Hogwarts Sorting Hat

• Type: Sentient Magical Artifact, Sorting Device
• Owners: Godric Gryffindor, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
• Maker: Enchanted by Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin

The Sorting Hat is an ancient, conical wizard's hat described as being patched, frayed, and extremely dirty. It appears tattered and weather-beaten from centuries of use. A rip along the brim acts as a mouth, allowing the Hat to speak and sing. Its unassuming and shabby appearance belies the profound magic and consciousness it holds within.

The Sorting Hat possesses several powerful magical properties, making it one of the most remarkable enchanted objects at Hogwarts.

• Sentience and Communication: The Hat is fully sentient, capable of independent thought, speech, and even composing complex songs. Each year, at the start-of-term feast, it sings a new song that often reflects the current state of the wizarding world or provides a history of Hogwarts and its houses. Notably, in Harry's fifth year, its song was a direct warning about the dangers of internal division.
• Legilimency: The Hat's primary function is to sort new students into one of the four Hogwarts Houses. To do this, it employs a form of Legilimency, allowing it to delve into a student's mind to perceive their qualities, potential, and character. It assesses traits such as bravery for Gryffindor, loyalty for Hufflepuff, intellect for Ravenclaw, and ambition for Slytherin.
• Consideration of Choice: While the Hat can judge a student's inherent qualities, it places significant value on the wearer's personal choice. This was most famously demonstrated during Harry Potter's sorting, where the Hat detected his potential for Slytherin but ultimately placed him in Gryffindor at his own desperate request. As Albus Dumbledore later explained, “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
• Summoning the Sword of Gryffindor: The Hat has a unique connection to another artifact of its original owner, the Sword of Godric Gryffindor. It can present the sword to any true Gryffindor who demonstrates immense courage and need, regardless of the Hat's physical location. Harry Potter pulled the sword from the Hat to fight the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, and Neville Longbottom did the same to slay Nagini during the Battle of Hogwarts.

The Sorting Hat originally belonged to Godric Gryffindor, one of the four founders of Hogwarts. When the founders grew concerned about how students would be sorted into their respective houses after their deaths, Gryffindor took off his own hat. He and the other three founders then enchanted it, putting “some brains” in it and entrusting it with the task of continuing the sorting process for centuries to come. For a thousand years, the Hat has been placed on the head of every new student at the annual Sorting Ceremony. Between ceremonies, it is kept in the Headmaster's Office on a shelf. Over the centuries, it has witnessed the entire history of the school unfold, making it an invaluable, if taciturn, repository of knowledge.

The Sorting Hat plays a crucial and recurring role throughout the series, acting not only as a sorter but also as a significant plot device.

• Sorting of Harry Potter: In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the Hat's near-decision to place Harry in Slytherin introduces the conflict within Harry regarding his connection to Lord Voldemort. Its final decision to place him in Gryffindor based on his choice sets a foundational theme for the entire series.
• The Chamber of Secrets: The Hat proves Harry's worthiness as a true Gryffindor by providing him with the Sword of Godric Gryffindor in his moment of greatest need. This act solidifies Harry's identity and reassures him that he does not belong in Slytherin.
• The Battle of Hogwarts: In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the Hat is set on fire by Lord Voldemort in an attempt to destroy it and the old ways of Hogwarts. However, it delivers the sword to Neville Longbottom, empowering him to destroy Voldemort's final Horcrux, Nagini. This moment is a turning point in the battle and a testament to the Hat's resilience and enduring purpose.

• The term Hatstall is used for a sorting that takes longer than five minutes. This is a rare event. Known Hatstalls include Minerva McGonagall, whom the Hat deliberated over for five and a half minutes between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, and Peter Pettigrew, whom the Hat placed in Gryffindor after a lengthy debate over his suitability for Slytherin. Harry Potter's sorting, while difficult, was not a true Hatstall (Pottermore).
• In the film adaptations, the Sorting Hat is voiced by actor Leslie Phillips. Its physical appearance is brought to life with CGI, giving its folds and the tear along its brim expressive, face-like qualities (film).
• The official Wizarding World website (formerly Pottermore) features an authorized “Sorting Ceremony” quiz, created with input from J.K. Rowling, which allows fans to be sorted by a digital version of the Hat (Pottermore).