Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter; it's the property of J.K. Rowling.
Slytherin Manifesto
by Salazar Slytherin
Slytherins of Hogwarts, unite!
Let us all come together and show the world the greatest virtue a human being can have: the ambition to become great! Let us use our boundless cunning to persuade people, influence events, and manipulate situations in order to become the best we can be. For how can we do anything to leave a mark on the world if we don't desire (and work) to become all we can be? We are great because we put all our effort into being great. Without effort, it does not work. How can we be great without working for it?
Let us not get all lazy and slothful, and let our personal desires be left behind in the dust. In other words, a Slytherin must seize the day. It's always possible that there may not be a tomorrow, so a Slytherin should work for his/her greatness while they're young and have the chance, or they will waste their lives. That is the reason why I, and everyone I teach, believes in self-preservation, not because we are cowards, like the Gryffindors are so fond of accusing us of, but because life is precious and beautiful. If you can become great, you should enjoy it to the full, for the rest of your life, not like the Gryffindors, who frequently squander their lives in acts of selfless, but reckless, heroism.
Slytherins of Hogwarts, unite!
Let us each become great at different things, so that we can influence the world in all different walks of life! If you are a headmaster, you should strive to be the best. If you are a magizoologist, you should learn to study and take care of magical creatures to the best of your ability, and simultaneously strive to outdo and outlast your fellow magizoologists. If you are a teacher, strive to teach better than any other teacher. And if you have a career in the Muggle world, the same should go for that. A Slytherin does not have to be the greatest Slytherin of all time to earn my favor or to be great, I am not that fanatical about greatness. But any action which makes you do great things, for yourself or for others, can put you on the road to ultimate success.
I must warn you, however, of the dangers of sloth. No Slytherin should succumb to the seduction of this attractive feeling, for laziness does nothing to achieve anything except excessive relaxation and lapsing muscles. You cannot expect the world, or others, to make yourself great for you. Do not expect other people at Hogwarts to do all your work for you, not even the studious Ravenclaws, and never look to the Muggles for help, either. A man, or woman, who lets others do the labor for them does not deserve to be called great; the one who "helped" them deserves it far more. There is no greatness where a Slytherin wastes his/her life being a slacker.
Indeed! Diligence is needed, both physically and mentally, in order to become a person of character. And while we have our rivalries with the other houses, especially Gryffindor, we share some of their traits. We can be as loyal as Hufflepuffs, as smart as Ravenclaws, or as brave as Gryffindors. I have always resented the claim, and you probably should too, that just because we believe in self-preservation means we do not dare stick up for a friend, loved one, or ourselves.
Slytherins of Hogwarts, unite!
Another thing we must bear in mind is that it does not serve to sell our hearts and souls for greatness. I have no doubt that our house will produce some Dark wizards and witches, but if we wish to retain our greatness and still remain popular with those who praise us, it is not a good idea to compromise, or reject, our principles to fulfill our ambitions. We should use all the resources we can to achieve great things, but for our ambitions to rule our lives is to be mastered by them, rather than mastering them ourselves. Nevertheless, as I said, I am certain that not all my house's students will take this advice, and will do things that are terrible and horrible, as well as great.
Another things which must be said is that we, like the Hufflepuffs, are intensely loyal to each other. Gryffindors quarrel far too often, and Ravenclaws clamber over each other to get the best grades in their blind love for learning, but we are like a fraternity, or a sorority, if you are female. And like our animal emblem, the snake, we are smooth, crafty, and strike like lightning when taking out an arch-enemy. Some perceive us as being cold-blooded, internally and externally, but we are passionate more often than we are repressed; ambition without passion is, in the Muggle world, like a road without a horse.
Long story short, even Slytherin shares some of the other houses' traits: some Slytherins are as brave as a Gryffindor, many are as kind as a Hufflepuff (something you and I do not get enough credit for), and most are almost as smart as a Ravenclaw.
But, as a footnote, I do have one important condition on my Hogwarts house. If one wishes to achieve greatness in the Wizarding World, it is achieved best if they have the purest magical skills and cunning flowing through their blood. For this reason, I intend for the majority percentage of Slytherin house to be pure-bloods, with two wizard/witch parents. Such people can work the best wonders any Slytherin, or any other wizard or witch could, because their pure blood makes them strong, and strength is also needed to fulfill ambition. Of course, I am willing to allow some half-bloods into my ranks, since they are powerful, too, so long as they never take the majority. But Muggle-borns, or "mudbloods," as some of us are fond of calling them, are comparatively weak, without the strength of a magician's family to make them do great things. They can never hope to find the same great pedestal that our kind can. Let Hufflepuff have them, as well as Gryffindor and Ravenclaw; that is where they belong.
Slytherins of Hogwarts, may we all unite by living out the success that ambition brings us: and never forget that: "Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness!"