Harry Potter's Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is well-known for having four houses, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff. Each of these houses has qualities that define its existence, and these traits really do speak to the characters in each house. Together traits and characters create a persona for each of the houses. In fact, the houses take on a life of their own.
Having four houses means they will naturally be compared, and so the question arises, which one of them is the worst of the bunch? Although they all have their own kinds of negatives, one house that is a contender for absolute worst is Slytherin. Here are some reasons why Slytherin house is the worst of all the Hogwarts houses.
They Tend To Be Evil
Maybe it's just a stereotype, but it does seem unfortunately true, most of the witches and wizards who end up in Slytherin house do go bad. Although hopefully after Harry's time at Hogwarts there's a shift in that point of view, it reigns supreme much of the time.
Being evil is the worst and having so many evil Slytherins makes them the worst house.
Their Common Room Is The Worst
Hands down, Slytherins get the rawest deal when it comes to living space. A dungeon under the lake with no natural light and scary lake creatures floating by the windows? On top of that, a lot of uncomfortable furniture and a constant chill... Does anyone want that? Do evil people want that?
It seems like the answer is no one wants that and Slytherin common room is just basically one big punishment for anyone who decides to be a Slytherin. Just because the House's symbol is a snake does not mean its students want to live like the animal.
Lord Voldemort Was a Slytherin
The darkest wizard of all time was a part of Slytherin house, which doesn't exactly recommend it as anything but the worst. Although past don't speak to current ones, there's still a weight of history that sits on the house. Especially in the Wizarding World, affiliation with Voldemort is an automatic demerit.
Unfortunately, this contributes to why Slytherin is low on the house totem pole.
They're Picked On
Slytherin would be the worst Hogwarts house to be a part of because they're incredibly picked on. Teachers don't like them, the heaster doesn't like them, and the school seems to be designed to work against them.
Whenever Slytherin is close to any kind of achievement it gets snatched away from them at the last minute, only to be given to someone else. For this reason, being a part of this house would be the worst.
Other Houses Don't Like Them
Not only are they unpopular with the istration, but the other houses don't really like them at all. It's not great to be so unpopular and it makes being at school no fun at all. But this dislike doesn't just happen from out of the blue, Slytherins have earned the distrust over time.
Slytherin can't be the best house if nobody likes them!
There's Discrimination in the House
The idea of blood right and hierarchy is rampant in Slytherin house, making it the absolute worst. It's bad enough that society is so controlled by wealth and "name," it's not necessary at all in a school situation. In Slytherin, without a family name, fortune, and a blood-line, characters have to play second fiddle or bend over backward to impress.
It's just not a good atmosphere.
Snape is Their Head of House
Snape may fancy himself a tragic hero, but really he's just an unpleasant bully. And though he's silky sweet to the of his own house, he's not really what you might call a role model. Snape, overall, is incredibly unpleasant and incredibly selfish.
With him as the head of house, it's no wonder this house is just the worst.
There's a Lot of Posturing
Slytherins always need to be swaggering. They always have to put in their two cents and announce how they're better, smarter, slyer, and eviler than the rest. That kind of atmosphere gets really exhausting, really quickly.
There's just not a lot of genuine connection in Slytherin house, and that makes them one house that people don't really want to be a part of.
There's An Expectation of House Loyalty
There's no room for defecting in Slytherin. Once a person is in, they had better be in all the way. Slytherins are very particular about who they can be friends with, who is allowed to know about their lives, and how they can behave.
These strict rules make the house absolutely the worst, with no room for following one's heart and seeking friendship from the places that feel right.
It's Hard To Know Who To Trust
Within Slytherin house, connecting is equally hard. It's hard for a Slytherin to know who to trust because the people around them might very well be death eaters or connected to them, at the very least they likely agree with those kind of sentiments. For anyone who thinks otherwise, this is an incredibly toxic environment.
This atmosphere definitely adds a lot to what makes Slytherin house the worst Hogwarts house of all.
