We’re back with another Harry Potter house Rec League! This one was sent in by Viktória:
I was browsing through the Rec Legues the other day and got inspired by the Slytherin falls for Hufflepuff prompt. I started to wonder if there is such thing as a Slytherin/Slytherin trope? I imagine power couples here, two classic Slytherins be it in the sense of power hunger or having power already through family connections or something else entirely. It wouldn’t be competence porn in the classical sense. In this prompt I see two characters who are intelligent, sly, cunning or all of the above, not necessarily good or bad – classic for the house – fall in love or be in love. The association to power couples came because two characters like this would probably be an unstoppable force to reckon with.
So all in all, I am asking for the help of the Bitchery in finding Slytherin/Slytherin power couples ruling together in any scenario, be it contemporary or historical (I would appreciate recs from both).
Amanda: Of course, sorting romance characters into houses always proves for a lively debate.
Aarya: I can think of a couple but the book isn’t out until next year, ughhh.
Amanda: You can still include it!
Aarya: It’s Lucy Parker’s next book, Headliners (with Sabrina and Nick).
I haven’t read it – Lucy and I have DMed about it and she was like “yeah I’m super excited bc they’re both Slytherins.” But she hasn’t finished writing!
Wait: I think Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews might qualify. Hugh D’Ambray is super evil (but reformed now) and Elara is extremely powerful/ruthless on behalf of her people
Elyse: The Bastard’s Bargain by Katee Robert. ( A | BN | K | G | AB )
Aarya: I think The Jade Temptress by Jeannie Lin ( A | BN | K ) also qualifies even if they’re not on the evil end of the spectrum. Leaning into Ravenclaw, but I’d classify both as Slytherin
Elyse: King’s Captive by Amber Bardan.
Man, looking back at Goodreads I’ve read a lot of books I have no memory of at all
Aarya: I’m scrolling through my kindle and every time I see a Slytherin, I get excited and then deflate because their partner usually isn’t.
Earth Bound by Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner. This is another one where I hesitate, but they definitely match the “ambition” part of Slytherin. The hero is 100% a Slytherin, and the heroine is maybe 50/50 Slytherin and Ravenclaw. But I think it qualifies.
Sarah: I’m wondering if some of Julie James’s characters might work.
Amanda: I’m wracking my brain for career-oriented main characters.
Something tells me the next Joanna Shupe, The Prince of Broadway, will be a Slytherin pairing, but that’s purely speculation.
Aarya: Re: Julie James. The one that might work is Practice Makes Perfect. Both are very, very ambitious and fight for the partner position in their firm.
This is a difficult question because many characters are actually a mix of two houses.
Amanda: Sarah, I wonder if one of the later Elder Races would fit?
Carrie: I disagree re: Earth Bound – they are clearly Gryffindor/Ravenclaw not Slytherin.
Aarya: Which one is the Gryffindor?
Carrie: They are both a mix of G/R (brave and brainy)
Aarya: But they’re both so ambitious! And the hero in particular feels Slytherin to me.
Carrie: She has to be G to fight for her role in a male-centric organization but she’s not about status, she’s about ability to get shit done.
Well, there’s a fine line between G and S…and I haven’t read it for a while..
Aarya: I see the G. I also see the S.
In summary: this is hard.
The only unambiguous one is Iron and Magic. I still stand by Jade Temptress.
Amanda: Obviously this is all open to interpretation, haha! We had the same discussion when trying to find Slytherin/Hufflepuff pairings, which I think is a bit easier than this one.
Carrie: I say go for it.
Which romances would you recommend that feature Slytherin couples? Do you also agree that this is kind of tough?
All this talk of characters that could be in multiple houses is reminding me of this really cool sorting system I found on Tumblr: Sorting Hat Chats.
Basically, there’s a primary house and a secondary house. The primary house is your belief system and the secondary is the methods you use to accomplish your goals. For example, Hermione has a Gryffindor primary because her morality comes from the guy, but she uses a Ravenclaw secondary (research and preparation in advance) to reach her goals.
Here’s the complete explanation: https://sortinghatchats.tumblr.com/post/121904186113/the-basics
Lucy Parker’s next book, Headliners (with Sabrina and Nick) – oh wow, I thought this might be the next book in the series (as did a bunch of other readers). Can’t wait!
Alot of Bethany Kris novels – which are on KU are slytherin/slytherin- they are Mafia novels. I think that mafia themed novels are pretty much made for this pairing though … here are my top picks:
Dishonored by Bethany Kris – Man is a mafia boss’s son and woman is a Mafia boss’s daughter – she uses him to murder her father by pretending to care about him so he thinks murdering her father is a way to get back at her and hurt her. Very Slytherin type happily ever after for the bad guys for these two.
Menace- JM Darhower- Heroine starts off pickpocketing hero who is a Mafia boss, and he catches her and makes her pay it back with interest. They are both ruthless to get what they want – anything goes for these two- even though both are Syltherind in the type of Snape – each protecting someone they love.
Omerta -KA Ware- starts off with a bang where Mafia boss is killing a family who betrayed him as a lesson to others- mother/father/daughter – when the daughter cusses out her parents for being so stupid to get them all killed he gives her the chance to live if she shoots them instead- obviously a match blessed by Salazar Slytherin himself.
Anyway loved the post – so many recs I intend to investigate- I love ruthless slytherin- so dramatic and angsty.
I’ve stumbled upon one more in historical fiction:
Lord Perfect by Loretta Chase it is truly delicious.
This would have been helpful at the beginning but better late than never!
Harry Potter Traits and characteristics of the 4 houses. Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Gryffindor
Summary
Hufflepuff (Strong work Ethic) Earth
▪ Dedication
▪ Hardworking
▪ Fairness
▪ Patience
▪ Kindness
▪ Tolerance
▪ Modesty
▪ Loyalty
Slytherin (Ambitious) Water
▪ Resourcefulness
▪ Cunning
▪ Ambition
▪ Determination
▪ Leadership
▪ Self-Preservation
▪ Fraternity (A group of people sharing a common profession or interests. Also can mean a friendship and mutual support within a group.)
▪ Cleverness
Ravenclaw (Academic prowess) Air
▪ Intelligence
▪ Wit
▪ Wisdom
▪ Creativity
▪ Originality
▪ Individuality
▪ Sharpness
▪ Acceptance
Gryffindor (Bravery) Fire
* Bravery
* Nerve
* Athletic
* Courage
* Chivalry
* Daring