Wanting or presenting: Was: Snape's reaction to Harry in Slytherin

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 93393

> 
>Berit wrote:
> 
> To me, the whole plot of CoS is tufted on the gnawing suspicion 
that 
> maybe, just maybe, Harry is not *only* what he seems to be, that 
> there are more to the boy than meets the eye...
> 
> So yes, I'm inclined to believe the subtle hints of CoS points to 
the 
> Hat not only suggesting Slytherin, but also *wanting* to put Harry 
> there... just as much as it wanted to put him in Gryffindor! In its 
> own words: Harry was particularly difficult to place! And it won't 
> take back its words that he would have done well in Slytherin! Very 
> odd, when what Harry *really* needed just then was a reassurance 
that 
> he had been placed in the (only) right house, Gryffindor... He 
didn't 
> get that reassurance, now did he? 
> 


Potioncat:
Once again, this is a thread that has had a lot of interesting posts 
made to it.  There have been several very good points made.

Certainly Harry has his own Slytherin traits and possibly, in a 
different decade he might have done very well in Slytherin.  It seems 
to me the hat more than any character, sees the  houses without 
bias...it does not seem to view Slytherin as evil.

It also sees what is going on around the WW and gives advice.  With 
that in mind, how could it not know how badly Harry would fit with 
Draco and Snape?  Or perhaps, its point was that Slytherin the house 
was as good a fit as Gryffindor and as someone else pointed out, 
perhaps it was never going to actually put him there.

Perhaps the house has told certain students that they fit in several 
houses as a way to get students to look at the house separation 
differently. So Harry is a Gryffinslyther and Hermione is a 
Gryffinclaw and Luna is perhaps a Ravendor, Ron a Gryffinpuff?

Potioncat