The Sorting Ceremony

• Type: School Tradition; Student Placement Ceremony
• Key Component: Sorting Hat
• Maker: The concept was created by the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; the Sorting Hat itself was enchanted by Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin.

The Sorting Ceremony is an annual tradition that takes place at the beginning of every school year at Hogwarts. It is held in the Great Hall before the start-of-term feast. The new first-year students are led into the Hall after the rest of the student body and staff have taken their seats at the four long House tables. At the head of the Hall, before the staff table, a three-legged stool is placed. Professor Minerva McGonagall, in her capacity as Deputy Headmistress, traditionally places the ancient Sorting Hat upon this stool. The Hat appears tattered, patched, and frayed. The ceremony begins when the rip near the brim of the Hat opens like a mouth and it sings a song. After the song, Professor McGonagall reads the names of the first-years from a long roll of parchment.

The core purpose of the Sorting Ceremony is to assign each new student to one of the four Hogwarts Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin.

• The Sorting Hat's Song: Each year, the Sorting Hat composes and sings a new song. The song's lyrics typically describe the founding of Hogwarts, the distinct qualities valued by each House, and sometimes contains cryptic advice or warnings about the current state of the wizarding world.
• The Sorting Process: Students are called forward one by one in alphabetical order. The student sits on the stool, and the Sorting Hat is placed on their head, often falling over their eyes. The Hat uses a form of Legilimency to delve into the student's mind, assessing their personality, values, and potential. It looks for qualities such as courage (Gryffindor), loyalty and fairness (Hufflepuff), intelligence and wit (Ravenclaw), or ambition and cunning (Slytherin).
• Student's Choice: The Hat can engage in a mental conversation with the wearer. Crucially, the student's own choice is taken into account. This was a pivotal factor in Harry Potter's Sorting, where he pleaded not to be placed in Slytherin, leading the Hat to place him in Gryffindor. Albus Dumbledore later confirmed the significance of this, stating, “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
• Hatstalls: On rare occasions, the Hat takes longer than five minutes to decide on a student's House. Such an event is known as a Hatstall.

Once the decision is made, the Hat loudly proclaims the name of the chosen House. The student then removes the Hat, and their new House table erupts in applause as they go to join their housemates. The ceremony concludes once the last student has been sorted.

The Sorting Ceremony was devised by the four founders of Hogwarts a thousand years ago. Concerned about how students would be sorted into their respective houses after their deaths, Godric Gryffindor provided his own hat. All four founders imbued it with their intelligence and criteria, creating the sentient Sorting Hat to carry on the task for them. The ceremony has been the first official act for every incoming student at Hogwarts ever since, marking their formal induction into the school.

The Sorting Ceremony is a significant recurring event in the series.

• In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, it serves as Harry Potter's and the reader's first true introduction to the Hogwarts House system. Harry's internal struggle and his choice to reject Slytherin establishes a core theme of choice over innate talent.
• In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Dumbledore uses Harry's Sorting to reassure him that he is a true Gryffindor, despite his ability to speak Parseltongue.
• In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the Sorting Hat's song is unusually long and contains a direct warning, urging the four houses to unite against an external threat, foreshadowing the gravity of Lord Voldemort's return.
• In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the ceremony is brutally interrupted by Voldemort. He attempts to destroy the Sorting Hat and abolish the House system. However, the Hat later plays a vital role in the Battle of Hogwarts by presenting the Sword of Gryffindor to Neville Longbottom, who uses it to destroy Nagini, Voldemort's final Horcrux.

• J.K. Rowling has revealed on the Wizarding World website that true Hatstalls are exceptionally rare, happening only about once every fifty years. She identified Minerva McGonagall (who the Hat debated placing in Ravenclaw) and Peter Pettigrew (who the Hat debated placing in Slytherin) as famous Hatstalls from the books' era. (Pottermore)
• In the film adaptations, the Sorting Hat's annual song is largely omitted for pacing. While a song was written and recorded for the film version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, it was cut from the final theatrical release. (film)
• The official Wizarding World website (formerly Pottermore) features a Sorting quiz, written by J.K. Rowling, that allows fans to participate in their own version of the Sorting Ceremony to discover their Hogwarts House. (Pottermore)