Sorting Hat -- Confused? Or having fun?

[brewpub44]

No: HPFGUIDX 36639

I have been thinking about Harry's sorting ceremony. Harry starts off 
by mumbling "not Slytherin", and the hat challenges him back.

There have been some great theories stating that Harry has the 
qualities of both Slytherin & Gryffindor, or even of all four houses; 
or that Harry is somehow hte descendent of both S & G or even, again, 
all four houses.

I think there are two other, more likely possibilities.

One: the Hat is having some fun at Harry's expense. It depends on 
whether or not these magicked objects can have fun. We know the 
painting can, why not the hat? Why can't the hat have a little fun 
with the students?

Two: it is the after-effects of LV's curse on Harry that confused the 
Hat. We know the after-effects gave Harry Parseltongue, why can't it 
imbue him with other side-effects that would confuse the hat? 

I find two intriguing. Perhaps in some future novel we'll have Harry 
being more adversely affected by these after-effects. We had a taste 
of that in CoS, maybe there's more on the way.

Just a thought,

A Barkeep in Diagon Alley.