J.K. Rowling has created a whole new world through her Harry Potter saga. She has the incredible ability to relate her fictional world to our real world time and time again. She does that so flawlessly by highlighting real-world issues in her stories.

One of the biggest issues she touches on repeatedly in the books is prejudice. Although I could write a completely separate book on all the people (and magical creatures) that deal with prejudice and bias in the Harry Potter universe, today I'm going to talk specifically about Slytherin.

(Here is your SPOILER ALERT: Although, if you haven't already read all the Harry Potter books and seen the movies... what are you doing with your life?)

Slytherins have had a stigma against them ever since Voldemort and his Death Eaters banded together to bring terror and evil to the magical world. We're talking about murderers who only seek to gain power and rid the world of Muggle-borns. So yeah, I get why people automatically develop a hatred for Slytherins. However, I think it's unfair to generalize Slytherin as the "bad" Hogwarts house.

First of all, not all evil witches and wizards were in Slytherin. Let's not forget that Peter Pettigrew (Yes, the man that betrayed Harry's parents!) was a Gryffindor! He is easily one of the most dislikable characters in the Harry Potter series, and he was in the same house as Harry.

There are also quite a few Slytherins that were good characters. Narcissa Malfoy, although we learned that her family was working for Lord Voldemort, ultimately helps Harry by lying about his death to Voldemort in the end. This could have gotten her killed instantly, but she helped him because she knew it was the right thing to do. Also, Horace Slughorn was a Slytherin, and he was a good friend of Dumbledore and Harry's parents. Then there's Severus Snape.

He was arguably the most pivotal character in the series. We spent most of the series hating him, but we eventually learned that he was really watching out for Harry the whole time. If that's not a redeeming quality, then I don't know what is. And lastly, we can't forget Merlin! He was one of the greatest and most famous wizards of all time. He was so great that now when witches and wizards achieve something great, they are awarded The Order of Merlin.

The Sorting Hat places witches and wizards in Slytherin based on cunning, resourcefulness, and ambition; NOT on their level of evilness. These qualities make for great students and powerful leaders that will use any means to achieve greatness. However, sadly, this can often lead them down a dark path if they make friends with the "wrong sort".

So in conclusion, not all Slytherins are bad guys. Sure, some of them were Death Eaters, but some of them fought against Voldemort and his followers. We can't forget the Slytherins that helped win the Battle of Hogwarts and the Slytherins that were allies of Harry and his friends. I think JK Rowling would want us to learn from her stories that you can't judge a book by its cover, and that anyone, even those you least expect, can be a hero.