Sorting Hat

[Mike]

No: HPFGUIDX 105714

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, xtremesk8ergurl2 at a... wrote:
> One question I have, is even though Harry didn't want to be in 
Slytherin, 
> I remember DD saying at one point(in CoS) that he definitely 
should have 
> been in Gryfindor. I can understand why the sorting hat would 
think of Slytherin with the scar and all, but do any of you think 
that the hat 
> would of changed its mind after a few minutes? 

Mike:

The hat didn't change it's mind. It equally considered Gryffindor 
and Slytherin, but Harry chose to be sorted into Gryffindor. DD 
reminds us at the end of CoS that it's 'our choices who make us who 
we are.' 

It's obvious that there are going to be people who fit into more 
than one house. I find that a lot of hardworking people would be 
rather intelligent and thus could easily be in Hufflepuff or 
Ravenclaw. Harry may have a connection to Voldemort, but I doubt 
that's the only reason the hat considered him from Slytherin. He may 
not be ambitious as say, Hermione in academics, but he has his own 
things he works to the best of his ability towards.

In short, Harry chose to be in Gryffindor rather than Slytherin 
after the Hat basically told him he could fit well into either.

You continued:
> Another question I have, 
> is if Slytherin and its house is all dark magic, then why do they 
have a Slytherin house?
> 
> -xtremesk8ergurl

There is nothing that says all Slytherins practice Dark Magic and 
become Dark Wizards. You have to remember that the book is from 
Harry's perspective, and in his experiences Slytherins are 
definitely unpleasant. Snape treats him unfairly and Malfoy and some 
of his cronies take every oppertunity to make his school days hard.

This does not mean however, that everyone in Slytherin house feels 
the same way Draco Malfoy might. There is at least one student in 
Slytherin that we know of that even has a Death Eater parent, yet 
doesn't torment Harry or hang around Draco. This person is Theodore 
Nott and many people have speculated here that he'll have a bigger 
part which I hope is true. Theodore hasn't done anything to stand 
out in Harry's mind either way which is the same for a lot of 
Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaws.

So far it's just stereotyping (Hagrid and Ron both do this a lot in 
Harry's presence. Remember these two people both made Harry choose 
Gryffindor over Slytherin in the first place) that you (and some 
characters in the novel) believe that all of Slytherin House is bad. 
I'm sure as the story progresses we'll learn that they aren't all 
like Draco Malfoy-- and obviously they aren't since they all aren't 
hanging around with him and tormenting others.

Hope that clears it up,

Mike