Harry's Sorting (was:Re: Snape's Insignificant Question During Occlumency)

[princesspeaette]

No: HPFGUIDX 76525

Buttercup:

He didn't ask about the
> sorting hat telling Harry he would do well in
> Slytherin. > 
<heavily snipped>

Me (Margaret):

This was probably discussed years ago (I've been here about a week) 
but the orig post made me think of it again, as I just went through 
all the sorting hat's songs again.  The Sorting Hat's exact words 
are: 

"You could be great you know, it's all here in your head, and 
Slytherin will help you on you way to greatness, no doubt about 
that." (SS-paperback)

At the time, and even since, everyone has followed Harry's lead in 
thinking that this meant he should be in Slytherin HOUSE (strongly 
influenced by the theory in CoS that he was the one responsible) but 
I think this was meant another way.  I think it's a reference to the 
Harry/Voldemort(the last (ancestor or decendant depending on you r 
copy of CoS) of Salazar Slytherin) conflict. 

Now, please indulge my insanity a bit further :-)

If it was a reference to Harry being "the boy who lived" it would 
have said 'helped' not 'will help'.  

It could be a reference to protecting the Stone, but I think DD could 
have done that (we don't know the mirror of Erised wouldn't have 
worked).  

It could have been the escape in the graveyard, but that didn't make 
Harry great, in a way it made him a laughingstock (the Daily 
Prophet's attacks in OoP).  

Or the duel in the MOM in OoP, but I have a feeling Fudge will hush 
that up, he won't want to admit that not only was he wrong about 
Voldemort's rebirth, Voldemort walked er... apperated right INTO the 
ministry.  

I think it was a sign of the prophecy coming to light AND being 
fulfilled, that Harry has to be the one to defeat Voldemort.  And I 
think it was quite possibly a prophecy (if a hat can make a prophecy, 
of course) that Harry WILL defeat Voldemort, since being killed by 
Voldemort isn't all that special.  He's killed a lot of people, as we 
all know.

Just an idea, I could be wrong.

~Margaret, advancing her first theory (if it really is mine ;-) and 
hoping people will not send her dozens of howlers