Brainstorming ideas on how Slytherin was in first war/Marauders era.
I'm writing a fic with Regulus going into Slytherin and I've not fully decided how I'm going to set up the Slytherin house to introduce him to it. For context he's going in with a rather callous/entitled/power hungry personality for background reasons.
I do have the idea that the upper years are definitely studying the dark arts in secret and that becomes a recruitment ground for Voldemort but that's going to be quite far away and they wouldn't let the younger years in.
What kind of nuance have the typical fanon depictions of Slytherin missed? What would be interesting to read? Usually we see some kind of pureblood politics to varying extents, and a level of separation from the other houses. Slytherin is seen to be very insular, except maybe to a few purebloods/Ravenclaws. And they have a very strict informal hierarchy in a lot of fanon.
Half-bloods in the house are probably treated pretty badly at this point - but to what extent? Snape was able to maintain some friendship with Lily in canon after all, and he eventually goes from friendship with her to being convinced to join the Death Eaters. So he wasn't totally marginalised/isolated in Slytherin even though he was the exact type of half-blood that should have been.
And there's often a might makes right attitude in some fics - you need to prove yourself/gain respect to be taken seriously amongst peers and whoever is strongest has the most influence. Which is a natural point to create conflict between MC and other upstarts. It seems this is how Tom Riddle was able to gain respect/power in the house despite being a halfblood (or he gaslighted them all by keeping his background a secret idk).
How is Slughorn as head of slytherin - he's not a blood purist but he's a fan of people with influence/potential, and his whole slug club. Very slytherin in his self-interest.
I've seen some good depictions but I'm not sure what exactly I want to do with it. I do enjoy politics so that and the war will definitely feature, but I also feel like that's maybe better used in later years? I also feel like I'm kind of set in my way of thinking about slytherin from how I've seen it written and need some perspective on how it could be different bc we don't actually know how it is from canon.
I'm open to any headcanon/fanon/AU ideas!