Let's face it, out of all of the houses at Hogwarts, one in particular sticks out as being the "black sheep." That house, of course, is our own proud Slytherin. Hardly a surprise, is it? Slytherin produced the largest number of recorded evil wizards/witches, the Dark Lord himself originated from it, and of course, there was that whole fiasco with Salazar Slytherin and the Chamber of Secrets. Why then, with all of JK Rowling's intent of creating villains out of them, would anyone be proud to be a member of the house of the snake? I'll tell you why.
1. Slytherins are notoriously ambitious.
When was the last time your parents told you to "dream small"? Never? I thought so. Slytherins are naturals at dreaming big; however, the difference between them and any other dreamer is that Slytherins are ready to do what needs to be done to make that dream a reality. Rather than just being another link in the chain, they strive for the power and responsibility of leadership and seek to achieve greatness (not glory, like Gryffindors) in whatever they feel most passionate about. Be it world domination or simply being the most active member of the PTA.
2. Slytherins believe in the importance of self-love and self-preservation.
Slytherins are dedicated to serving themselves, and what's so bad about that? Just because they seek to fulfill their own needs doesn't make them monsters, or negligent of others--it just means that they have their head on straight about valuing themselves. Rather than acting in irrational ways that could endanger them or wallowing in the fact that the entire world seems out to get them, Slytherins focus on how best to tackle the situation in a way that benefits them--which usually involves a lot of calculating and incredible spa treatments.
3. Slytherins encourage their house-mates to be free spirited and to take authority with a grain of salt.
Slytherin is all about realizing that sometimes rules need to be bent in order for things to go the right way; take Robin Hood, for example. Do you honestly think Nottingham would've lasted without him robbing from the rich to provide for the starving? I don't think so. Sometimes the world isn't as black and white or simplistic as people would like it to be, and a Slytherin is completely on board with that. By allowing their members to thrive outside of the comfort zone of the rest of the wizarding world, amazing things are bound to happen.
4. Did I mention that ridiculously sleek sense of style?
When was the last time you saw an unfashionable Slytherin? That classic green, silver, and black goes great paired with a cut-throat attitude. Whether staying cozy back in the dorm room or out taking the world by storm, any Slytherin is guaranteed to be the one that makes their heads turn with their dark, regal aesthetic.
5. Slytherin has some amazing alumni.
Okay, okay, so most of the known Slytherin alumni are totally evil--still, I think we can all agree that that doesn't dull the caliber of witch or wizard most Slytherin alum are. Not just anyone can pull together a persona that makes people literally afraid to speak their name. Not just anyone can hide a massive Basilisk in a girl's bathroom for over a thousand years. Oh, and did I mention that Merlin is canonically a Slytherin himself? Merlin. I don't care what kind of Dumbledore fan you are, you don't get any better than Merlin.
6. Um, yeah, the Slytherin common room is totally an underwater pirate ship.
The Slytherin dormitory is located under Hogwarts in an underwater pirate ship. Yeah, I'll give you a minute to take in just how amazing that is. Not only does the dark, alluring feel of it totally fit in to the Slytherin aesthetic, but that means Slytherins are the only students at Hogwarts with a front row seat to all of the secrets lurking in the lake. An exclusive club, for sure.
7. Slytherins always stick together and look out for one another.
In a perfect wizarding world, Slytherins wouldn't need to rely on just themselves for comfort and camaraderie; unfortunately, we live in the wizarding world where Slytherins are denied entrance to Dumbledore's Army, are not allowed to fight in the Battle of Hogwarts, and are otherwise generally hated and excluded by their peers. As this is the case, Slytherins stick together as an unflappable team and look out for each other when the rest of Hogwarts is out for an easy scapegoat.
