The sorting Hat?? Accurate or not?

[finwitch]

No: HPFGUIDX 55460

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "graniteworks at s..." 
<graniteworks at s...> wrote:
> If you noticed, it seems that the same number of kids go into the 
> four houses every year. Does the sorting hat have a requirement to 
> put a certain number of kids in each house each year. Is that why 
> Neville Longbottom is in Gryffindor?? He doesn't really seem to 
have 
> the bravery that Godric Gryffidor honored.

1) Neville *values* bravery and chivalry. This is, I believe, the 
*key* factor for him being sorted into Gryffindor.

2) There's two kinds of courage - enduring misery with dignity and 
standing up (to people, for beliefs, whatever).

Neville's excellent with the first kind from start (about his 
parents, at least) and learns to do the second while at Hogwarts. I 
think he wouldn't have cried if he had to be stuck in that trap stair 
for eternity. Standing up to people - particularly as Neville's magic 
gets easily out of control and he wants to be a nice and polite boy - 
is extremely difficult for him. Why should that diminish his courage 
in any way?

And well, Neville feels true compassion to any creature that's being 
harmed... so crushing poor beatles at potions or turning poor 
hedgehogs into pincushions at transfiguration makes him upset, afraid 
and what not...

-- Finwitch.