The good Slytherin / Salazar

[rachaelmcadams]

No: HPFGUIDX 131293

 Swimsalone wrote:

> 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. 
<SNIP>

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.



Rachael:

I've always assumed that it's really not one's gifts or talents, but 
rather where he/she wants to be. Or, if it's someone that has no 
knowledge or preconception about the houses, then it would be which 
traits they value most (not necessarily which traits they have 
strongly).  That would work with Percy (since ambitiion seems to be 
his strongest trait) and Wormtail (who really doesn't show much 
courage) because they both probably wanted to be in Gryffindor.  
Percy likely because Bill and Charlie and both his parents were in 
Gryffindor.
Sirius didn't agree with his family's views, so probably thought "Not 
Slytherin" like Harry; Parvati and Padma are different people, so 
they value different things and may have even just wanted space from 
each other; Riddle/Voldemort was a descendent of Slytherin (and may 
have known that), was ambitious, and probably wanted to be sorted 
there.

Rachael