"On the Nature of Slytherin House"
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and elements from the Harry Potter series belong to J.K. Rowling.
It wasn't personal. It never was in Slytherin, not amongst themselves. They all knew what to expect, that's why the Sorting Hat had placed them in Salazar Slytherin's house. Those few First Years who'd been sheltered a bit more, they quickly learned what it took to survive in Slytherin. They might be hated and feared by the students in the other houses, but they were safe with their own kind, down in the dungeons, because they all knew the truth.
Your best friend would betray you to save his own skin, each and every Slytherin above first year knew that. They didn't have any illusions. That's what separated them from the other students. They knew they were better because of it. A Ravenclaw might expect betrayal and deceit in theory, but once it actually happened, they were shocked that something had managed to escape out of the pages of a book and into real life. Hufflepuffs had to work hard for what they got, and they were careful to guard it closely, but they never suspected the right person. Gryffindors, were the worst, though. If the Slytherins didn't hate them so much, they might have pitied them. Godric Gryffindor's chosen stormed around the castle, full of self-righteous beliefs about their place in the world; they were convinced they could make everything right if they yelled loudly enough or fought hard enough. No Gryffindor believed a fellow Gryffindor would ever betray him or her, even after Sirius Black's infamous betrayal of the Potters.
When Lucius Malfoy offered to buy the very latest model of brooms for each and every member of the Slytherin Quidditch team if his son was included on that team, there was no questions asked, nor discussions carried on. Marcus Flint, team captain, had accepted the offer immediately. When he'd told Terrence Higgs that he was off the team to create a spot for Malfoy, Higgs had accepted the situation. He hadn't gone crying to Professor Snape or moping about the castle, cursing Flint's name. He knew, had always known, that such was life.
When Adrian Pucey was replaced as a chaser by Warrington, he too had accepted it. He didn't go picking fights with Warrington, like a Gryffindor would have done. He'd just bided his time, and once Flint had finally left Hogwarts, he was back on the team. When Warrington overheard the students in the other houses dismissing the possibilty of him becoming school champion, solely because he was Slytherin, he didn't run off crying like a Hufflepuff. He was content with the knowledge that one day he'd have the power to make them regret the way they'd treated Slytherins.
Power. That was what each and every Slytherin was after. Some of them, like Vincent Crabbe or Gregory Goyle, were too stupid to know what to do with it once they had it. They still wanted it, though. Some of them had been taught to reach for power by their parents. Others had developed that thirst on their own, having seen what befell those without power. If they had to kiss the Dark Lord's robes to gain the power be bestowed on his followers, then many of them were willing to do so.
Having no illusions, no great ideals, was safe. Because illusions eventually faded and ideals broke always. Friendships were good in and of themselves only until a better offer was made. The worry he'd felt when Montague was missing and the pity he'd felt seeing his friend in the hospital was real enough. It was just that Warrington also enjoyed, without the slightest trace of guilt, the opportunity to take over as team captain.
Pansy Parkinson had believed in true friendship once, when she was a little girl playing dress up with Parvati Patil. It took only her first day at Hogwarts for her to realize that their friendship was over. The Sorting Hat saw to that, dividing them forever. They'd thought they knew each other, but that blasted hat knew them better.
Unlike the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws, they didn't try to hide their self-interest. House pride was about nothing more than gaining some reflected glory. The Hufflepuffs babbled about the best thing to happen to their house in centuries when Cedric Diggory was chosen Hogwarts champion. The Slytherins had sneered at them and laughed, because they knew the truth. They knew that each little Hufflepuff was trying to cover his or her own inadequacy by borrowing some of Diggory's greatness. They knew that Oliver Wood's concern was for his Quidditch team was less about putting some stupid trophy in McGonagall's office, and more about making himself look good; building a good resume for the professional Quidditch scouts.
The other three houses united in their hatred of Slytherin house, and this made the Slytherins smile because it took seventy five percent of the school to gang up against the other twenty five percent and their house still persisted. Each Slytherin was worth three of the other students, something their head of house reminded them each year. "You are alone," Snape said on the first day of each school year, his black robes billowing behind him as he paced, "And you are stronger for it. Don't feel sorry for yourselves. Don't envy the other houses. You've been given a seven year head start into the real world."
Each Slytherin student who heard those words took them to heart, because Severus Snape was not a man to be taken lightly. He never spoke to hear the sound of his own voice, or to fill the air. The Slytherins in the first class to graduate after news of Voldemort's return was made public remembered those words as they walked off the grounds of Hogwarts for the last time. "You are alone" was not "You must become a Death Eater." They were free to make their own decisions, chose what was best for them. Unlike many Gryffindors who would end up dying because they blindly followed their fellows into battle, vaguely aware of what they were fighting against but without any comprehension of what they were fighting for. Unlike most Hufflepuffs, who accepted whatever propaganda the Ministry of Magic dished out. Unlike the Ravenclaws, who sat paralzyed with indecision, trying to analyze what was going on. Slytherins just knew.
End
Author's Note: Yes, I know that Sirius didn't betray Lily and James, but that is what most of the wizarding world still believes. In any event, the traitor was another Gryffindor anyway.