Neville's choice (was: ghosts, ...etc... - Minor Point)

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 119324


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "potioncat" <willsonkmom at m...>
wrote:
> 
> Steve/bboyminn (was bboy-mn) (and isn't Lexicon Steve) wrote a 
> longer post but I had to follow rules and snip most of it:
>  
> > In a sense, the Hat doesn't ignore choice, but at the same time,
> > it doesn't yeild to it either. The student's choice does tell the 
> > hat something about the student, but I think the Hat is more 
> > likely to consider at what is behind that choice than to consider 
> > the choice itself.
> > 
> > If you get my drift.
> > 
>  > Steve/...

> Potioncat:
> I think you are most likely right. We know of two students who had 
> some sort of conversation with the Sorting Hat, and it would follow 
> that others have had conversations too.  But I think the Hat has a 
> job to do, and it isn't going to be swayed by students or parents or 
> teachers...and I'll bet Snape wasn't too happy to get all four DE 
> sons that year!
>
> Potioncat hoping this is long enough to be pass the "Me Too" 
> restriction.

bboyminn:

Harry, or the narrator, says that it took a long time to decide about
Neville, but just before Neville, the Hat took 'almost a whole minute'
to decide about Seamus. I think when several hundred people are
sitting in silence staring at a kid wearing a hat, one minute will
seem like a very long time. 

I would suspect the Hat's conversation with Harry probably took in the
vicinity of 30 seconds. So, base on that guess, the Hat either had a
harder time deciding Seamus's house, or Seamus argued with the Hat for
a while. If Seamus and the Hat debated briefly, I wonder what options
they were debating? As a side note, Hermione's sorting was very quick,
and it took Ron about a 'second' to be sorted.

JKR could have just been mixing it up a bit, various time for various
students, or that could tell us something about Seamus, on the other
hand maybe nothing about Seamus. 

I keep hoping at some point, in a very casual off-handed way, the
various characters will talk about their sorting experience and we
will get a chance to look a little deeper into the process. I suspect
this will come up when Harry confesses that the Sorting Hat wanted to
put him in Slytherin. 

Note; in the most recent book, Hermione said the Hat considered her
for Ravenclaw, but finally decided on Gryffindor. At that point in
time, I would suspect Hermione's desire to be in Gryffindor was very
superficial. And, while I suspect she asked the Hat for Gryffindor, I
think, in that case, the Hat looked deep into the person, Hermione,
and saw something far more significant than her petty reasons. Also,
note that while the book indicates Hermione's sorting was quick, it
vague about the actual amount of time; quick could be 5 to 15 seconds.

To the main point of the previous posts, I think you said it about as
concisely as possible, the Sorting Hat, first and foremost, has a job
to do, sorting students, and it isn't influences by superficial
outside desires.

Just a few more thoughts.

Steve/bboyminn (was bboy_mn)