The Sorting Hat’s New Song
chapter eleven of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
As he makes his way to Hogwarts, Harry notices Hagrid’s hut is dark; then, at the feast, the Sorting Hat sings about the need for unity, and Dumbledore’s speech is interrupted by one from the new D.A.D.A. teacher, Dolores Umbridge. Finally, in the dorm, Harry discovers that Seamus doesn’t believe him, and the two nearly fight before huffing off to bed.
Rattling and swaying, the carriages moved in convoy up the road.
(by Chantelle)
“‘Together we will build and teach!’
The four good friends decided
And never did they dream that they
Might someday be divided.”
(by prettyannamoon)
“Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices.”
(by Alicey)
As she was not much taller than sitting, here was a moment when nobody understood why Dumbledore had stopped talking, but then Professor Umbridge said, “Hem, hem,” and it became clear that she had got to her feet and was intending to make a speech.
(by lberghol)
“Harry, I know [the password]! Guess what it is? I’m actually going to be able to remember it for once – “Mimbulus mimbletonia!”
(by Heather Campbell)
Ron had appeared in the doorway. His wide eyes traveled from Harry, who was kneeling on his bed with his wand point at Seamus, to Seamus, who was standing there with his fists raised.
(by Marta T)
about the chapter
One of the things I always enjoy about re-reading the books is noticing when a character is cut off before finishing a sentence or thought. Rowling uses this technique quite a bit to avoid revealing critical information too soon, and a reader who knows how the book ends can often complete these sentences by plugging in plot bits that have not yet been revealed. So there’s a portion of this chapter that always makes me laugh:
“I wonder if it’s ever given warnings before?” said Hermione, sounding slightly anxious.
“Yes, indeed,” said Nearly Headless Nick knowledgeably, leaning across Neville toward her…. “The hat feels itself honor-bound to give the school due warning whenever it feels-”
But Professor McGonagall, who was waiting to read out the list of first years’ names, was giving the whispering students the sort of look that scorches. Nearly Headless Nick placed a see-through finger to his lips and sat primly upright again as the muttering came to an abrupt end.
Every time I read this I think the same thing: “What was he about to say? It must be important. It has to be important. What could it have been?” And after thinking about it for a few minutes, I finally read on, where two short pages later…
“What were you saying before the Sorting?” Hermione asked the ghost. “About the hat giving warnings?”
At which point Nick promptly completes his entirely undramatic thought. Oh well.
Life at Hogwarts
I feel bad for Hufflepuffs when I read this song of the Sorting Hat’s, when the Hat pretty explicitly states that Hufflepuff house was home to all the leftovers once the brave, smart, and cunning students had been taken for the other three houses (“Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest, / And taught them all she knew.”) The attributes of the various houses are always a little murky, probably thanks mostly to the fact that Rowling has to fit those definitions into a rhyme scheme as sung by a hat. But Hufflepuffs do have defining characteristics just like the other houses, and Helga Hufflepuff herself was exhibiting those very characteristics – like fairness and inclusiveness – when she wanted to teach everybody the way the Hat describes. And for what it’s worth, I’d bet their common room is a lot less clique-ish and a lot more drama-free than those of the other houses. I’d probably be Sorted into Ravenclaw, but I think I’d always be a little bit jealous of the Hufflepuffs. :)
The Boy Who Lived
Harry’s never really been one to ask for attention; even when he first arrived at Hogwarts all he really wanted to do was blend in. But he’s certainly gotten plenty over the years, and it’s clear from all the mutters and stares he gets on day one that this year will be no exception. You can see where the other students are coming from, of course; it was never made clear that Harry didn’t put his name in the Goblet of Fire, and he’s never shared his side of the story to combat the one the Daily Prophet has been pushing on people for months now. But it’s clear he’s in for a rough time, for a while at least. I wonder if it ever occurred to him (or Dumbledore) to get an image consultant or something, just to help him work through everything?
The Final Word
“In this book no-one believes [Harry] and also he’s a teenager. To have these two burdens in life at once is quite horrible.”–J.K. Rowling, June 2003
John, you’re right about what the hat sings about Hufflepuff, especially since I just noted how in book 4 Dumbledore toasts to Cedric, who was a defined Hufflepuff.
Here’s what I’ve been wondering about the hat’s song. It clearly stated that Slytherin only took pure-bloods. But we know that Voldemort is a half-blood. Was he an exception because he was Slytherin’s heir? Or when did the sorting hat start sorting non-pure-bloods into Slytherin?
Kim said this on November 10, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Wasn’t there something in the books about how pure-bloods had pretty much died out, and really most wizards had some Muggle blood in them after a while? I don’t remember.
Maybe by Voldemort’s birth the conditions had changed, because nobody fit them anymore.
Hayley said this on November 10, 2009 at 2:13 pm
I think Slytherin takes half-bloods as well, particularly ones from old wizarding families – like Snape, Millicent Bulstrode, and so on. As long as they’re cunning, ambitious, and all the rest of it.
hpboy13 said this on November 10, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Poor Hufflepuffs. Hufflepuff House, more than Slytherin in my view, seems to get an unfortunate reputation. At least Slytherins are known for being powerful, if also dark.
Hufflepuffs do, as you say, exhibit traits of fairness (Cedric wanted to renounce his win against Gryffindor when Harry fell off his broom in book 3), and inclusiveness (Tonks seems as unbiased as any character in the series). But in further defense of Hufflepuff, I’d mention that Helga Hufflepuff says she’ll take the “lot,” which as I read it, means she’ll take everyone, not just “the rest,” which is, unfortunately, what she seems to be left with after the other three founders take their preferred students.
Inky Squirrel said this on November 10, 2009 at 5:58 pm
I agree with everyone here.
Hufflepuffs need more credit for their awesomeness!
I don’t think the hat cares if you’re pureblood or not. But how would it feel to be a muggleborn in Slytherin?
Mickey said this on November 10, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Inky Squirrel: I like your reasoning, that Helga was willing to take everyone and not just “the leftovers.” Brings that into a better perspective. :)
And poor Harry. Some people just tend to be attention-getters, whether they want it or not. And, I’ve got to admit, I don’t think I’d've handled most of his situations quite as well as he did.
Natalia said this on November 10, 2009 at 6:38 pm
I concur with what’s been said about Hufflepuff House. One more point to remember: the Sorting Hat was Gryffindor’s, so it has perhaps a small amount of bias. To someone who prizes bravery and courage, the less obvious traits of fairness and honesty may be easier to overlook.
And taking a broader view, doesn’t it seem counterproductive to segregate the student body based on their characteristics? Surely a more rounded collection of students in a House would benefit everyone in it. Is this common practice in Britain, or just at Hogwarts?
And on a slightly related note, that should perhaps be saved for the appropriate chapter post in Book 7, one of my favorite lines in the entire series is when Dumbledore tells Snape, “Sometimes I think we sort too soon”.
Ben said this on November 10, 2009 at 8:02 pm
I also like the part about Hufflepuff taking “the lot.” It seems like Hufflepuff gets a bad break since, probably, there just isn’t space to concentrate on all four houses and Ravenclaw usually gets to be the one after Gryffindor and Slytherin.
Anna said this on November 10, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Mickey, I presume that a muggleborn in Slytherin would quickly try to pass themselves off as quarterbloods (or halfbloods, if they can get away with it.) Anyone ambitious enough to get sorted into Slytherin would be willing to launder their origins.
Ben, I can’t speak for boarding schools in particular, but I’ve run across themed dormitories in other places, so it’s not unheard of to group people by like interests.
Kit Kendrick said this on November 11, 2009 at 9:52 am
After reading the comments so far, no wonder Hufflepuff House turned on the Harry the previous year. Think about it, Cedric gets chosen as a Triwizard Champion bringing glory to Hufflepuff House for the first time in a long time. Then comes Harry who somehow gets chosen as fourth champion taking away Cedric’s (and by extention, Hufflepuff’s) glory. We all know that Harry did not put his name into the Goblet of Fire but how many Hufflepuffs still hold a grudge against Harry at this point in the story after all that has happened since the end of the previous school year?
Jeremy said this on November 11, 2009 at 2:36 pm
Jeremy, I don’t think Hufflepuff has much of a grudge against Harry at this point – notice how many of them were in the DA. Hannah, Susan, Ernie, Justin, even (ew) Zacharias.
hpboy13 said this on November 11, 2009 at 4:19 pm
I seem to remember reading somewhere (I THINK it was the mugglenet/Leaky interview) that JK was asked whether or not that the voice that was heard when they were sorted was their own thoughts or something like that and she said yes it was something along those lines.
If that is true then all those from pure blood families would have grown up with the Pure blood rant being shoved down their throats all their lives so they would want to be in that house anyway and the Sorting hat would grant them their wish . It certainly did with Draco . And Snape certainly got his wish to be in Slytherin and we know he wasn’t pure blood .. Maybe it is just the way they are brought up and their wishes rather than the blood status.
auntypsycho said this on November 11, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Kim/Hayley/hpboy13: The Hat definitely seems inconsistent to me. Elsewhere it talks about Slytherin attributes of “cunning” and “ambition,” and what do those have to do with ancestry? Although I suppose the most ambitious wizards would tend to be those who grew up in the world (Muggle-borns are just excited to be there?), but it’s a stretch.
Remember also the historical context. 1000 years ago, there were presumably a lot more pure-blood wizards. The quote Hayley mentions is in Dumbledore’s comments for ‘The Fountain of Fair Fortune’ in TBB:
—
“So-called pure-blood families maintain their alleged purity by disowning, banishing, or lying about Muggles or Muggle-borns on their family trees. They then attempt to foist their hypocrisy upon the rest of us by asking us to ban works dealing with the truths they deny. There is not a witch or wizard in existence whose blood has not mingled with that of Muggles.”
John Kearns said this on November 12, 2009 at 5:52 am
auntypsycho: The quote you’re remembering is from the TLC/Bloomsbury interview, but it’s pretty noncommittal:
—
ES: Has the sorting hat ever been wrong?
JKR: No.
ES: Really?
JKR: Mm-mm. Do you have a theory?
ES: I have heard a lot of theories.
JKR: I bet you have. No. Sorry.
MA: That’s interesting, because that would suggest that the voice comes more from a person’s own head than the hat itself -
JKR: [makes mysterious noise]
MA: And that maybe when it talks on its own it comes from -
JKR: The founders themselves.
—
After which they change the subject. So I’m not sure what can be gleaned from that, although it’s an interesting thought….
John Kearns said this on November 12, 2009 at 5:55 am