The good Slytherin / Salazar

[swimsalone]

No: HPFGUIDX 131285

Potioncat:

> So a Pureblood who is cunning and ambitious would go to Slytherin. 
A 
> Pureblood was not brave, clever or loyal would go to Slytherin. A 
> cunning, ambitious Muggle-born or Half-blood would go to 
Hufflepuff. 
> But you could be an ambitious, cunning Pureblood who has absolutely 
> no delusions of superiority based on blood and end up in Slytherin.
> 


Swimsalone:

These are very interesting thoughts, but: Percy Weasley is as clever, 
cunning, and ambitious a Pureblood as anyone we've seen in 
Slythierin...and the sorting hat put him in Griffindor. Given his 
lack of loyalty to his family, his ability to abandon all ties to his 
loved ones in pursuit of a successful and profitable career, and his 
apparent glee at helping in the attempt to wrongfully expel and 
discredit Harry, wouldn't this indicate that he possesses all of the 
dreaded qualities associated with Slytherin? Why, then, was he sorted 
into Griffindor? Surely the potential for betrayal must have 
been "all right there in his head" for the sorting hat to see.

Similarly, Sirius was a brave, loyal, cunning, and clever Pureblood 
from one of the oldest (and darkest) wizarding families and he was 
sorted into Griffindor. Puzzling. 

Again: Padma and Parvati Patil are twins with (presumably) the same 
parentage and upbringing, and they were sorted into Ravenclaw and 
Griffindor (which is the most telling IMHO). This seems to indicate 
that it is not one's lineage or heritage that guides the sorting hat, 
but rather one's own innate gifts or tallents (with the possible 
exeption of Percy, noted above).

Finally, Tom Riddle was clearly not a Pureblood and he was sorted 
into Slytherin. To my mind, this further demonstrates that the 
sorting hat was able to see Riddle's great ambition and desire for 
power and believed that Slytherin would best be able to help him 
toward those ends, regardless of his Half-blood status.

Swimsalone