto help the heroes live to fight another day.
1Severus Snape
There is no better example of dichotomy in theHarry Potteruniverse thanSeverus Snape. The former Death Eater and Hogwarts Potions Master turned spy for the Order of the Phoenix before Voldemort’s first downfall. He then continued educating students until Voldemort regained power.
During the second Wizarding War, Snape again served as a double agent, feeding information about the Death Eaters' activities to the Order of the Phoenix. He killed Dumbledore, but it was revealed he did so on Dumbledore’s orders. Snape did all this because he was in love with Lily Potter. He did many things wrong, but he rose to the occasion when the good guys needed him most.
