Last-minute predictions: Evil!Sorting Hat

[Brooke]

No: HPFGUIDX 61104

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Terry James" 
<terryljames at h...> wrote:
> [Insert usual disclaimer of theory probably not being original, but 
haven't 
> seen it so posting it, here.]
> 
> My last-minute wild OOP prediction:  The Sorting Hat is evil!
> 
> "Proof"--
> 
> 1.  That hat tries really hard to lure Harry into Slytherin.  
Testing him, 
> you say?  No way, it's not that subtle.  It really thinks he'd do 
well in 
> Slytherin.  It speaks very approvingly of his ambitious qualities.
> 
> 2. One of the Weasley parents' statement:  "Never trust something 
enchanted 
> if you can't see where it keeps its brains" or words to that 
effect.  That 
> statement was made with a lot of emphasis and should be remembered.
> 
> 3. In one of Terry Pratchett's earlier books, "Sourcery", I think, 
a main 
> character was a wizard's hat that had soaked up so much wizardry on 
its own, 
> and had been left on its own for so long, that it developed dreams 
of ruling 
> the world.  It had to work through people, but it influenced them 
to become 
> power-mad also.  We already know that many many sources influenced 
the plots 
> of these books—why not this one?
> 
> Rebuttals to arguments that will be made:
> 
> 1. "It was Gryffindor's hat!"  Maybe; maybe not.  Like we've never 
had any 
> red herrings in this series, or no one's ever lied to us before.  
And even 
> if it was, don't forget Pratchett's hat.  In a thousand years of 
sitting 
> around doing nothing but making up bad songs, anything could go 
evil.
> 
> 2. "But Harry pulled Gryffindor's sword out of the hat!"  Listen to 
what 
> Dumbledore said very closely—"Help with always be given to those at 
Hogwarts 
> who ask for it."  He doesn't specify what kind of help, just that 
you need 
> to ask for it.  If Harry had been a Slytherin and/or ready to join 
up with 
> Riddle to kill all Muggles and mudbloods, maybe something else 
entirely 
> would have shown up out of that hat.  (The Sword of Slytherin?) I 
think it 
> was enchanted to provide what was needed  or asked for, not 
necessarily just 
> Gryffindor's sword.  It brings up an interesting point as to what 
would 
> happen if an evil person got hold of the hat.   Or the evil hat 
gets hold of 
> a person. ;)
> 
> 3. "You're just trying to muddy the waters before the release of 
OOP!"  
> Er
yes.  And your point would be?
> 
> 
> Terry LJ (desperately trying to finish a very short fic by tomorrow 
> midnight, when everything will change)

Very intruiging argument, however I would bet 10 galleons that I 
specifically remember canon stating that when the four founders of 
Hogwarts were deciding how to come up with a sorting plan, Godric 
Gryffindor pulled the hat off of his own head and came up with the 
idea.  I think Professor Binns said it in in Book 2 when he was 
telling the class all about the Chamber of Secrets... 

But I think I see the point you're trying to make.  I think the hat 
was enchanted by the four founders to be "impartial" and sort the 
person only by what is inside that person's mind, not by some pre-
destined, fixed spell.  I think it would be very interesting to say 
what would come out of that hat for say... Draco, Snape, or 
Voldemort??

Brooke
> 
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