Sorting hat

[philippajrice]

No: HPFGUIDX 132535

 I read somewhere that more information about the sorting hat would 
feature in the next book. Does anyone have any ideas about this? 
Obviously there's more to the hat than just putting people into 
different houses. He's given out advise in the songs, and there was 
the whole sword thing in COS, and seemingly it can read peoples 
minds when they're wearing it. 

Maybe the hat belonged to someone who used to wear it all the time 
and all they're thoughts got stored in it? 
Or maybe when you wear the hat, it can see into your future. That 
would explain why the hat sorts people into houses they don't seem 
to suit at the time (eg neville).
Maybe the hat can see people's family history somehow, and that's why 
he gave the sword to Harry (who's going to turn out to be a 
decendant of Godric Gryffinddor). That could be the way the hat sorts 
people (the Weaslys are always in Gryffindor, and Neville could have 
been put in Gryffindor based on his parents being brave).

Was the hat originally designed to be a sorting hat, or was it made 
for something else first? I'm really looking forward to finding out 
more about the sorting hat. I wondered if anyone else had any ideas.

"philippajrice"