The Hat Test (was Re: Slytherin House : evil ? (was : Cheering on Harry ))

[arrowsmithbt]

No: HPFGUIDX 101425

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "(Mrs.) Lee Storm (God Is The Healing Force)" > 

> Hat is testing Harry; Hat is giving Harry his first choice to make.  Hat
> goes on to needle Harry in COS about him going to Slytherin; Harry flatly
> rejects the idea and puts Hat back on Dumbledore's shelf.
> 
> Then, in COS, what comes to Harry's aid along with Fawks? Our friendly
> Hat...which gives him the Gryffindor Sword.
> 
> So, methinks Hat is sincere, but it's also doing its part as a guardian and
> giving whatever testing is necessary to prove a student's true nature...or
> disprove it.
> 

Um. Can't agree, I'm afraid.
Has Harry had his lecture about choices before he's Sorted? No, he hasn't
even met Dumbledore. He doesn't  really have a clue what's going on. He's
heard other people's opinions of the Houses but none of them are exactly
objective. He's brand spanking new to the WW - it's his first full day and for
sure he's anti-Draco on a personal level. He wants nothing to do with him. 
He dislikes him from the first and  his behaviour on the train confirms his
feelings. If Draco hadn't  annoyed him in Diagon Alley he wouldn't have 
known enough to ask Hagrid about Slytherin and Hufflepuff in the first place.

He's aware from what Ron and Draco says that Houses seem to run in 
families, or that families run in Houses, though there are exceptions. 
Strangely, he never asks which Houses his parents belonged to - ever.
We know James was in Gryffindor -  is there any confirmation which
House Lily was in? 

The Hat sees what Olivander glimpses, Harry's potential. Some never
achieve their potential, but would the Hat know that, or care? I doubt it,
it's more interested in slotting students into Houses where they'll fit and
where their potential might be best realised. That's it's function.

It has one weakness. As JKR said when asked if it was truthful - "It's 
certainly sincere." Which isn't the same thing at all. It's possible to be
perfectly sincere but wrong. But was the Hat? It was with Percy -  he's
heavily into ambition these days, probably always was.

I've  mumbled on about the  Hat before - it could have been fixed.
In the foursome - Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, it's possible to
identify all four Houses - Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff
respectively. Similarly, you can do the same exercise with the Marauders.
Is the Hat (or DD) putting action to the advice to combine all four Houses?
Or  at  least the attributes of all four Houses in the form of typical student
members. It spends an awfully long time with Neville, and Hermione
is a Ravenclaw par excellance.

Did it happen in the previous generation too? We're told that the Hat has 
made similar songs "in times of great danger" -  when Voldy first rose, 
perhaps? Idle speculation but  an intriguing outside chance.

Kneasy