harry potter - Why wasn't Snape sorted into Gryffindor?

In the epilogue of Deathly Hallows, when Harry’s son expresses trepidation about being sorted into Slytherin, Harry says:

“Albus Severus, you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew.”

Bravery is the trait typically associated with Gryffindor.

If Snape was so brave, why was he sorted into Slytherin instead?

Answer

Snape wasn't sorted into Gryffindor for the same reason Peter Pettigrew was sorted into Gryffindor despite being a coward and Hermione was sorted into Gryffindor rather than Ravenclaw. Bravery, unlike intelligence, ambition, and kindness, is not a constant trait or characteristic. Everyone and anyone can be brave, thus anyone who asks to be in Gryffindor is placed in Gryffindor. Snape wasn't placed in Gryffindor because he was more suited to Slytherin at the time, and because he didn't ask to be.

Snape knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in the seventh year and he was part of a gang of Slytherins who nearly all turned out to be Death Eaters.” – Sirius Black

The real question is, why didn't Snape ask to be in Gryffindor with Lily? Since E comes before S in the alphabet, Lily would have been sorted before Snape. If one can ask to be sorted into Gryffindor, and Snape loved Lily so much his Patronus matched hers, why didn't he ask the sorting hat to place him in Gryffindor?

Comments

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At least 20 years ago I watched a short animated film which stuck in my mind. The whole thing was wordless, possibly European, and I'm pretty sure I didn't imagine it... It featured a flying island which was inhabited by some creatures who (in my memory) reminded me of the Moomins. The island was frequently bothered by large winged animals who swooped around, although I don't think they did any actual damage. At the end one of the moomin creatures suddenly gets a weird feeling, feels forced to climb to the top of the island and then plunges down a shaft right through the centre - only to emerge at the bottom as one of the flyers. Answer Skywhales from 1983. The story begins with a man warning the tribe of approaching skywhales. The drummers then warn everybody of the hunt as everyone get prepared to set "sail". Except one man is found in his home sleeping as the noise wake him up. He then gets ready and is about to take his weapon as he hesitates then decides ...

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star wars - Why don't rebels take Stormtroopers' armor?

Admittedly, the armor of the stormtroopers is not the best, but it's better than nothing. Why don't the rebels strip the armor from dead stormtroopers to use with their best soldiers? I'd really like to understand why they don't do this.

aliens - Interstellar Zoo story

I vaguely remember this story from my childhood: it was about an interstellar zoo that came to Earth with lots of bizarre and unusual species, and humans would file through and gape at all the crazy looking creatures from other planets. The twist came at the end when the perspective shifted to the other side of the bars and we discovered that the "creatures" were traveling through space on a kind of safari. They thought they were the visitors and we were the animals. Neither side knew that the other side thought they were the zoo creatures. Answer Got it. Zoo, by Edward D. Hoch. Published in 1958. Link to Publication History Link to PDF

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