House Prejudice

[prefectmarcus at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 22548


My goodness, you guys are starting to sound like Harry in CoS.  He 
spent the whole book worrying that he maybe he should have been put 
into Slytherin.

There are four houses.  Each house has basic, fundemental 
characteristics.  But they are by no means exclusive to each house.  
Remember that best of best lines so far from Dumbledore,  "It is our 
choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our 
abilities."  If there is any statement in the whole cannon that could 
be considered a thesis statement, it would be that one.  The 
strongest theme in these books is that it doesn't matter what you 
birth is, your house is, your pedigree is, your race is, your sex is, 
your past is, your ____ (fill in the blank) is.  At the end of the 
day, the only thing that really matters is what choices you made.

The Sorting Hat has to place the student in the house that will be 
the best fit for the student, not necessarily the other way round.  
Where will the student find acceptance?  Where will the student 
excel?  It's a tough job.  

Let's take Neville as an example.  Neville would have been eaten 
alive in Slytherin.  He would have been miserable in Ravenclaw.  The 
other Ravenclaws would have had little patience for him.  His friends 
would be few and far between.  That leaves Hufflepuff or Griffindor.  
The Sorting Hat "took a long time" to decide where to stick him.  He 
likely would have been happy in Hufflepuff, but it placed him in 
Griffindor because it is best for him.

So please don't get caught up in the House versus House arguments.  
JKR really isn't.  I take my clue from McGonagall.  "Each house has 
its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and 
wizards."  (HP1 CH7)

So please don't get hung up with this house versus that house.