How the hat makes its selections

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 101336

I've seen some posts lately pointing out that Hermione, Percy, even 
Dumbledore, have Slytherin qualities. We know that Harry has some, 
though I believe his near-placement in Slytherin was as much because 
of Essence of Voldemort in his head than his character traits.

And, to get away from the endless Slyth-Gryff debates, we know that 
Hermione nearly ended up in Ravenclaw and there have been questions 
in the past - many moons ago on the list - about whether Neville 
should have been in Hufflepuff.

To start, almost all the characters were know something about have 
traits that could make them eligible for at least two houses. Which 
makes sense. The "shorthand" descriptions of the houses apply to a 
great deal of people, in the Wizard World and in real life.

Brave, smart, hard-working, ambitious.

Successful people, it can be argued, display all four.

I was discussing this with my lovely girlfriend the other day and we 
came to the conclusion that the student's "choice" in the matter have 
to do with what he or she values.

Here are some clues:

Draco, who is under the hat for about .4 seconds before it 
says "Slytherin," clearly wants to prove himself to his father. 
Ambition and cunning are the most important to him. Though I would 
argue that Draco is the one character who I couldn't see in any other 
house. He's not loyal, not hard-working, not all that brave and his 
intelligence is debatable.

Hermione, who's smarts make her a natural born Ravenclaw, values 
bravery above "books and cleverness." She says so in SS/PS, just 
before Harry goes off alone to face Quirrellmort. So, she's in Gryff.

Neville, who's loyalty and hard work give him Hufflepuff qualities, 
also seems to secretly value courage and is filled with a burning 
desire to live up to his folks. Gryff.

Harry, who seemingly only wants to stay out of Slytherin, is making a 
reverse value judgement. He sees Draco and wants the opposite. Gryff.

Percy. This is the one that bothers me the most because the hat, 
seemingly, got it wrong. Obviously, an 11-year-old Percy had a 
different view on life than the one we see now.

But I submit that his story isn't finished yet. He may show us what 
made him a Gryff to begin with.

Family lines obviously count for something, although the Patil 
sisters prove it's not ironclad.

But in the end, what the kids value is as important as what seems to 
be their dominant trait.

Darrin