Hogwarts curiosities

[Athena Appleton]

Hey, I was just reading P/SS again, and noticed a few curiosities.

All of these are taken from Chapter Seven, The Sorting Hat.

1. We know that the Sorting Hat had difficulty deciding to put Harry in Gryffindor, and in OotP, we learn that it almost put Hermione in Ravenclaw. It mentions when they're being sorted that it took a long time for the Sorting Hat to decide on Seamus and also Neville. Wonder where it originally wanted to put them. And, aside from Harry, how much of the Sorting Hat's decisions were based on where the student wanted to be? Many people feel like Hermione, smart as she is, should really be in Ravenclaw, but on the train, she says that she feels like Gryffindor is "best by far". Did she request it? Did Neville or Seamus request it? How in the world did Lavender wind up in Gryffindor?

2. There's been some speculation that Malfoy is really kind of a misunderstood bad guy. Some say he is the way he is because he's desperate for approval from his father. However, the Sorting Hat decided where to put him after the hat had barely been placed on his head. He must have had some strong Slytherin qualities, and no other qualities, to be sorted that quickly.

3. Neville says that his gran and other family members wondered if he were "all-Muggle"... is that just his way of saying they wondered if he was a squib? Why didn't he say "squib" instead of "Muggle"?

4. Neville also mentions that his family wondered if he was "magical enough" to get into Hogwarts. Does that mean that there are moderately magical people out there not being trained in magical schools?

[Violet]

1. I think that Dumbledore says somewhere that its about the choices that you make that define you. While the students have to have some qualities which suit the house that you are in, it is ultimately decided by where the student wants to be.

2. As i said above i think that as the student appears to get some sort of choice in where they go malfoy does display many qualities of slytherin, but he was aspiring to be like his father and the best way for him to do that would be to be in slytherin.

3. yeah i think that is just he his way of saying that he thought he'd be a squib

4. I think it could well do, like as has been suggested there be a squib who shows talent later in life. i think that there will be people believed to be squibs but actually have a bit of magical ability. I think that their talents only come out like harry's did when they get very emotional, ie: upset or angry.

[Athena Appleton]

2. As i said above i think that as the student appears to get some sort of choice in where they go malfoy does display many qualities of slytherin, but he was aspiring to be like his father and the best way for him to do that would be to be in slytherin.

But if he did display some qualities of another house (if he was exceedingly smart, or really brave, or very loyal) the hat would have at least taken SOME time to ponder where would be the best place for him. If all you had to do was request a house, then why not just have four rolls of parchment at the head of every table, and first years could just sign up for their preferred houses...

[Scellanis]

Yeah, but Draco would have been desperate to be in slytherin wouldn't he...his father is a nasty man, deatheater and all that, weve seen how violent he is with kids who arent his own.....what would he do if Draco had failed to get in Slytherin (he wasn't all that impressed with getting lower marks than Hermione was he), no doubt Draco doesn't want to know, he does seem to be very weak when it comes to pain.....probably Draco was praying for Slytherin soo much and had the thing going for him like Ron did so that he just ended up in Slytherin extra fast...

and the other thing i was going to say..err...

squib, yes, I think Neville was just trying to avoid saying squib really, wizards seem to be rather embarassed about the subject, take Filch for example.....I think they'd even think muggle is better than squib...i mean muggle implies you had no magic at all and never should do, squib implies your meant to be magical but arent....you failed somehow.....disapointing for them

grr...i forgot to say...the thing going for him being family always in slytherin...like ron was told he should be in gryffindor because weasleys are always in gryffindor....

*edited by Violet to make one post*

[Athena Appleton]

I don't know, I just think that if Draco had non-Slytherinish qualities, his sorting would have taken longer... the ultimate result would still be the same, but the hat would have at least taken a moment to say "Aaaahhhh, very witty. You'd do well in Ravenclaw. Slytherin, eh?"

the thing going for him being family always in slytherin...like ron was told he should be in gryffindor because weasleys are always in gryffindor....

Actually, that was only in the movie. In the book, the only person sorted that we know exactly what the sorting hat said was Harry, and we know the Sorting hat was going to put Hermione in Ravenclaw. Keep in mind, in the books, others couldn't hear what the Sorting Hat said to each student, they only heard the final decision. In the movie, the hat says where everyone could hear, "Ahhh, another Weasley! I know just what to do with you!"

I think Draco's just purely evil.

I am most curious about what the Sorting Hat had to say to Seamus and Neville, too. I feel like it was torn between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff for Neville (he is very fair and loyal, and the bravery is only just starting to show up...) then again, he had a thirst to prove himself, so would the hat have considered Slytherin for him? I doubt it... But what about Seamus? He doesn't seem to be incredibly witty (seems like he's having accidents almost as much as Neville) and he's not incredibly loyal (he turned on Harry pretty quickly in OotP before having the truth really explained to him. Was he almost a Slytherin?

I know, this post is starting to belong in the "What If" catagory...

I do wonder, though, if we'll find out where they were almost put instead of Gryffindor, because we all know J.K. Rowling doesn't throw little facts like that in there for nothing...

[Loony_4_Snape]

Don't you find it odd that students at Hogwart aren't taught key skills like English & Maths?

[Aberforth]

THey do teach arithmancy, which sounds very much like arithmatic. And they have a professor called Vector - another mathematical term.

It would be assumed that they were taught how to count in primary school.

As for english - they already speak english and are not known for reading muggle literature. They have quick-quotes quill for writing stories etc, so don't really need to learn it.

[Nobby]

About your 4th point athena! i think that there are wizards that aren't magical enough to go to school that they get taught be there parents at home or mayb go to muggle schools. if there were other schools for british wizards wouldn't we know about them?

[Athena Appleton]

okay, don't get me started on the other schools, other subject thing, it's one of the biggest confusions of the Harry Potter books for me. I do NOT see how the Weasleys manage to know NOTHING about Muggle life, not even how to use a "fellytone". You don't hear of wizarding primary schools, but you know the Weasleys (who have never been around muggles) know how to read, do math, etc. You never hear of Wizarding supermarkets, never hear of Wizarding department stores (do they buy their underwear at Madam Malkin's, too?)...

As far as the English and Math goes, I would assume that most wizarding children are taught at home, some probably go to Muggle schools, naturally the Muggle-born children go to Muggle schools. I do wonder if the library contains some English literature... wonder if they have Macbeth (the three witches, "double, double, toil and trouble)

[Jotomicron]

1. Well, as you say, Seamus is not that loyal, because he wanted a proof of what Harry was saying. But he went to Gryffindor... I think the hat took that long to decide weather Gryffindor qualities were strong enough to put him in that House.
As for Neville, we all agree that there is really more about him than meets the eye. Like with Harry, maybe the hat was wndering between Gryffindor and somet other house instead. Hufflepuff, maybe! But in the end of the first book, he shows the courage he has when he tries to fight the Trio...

2. Yeah, Malfoy expected to be in Slytherin: he says that in Madame Malkins's store. He willed it so much that it came over all qualities he might have! The hat could try to find out what qualities he had, but he would never found anything else than the will to belong to Slytherin, as it was what he really wanted..

3. I must admit it: I think Rowling hadn't yet thought about the word "Squib"... And she only introduces it (along with "Mudblood") in the second book.

4. Well, I think there are more magical people tha others. Some might do magic just because the feel like it, other must try hard to make it... (for instance, Hermione just waves the wand and the spell comes, Neville must think hard in the spell, try to remember the words and the movement - I'm just speculating, though)

[Athena Appleton]

1. Well, as you say, Seamus is not that loyal, because he wanted a proof of what Harry was saying. But he went to Gryffindor... I think the hat took that long to decide weather Gryffindor qualities were strong enough to put him in that House.

yeah, this is really just more speculation, wondering what the hat was saying... like, where else WOULD Seamus have been put?

As for Neville, we all agree that there is really more about him than meets the eye. Like with Harry, maybe the hat was wndering between Gryffindor and somet other house instead. Hufflepuff, maybe! But in the end of the first book, he shows the courage he has when he tries to fight the Trio...

oh yeah... Actually I wonder if this is one of the instances when he would have wanted to be somewhere OTHER than Gryffindor... he didn't have any confidence in himself... I would think he'd rather have been in a house where he knew people would accept him (although he's accepted in Gryffindor great, I would rather be in the house with the fair and loyal people and the brave people if I were him in the beginning)...

2. Yeah, Malfoy expected to be in Slytherin: he says that in Madame Malkins's store. He willed it so much that it came over all qualities he might have! The hat could try to find out what qualities he had, but he would never found anything else than the will to belong to Slytherin, as it was what he really wanted..

I don't know, I just don't buy that he's a little misunderstood guy... I think he LIKES being on the side of evil. I don't think it has one single thing with wanting to prove anything to his father... it could, but I just don't feel like it did. And I do think that if there were something else there, ANYTHING, the hat would have taken at least a moment to consider it.

4. Well, I think there are more magical people tha others. Some might do magic just because the feel like it, other must try hard to make it... (for instance, Hermione just waves the wand and the spell comes, Neville must think hard in the spell, try to remember the words and the movement - I'm just speculating, though)

I do think you're right about some people being more magical than others... I just wonder about the ones who are so low on the magical scale that they don't get to go to Hogwarts...

[Loony_4_Snape]

THey do teach arithmancy, which sounds very much like arithmatic. And they have a professor called Vector - another mathematical term.

It would be assumed that they were taught how to count in primary school.

As for english - they already speak english and are not known for reading muggle literature. They have quick-quotes quill for writing stories etc, so don't really need to learn it.

but it does seem a bit far-fetched that at the age of 11 they are given foot long essays and compositions without being taught how to write such complex forms

[AngelicS_89]

1/2.I think that in which house you will be depends a little bit of where were your parents/cousins,what qualites you have and what you want...If somebody is in Slytherin it doesn't mean he's stupid,bad or anything a like,it just means that he's ambicious and that he's moto is "the end justifes the means"(is this correct spelled?).That's why it annoys me when ppl automatically think "oh I don't want to go to Hufflepuff,everybody's stupid there,or I don't want to go in Slytherin everybody's evil there"...

I'm trying to say that in which house you are cannot juded everybody individual!I mean look at Percy!?I would put him in Slytherin myself.He actually betrayed his family and Dumbledore cause of carrer!That prooves that it dosen't only matter which qualite you have!And Malfoy is from pure blood family,he's ambicious and his father is DE and his mother sister of a DE.Think what would happen to him if he wasn't in Slytherin,he would pratically dishonured his father.I actually think that there is a chance for Malfoy to be good,cause he will find out sooner or later his that he hates what his father does.I saw somewhere that they said for Malfoy that apple doesn't fall far from the tree.What about Sirius?He actually fall veeeeeeeeeeeery far from the tree!!!

[Athena Appleton]

And Malfoy is from pure blood family,he's ambicious and his father is DE and his mother sister of a DE.Think what would happen to him if he wasn't in Slytherin,he would pratically dishonured his father.

I agree with you that he would have dishonored his father, but I don't think that's the reason Malfoy was put in Slytherin.

I actually think that there is a chance for Malfoy to be good,cause he will find out sooner or later his that he hates what his father does.

No, honey, at the age of twelve, he really wanted to be the one opening up the Chamber of Secrets, killing muggle-borns. He admires his father, and he wants to be just like him. I just can't see Rowling making him do a COMPLETE about-face in the next two books to make him go from looking forward to the day he's old enough to be a Death Eater to hating what his father does.

I saw somewhere that they said for Malfoy that apple doesn't fall far from the tree.What about Sirius?He actually fall veeeeeeeeeeeery far from the tree!!!

Yeah, but Sirius was always like that. At Hogwarts, he eventually stayed at the Potter's for holidays, because of who he was and who his family is. Hogwarts is almost over for Potter, Malfoy, and Co. and Malfoy has never once shown any proof that he is anything other than a little evil wannabe.

[Aberforth]

Its a fair point that you cannot judge a character based purely on the house they are in - that's kinda like what DD has been saying about choices being the important thing.

However, due to the high proportion ofdark wizards coming from Slytherin it is understandable that the other kids at Hogwarts would say that all Slytherins were bad and lets face it, they don't help themselves do they.