Slug Club during Deathly Hallows

[melian]

Hi all! I'm in the middle of planning my NaNo story, which is me finally doing some more work on my Neville fic set during DH. (I've had 4 chapters sitting there for about 4 years, it's about time I stepped up and finished it, don't you think?)

 

Anyway, I’ve got a question about the Slug Club and, specifically, whether you think it would have been in place during that year.

 

Here’s my thinking. Slughorn was not keen to return to teaching and I suspect that the fact that he was able to reform the Slug Club (and that the one and only Harry Potter might be a part of it) was the main reason he agreed to do it. Dumbledore of course exploited this in using Harry to help persuade him because he understood that was how Slughorn worked. During HBP there was some prestige attached to being part of the Club, and a lot of people wanted to be members / wanted to be invited to the Christmas party but weren’t. (Think of things like Malfoy trying to get in Sluggy’s good books early in HBP before his task started to overwhelm him, and of course the number of people who wanted Harry to invite them to be his partner on the night. Naturally most of that was because he was Harry, but the party itself had some prestige.)

 

I think that Slughorn would have resisted teaching if the Slug Club wasn’t going to be part of the deal. As such, I think that it would have been in place for the first part of the DH school year, at least.

 

Of course, there are arguments against this. The reign of terror inflicted by the Carrows means that frivolity is not something that people think of when considering that year. Also, during the year Snape reinstalled Educational Decree 24, which banned gatherings of three or more students. All this says to me, though, is that the Slug Club would have been forcibly disbanded after the school year began, not that it wouldn’t have existed in the first place.

 

If we accept my hypothesis that the Slug Club would have stayed, for the first part at least, that brings up new questions.

 

• Who would have been invited?

• Would there have been an order from on high to invite people like Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson, who were toeing the line the Ministry was pushing?

• Would the powers that be have put their foot down and insisted that known associates of Undesirables, like Ginny, be excluded?

• Or would Sluggy have insisted on keeping her in because she was there before and, as Harry’s girlfriend, he saw that as being an extra reason to keep her onside?

• Or, alternatively, would Snape have wanted her invited so that Sluggy could keep an eye on her?

• In that case, would Sluggy have railed at the idea of turning spy when he was so public about wanting to stay neutral? Or would he have done whatever was necessary to keep his cushy life?

• How would Slughorn marry his wish to be associated with the famous and those with potential – but on the side of the Order – with his continuing position at Hogwarts under the reign of Snape and the Carrows?

• Will he be seen as taking sides?

 

Any thoughts and comments will be gratefully appreciated because I really think this could go either way. Thanks in advance!!!

[blueirony]

I'm going to go a little against the grain here and say that I think Slughorn would have taught and he would have reinstated the Slug Club but only to do it so that he himself could keep watch over some of the students that he was more concerned about. Yes, he never wanted to come back to Hogwarts but ultimately he did (in Harry's sixth year). And, yes, he did it because Harry asked him to. But he knew Dumbledore. And Dumbledore's death must have had a profound effect on him.

 

Perhaps it's just me trying to think the best of everyone, but I love the idea that he came back and kept it going so that he could keep a watchful eye over Hogwarts, and pass it off as him being ol' Slughorn who is obsessed with status and power.

 

To answer your questions:

 

Who would have been invited?

I think it would have been the same thing as usual. People who impressed him or people who he thought he could gain things from. But it might have been disguised as something else. For example, he might be concerned about a certain student because that student has spent too much time in detention with the Carrows. He then watches the student do something fairly normal by way of spellwork, but then he invites this student to Slug Club just to keep an eye on him.

I also think that Slughorn would have known about the DA and would have tried to keep people like Ginny, Neville and Luna and Co. under his eye.

 

Would there have been an order from on high to invite people like Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson, who were toeing the line the Ministry was pushing?

Yes. At this point, Hogwarts basically would have been infiltrated by evil at all levels and Slughorn would have easily been asked by "higher up" people to invite people like Malfoy and Pansy and other Death Eater wannabes. Maybe he would have acted in fear about all of this and done so very reluctantly, but inwardly he didn't really mind since this was his intention all along.

 

Would the powers that be have put their foot down and insisted that known associates of Undesirables, like Ginny, be excluded?

Yes. But Slughorn would have insisted on keeping her as part of the club to "keep an eye on her", when in actual fact, he was keeping an eye on people like Draco and Pansy, etc.

 

Or would Sluggy have insisted on keeping her in because she was there before and, as Harry’s girlfriend, he saw that as being an extra reason to keep her onside?

I don't know if this "unsung hero" theory that I'm working with is enough to keep him away from his love of the rich and famous. So a part of him properly would have wanted to have her around just because she's Harry's (one and only love, I'm sorry, but the H/G shipper in my couldn't resist saying that) girlfriend. It's not a bad way to mask his "real" reason to keep her around.

 

Or, alternatively, would Snape have wanted her invited so that Sluggy could keep an eye on her?

YES. Oh, this ties in perfectly with what I'm going on! Maybe that's how Slughorn became this sort-of-spy in the first place. Snape approached him and they could have this really intense conversation filled with lots of things that aren't said. Snape asks Slughorn if he is going to "continue [his] little... club" and then he sneers as he said it and Slughorn is scared of Snape as he says this, but Snape makes it clear (without saying so) that having the club go ahead would be a good ahead "so that... certain... students" can be watched over.

MEL. This scene is now in my headcanon! I can so see it in my head!

 

In that case, would Sluggy have railed at the idea of turning spy when he was so public about wanting to stay neutral? Or would he have done whatever was necessary to keep his cushy life?

Maybe Snape offers him a bit of protection in return? I like to believe that Slughorn is good at heart. But he probably would have needed a little something. Snape would have capitalised on that.

 

I think Slughorn would only have accepted to do it if it was understood that this didn't mean Slughorn was taking sides publicly.

 

How would Slughorn marry his wish to be associated with the famous and those with potential – but on the side of the Order – with his continuing position at Hogwarts under the reign of Snape and the Carrows?

By being a spy! A greedy, fame-loving, lazy spy. But a spy, nonetheless. I think that the big thing here is that Dumbledore's death pushed him to understand the little part of him that is noble and good and the rest of it.

 

Will he be seen as taking sides?

Maybe some students get suspicious. Like Draco. And Draco goes to Snape. But Snape assures Draco he's taking care of it and then does nothing at all.

 

I don't think this would ever have been made public. But I can also see another scene in my headcanon where, once all the war fanfare is over after the final battle, someone (I'm not sure who yet) goes to Slughorn and tells him that they know what he did and they thank him for it and Slughorn hates it because it was his once chance at fame himself but he couldn't do anything since it was all supposed to be secret. Maybe Draco? Hmmm.

 

Hope this helps at least somewhat! It's just a brain dump of mine and you are, as always, more than free to completely disregard my ramblings. But any other questions, just ask!

[melian]

Thanks, Jasmine! That's awesome. I confess I hadn't thought about how Dumbledore's death would affect Slughorn, and now you've pointed it out I feel very silly indeed for NOT thinking of it. Actually, that might change large swathes of what I'd been thinking of for this fic, but that's not a bad thing. See? I knew having you as my beta would be a good thing!!

 

Also reminds me I need to get a hurry on with the series re-read, as I'm only half way through OotP at the moment and have to finish that, HBP and DH before 31 October. Eek!

 

So, you're seeing Sluggy in a (non-disclosed) protector role? Yeah, it could work. I imagine Snape would have been using all the subterfuge he could in order to make sure the Carrows' reign of terror wasn't as terrible as it could have been, and having key members of the DA under Sluggy's watchful eye could have been an attractive prospect to him.

 

Okay, I'm going to ask specifically about Neville now. I know that in the film version of HBP he was dropped from the Slug Club as Sluggy wasn't impressed with him. I don't think that happened in the book version but to be honest I think I looked for it to be either confirmed or denied and there just wasn't a mention either way. So, was Neville in there right at the end of 6th year? Becuase if he wasn't, then chances are he wouldn't have been invited at the start of 7th  year, and also it's unlikely he would have done anything outstanding enough at the start of the year to warrant a re-invitation. So to have him involved I need to have him still there at the end of HBP - is that acceptable within canon, do you think?

 

Thanks again (do you know, I keep wanting to call you Joop? Old habits die hard I guess). I'm so looking forward to getting this written in November now.

[blueirony]

Thanks, Jasmine! That's awesome. I confess I hadn't thought about how Dumbledore's death would affect Slughorn, and now you've pointed it out I feel very silly indeed for NOT thinking of it. Actually, that might change large swathes of what I'd been thinking of for this fic, but that's not a bad thing. See? I knew having you as my beta would be a good thing!!

This is just one interpretation! Please don't feel as though you have to rework your entire story!

 

So, you're seeing Sluggy in a (non-disclosed) protector role? Yeah, it could work. I imagine Snape would have been using all the subterfuge he could in order to make sure the Carrows' reign of terror wasn't as terrible as it could have been, and having key members of the DA under Sluggy's watchful eye could have been an attractive prospect to him.

I'm seeing it in my mind's eye. And I think it can work. But by no means do I think it definitely will. It's just an idea. One that you're more than welcome to challenge and rip to shreds, if you want to

 

 

Okay, I'm going to ask specifically about Neville now. I know that in the film version of HBP he was dropped from the Slug Club as Sluggy wasn't impressed with him. I don't think that happened in the book version but to be honest I think I looked for it to be either confirmed or denied and there just wasn't a mention either way. So, was Neville in there right at the end of 6th year? Becuase if he wasn't, then chances are he wouldn't have been invited at the start of 7th  year, and also it's unlikely he would have done anything outstanding enough at the start of the year to warrant a re-invitation. So to have him involved I need to have him still there at the end of HBP - is that acceptable within canon, do you think?

So I have a very vague memory of what's in the books. It has been far too long since I've actually read them and I've forgotten what's canon and what's fanon and Joop-anon, hee. I think that those who might pay a lot of attention to canon may question why Neville is there at the end of HBP, but nothing that an author's note can't explain away. A small detail like that, as long as it's set up well, should be more than acceptable.

 

Thanks again (do you know, I keep wanting to call you Joop? Old habits die hard I guess). I'm so looking forward to getting this written in November now.

My pleasure! I'm just sorry it's taken me this long to replying. I'm terrible with it.

HAHAHA call me whatever you like