Rivalry

c Rivalry c

by

TeenTypist

"I wonder..."

"What do you wonder?"

"Why the Gryffindors don't get along with the Slytherins. They're so alike in so many ways. Both usually very stubborn and determined to do what they want. The Slytherins because it's what they want to do and nothing will keep them from their goals, the Gryffindors because they're brave enough to do whatever they have to. So alike..."

"And at the same time so different."

"If it weren't for the prejudice between the two Houses, I'd almost think Gryffindors and Slytherins would be the ideal pair."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, wouldn't you think a Slytherin, someone whose greatest attribute is his or her ability and hard-headedness to reaching any goal, would admire someone who didn't let fear get in the way of accomplishing his or her goal?"

"But aren't Gryffindors usually more devoted to some sort of noble cause rather than a personal goal?"

"Sometimes you sound so like a Slytherin."

"As you said before, there's a fine line."

"The root of the rivalry is what puzzles me."

"Why should it? You've heard the story often enough."

"Haven't you told me countless times that Godric and Salazar were the best of friends?"

"Yes. It seemed so. But when they had that disagreement, neither would compromise or bend."

"Stubbornness strikes again."

"You've been the same yourself often."

"Ah, of that I am guilty." There was a moment of silence. "You notice that they made their Houses as far apart as they could?"

"The dungeons on one side of the castle, and the highest tower on the other side. I know."

"So alike they are sometimes, and yet so different."

"Gryffindors are creatures of the heart. Slytherins are creatures of the mind."

"Not always the case."

"That's true."

"Yes, I've seen Slytherins almost devoted enough to their families to have qualified in loyalty for Hufflepuffs. They'd do anything to fit in, or gain their parents' approval. Ravenclaws are sometimes close to being Slytherins too. It's funny. All three Houses have the potential to be Slytherins, but there's a line. A thin, but definite, line. What's the biggest difference between Slytherins and everyone else?"

"Besides the fact that they're alone against the rest of the school?"

"Yes. It's such a pity. They're so alone. Isolated. Even if they wanted to fit in with the rest of the school, the odds are that they wouldn't be given a chance."

"The difference between Slytherins and everyone else, is that line. The line of what's too far. What a person is willing to do. A Slytherin has goals, ideas, values, and ambitions to live up to and they'll do anything to make sure they meet them. Over the years, their core value has become evident in a single word: survival. They just want to survive by whatever means necessary."

"I know. And in the end, I think that method of survival destroys them from the inside out."

"The lucky ones die before they destroy themselves like that I suppose."

"Ambition and daring aren't all that far apart. I've seen Gryffindors go bad and Slytherins do great things. If only there was some way of ridding them of the prejudice that divides them."

"It's there because both Houses have been full of grudge holders for the last 1000 years."

"Though the events of this century haven't helped matters any."

"No, they certainly haven't."

"Sometimes I wonder if this school and the students we send out into the world would be better off if there were no Houses. It'd be one less prejudice to send them into the world with."

"Yes, but it would certainly put me out of a job."

There was a knock on the door and a voice outside asked, "Albus, are you ready? The students will be arriving any moment. I've already seen the first carriages on their way. I'm here for the Sorting Hat."

Albus Dumbledore looked down fondly at the Hat he'd been chatting with. "Yes, Minerva. I'm ready. Just a moment." He picked up the Hat and stool.

The Hat said, "You know, Albus, I really wish you'd put some padding or a cushion on this stool. I think I'm getting splinters. It's bad enough I have to worry about getting lice from those first years."

"I'll see about the padding and you'll receive a thorough washing tomorrow."

"Good. Now let's go Sort some students and set the mold for their lives."

Albus carried the stool and balanced the Sorting Hat on it with one hand, and opened the door with the other. "I'm ready, Minerva. Let's great the students and start another fantastic year."