Blood and Artifice (was The Sorting Hat)

[Talisman]

No: HPFGUIDX 78363

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Simon Crowe" 
<simoncrowe1667 at y...> wrote:

I have several questions <snip> first, regards the Sorting Hat 
<snip> is it aware <snip> whether a new student is muggle-born or 
pureblood? <snip> why would [it]<snip> place one in Slytherin House 
<snip> Tom Riddle was muggle-born. But he was also the heir. Would 
the Sorting Hat place only haters of the muggle-born in Slytherin 
regardless of their heritage? If it did, wouldn't it be perpetuating 
an already undesirable situation? Or is it the case that Hagrid's 
right and the distinction merely codswallop? Is it true that there's 
no wizard or witch out there that isn't half-blood or less? 

Talisman,  who thinks that, under all that grease, Snape's hair is 
wonderfully conditioned, responds:

Debates about the Sorting Hat blossom and subside on this site, with 
the regularity of the seasons.  I haven't followed a Sorting Hat 
thread lately, but there was a recent discussion, and you should 
find both new and old by searching for the topic.  N.B. It's always 
a good idea to practice meditation while searching, just keep 
hitting <next>, and you will find many posts.  Eventually. 

Nonetheless:

1) Of course Hagrid's right.  Hating a wizard for being muggle-born 
is nonsense. Muggle-borns aren't doing any damage to the magical 
community.  As Hagrid points out in CoS, Hermione is the best in her 
class, while pure-blood Neville "can hardly stand a cauldron up the 
right way." (116) (I know, I know, Neville fans--he might be 
drugged/cowed by Grandma/stuck with Dad`s wand, etc. How about 
Crabbe and Goyle, then?)

This hatred seems to stem from the days of medieval witch-hunting 
and so is parallel to the intolerance found on the Muggle side.

2) We are _not_ told that there are no purebloods anymore.  
Rather: "Most wizards are half-blood anyway. If we hadn't married 
Muggles we'd've died out." (CoS 116)

Notice how Sirius was the last of Phineas Nigellus's direct line. 
Riddle is the last heir of Slytherin, and he's only around thanks(?) 
to the fact his mother married a muggle.
Similarly, Harry is the last of the Potters, etc.

Of course, intra-wizard wars have something to do with that.  
Grindelwald, Voldemort Phase I, Voldemort Phase II, etc.  I 
think "Hagrid's Story" about the demise of the giant's race makes a 
nice cautionary tale on this point.

3) One of the reasons the Sorting Hat posts don't interest me, is 
that the distinctions are so obviously artificial.  E.g.:

Hermione is the smartest in her year and  Riddle is called the 
brightest student Hogwarts has ever seen, but neither of them was 
sorted into Ravenclaw.  On the other hand, the first Ravenclaw we 
have seen with an interesting mind is Luna--and the rest of the 
Ravenclaw reject her (as does Hermione) because she's intuitive 
rather than logical. 

No HufflePuff, not even Ernie McMillan, works harder than Hermione.  
Luna's a Ravenclaw, but she's more than brave enough to be a 
Gryffindor. We see her unhesitatingly put her life on the line to 
help Harry. 
And, of course, we know the Hat would have been happy to put Harry 
in Slytherin.

If  Dumbledore's not fibbing again, and the Hat wanted to put Harry 
in Slytherin because it smelled a little "curse dab" of Voldemort on 
him (though that's not among the reasons IT gives) then it can 
detect "blood."  

I tend to think it's more about who you think you are/want to be.

This probably works out the same with regard to sorting Muggle-
haters into Slytherin.

4) And yes, the whole sorting process perpetuates the problems 
wizard-kind is facing.

The hatred now vitiating the magical world springs from the seedbeds 
of such artificial divisions.

But the wizards, not the Hat, will have to sort that out.  

(Safe bet that "meddling" James and Lily were working for unity 
between magical creatures, and/or better magic/ Muggle 
relationships, before they got zapped.)

Talisman, who sees that wasp is back, buzzing on the window, and is 
off to talk to it.