Potter meta and BSG fanfic

One of the more frequent complaints voiced over the years was that we didn't get to see any "ordinary" Slytherins, i.e. folk ambitious but not evil/evil wannabe or Snape. Phineas Nigellus who first showed up in Order of the Phoenix changed that a bit, but he's a portrait of a dead headmaster, which isn't the same as a living character, and has only a few scenes. But lo and behold, Half-Blood Prince offered Horace Slughorn, non-evil Slytherin (and former Head of Syltherin House for decades) with ample "screen time", as it were. An excellent essay on Slughorn and the implication of his character, and Harry's interaction with him, is here.

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I can't help myself: Tyrol, his relationship with the dead Sharon and his reaction to the living one interest me far more than Helo. Another superb vignette featuring the Chief: "Hold Fast".