but were Slytherin actually explicitly supposed to be the bad guys
Until very recently (ie an offhand mention of a character in one of the last books and that godawful stage play), yes
Every last evil person was a Slytherin. There wasn't a single one that wasn't a bigot and a bully, and every villain character was a Slytherin. It was basically Fascism House
Until very recently (ie an offhand mention of a character in one of the last books and that godawful stage play), yes
Every last evil person was a Slytherin. There wasn't a single one that wasn't a bigot and a bully, and every villain character was a Slytherin. It was basically Fascism House