Sorting Hat mystery (from the main list)

[linman6868 at aol.com]

Amy, my favorite Z, wrote:
 
>>> Just chalk it up to be another mystery along the lines of:
> (1) What happened to the school song in the books following HP1?

The rest of the staff threatened to force-feed Dumbledore earwax-
flavored BBEFBs if he ever made them sing it again.>>

ROTFL!!  (One can post one-liners here, right? <g and wink>)

>>> (2) How come none of the first year candidates in HP1 knew about 
the 
> Sorting Hat?  

School tradition says to keep it secret?  I dunno, I can buy this.  
Can someone who went to a school that was loaded with tradition speak 
to this?  Okay, here's an example:  no one ever told me that there 
was a secret Phi Beta Kappa handshake, much less revealed it.  Not as 
exciting as a Sorting Hat, I grant you, but it's the same basic 
idea.>>

Must really say "Damn!"  There's a PBK secret handshake?  Blast it, 
I'm *in* Phi Beta Kappa -- though I've been too stingy to pay my dues 
lately.  Even so:  I, or the professors in regalia, must have been 
zoning on the day of the induction.  *puts hands on hips*  Right 
then, I'm going to have to find a PBKer in the know, now.

Lisa I., coming off a reading of GAUDY NIGHT, so please excuse the 
syntax.