CHAPTER DISCUSSION: PS/SS 7, The Sorting Hat

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 188173

(from a previous post)
>
> Someone (attribution snipped) wrote:
> > > If Hermione had memorized "Hogwarts: A History" before she got to school, why didn't she know how the Sorting was done? Surely the definitive reference book on the school would have covered the Sorting Ceremony, wouldn't it?


Potioncat:
"Hogwarts: A History" didn't cover the house-elves either. I don't think the book was written with children in mind; the author would expect the readers to know how the sorting was done, and wouldn't have to go into details. Describing the creation of the Sorting Hat would be enough.

All the first years are nervous and it's the nature of kids to be more afaid of what older kids have said, than certain of what parents have said. So even if Hermione knew she had to put on a hat, she might not know what to expect once it was on her head. 

She said earlier that she wanted Gryffindor, but as her turn came up, she was going over spells she had learned. Sounds more like a Ravenclaw approach. No wonder the Sorting Hat brought it up.



I have a question. McGonagall tells the first years, "Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards."

Did her speech convince you after what you had already read? Did you think one house was better? What do you think now? Do you think McGonagall was sincere?