I was thinking about doing these special house pride chapters where I would cover the qualities and virtues of Hogwarts Houses by choosing a specific personality from each house to explain in detail.

As Slytherin is probably the most hated House out there and the House of the Dark, Evil People; I decided to start off with Slytherin.

The qualities of a true Slytherin (according to the Sorting Hat) are wit, cunning, ambitious nature and dedication.

Though it is weird to see how these qualities could be associated with evil. But what everyone thinks nowadays is that Slytherins are egotistical, backbiting creatures who would do anything to achieve their ends and would not mind choosing the Dark path. 

So not true. 

***

What usually comes to mind when you think Slytherin? Of course, the first thing people think is that many Dark wizards were from this house and that the founder of the house, Salazar Slytherin, was a pureblood supremacist (we have discussed Salazar in much detail in the previous chapters so I will leave it just there and move on).

And who comes to your mind when you're asked to think about a good Slytherin?

Severus Snape.

Yeah, yeah I know all about that stuff about him actually being on the right side and loving Lily and blah blah but sshhhh... We aren't going to discuss about Snape today.

The person I have chosen for the #SlytherinPride is Regulus Black instead of Snape (and don't worry I will tell you exactly why).

***

Regulus Black was born in 1961 to Orion and Walburga Black, making him younger brother to Sirius Black, who is known to all of you and praised by many. 

Young Regulus had always been the perfect child, attaining high esteem in the eyes of both his parents and society which was in itself rather contrary to Sirius.

While Sirius was bold and daring, Regulus was quiet and strategic. He was sorted into Slytherin on the account of his basic traits of being strategic and ambitious.

Living life as the apple of everyone's eye is not such a fantastic thing either. Due to this high prestige Reg had over his brother, he was forced to fulfill expectations. And unlike Sirius, he wasn't courageous enough to stand up against it.

So he lived his life like a follower, obediently trekking through the dwindling paths of his parent's expectations. And it was this habit of following and proving himself worthy of all that was expected from him, that pushed him towards the Dark side.

Now after this short recap of who exactly was Regulus Arcturus Black, let us move on to the attributes which made him a true Slytherin.

***

As the symbol of a Slytherin house is a serpent, we may take its attributes on account as well.

Serpents are known to symbolize cunning, wit, venom and strong will. Other than that, a serpent can also represent flexibility and lethal charm.

But let's move on to the good parts and link it all with Slytherin, shall we?

In the books, Slytherin house is said to have the following traits:

1. Loyalty_

Slytherins are loyal people no matter what you have to say against this. Slytherins choose their goals and stay loyal to the stuff they care for such as love, family, career, success etc.

Regulus was extremely loyal to his house as well as his family. He felt the need to prove himself worthy of being the Black heir and for that he did all that was possible.

Not once did he think of abandoning his parents and not once did he try to stray away from the path he had chosen for himself. Thus he was also loyal to his goals.

2. Cunning_

Believe it or not, Slytherins are much clever than what we give them credit for. Not only are they excellent at planning and teamwork but also they tend to always have an escape strategy.

Regulus did well in studies showing his academic proficiency and not only that he also survived many obstacles in order to attain the position of the Dark Lord's favorite in such short a time.

It was his cunning which helped him set himself in the good books of Voldemort and furthermore it was his wit that helped him find out about the Horcrux and destroy it.

3. Remembrance _

If a Slytherin has been given a favor, he/she will be debted to said person and would do anything to return the favor. This trait comes alongside the loyalty trait.

Similarly, if some wrong has been done to the Slytherin witch/wizard or his/her loved ones, he/she are liable to avenge it.

Therefore, when his obedient house elf Kreacher was left to die by the Dark Lord, Reg took it upon himself to destroy his evil plans sacrificing his own life in the process.

4. Acceptance_

Slytherins accept their faults just like they own their virtues. If they have done something unacceptable, they would own it and that's their level of courage.

A good example for this is when Regulus found out the ulterior motives of his Master and how by assisting him he would be endangering not only Muggle people but also his own folk, he chose to accept his fault and decided to set things right.

5. Ambitious_

As in the words of the Sorting Hat, "those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends."

This sentence clarifies the ambitious nature of Slytherins and how they are willing to go through anything and everything for success.

While many of you consider this habit as a bad thing, the truth is that it isn't. It only highlights their ambitions and the flame of passion they have burning inside them.

Regulus had always been ambitious. It was in his nature, bred deep by his family and their teachings, that he had to rise to success.

In his Hogwarts days, he was a brilliant student with outstanding NEWTs and OWLs, a School Prefect and seeker at the Slytherin Quidditch team. He proved to be an honor for his house.

And after he joined the Death Eaters, even then he tried his level best to rise higher in success.

6. Self Esteem_

Slytherins have high self esteem but it should not be often confused with arrogance. Self esteem also provides an inner confidence which you can easily see reflected in a Slytherin's personality. Even though not much is known about Regulus through the Harry Potter books, I believe he must have had enough self confidence in his personality and would have possessed a strong and intriguing character. Moreover he descends from the Blacks and we all know how confident the Blacks are.

7. ‎Dedication_

Regulus was very dedicated to his causes. When he had joined the Death Eaters he sincerely wanted to be of use to a great cause and his dedication resulted in him becoming the Dark Lord's favorite in such a short time. When he realized that Voldemort's was not as great as they were taught to believe, his dedication showed in his effort to somehow stop Voldemort from succeeding.

8. ‎Charming Personality_

No one should have any objection to this part though. Slytherins have charming personalities (also would you exclude a few exceptions like Snape, Crabbe and Goyle?). Reg must have had the wit and charm of a true Slytherin. While Sirius is mostly portrayed as the heartthrob of Hogwarts and the more good looking Black brother, I believe Reg's charm made up for all the attributes he lacked as compared to Sirius.

***

And this my dear readers is the most underappreciated hero of the HP universe. Regulus Arcturus Black gave up his life for the right reasons even though he had been part of Voldemort's gang earlier. Reg proved that it's never to late to make a choice.

And that is why Regulus Black too is one of the bravest men I ever knew.

#RegulusDeservesMoreThanSnape

#ThereArePeopleBraverThanSnape

#ChangeAlbusSeverus'sNameForTheSakeOfButterbeers

I think this much Snape hate is enough for now. The point of this chapter though is to embrace all Slytherins and acknowledge because not all of them are cowardly bullying gits.