Chapter 7- The Sorting Hat

After a long hiatus, I am attempting to revive our chapter by chapters. 

• "Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall." There are a ton of empty classrooms in Hogwarts. In the fourth year you learn of some when they practice for the triwizard tournament, and the sheer size of the castle should show for how much empty space their must be. Why is there so much empty space? There are only so many subjects that need classrooms so why was Hogwarts built this big? Did their used to be more magic students?
  
  
  
• "Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear." Why is it fastened under his ear??
  
• Harry asks Ron how they get sorted, and he doesn't know. How, growing up in a wizarding family, does he not know? His whole family would have. Did it just never get mentioned?
  
• This is our first encounter with Peeves and the ghosts. I never understood why Peeves couldn't leave Hogwarts, but I know J.K. Rowling answered it at one point but I can't find where....
  Peeves - "Peeve" means "little devil" or something that "gets on your nerves" (like a pet peeve)."
  I never understood what a poltergeist was, so i just looked it up. It is.... (i had to turn wikipedia to simple english to for me to understand.
  "A Poltergeist is a spirit or ghost is able to move and influence objects. Poltergeists are said to be invisible.Poltergeists are said to bother only one person at a time. This person is called their "focus". Poltergeists will bother only their focus. They are said to only last a few weeks, then will move on to another target. Often poltergeists are reported around children and adolescents. In Harry Potter there is a poltergeist named Peeves. However, Peeves is not a classic poltergeist. He can be seen and does not focus on bothering just one person."
• In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, on page 671, it says, "Where are you heading if you've got the choice?' James lifted an invisible sword. "Gryffindor, where dwell the brave of heart.' Like my dad." How can James have this phrase, where dwell the brave of heart in his mind. It is indicated that he is quoting something. As far as our knowledge goes, this isn't ever said until after James dies, during the sorting in Harry's first year at Hogwarts when the sorting hat says "You might belong in Gryffindor, Where dwell the brave at heart, Their daring, nerve and chivalry, Set Gryffindors apart." The sorting hat makes a new song every year, so James shouldn't have had that quote in his mind.
  
• The never-solved question, why isn't everyone at Hogwarts fat? They have huge amazing feasts!!
  
• The only time they ever sing the school song!!! I love the school song!!!
  
• The password to the common room is Caput Draconis, which means dragon's head!
  Thats about it I think!!! I only have one more thing to say about this chapter.
  
  Some Background information on the Hogwarts houses. First of all, they all represent the four elements, earth air fire and water if you didn't get that before.
  
•  Gryffindor - "A "griffin" was "a creature in mythology with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle." Also known in Greek Mythology as the "gryphon," it was the protector of a god's gold from mortal men. In Greek, "gryphon" means "protector of wealth." In French "d'or" means "of gold," one of the Gryffindor House colors. The gryffin is fitting, considering lions are characterized as brave and courageous and eagles are desrcibed as being noble birds, all traits of the Gryffindor House. Ravenclaw -"Ravens are known to be smart birds. Makes sense that Ravenclaws are known as wise, quick learners." Hufflepuff- "The name Hufflepuff conjures up images of huffing and puffing. Its resident ghost is the Fat Friar, its head is Professor Sprout (suitably associated with the earth), and its animal, the badger (again, an earthy choice). Interestingly, the French version of the Harry Potter series calls this house Poufsouffle, which in French has very much the same feel as Hufflepuff produces in English. Slytherin- "The name has the idea of snakes in it due to the word “slither”, and remains unchanged in the translations of the Harry Potter series except in French, in which it becomes Serpentard, an obvious development."
  
  
• Ok, I found that interesting. Especially the Hufflepuff bit because i am prejudiced :) This thing is also incredibly interesting, I like it so much that I made emily type it up for me cause she has my copy of the book this quote is from, The Deathly Hallows Lectures: The Hogwarts Professor Explains the Final Harry Potter Adventure by John Granger. (yes, i know, i am nubby to have asked for this for my birthday :) 
  
  
  "The Italian Renaissance is largely about the relations between the four principle cities of the peninsula: Florence, Naples, Venice, and Milan.  Their inability to get along, or even cooperate in shared emergencies, leads to their subjection to France (charles vii, louis xii) and Spain (Ferdinand of Aragon).  "Four rivals in division being vulnerable to takeover"--sound familiar?  I suspect, too, that one of the spurs to Ms Rowling's creation of Quidditch as experienced at Hogwarts was the palio di silena.  Though now a competition between 17 different sections of the city, these passionate horse races, according to Titus Birckhardt in his book on siena, were originally between the principal four quarters of the city." Either this is a huge coincidence, or J.K. Rowling really did her homework!!!