Are all Slytherins bad? Absolutely not. Often condemned simply for being Slytherins, being sorted into the house does not automatically mean one is a bully, a genuinely bad person, or a “Von Doom” in the Wizarding World. Even though it seems like it is almost a guarantee that Slytherins will grow up into self-serving, arrogant, greedy, and outright evil beings, it is clear that this isn't always true. Slytherin may get a bad rep. However, it was, after all, the house of the famous wizard Merlin.

Some Slytherins have avoided becoming the worst of the worst. The question of what makes one not fully evil essentially amounts to whether they embraced wizard fascism and pure blood or not, either by following Lord Voldemort or pursuing purist policies in government. From Regulus Black to Leta Lestrange, these are the best Slytherin characters that prove that not everyone in the green room is a mischievous snake.

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8 Regulus Black

Mentioned: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)

Sometimes, even bigotry can go too far for an otherwise fervent supporter. Regulus Black was the much-loved son of the Black lineage, in contrast to his brother Sirius, who disdained their obsession with blood purity. As Sirius noted, this made him a perfect candidate to sign up for Voldemort’s Death Eaters.

In aiding his Lord to hide a Horcrux, though, Regulus became disillusioned and terrified of his master’s actions. Whether this was because large-scale murder felt excessive, or because he was disgusted by Voldemort’s treatment of the Black family house-elf Kreacher is a matter of debate. Either way, Regulus stole the Horcrux and entrusted it to Kreacher, saving the elf’s life and sacrificing himself to ensure one chip in Voldemort’s armor. Undoubtedly, this Slytherin family member is a complex character, even if little is known about him.

7 Phineas Nigellus Black

Appearance: 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' (2007), Hogwarts Legacy

Harry Potter Professor Phineas Nigellus Black (a severely underused character in the Wizarding World universe) was the most loathed Headmaster in Hogwarts’ history; Phineas was also an important Slytherin figure. A cantankerous man who despised students for their perceived stupidity and rudeness, Black became a portrait after death only because Hogwarts tradition deemed it so.

Despite this, and duty-bound to help the current Headmaster as all Headmaster portraits must do, Black used his ability to move between Hogwarts and the Black’s portrait of him to visit Harry and his friends. While Harry was on the run, Phineas appeared to relay information to them. And in his seemingly unhelpfully snooty way, aided them in their quest to defeat Voldemort. It was through Phineas’ help that Snape knew to leave the Sword of Gryffindor for Harry near where he was camped.

6 The Bloody Baron

Appearance: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Book 1)

One of the earliest Slytherins in history, the Baron (name unknown) attended Hogwarts in its founding days. Other than Salazar Slytherin, who established the house’s reputation for cunning and purity, the Baron may lay claim to the house’s other famous legacy: a tragic murder. When Helena Ravenclaw greedily ran away with her mother’s prized diadem, the elder Ravenclaw tasked the Baron with retrieving it. Unfortunately, upon finding Helena in Albania, the Baron was struck with a moment of madness borne from his unrequited feelings for her and stabbed her.

Upon coming to his senses, however, the Baron was struck immediately by remorse and used the same knife to take his own life. In death, both Helena and the Baron returned to Hogwarts as ghosts. Now styled as the Bloody Baron, his robes are forever stained with blood, and he wears heavy chains on his arms as a symbol of his penance. Ambitious and haunting like a true Slytherin, he is possibly among the scariest of all Hogwarts ghosts.

5 Draco Malfoy

Appearance: All Harry Potter Movies

The sins of the father may not always be inherited. Draco Malfoy (TomFelton) was his father’s mirror in many ways — as a young boy, he sneered at Ron Weasley’s social and financial standing and insulted Hermione Granger for being a "Mudblood." His sense of superiority and love of bullying made him the perfect candidate to become a Death Eater, which he initially relished.

Soon, however, he grew cold feet. In The Deathly Hallows, Draco and his mother Narcissa are only for the safety of their own family. A selfish motive, perhaps, but this family bond causes them both to lie to Voldemort and the Death Eaters to protect Harry. Draco then shows great character development and puts away his prejudices in adulthood, raising his far kinder son, Scorpius, ultimately having one of the best character arcs in Harry Potter and proving that not all Slytherins are unredeemable.

4 Horace Slughorn

Appearance: 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' (2009), 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1' (2010)

Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) best represents the Slytherin obsession with status. His “Slug Club”, which he ran in his two stints teaching at Hogwarts, gathered together students he selected as “special” in some way. The Slug Club enabled him to make lifelong connections with ambitious, rich, and talented students, tricking them into feeling they owed him for their success. He even talks openly about using house elves as test drinkers of potentially poisonous beer in The Half-Blood Prince.

On the other hand, Slughorn’s definition of status has never extended to prejudice. Inviting Ginny Weasley, a girl from a poor family, and Hermione Granger, a Muggle-born, to his Slug Club demonstrates that Slytherin's obsessions with wealth and blood purity were of no concern to Slughorn. He also demonstrated abject horror at the idea of murder when Tom Riddle attempted to quiz him on how to create a Horcrux. While arguably creepy, his defense of Hogwarts is the final confirmation that his heart never lay with dark wizards. Horace is among the Harry Potter characters arguably better used in the movies.

3 Albus Potter & Scorpius Malfoy

Appearance: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Two peas in a pod,Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy, are two Slytherins influenced by their fathers. In Albus’ case, he resented his father’s fame and rebelliously found himself sorted into Slytherin. Scorpius, meanwhile, was pushed by Draco from the ideology of blood purity that the Malfoys believed. The two boys bonded quickly and became inseparable.

Albus’ magical mediocrity compared to his father led him and Scorpius to time travel and save Cedric Diggory from his murder at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Albus thought this act would finally make him better than his father. Instead, his unintended unraveling of the timeline caused immense chaos, emboldening the mysterious dark wizard Delphi. In the end, the two boys defeated Delphi and restored the timeline, with Albus coming to terms with being in his father’s shadow by understanding how dreadfully sad his father’s life had been.

2 Severus Snape

Appearance: All Harry Potter Movies

There is little doubt that Snape (Alan Rickman) was a troubled, and frequently awful, man. Whatever his allegiance, he took great pleasure in needling his old-school enemies for past teenage grudges. He then took that out on an eleven-year-old boy — though Harry was nowhere near the only student who faced Snape’s cruelty.

Ultimately, though, Snape’s unrequited love for Lily Evans was the redeeming factor that enabled him to turn against his evil master and help to save the entire wizarding community. He risked his life to save Harry and even some of his school enemies on numerous occasions, such as when he protected Harry from Quirrell or snuck the Sword of Gryffindor to him. Snape’s arrogance and abusiveness being one facet of a man dedicated to the “good” side really sums up his complexity as an anti-hero, cementing the eerie Harry Potter character as one of Slytherin's best.

1 Leta Lestrange

Appearance: 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald' (2018)

Born to an established family of pure-blood obsessives, Leta (Zoe Kravitz) always felt disconnected from the other Lestranges. Subsequently, she was an outsider at Hogwarts, the subject of rumors about her poor relationship with her family and her dead infant brother. In this environment, she was willing to take any support she could get, and when she received it from Hufflepuff student Newt Scamander, the two quickly became firm friends.

Deep down, despite not espousing the grotesque views of her family, Leta always felt she was evil because she was secretly responsible for her brother’s death. Perhaps this was what led her to initially rally behind Grindelwald’s plans for conquest, but when Newt’s life was in peril, she turned against Grindelwald, destroyed his magical skull, and sacrificed herself to give her old friend a chance to flee. Leta Lestrage is a top-notch example of an incredible Slytherin.

NEXT: The Best Teachers to be Taught by at Hogwarts

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