Quote:
Originally posted by CutiePie2000
If Harry had been sorted into Slytherin, he probably would have been the only good kid in there. Remember how the Sorting Hat contemplated putting him there (likely because he has a little bit of "essence of Voldemort" in him...the ability to speak Parselmouth, etc.). Thank Goodness that Harry did not get sent to the badass house! Also, there is some discussion earlier in the thread that Lily might be of mixed blood, so Harry might not be 100% Wizard, he might be 75% wizard blood (assuming that James is 100% and Lilly was 50-50) or Harry might be 50% wizard blood (assuming that James is 100% and Lilly was Muggle born, along the lines of Hermione). In any case, if Harry is not 100% Wizard blood, that might also explain why he did not go into Slytherin (not to mention he was pleading with the Sorting Hat silently , "not Slytherin")
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But the Sorting Hat also said to Harry, "I was right - you would have done well in Slytherin." Harry definitely has enough cunning to be attractive to Slytherin. But he was begging not to go to Slytherin, and we've seen his bravery as well as his cunning - hence Gryffindor.
The Hat would most likely not place someone in Slytherin if one or both of their parents were Muggles (e.g. Hermione) - but James Potter's family appears to be pureblood or close to it, and both of Harry's immediate parents were wizards even if Lily's family was a mixed bag. Apparently this would make him "acceptable" for Slytherin.
I don't think the Hufflepuffs are losers or leftovers either - maybe I phrased that badly. I suspect that you need to meet certain requirements (aside from just being a wizard) in order to get into Hogwarts in the first place - we know there are other wizarding schools. Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Slytherin were interested in specific character traits, but Hufflepuff's philosophy seems to be (as MysticCat said) that you don't need to have a specific trait to be a good wizard.
Oh, I think Cedric was a Hufflepuff...