Talk:Horace Slughorn

Slug Club

Is it really necessary to put that he was the head of the Slug Club at the end of the See Also section? He was the only one to head the slug club because he is Professor slughorn. I just do not think it is necessary. Freakatone 12:26, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

• I agree, there wouldn't be anyone else to head it because it was his personal fan club. Mafalda Hopkirk 18:41, 14 February 2008 (UTC)
• Thanks, I erased that portion of the article. Freakatone 14:36, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

Heads of Slytherin

Do we know for a fact that Snape was Slughorn's immediate successor as Head of Slytherin?This would mean there were no other Slytherin faculty when Slughorn stepped down.Being Head of House in his 30s is meteoric enough for Snape,there could well have been someone in between who retired after Snape had spent some years at Potions before adding the Headship!--Louis E./le@put.com/12.144.5.2 00:52, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

No it doesn't, any number of teachers could have been Slytherin and horase simply picked Snape for the postion. Its never actually said how the position of head of the house is passed on. In all likely hood either the previous head of the house does or the headmaster. Seeing as how there is no mention of a Head of Slytherin between Slughorn and Snape we can only assume there is none.

Slughorn born

Hello, when did Horace Slughorn born? I think in interviews with Rowling, Rowling not spoke about Slughorn born. Karu^talk 09:43, 15 March 2008 (UTC)

Slughorn in Hiding

I was reading the Half-Blood Prince and read that Slughorn had only been in hiding for a year, presumably since he heard (probably from Dumbledore) that Lord Voldemort had returned. Someone will have to change the claim that he's be hiding since 1981 Ztyran 04:31, 15 February 2009 (UTC)

Relationships?

I think there is enough information about Slughorn to add a Relationships category, possibly including; Albus Dumbledore, Lily Evans, Severus Snape, Harry Potter, and Tom Riddle. --Parodist 16:54, 17 July 2009 (UTC)

Natural flair

The article says that Slughorn liked Lily for her "natural flair" at Potions making. I think that since it is completely possible that Snape gave her tips on Potions making while they were children, and was wondering if we should remove the word "natural" to be safe. --Parodist 21:22, 17 July 2009 (UTC)

If Lily's exceptional performance in Potions class had depended entirely on help from Snape, her marks would've plummeted once she started her sixth year, as she was no longer on speaking terms with Snape then. ★ Starstuff ^{(Owl me!)} 11:42, 20 July 2009 (UTC)

There is a debate about this on the Severus Snape page which should be removed thaen. --Parodist 14:08, 20 July 2009 (UTC)

Maybe 5 years of help from Snape she had learned enough that she was good on her own and didn't need his help anymore, just a thought. --BachLynn23 22:47, July 21, 2010 (UTC)

Teachers' blood status

"As Muggle-born students were banned from Hogwarts during the 1997-98 school year, it is unlikely that the Death Eaters would have let a Muggle-born professor stay without being shoved into Azkaban. Since Slughorn was an active member of the Hogwarts faculty during that time, it is unlikely that he is Muggle-born." That's the reason this article assumes Slughorn is a half- or pure-blood. If we're abiding by this, why do we not assume the same for the other Hogwarts teachers? -Chogyokko

They use the same logic on the Minerva McGonagall page, but I think that, as they were removing Muggle-borns from Hogwarts to keep them from learning magic, it would have been completely pointless to remove Muggle born teachers, who already knew magic. Personally, I assume Slughorn has magical ancestry, judging by his surprise about the skill of Muggle-born students, and his Sorting into Slytherin. Not to mention in the Half-Blood Prince film, when Hermione says her parents are dentists, Slughorn asks if that's considered a dangerous job in the Muggle world, so I would think he's a pureblood. --Parodist 14:19, 2 August 2009 (UTC)

I think they removed it from Minerva's page. And yes, Slughorn definitely seems like he's a Pureblood, with not only what you mentioned but there's the fact that he's a Slytherin, and that the Death Eaters had been trying to recruit him for years... Still, what about the Muggle-born Registration Commission? Teachers at Hogwarts certainly would've been imprisoned, methinks. So doesn't that mean they're all at least half-blood?

I don't think being Sorted into Slytherin or being pressured to join the Death Eaters are definitive proof that someone is pure-blood. There are Muggle-born Slytherins, though they're rare (DH22), and we know of at least one half-blood, Snape, who was allowed to join the Death Eaters. In an interview, JKR said that Voldemort tried to recruit James and Lily, so it seems he was willing to overlook Muggle-born status, if he deemed someone useful enough.

We know that JKR vetoed the line about Dumbledore's girlfriend that the screenwriters put in an early draft of the Half-Blood Prince script, so if the dentist question didn't reflect Slughorn's actual background, she probably would have said something. Thus, I take it as canon that Slughorn was completely unfamiliar with Muggle dentistry, and interpret this as evidence that he must have been raised in an all-magical household. If he'd come from a Muggle-wizard household, then he would have shown at least a rudimentary familiarity with the Muggle world. Snape, for instance, knew what a matchbox was (CoS11), when Arthur Weasley didn't know how to light a match (GoF7), and also knew that "only Muggles talk of 'mind-reading'" (OotP22).

Yes, Slughorn tended to underestimate the ability of Muggle-borns, but that doesn't rule out the possibility that one of his parents was Muggle-born. After all, Kendra Dumbledore was Muggle-born, but she apparently denied it, and, in hiding away her daughter for fear it would be revealed she was a "Squib," proved that it doesn't take a pure-blood to advance old wizarding prejudices. So, Slughorn might very well have been brought up by a Muggle-born, who either denied their Muggle heritage or scorned it, presumably in an effort to fit in and not be thought of as having "weak" magic.

The only source that says Kendra Dumbledore denied being a muggle-born and that she hid away ariana because she was a squib, was Aunt Muriel at Fleur and Bill's wedding, and being that it is later shown that Ariana was not a squib, but unable to control her magic, it is quite possible that it was also untrue that she denied her Muggle born heritage. --BachLynn23 22:56, July 21, 2010 (UTC)

My point ultimate point, after three paragraphs, is that we shouldn't rule out the possibility that Slughorn is half-blood. :) ★ Starstuff ^{(Owl me!)} 05:36, 15 August 2009 (UTC)

My only point is that the reason that Slughorn is listed as half-blood or pure-blood is because he wasn't shoved into Azkaban when Death Eaters took over, so if we're going by that logic, the same should apply to every other teacher at Hogwarts, but it already has, so... all good. Jules R. J. Blake 11:55, 15 August 2009 (UTC)

Chamber of Secrets

Shouldn't it be mentioned that Slughorn was teaching at the school when the Chamber of Secrets was first opened? Butterfly the rabbit 16:42, September 13, 2009 (UTC)

Black family teacher

Horace mentioned in front of harry, that he was the teacher of every Black member, except Sirius Black. Is this a blooper or not? And if not, do we put it in the story?--Station7 19:14, November 20, 2009 (UTC)

I seriously think it's a blooper! He's not that old.--Intrudgero98 20:16, December 7, 2009 (UTC)

I think what is ment by that is that he Taught all of the Black Children not every single member of the Black family. --Hogwarts09 19:58, December 29, 2009 (UTC)

It wasn't that he didn't teach Sirius, it was that Sirius was the only Black that wasn't in his House (Slytherin). Because unless Sirius didn't take potions at all, which i thought was a required class until after 5th year, and being that Slughorn was the only potions teacher the entire time Sirius was in school, clearly he taught Sirius. --BachLynn23 22:59, July 21, 2010 (UTC)

Relationships

I think he need a relationship section like: Harry Potter, Hermoine Granger, Rubeus Hagrid, Ron Weasley, Albus Dumbledore.. More?--Station7 19:50, December 22, 2009 (UTC)

In The Sixth Book and Film

In the Sixth Film is Horace head of Slytherin or is it still Snape just wondering--Hogwarts09 19:59, December 29, 2009 (UTC)

I'm fairly sure that it is still Snape until the 7th book when Snape is appointed headmaster --BachLynn23 23:00, July 21, 2010 (UTC)

Slytherin?

Was he really in Slytherin? Do we have a source for that? I would say that he's better in Gryffindor.--Station7 22:13, January 4, 2010 (UTC)

Yes, Slughorn was in Slytherin. See this. --  Seth Cooper  owl post! 22:18, January 4, 2010 (UTC)

Even though that is a good point Slughorn dosen't really act as a slytherin but on the other hand when he was younger he might of been bad then chose a new leaf like R.A.B (not bothering spelling his name). Philered WAS HERE! PEACE!

20:09, February 21, 2010 (UTC)

JKR, points out that not all Slytherin are evil and that Slughorn is an example of a good Slytherin. --JKoch^{(Owl Me!)} 20:15, February 21, 2010 (UTC)

I think Horace is pretty amazing person. :D

He is intelligent, but there is something in him that really turns me down.

It is said that "Slytherins tend to be ambitious, cunning, and achievement-oriented. They also have highly developed senses of self-preservation." Slughorn is definitely cunning, and he prefers to surround himself by people who are extraordinary or special in some way, people who excel above and beyond, who have the potential to become somebody. That and considering how far he went to hide himself the year prior to being convinced to come back and teach at Hogwarts shows that he has a keen sense of self-preservation, definitely shows he probably would not have been picked for Gryffindor where they look for courage and bravery. Also, most Heads of Houses end up being the head of the house that they were in when they were in school. --BachLynn23 23:31, July 21, 2010 (UTC)

Middle Initials

Where did the "E.F." come from? --JKoch^{(Owl Me!)} 00:13, July 20, 2010 (UTC)

Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 7. --  Seth Cooper  owl post! 00:20, July 20, 2010 (UTC)

Middle Initials

I think the E.F. is Eric Frederick.