What the Sorting Hat REALLY Said, and The Good Slytherin.

[annemehr]

No: HPFGUIDX 84913

Steve wrote (in a post with which I completely agree):
<snip> 
> Notice that it is HARRY who brings up Slytherin, not the Sorting 
> Hat. As you will see as the quote continues, the Sorting Hat merely
> > interogates him as to 'why not Slytherin'. My observations on the 
> Sorting Hat's observation. The very first thing
> > that catches the 'eye' of the Sorting Hat is 'plenty of courage'.
<snip>

Berit replied:
<snip>So it's logical to deduce that the Hat might in 
> fact have placed Harry in Gryffindor anyway. But notice also the 
> Hat's reaction when it discovers Harry's "thirst to prove himself" 
> (even though it is the last virtue it sees), which is: "..."now, 
> that's interesting." And, "it's all there in Harry's head"...
[...]
> But, then you can't overlook Harry's encounter 
> with the Sorting Hat in book 2, which puts the whole sorting in a new 
> light... Harry, it turns out, is very worried the Hat really wanted 
> him in Slytherin (hm, why?). The Hat answers something like 
> this: "So, you have been wondering whether I put you in the right 
> house." And what answer does it give Harry? "You WOULD have done well 
> in Slytherin." (In the book the capital letters are in italics).

Annemehr:
Oh, but that's not quite accurate.  The hat actually said: "you WOULD
have done well in Slytherin --" ending in a dash, not a period.  Harry
heard that phrase and immediately yanked the hat off his head without
letting it finish.  For all we know, the hat would have finished up by
telling Harry that he did indeed belong in Gryffindor.

Berit:
> I find it very intriguing that the Hat refuses to say "Don't worry 
> Harry, I wanted you in Gryffindor." Instead it insists he would have 
> done great in Slytherin. This is NOT what Harry wanted or needed to 
> hear at the time! I'm not saying the Hat was wrong about putting him 
> in Gryffindor. What I am saying is that I think Rowling is trying to 
> tell the reader something here :-) She denies Harry any assurance of 
> being placed right. Now, why is that?

Annemehr:
Following on the idea that the hat was interrupted, I think this is
what was happening: the hat saw in Harry's mind the worry that he
should have been placed in Slytherin rather than Gryffindor, so it
began by reconsidering the possibility of the first *before* (I
believe) it would have gone on to deal with the second.  We know by
now that JKR often interrupts someone just as they are about to say
something important (as in OoP just when Hagrid is about to name the
Slytherin boy who can see the thestral), and that is what is happening
here.  The hat does *not* refuse to reassure Harry, JKR does.  I think
the reason why is because  Harry needs more than just to be *told*
that he is a true Gryffindor.  He needs to be able to see it for
himself, which he can only do after the events down in the chamber of
secrets.  True, even then Dumbledore had to explain it to him, but
once he sees it was Godric Gryffindor's sword that came to him, he
"gets it."

Berit:

> But, [the hat] seemingly can't make up its mind on 
> Harry's house... Or, maybe it HAS made up its mind and IS right: 
> Maybe, in some way or another, Harry belongs as much to the Slytherin 
> house as to the Gryffindor house. That way it was really Harry's 
> choice that landed him in Gryffindor since his characteristics alone 
> could have landed him in either one.

Annemehr:
There is no way to prove it, but I am sure that Gryffindor is the best
house for Harry and the hat knows it.  I agree Harry's choice was one
of the characteristics that put him there, along with his courage and
nobility.  Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that Harry's choice is
the manifestation of the characteristics that put him in Gryffindor. 
I am also one who believes that most of the students, including Harry,
do exhibit characteristics of all the houses in varying degrees.  But,
after following Harry through five books, I have to say that it's
pretty obvious to me that he truly is a Gryffindor at heart.

To return to Berit's parenthetical question as to why Harry is so
worried that the hat wanted to put him in Slytherin, the bulk of the
answer is contained in CoS ch. 11, "The Dueling Club."  Harry finds
out he's a Parselmouth, that they're rare, and that Salazar Slytherin
was one which is why the House symbol is a snake.  Then Harry is
panicked to be told that, for all anyone knows, he could be
Slytherin's descendant.  Lying awake that night, he fears that he has
Slytherin blood, and that the hat *wanted* to put him in Slytherin
(obviously I think Harry's mistaken on that point). IMO, and this is
the conclusion we are left to draw ourselves, Harry fears that
belonging in Slytherin would mean that he's a Dark Wizard at heart. 
This anti-Slytherin bias of his is something he has yet to unlearn,
but it is in character for it to worry him at the time given how
unsure of himself he felt in PS/SS during his entrance into the
Wizarding World, combined with what he was told then about Dark
Wizards coming from Slytherin.  To me, this is answer enough to your
question, but perhaps it's not quite convincing to everyone?

Annemehr
who can never seem to lay off "Harry should have been Slytherin"
threads...