Neville!

[BeardofPants]

Okay, so I just noticed in the first book how the sorting hat hesitates in placing neville as well (took a while). D'ye think the hat was debating on slytherin like he did with Harry? Or do you think I'm reading too much into it (with regards to the prophecy).

*BoP who is slightly slow on the uptake*

[Lizra]

What are the qualities of all the houses? (lazy, aren't I! )

[BeardofPants]

Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can top them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a steady mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!

Lazy buggeress!

I never noticed that hesitation before, but when I was reading HP to the BF, I noticed it then, and thought it was interesting since we find out in bk 5 that Neville is more important that we may have previously realised.

[Radagast The Brown]

I noticed it, and remembered it, because my sister keep mentioning it.

Anyway... I think it could've been Hufflepuff. Nothing else - Ravenclaw doesn't fit, and niether does Slytherin.

Hufflepuff, it was said in the 5th, taught all the students that weren't choosed by one of the other founders. So it makes sense he would be there... From some odd reason he was placed in Gryffindor.

[Lizra]

I agree with Radagast. Gryfindor or Hufflepuff, but no....not Slytherin. He seems just and loyal, and brave at heart certainly...once he got a little confidence. Maybe the hat paused because he is complex. A diamond in the rough.

[sirigorn]

I think it's because like Lizra said, he's complex. Just not on the surface.

Oh, and BoP, I luuurve your avatar.

~Siri~

[azalea]

I have finished the first book and am almost done w/ CoS.
I did notice how long it took to place him, and pondered that. I happen to think that it took a long time because the hat had to look into his future to see what house he belonged in. I think it seems like he belongs in Hufflepuff (and I would think people would wonder how he got into Gryff.).
I may be wrong since I haven't read all the books, but my prediction at this point is that he will have an act of extreme bravery with regard to the "larger" story, that the hat could see and thus it knew that he belonged in G. OR that he will have a strong personality when he is grown, but is as a youth kind of a nerd.

[sun-star]

I read an interesting essay on this which argued that because Neville and Harry are 'doubles' in the series, the time the Sorting Hat takes to sort them shows how neither of them can be categorised as easily as the house system requires. Harry has some qualities of each house while Neville doesn't really have any of them. Therefore, the fact that these two are the key to saving the wizarding world (we assume) means the divisions of that world - into houses at Hogwarts and into Death Eaters/Ministry supporters in later life - will have to be challenged at some point.

I'm not sure I accept that conclusion, but it's an interesting idea.

[Lizra]

Thats a fancy way of saying the sorting hat isn't as smart as it thinks it is? Silly old hat!

[sun-star]

Yeah

[Tanoliel]

Neville's important, that's for sure...I think the hat's a nice device for most people but it's hard to just sort people like that...when they're complex and all. Neville's got a lost going on....hmm. Must go re-read books.

[Lizra]

There's a thread of Sf fandom that talks about the gum wrappers Neville's mom gives him, and how they might come into play later!

Some examples:......"Has anyone got any theories about Neville? I think he's really really important to the story because he might still be the one in the prophecy though perhaps JK would have revealed it by now. Dumbledore must have told both sets of parents because as a result, the Potters went into hiding. I think that the reason the Longbottom's didn't was because they were aurors and Voldemorte was in power, Death Eaters were everywhere. Perhaps they felt they needed to stay and do their job. Instead, they thought to protect baby Neville by putting him under a very strong memory charm, so he couldn’t tap into or ‘remember’ his magic. They didn’t tell anyone, that we know of. The Grandmother certainly doesn’t know – I don’t think I would have told her either. But, there’s always a ‘but’, Mr. & Mrs. Longbottom didn’t count on how powerful a wizard Neville was going to be. The charm worked for years, until he was about to become part of the pavement under a tall window – then he bounced. Think about it, Neville was born at the same time as Harry, so his stars were calling for a powerful wizard and his parents were both very powerful wizards or they wouldn’t have gotten their job. Neville’s power goes haywire because it overflows, after being cooped up with the charm that is still on him. Think of book 1 when the children are being given flying lessons. Neville doesn’t do anything but mount his broom and the thing takes off. We all get side tracked because of his injury and Draco’s antics that we don’t pay to much attention to the fact that the boy soared around like that without so much as one lesson before. And did you notice that the next thing Harry is doing is saving Neville’s remembrall?"

"Now, looking at book 5, when Neville visits his parents, his mother make an effort to give Neville a bubble gum wrapper. JKR likes gum, just check out her website, so this is a good thing she is giving Neville. She also gives him these often, so she must think they are important. I feel this is part of the clue. After all, she would need to continue to keep up the memory charm, if she hadn’t been cursed herself. Maybe Neville’s candy had a little spell on it? She’s a mother, trying to make sure her child doesn’t fall into Voldemort’s hands. Curse or no curse, she is still trying to help Neville"

and:...... "I do like that idea-that somewhere in her mind, she's got information that she's passing on through the wrappers, even though she can't communicate it to anyone. So Neville could have the key to the whole thing wallpapered into his closet or something, and not realize it. that would be cool."


and:......" Drooble's Best Blowing Gum is an anagram of...

Gold bribe below St. Mungos

I found this very fascinating! It might be a bit of a stretch but who knows? But I too think that there was something more to the gum wrapper than what meets the eye! (sorry if it has been posted already) If you'd like to look at other interesting HP anagrams, take a look here http://www.freewebs.com/roxieshp/thebooks.htm"

Sounds good to me!

[Tanoliel]

I never thought of that!

How cool...

[Lady Ravyn]

gold bribe below st. mungo's... someone had a lot of time on their hands to get that from droobles best blowing gum lol

i think the soting hat was very right in oputting neville in gryffindor; he's shown his courage numerous times throughout all 5 books. he's got a fierce determination to do as much good as can be done. na dhe's got just as much of a reason to fight as harry; sure his personality on the surface seems hufflepuff-ish, but i couldn't picture him in any other house

[Legoles]

I think the sorting hat hesitated because it wasn't sure if Neville was
A. A squib,
B. a Gryffindor or a Hufflepuff,
Or
C. A fire crab in disguise [I'm j/k ing, I swear!]

[sirigorn]

Legoles, Neville couldn't be a Squib. Only magical children get letters, if he wasn't magical, then he couldn't get a letter. Also, he bounced when his uncle dropped him out of the window once.

~Siri~

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

Those anagrams are interesting. Do you think JK knows.

[Fimbrethil]

OMG! JKR has more or less said the reason why Neville was in Gryffindor is because of what he went through with his parents. JKR hans't said this herself but she has given you all the information in Dumbldore's speakings. Reread the book if you don't believe me. Knowing there alive and knowing them but they don't know you? He did a darn good job of handleing it all these years. And that thing...I believe you called it fandom. I call it crap. First off Neville's mom and dad do sort of know Neville they know he's someone special they care about him but other than that they're basically clueless. AND THEY AREN'T CURSED! Where in these books did you get that they were cursed? They had the ugh, I can't spell it but I'll describe it and maybe one of you can spell it, it's a forbidden curse and the user inflicts tremendous pain upon the reciever for as long as the user wishes. Frank and Alice Longbottom had this curse preformed on them for so long they went mad. Note their white hair and the fact that they didn't talk. Reread the book. I beg this entire forum to reread the books! This time retain some of the information in it! I'm in the 10th grade taking advanced courses with a buttload of homework every night and yet still I manage to reread, retain, and succsefully refute this kind of rubbish! I know you people can come with stuff better than this! Quit reading that fanfic crap because for over half of those people the books are far to complex for them.

[Tanoliel]

Cruciatus curse.
I don't think Neville's parents are particularly aware of anything...I mean, they have gone completely insane. But I wouldn't be suprised if there's something JKR hasn't told us.

[Fimbrethil]

Thank you.
Very true. I would expect her to twist somthing on us. What do oyu mean by completly aware? Alice did give him the gum wraper...use that in an example if ouy can please?