little green

“Take Ms. Parkinson and the rest of Slytherin from the hall.”

Everyone cheers except me. I’m sitting in my bedroom, staring at the screen with this conscious gnawing at my head, wondering what it is about this moment that really bothers me. With every consecutive viewing, the teeth in my head grow sharper and more urgent. And I finally realize what it is:

J. K. Rowling is a hypocrite.

In a book “all about choices” and how those choices shape us, she never gave the option to Slytherin house. Instead of choices, McGonagall had them moved to the dungeons amongst rounds of applause—as if she was making the right decision. I told my friend of this frustration. She said McGonagall did it to be safe. After all, Slytherin is the dark house, filled with the ambitious—whom Rowling has already said (in an interview) she distrusts. By removing them, my friend asserted, it was less likely to risk the house betraying Hogwarts.

I paused for a day to see if my stomach would take the argument. It was like trying to force a parachute in a soda can, and I came to accept that it wouldn’t work. I had to keep thinking.

Removal, large population, generalizing. Why did this idea sound familiar?

Oh, yes.

Japanese Internment Camps, WWII. Congratulations, Rowling. You not only unfairly demonized ambitious people, but you employed the same methods of profiling as racist governments. And at a school where everyone—supposedly—is welcome. Yeah, I’m really feeling the love and free choice.

Sure, it’s easy to make a nice quote. Much harder to implement in your actions.