The Hat Sorts, The Wand Choses

[ftah3]

No: HPFGUIDX 32039

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Aja <aromano at i...> wrote:
Hollydaze wrote:
> > > Hermione says quite plainly on the train that she want's to be 
a 
> > Gryffindor (she is). Malfoy says in Madam Malkins shop that he 
wants 
> > to be a Slytherin (he is). Ron in wanting to live up to his 
brothers 
> > is "desperate" to be in gryffindor and so (even if he doesn't say 
it 
> > outloud) you can presume he wants to be a gryffindor (he is). And 
as 
> > for Harry, he doesn't choose the house he wants to be in, but he 
does 
> > choose the house he DOESN'T want to be in.

Aja:
> I think this is a very important point to make considering that 
Dumbledore
> so specifically tells harry that it is our choices that determine 
who we
> are, far more than our abilities.

Does anyone disagree that the house each student ended up in suits 
their personalities?  Does anyone really think that any student other 
than Harry really had much at stake in their choice other 
than "Slytherin's/Hufflepuffs are icky, I don't wanna be with them?"  
JKR has said in interviews that the easy choices are not always the 
right ones, and I imagine that Dumbledore knows this distinction as 
well.  The 'choice' was an easy one for most of the other students; 
in fact, I'd characterize it more as a matter of preference based on 
fairly shallow things (reputation of the houses, for example).  So, 
not really significant choices, and imho definitely not significant 
to sway the Sorting Hat, which, as it says itself, looks into the 
kids' minds and sees their overwhelming tendencies, and then makes 
the Sort. 

Yes, Harry made a choice, and the Hat used his choice to determine 
Harry's house, but look at what was offered to him.  The Hat didn't 
say "Slytherin's are Dark Wizards at heart!  Slytherin's are all like 
Draco Malfoy!"  It said (and I paraphrase) "Being in Slytherin can 
help you attain power, glory, greatness!"  He was being *enticed* ~ 
i.e., within Harry was bravery & courage, but also ambition and a 
desire to prove himself, and the Hat needed to determine what kind of 
person Harry was (what aspects were stronger) in order to place him.  
It tempted him, and by choosing to not give over to the temptation, 
Harry simply showed that his Gryffindor qualities overshadowed his 
Slytherin.  The nature of his choice illuminated his personality, but 
didn't command the Hat. 

In fact, I think that the fact that the Hat went to the effort of 
tempting Harry indicates that it will not Sort based on simple 
preference.  Rather, for the student's preference to make a 
difference, it has to be proved that it highlights the student's 
personality.

As for what Dumbledore said ~ he is *right*.  It *is* the choice that 
matters.  If Harry had allowed himself to be even the slightest bit 
tempted by the Hat's promise of power and glory, I have no doubt that 
he'd have been put in Slytherin, and that that momentary allowance of 
hunger for power, having been given a bit of free reign during the 
sorting, would have been encouraged, cultivated, and Harry's future 
would have been unimaginably altered.  

I guess I just see a clear distinction, but I'm unfortunately not 
making *myself* clear, I suspect....  Er.

Mahoney