But that leads me to ask first, why that isn't proof of what Emerson suggested to JKR--why keep the Slytherins all together? Why not spread them out over the different houses? Snape seems to be proof that if you put them in a society with normal people where they're accepted as valuable, they actually can start to take on the beliefs of that society.

IAWTC. At Draco's age, Snape was pretty much a monster. Apparently the only thing that was keeping him from becoming Dark Lord Snape was his attachment to one other person. If such an exceptionally damaged individual could eventually grow a conscience in his new environment, other Slytherins should be given the same chance.

Secondly, since I did have desires for Slytherin the house I feel like Snape let them down.

Exactly. He was their Head of House. He was supposed to care about them. They looked up to him! Silly me for assuming that the alpha of a despised group might feel some solidarity with that group, or that his favoring the kids who everyone else had written off as irredeemable was a clue that he was a good person at heart. And let's not get started on his relationship with Draco, who needed him a sight more than Harry did.

Okay, I'm a little more upset than I thought. :P

-L