Sorting Hat, was Re: Hagrid in Slytherin??? & in defense of Slytherin...

[joym999 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 20288

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Lumen" <lumen_dei at f...> wrote:

> 1)  Hagrid is courageous.  Well, so is Snape, one of the most 
courageous we seen so far.  Draco is cowardly to be sure, but the 
Slytherins are not excluded from this gift.  Neither is Hufflepuff 
since Cedric was from that house. Courage is not exclusive; you have 
to have it in an outstanding degree.  
> 

I have a somewhat different opinion of how sorting works.  I dont 
think the Sorting Hat places people in the various houses because of 
their predominant personality traits.  If so, it would have placed 
Hermione in Ravenclaw.  I think the Sorting Hat places people 
according to what, deep in their hearts, each person values and 
admires the most.  Neville is a total klutz, on the surface he does 
not seem like much of a Gryffindor, but inside he knows (probably all 
too well, because of his parents) and believes strongly in the 
importance of having the courage to fight for what you believe in.  
Hermione, at one point I think in PoA, says something to Harry about 
how her skills are just book-learning and cleverness, but Harrys 
courage is what she really respects (someone will, I am sure, supply 
us with the proper quote.)

So, Cedric Diggory may well be (or have been I guess I should say -- 
poor Cedric) courageous, or for that matter intelligent and ambitious 
as well, but what he believes is most important is hard work.  And 
Slytherins may be courageous (like Snape, I suppose) or not (Draco); 
or they may be intelligent (no examples available) or not (Crabbe, 
Goyle) but what they value the most is ambition, and working 
relentlessly towards ones personal goal (whether it be to market a 
line of haircare products or to be Evil Overlord of the Universe)

> 4)  Being a half-blood doesn't exclude you from Slytherin; Tom 
Riddle was half-Muggle, almost the worse thing possible, and yet not 
only is he in Slytherin, but he is the heir of Salazar
> 

How do we know that Tom Riddle was in Slytherin?  Is it ever 
explicitly stated?  Granted, it is a logical assumption, but....

--Joywitch