Slug Club: Do They Belong? (Term XVIII & Activity 3)

[los-york.livejournal.com]

Activity: Do They Belong?
Points: Long debate: Participation 10pts, Additional comment: 2pts. The max is 30 points.
Deadline: 10-30-10 at 3PM CDT/8PM UTC (Conversions are here)
Details: Discuss which canon characters do or do not belong in the Slug Club using your criteria of eliteness. A good thing to talk about is their achievements or accomplishments. Points will be given out by 10 points for the first comment and 2 points for additional comments. Your first comment must be at least 5 sentences and your additional comments must be 2 sentences. AND DON'T FORGET TO SIGN YOUR COMMENTS OR I WON'T GIVE YOU POINTS! If you see things getting out of hand, please pm about and I can deal with it.

mmailliw suggested this activity and will get 5 points if he participates.

If you are stuck on a starting topic, think of a character's achievements or accomplishments. And if things get too out of hand, pm about it!

Want to join the elite? Join Slug Club!

Comments

QUESTIONS?

[los-york.livejournal.com]

Just ask them here! :D

[scarletladyy.livejournal.com]

I think that Draco Malfoy does belong in the Slug Club, despite his families' close association with Voldemort [something he couldn't really control]. Draco was able to fix the Vanishing Cabinet in his sixth year, a task which he spent several months on in spite of the fact the magical link between the two cabinets might have been broken. Also by this time he was able to block jinxes non-verbally and grasped Occlumency, as well as being able to perform the tricky Protean Charm. All of these show he clearly has the skills to learn complex magic if he puts his mind to it, and he's a very talented wizard. Not only that but he'd always been quite skilled at potions and was a fantastically good Quidditch player. We also saw he was good at duelling and is able to cast two of three Unforgivable curses.

As such a skilled wizard, he shouldn't be excluded from the club because of something he never really had any control over.

Fairy//Hufflepuff

[vitallani.livejournal.com]

I also think Draco belongs in the Slug Club. I think if it wasn't for his father ending up in prison, I think Slughorn probably would have included him the club.

Bryony/Slytherin

[vitallani.livejournal.com]

I think that if Slughorn was teaching when Percy Weasley was at Hogwarts then Percy probably probably would have ended up in the Slug Club. He was extremely hard working, but also a sycophant and probably would have done a lot of sucking up to or admiring of Slughorn, who would have admired his ambition.

I think Tonks belonged in the Slug Club because of her ability to transform. As a Metamorphmagus, Slughorn would have seen her as a rare collectable.

And while I wouldn't mention anyone specifically, I think a lot of Slytherins would have been in the Slug club because it's Slughorn's own house. We see in THBP from his memory that he was chatting to a lot of Slytherin boys. They were all probably part of the slug club.

Bryony/Slytherin

[touchofviolet.livejournal.com]

You beat me to him! I agree whole heartedly - Draco was talented in many areas and, if Slughorn had come a year or so prior, I'm sure he would have been invited. Unfortunately, his father was having a bit of trouble and I think that's the main reason he got the cold shoulder and was not privy to join Slug Club.

Sarah//Hufflepuff

[cyyt.livejournal.com]

I agree as well! Draco and Hermione are almost on par with each other in academics, and he even betters her one by being on the Quidditch team as well. On his own merit, he would have definitely gotten in.

Candice//Gryffindor

[cyyt.livejournal.com]

I think Fred and George Weasley would have made the Slug Club easily. It's obvious that though they're pranksters, they're talented wizards. Slughorn would have no doubt enjoyed a laugh or two at some point. Also, he had a talent for spotting the would-be famous people (Gwenog Jones comes to mind), and I believe he would have been able to foresee that the Weasley twins would run some sort of successful business in the future.

Another possible student could be Roger Davies. He's intelligent, since he's been placed in Ravenclaw, and a charmer (he got Fleur to go with him to the Yule Ball, didn't he?).

Candice//Gryffindor

[jezzifishie.livejournal.com]

I don't think Cormac McLaggen deserves to be in the Slug Club because he has very few of his own accomplishments. He just relies on the contacts his family has built up. His time at Hogwarts was marked by some truly bad decisions - eating a pound of doxy eggs for a bet just before the Quidditch trials was truly stupid, and denied him the chance to do something he enjoyed. He was also responsible for the Gryffindor team losing against Hufflepuff, as he was arrogant and insisted on telling the other team members how to play, instead of focusing on his on his on role as a keeper. These traits show that he is not elite, he just thinks he is.

Jez//Hufflepuff

[touchofviolet.livejournal.com]

Personally, I really think Neville Longbottom should have been invited to join Slug Club. Surely not the most charismatic boy, he did have a real gift for Herbology. He excelled in that area, and it's not hard to see that he would go places in that field. In fact, he does grow up to become a professor of Herbology at Hogwarts. He was also the son of two very brave order members who sacrificed everything for The Cause. It becomes increasingly more obvious that Neville inherited that bravery the older he gets - from standing up to Harry, Ron and Hermione in his younger years at Hogwarts (and therefore providing the house points that won Gryffindor the cup that year) to joining Dumbledore's Army. In fact, he goes on to play a pivotal role in Voldemort's demise! Its really a pity, if you ask me, that Horace didn't see Neville's potential and invite him to the Slug Club.

Sarah//Hufflepuff

[touchofviolet.livejournal.com]

I agree with you. He did very little on his own - instead mooching off of his family and their successes to make himself feel important. His head was too filled with hot air and he should not have been in the Slug Club (much less keeper. Man, he was awful, wasn't he?)

Sarah//Hufflepuff

[katie599.livejournal.com]

I think Percy would have most definitely made the slug club. He was clearly very ambitious and there was a good chance he could've become minister of magic. He was top of his class, and head boy. I can't see why Slughorn wouldn't want him.

Katie//Gryffindor

[kissoffools.livejournal.com]

I believe that, had she been a Hogwarts student, Fleur Delacour would have been a shoo-in for the Slug Club. She was chosen as a Triwizard Champion over all of the other students at Beauxbatons. While she struggled during the tasks, she did manage to get past her dragon. And she was doing fine in the maze until she was hexed. Fleur was clearly very talented, brave and intelligent. Plus she is part Veela. I feel like Slughorn would have noticed her uncanny ability to charm those around her and would have seen that as a useful skill - Slughorn himself often relied on charm, after all. I think he would have recognized that she had the makings of an extraordinary witch and would have invited her to the Club. And if he didn't, but Fleur wanted in, I'm sure she could use her Veela powers to win Slughorn over and convince him to let her join!

Janna/Hufflepuff

[klef.livejournal.com]

Well since we know Sluggy doesn't always pick the people of best character, I was thinking that perhaps he should have chosen Barty Crouch Jr.. Barty is known for his great intellect and has achieved TWELVE OWLs, more than even Hermione. Since we know it takes quite powerful magic to trick the Goblet of Fire to add an underage name, we can see that Barty was also quite powerful. He was a master impersonator, as Mad-Eye... for 8 months. He was also faithful to the Dark Lord. Even though Voldemort went searching for many people, it appears as if Barty was towards the top of his list - it just took a little time to get past Barty Sr to get to him.

Kerri//Gryffindor

[klef.livejournal.com]

I can totally see this. I can see why Slughorn overlooked him though, as most of Draco's strong points that you listed didn't occur til after Slughorn was at the school. I wonder if he picks people up in the middle of the year. I can also see Draco as a leader (of his little Slytherin gang) which may have been a desirable thing as well.

Kerri//Gryffindor

[klef.livejournal.com]

Percy is a good choice. I can see a drawback though in that he was always a number two, never the top dog as it were. He was Head Boy, but nobody listened to him. I just can't decide.

Tonks though? +1 for sure! I think he would appreciate her cheeky attitude too.

Kerri//Gryffindor

[cupcakery.livejournal.com]

I found it curious that the Slug Club seemed to be conspicuously absent of Hufflepuffs, and believe that, had he been alive when Slughorn was teaching at Hogwarts, Cedric Diggory would have been a member of the Slug Club. Given his position as Captain and Seeker of the Hufflepuff quidditch team in his fifth year, we already know that he's accomplished in the wizarding world's favourite spot, and we've seen that Slughorn also appreciates those who excel in athletics, given his relationship with Gwenog Jones of the Holyhead Harpies. Academically speaking, he was a good student, and a prefect. As well, his father appears to be a bit well-connected in the Ministry, given that it is he who interrogates Winky at the Quidditch World Cup. Cedric's selection as Hogwart's champion for the Triwizard Tournament would have cemented Slughorn's opinion of Cedric, and would certainly have bought him a seat at the Slug Club, given the fame involved.


- Antoinette, Ravenclaw

[klef.livejournal.com]

I can see the twins. Not only did they start a business, but a successful one at that! Double since it was rough times during the Voldemort is Back mentality.

The fact that they are twins (a rare thing) might make them even more desirable.

Kerri//Gryffindor

[cupcakery.livejournal.com]

I wonder if he picks people up in the middle of the year.

This makes me curious about how the Slug Club operated during the year Snape was Headmaster, if it did operate at all. It would make sense for Slughorn to now try to ingratiate himself to the Death Eaters, and by extension, Snape (as things appeared at the time) by restructuring the club to have more members who were the children of Death Eaters. If this were such a case, I would imagine Draco might be near the top of such a list.

Antoinette/Gryffindor

[klef.livejournal.com]

Yes! I didn't even think of non-Hogwarts students! I agree that Slughorn would have seen her skills and desires to succeed. I also think the part-Veela would have set his alarms off for something unique and exciting. And if nothing less, hey, she'd be nice to look at, right? LOL

Though, I wonder if he would have not taken her because that would have been charm competition and I'm sure he wants to be the number one guy.

Kerri//Gryffindor

[klef.livejournal.com]

I debated about Cedric! He seems to be an all around good package. I'm sure that Cedric could have finished school and gone on to take any job he wanted, so Slughorn would have continued to have that connection somewhere else out in the wizarding world.

Kerri//Gryffindor

[klef.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I'm sure that Snape would not like it (at least publicly). You know, it could have doubled as a secondary DA kind of thing. Oh the things I think about.

I could see the Pro-Death Eater side as well, and IN this case I agree that Draco would have been a good choice. With all his learnings as well as being a Prefect it would kind of show him off well. We already know that Lucius is involved in many things, so I bet that would be a nice perk too.

Kerri//Gryffindor

[x-----starlight.livejournal.com]

I think that Hermione Granger definitely deserved to be in the Slug Club. Throughout her six years at Hogwarts, she was called the 'brightest witch in the year' or 'of the age' several times, by students and adults alike. She achieved more OWLs than anyone else in her year, and she always had the best marks. Anyone who gets 112% on their Charms exam is pretty awesome, in my mind. She's also very crafty and clever, which makes her very valuable to Sluggy, as he always enjoys people who will likely go on to great things; she created the DA's galleons, and managed to curse the DA's paper so that Marietta Edgecombe got 'SNEAK' on her face. She's also one of the most logical characters in the books; she got through Snape's potion task on the way to the Sorcerer's Stone, and she was only 12 at the time! All in all, Sluggy was very right in selecting Hermione to be in the Slug Club.

Adrienne//Gryffindor

[klef.livejournal.com]

Perhaps Cormac's bragging would be beneficial to the club. There is always a group of people who want to be in the In-Group and perhaps would have tried to show of to catch Sluggy's attention. Also if the family is doing well, it would be assumed that Cormac is doing well, and thus that Slughorn was a great guy for working with Cormac.

Though I do agree with the 'just thinks he is' aspect. I just think that Slughorn kept him for different reasons than he did the others.

Kerri//Gryffindor

[x-----starlight.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure Slughorn would've KEPT Tonks, though, just based on her ability. While he probably would've snatched her up at the beginning, when he found out about her, her clumsiness might have been enough to make him stop giving her invitations. I do agree, though, that she SHOULD have been in the club, because she's such a BAMF.

Percy, of course, would be a PERFECT Slug Club member! Slughorn really likes being buttered up, and Percy LOVES buttering powerful people up, so they're a match made in heaven. I think they would've become BFFs had Percy still been in school when Slughorn started teaching again.

Adrienne//Gryffindor

[x-----starlight.livejournal.com]

I think that Slughorn probably would have invited the twins to join the club, but I'm not sure they would've accepted! While they do seem like perfect candidates, for the reasons you said, I imagine they would've gone to a meeting and then been like, WTF NO, and not gone to another. They're not big fans of smarmy characters, and Slughorn is VERY smarmy; I just don't see the twins liking him all that much.

Adrienne//Gryffindor