During the Battle for Hogwarts in The Deathly Hallows Part 2, we see Professor McGonagall ordering Filch the caretaker to escort the Slytherin pupils to the dungeons.
Why did she do so, and what did these students do during the Battle?
Here’s what you need to know.
Contents
Why did McGonagall send the Slytherin students to the dungeons?
Here are the 2 main reasons why McGonagall sent the Slytherin students to the dungeons:
#1 Some Slytherin Students’ Parents are Death-Eaters
The Death Eaters mainly came from Slytherin, and some of them had children at Hogwarts.
Some examples include Draco Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe.
There was a conflict of interest, as they may be supporting their parents and wanting to give Harry to Voldemort, even though they were students at Hogwarts.
You can find out why some characters like Snape and Peter Pettigrew became Death Eaters.
#2 Pansy Parkinson Wants to Hand Harry Over to Voldemort
United under the command of Professor McGonagall, the school battled to keep Voldemort’s forces at bay whilst Harry, Hermione, and Ron desperately looked for the last Horcrux, which they believe is hidden somewhere in Hogwarts.
When the students, teachers, and Order of the Phoenix are gathering in the Great Hall, Voldemort issued this threat.
“Give me Harry Potter, and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded”.
Chapter 31 The Battle for Hogwarts, Harry Potter, and the Deathly Hallows
Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin prefect, and well-documented Hogwarts mean-girl, encouraged everyone to hand over Harry.
The students from Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff all jumped to Harry’s defence, drawing their wands and pointing them and pointing them at Pansy Parkinson instead.
It is after this moment in the movie that Professor McGonagall instructs Filch to remove the Slytherin students to the Dungeon.
Were the Slytherins sent to the dungeons in the books?
The books differ from the movies in this aspect.
In the final book of the Harry Potter series, the Slytherin students were not sent to the dungeons.
Instead, they were evacuated from Hogwarts along with the rest of the students who are under age or didn’t want to fight.
In the books, McGonagall instructs Filch to escort Pansy Parkinson and the rest of the Slytherin house out of the Great Hall.
They were then evacuated out of Hogwarts through the secret tunnel in the Room of Requirement that leads to the Hogs Head Inn.
“Thank you, Miss Parkinson,” said Professor McGonagall in a clipped voice. “You will leave the Hall first with Mr. Filch. If the rest of your House could follow.”
McGonagall’s response to Pansy Parkinson.
Here was what J. K. Rowling had to say about Pansy Parkinson:
Did any Slytherins fight against Voldemort?
In the books, none of the Slytherin students stayed to fight against Voldemort, however, some Slytherin teachers like Professor Slughorn fought on the side of Hogwarts.
Professor McGonagall gathered all students in the Great Hall and tells the students that they are evacuating Hogwarts.
The remaining teachers, the palomino centaur Firenze and the members of the Order of the Phoenix have assembled to join the fight. Students that are of age are allowed to stay to join the battle.
All the Slytherin students choose to leave rather than fight for Harry and defend Hogwarts.
The only Slytherins that fight against Voldemort are Professor Slughorn, and Severus Snape who was working undercover for Dumbledore to protect Harry.
In the final battle when Voldemort believed Harry to be dead Slughorn along with McGonagall and Kingsley duel with Voldemort.
Voldemort was now duelling McGonagall, Slughorn, and Kingsley all at once, and there was cold hatred in his face as they wove and ducked around him, unable to finish him
The last stand against Voldemort.
Professor Slughorn initially expressed his reservations about fighting against Voldemort as he did not believe they can win against him.
“I shall expect you and the Slytherins in the Great Hall in twenty minutes, also,” said Professor McGonagall. “If you wish to leave with your students, we shall not stop you. But if any of you attempt to sabotage our resistance or take up arms against us within this castle, then, Horace, we duel to kill.”
“The time has come for Slytherin House to decide upon its loyalties,”
Professor McGonagall
And we all knew what Snape was actually doing, being an undercover agent for Dumbledore!
Conclusion
While the books mentioned that the Slytherin students were evacuated, the movies portrayed them to be sent to the dungeons.
In fact, the Slytherin common room was actually in the dungeons, so it was more of McGonagall ensuring that none of them would betray Hogwarts and Harry.
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