PS/SS Chapter 07 Summary - The Sorting Hat

[Amber ?]

No: HPFGUIDX 27921


'Lo all! Sorry I'm late with this summary. I've noticed that the Chapter 06 
one didn't garner very many replies. I'm not too surprised at this, as we've 
discussed these books forwards, backwards, up, down, inside-out, tilted, 
diagonal, and inverted. Besides, the movie is coming up!

I just hope that people read the summaries and questions before deleting the 
message!

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The door opens and we meet a stern witch with black hair and emerald-green 
robes: Professor McGonagall. Hagrid drops them off and they follow her into 
the huge entrance hall of Hogwarts. Harry hears what must be the other 
students in the school to the right and Professor McGonagall ushers all the 
first years into a small chamber off the hall.

Professor McGonagall welcomes them all to Hogwarts. She briefly explains the 
significance of the Sorting Ceremony and the four houses. She then leaves to 
smarten up while they are waiting.

Harry asks Ron how they sort the students into houses and Ron replies that 
it is a type of test. Harry immediately gets nervous since he doesnt think 
he knows any magic. It doesnt help that Hermione has begun to whisper about 
all the spells she already knows and speculates which shell need.

Suddenly, someone screams. About twenty ghosts enter the small room and seem 
to ignore the first years. However, the Fat Friar notices the students and 
asks if they are to be sorted and several students nod.

Professor McGonagall returns, asks them to form a line, and follow her. 
Harry gets behind a sandy-haired boy with Ron behind him. They enter the 
Great Hall.

It is a huge room lit by thousands of floating candles. There are four long 
tables laid with golden plates where the rest of the students were sitting. 
At the head of the hall is the Professors table. Professor McGonagall leads 
them before the Professors table and halts. Harry looks up to see the 
enchanted ceiling which he learns (from Hermione) has been bewitched to look 
like the sky.

Professor McGonagall brings out a four-legged stool and an old wizards hat. 
After a moment, it twitches and then sings the Sorting Hat Song. The Song 
explains the four founders and their houses. After it finishes, everyone 
claps. Ron is relieved but Harry is worried that he doesnt have any of the 
qualities that the Hat spoke of.

Professor McGonagall begins to call the first year students names and each 
student comes forward to try on the Hat. After the Hat shouts the house the 
student belongs to, that particular table cheers for that particular person. 
Harry notices that the Slytherins look unpleasant and that the Hat takes 
different amounts of time to sort each person. While Hermione is sorted into 
Gryffindor, Harry begins to worry that the Hat wont sort him at all and 
hell have to go back on the Hogwarts Express.

Neville is sorted into Gryffindor and Draco into Slytherin. Finally, Harrys 
name is called. The entire hall whispers in wonder as he steps forward and 
pulls on the Hat.

The Hat muses on where to put Harry and he begs it not to put him in 
Slytherin. The Hat obliges and sticks him in Gryffindor. He gets the loudest 
cheer as he goes to join the Gryffindor table.

Ron is sorted into Gryffindor. The sorting ends and Dumbledore stands up and 
welcomes all the students, new and old. He ends with the strange phrase 
Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! and all five tables fill with food.

Harry begins to eat and is address by Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington 
(a.k.a. Nearly Headless Nick), who wishes he could still eat. Nick 
demonstrates why he has his nickname, which he clearly doesnt like. Nick 
also points out the Bloody Baron, Slytherins resident ghost.

Dinner was finished and dessert appears. The Gryffindor first years begin to 
talk about their families and bloodlines. Seamus says that hes half Muggle, 
half wizard, Neville tells the story of how his family found out that he was 
indeed a wizard and wasnt a Squib.

Harry starts feeling content and looks to the Professors table. Suddenly, a 
hook-nosed teacher stared straight at Harry and he feels a sharp pain in his 
forehead. He asks Percy which teacher is talking to Quirrell and Percy 
identifies him as the infamous Professor Snape.

When the desserts disappear, Dumbledore stands up and gives them the 
beginning-of-year speech. He notes that the Forbidden Forest 
iswellforbidden, that magic shouldnt be used in the corridors between 
classes, Quidditch trials will be held the second week of term, and that the 
third-floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone 
who does not wish to die a very painful death. He then leads everyone in 
singing the school song, which is sung to everyones personal favorite tune.

Afterwards, Percy leads the Gryffindor first years up to the Gryffindor 
tower. On the way, they meet Peeves. Percy warns the first years to watch 
out for him and that the Bloody Baron is the only one who can control him.

They enter the Gryffindor common room (cozy, round, full of squashy 
armchairs). The Gryffindor first year boys are directed to their dormitory, 
which is situated at the top of a spiral staircase. Tired, all the boys pull 
on their pajamas and fall asleep almost immediately.

During Harrys sleep, he has a very odd dream in which he wears Quirrells 
turban, is told to transfer to Slytherin house, and is laughed at by Malfoy 
who turns into Snape. The dream ends with a flash of green light and Harry 
wakes up. He immediately rolls over, goes back to sleep, and forgets the 
dream.

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For your enjoyment, here is a quintet of lame-o questions for you to either 
answer or make fun of, whichever you prefer! As always, if you have other 
burning questions about the chapter, please share!

Questions:

1) Do you find it odd that the first years arent given any explanation of 
the four houses except for a quick song sung by the Sorting Hat? Do you 
think it matters that the students (particularly ones from Muggle families) 
have nothing to go on except a quick rhyme and rumor from others?

2) Did you wonder, when you first read this chapter, about the Sorting Hats 
thought to put Harry into Slytherin? Certainly it becomes part of the plot 
in COS but did you pick up on it when you first read it?

3) Why do you think that Harry experienced a sharp pain in his forehead when 
Snape shoots him a piercing look?

4) If you were to sing the Hogwarts school song (and whos to say you 
havent already!), what tune would you sing it to?

5) I know it has been discussed before, but do you think the dream that 
Harry has at the end of this chapter holds any significance? Or is it just a 
silly, random dream? Could it be foreshadowing? Ex: Draco turns into Snape, 
implying that Draco could become a spy for Dumbledores side?

~Amber

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