Did Lord Voldemort really choose Harry?

Did Lord Voldemort really choose Harry?

This topic serves as an archive of a thread from the Harry Potter Lexicon Forum as hosted on World Crossing which ceased operation on April 15, 2011. Elanor

essie125 - Sep 27, 2006 4:53 am
Edited by Kip Carter Nov 7, 2006 5:41 am
With all the dicussions going on about the Fidelius charm and why DD had james's cloak? One thing keeps coming back to me and that is of course the prophecy.

There has been a big discussion on wether or not Harry is THE CHOSEN ONE! and it has been accepted by all of us that Harry is, because LV 'marked him as his equal' as DD has said.

But to me, and probably many others, the fact that the prophecy applied to Neville as well has stayed with me. LV tried to kill Harry we all know that, but was Harry always supposed to be the chosen one? DD says that this is because LV saw so much of himself in harry, both were half-blood's etc.

But I was always of the opinion that both the Potters and the Longbottom's had gone into hiding. Personally I believe that DD had informed both sets of parents that their baby may be in grave danger, without telling them anything about the content of the prophecy. JULIEBUG It would have been strange for him not to do so.

We have to keep in mind that at that time DD did not yet know what the prophecy meant. Maybe DD thought that the to mark him as his equal meant that the child would grow up to be just like LV. Hence, the reason he does not tell the parents the content of the prophecy.

This may also account for the fact that DD was so happy to see that Harry had turned out so well when he first saw him at eleven. He was nothing like Tom Riddle at that age, who was already displaying his evil side back then. Harry and Tom had both had miserable chilhoods, but Harry had not been affected by that.

But there is of course another reason why DD could not tell the parents the full content of the prophecy, he knew that someone, Severus Snape , had overheard parts of the prophecy. He knew LV would be curious to find out the rest of the prophecy. So the fewer people knew about the prophecy, the better.

Now, it had already been established, that both sets of parents, had gone into hiding. And we all know that the potters were found and killed. LV of course tried to kill Harry as well and failed. And in doing so, he 'marked him as his equal'.

But how come LV murdered the Potters? Was it because he was specifically after Harry? I don't think so. The reason LV got the chance to murder the Potters was not because he was specifically after harry, but because the Potters had made the mistake of making a servant of LV secretkeeper.

So LV knew where the potters were hiding. He, as far as I know, did not know where the Longbottoms were hiding. So it would be only natural that he went to the Potters. bothe parents and child were seen as a threat by LV. If he had the chance of killing one of them, 'naturally' he would do it. I'm positive that if he had been able to kill Harry, he would have definitely gone after Neville.

So it was not a matter of choice, justa matter of luck, that he knew where the Poteers were. So In what way does this THE CHOSEN ONE ! title apply to Harry.

So what do you think did LV actually have a choice? He could not kill Neville, because he did not know where he was, but he knew where the Potters and Harry were. So that's why he went after them and not because he feared Harry more then Neville.

juliebug - Sep 27, 2006 6:27 am (#1 of 44)
I agree, that both sets of parents probably had been warned to some extent about the prophesy and the danger posed by Voldemort.

I also remember Dumbledore talking to Harry and discussing what would have made a more likely target than Neville. Dumbledore said that instead of going after the pure-blood wizard, he chose to persue Harry, the son of a muggle-born witch. This is much more similar to Riddle's own heritage of one magic parent and one muggle parent.

Accessibility to the target child may have been a factor in Voldemort's choice of Harry over Neville, but we also don't know what Voldemort would have done next if his night in Godric's Hollow had gone according to plan. He may have drawn the Longbottom's out of hiding sometime after killing the Potters and eliminated Neville as well. This is only conjecture, so who is really to say what would have happened (besides Rowling, of course:)

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shadzar - Sep 27, 2006 6:33 am (#2 of 44)
"Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies"
So far we only have two "choices" to comply with that line of the prophecy. However the Potters and Longbottom defied him I can't recall exactly right now, but it automatically limits the "choices"

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches"
I don't think would go unthought of by LD. IF you only heard these two lines you would think the "child" already had the power to vanquish LV at birth.

Since the "choices" were to those that had defied him already, they were more than likely already on his "to do" list.

Now whether LV made the choice or "fate" did is peculiar. LV would have wanted to remove anyone from standing in his way, meaning both children. So I also think given the chance he would have killed them both.

The problem comes with prophecies in general. Like history itself it is writen and decided upon by those who survived. So even knowing the whole prophecy doesn't mean LV chose Harry over Neville, just that he fits the bill from what we know of the prophecy. So the onlookers that KNOW of the prophecy, or just all in general who wanted to see LV gone decided Harry was the chosen one, because he was "the boy who lived" even after LV tried to kil him.

So the prophecy still doesn't discount Neville being the true one to "vanquish the Dark Lord". But we like everyone else are led to believe it is Harry, and get to view the world through Harry's eyes for the most part. So with what is known about the events until know (and the names of the book themselves) we can only surmised that LV didn't have a choice because it was Harry who lived because Lily's love and protecting him. I doubt LV would have chosen to almost die as a result of killing either child, and doubt he would have chosen to let one live. Rather he had no choice at all other than to try to kill the Potters since he knew where they were or not to kill them.

It would probably be of small importance to know if LV even knew about Neville. Peter could have easily told about Harry and his birthdate, but LV didn't even know about the Longbotom's whereabouts if I recall correctly, and I don't recall how Jr. et all, found them either.

Harry could have been set up from the beginning leaving LV no choice at all by those who had heard of the prophecy.

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
This line seems however, to reinforce that all things come from their choices, so we aren't left with any real answer other than JKR chose Harry.

"Neville Longbottom and the Goblet of Fire", just doesn't have the ring to it that would sell books...

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S.E. Jones - Sep 27, 2006 11:46 am (#3 of 44)
Let it snow!
It was my understanding that Voldemort chose Harry over Neville before Peter was made secret-keeper (hence why the Potters employed such a magical protection). As Dumbledore said, it's our choices, and Harry was Voldemort's choice. We not only have OP and HBP to consider (in both we are told that if Voldemort had chose not to go after Harry or Neville, he wouldn't have an equal to fight now) but also JKR's interviews (in which she says that if both Harry and Voldemort decided to walk away, they both could, and that if he'd chosen Neville, things would be different). She's come right out with saying that the prophecy didn't have any power until Voldemort decided to act on it. I guess I can see where the question of who is deciding these things (the prophecy or Voldemort) comes from but I think she's made it very clear that the prophecy on told what would happen if he chose, while Voldemort's decision to act and to choose Harry was what really mattered.

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far from prefect - Sep 27, 2006 2:22 pm (#4 of 44)
I've always thought (and hoped) that Neville would have a hand in the downfall of LV. He is just as motivated as Harry. Wouldn't it be a strange turn of events if the boy LV never considered was in part responsible for his demise. Go Neville!

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Detail Seeker - Sep 27, 2006 2:41 pm (#5 of 44)
Quod tempus non sanat, sanat ferrum,... so prepare
Had the Longbottoms really been in hiding ? I cannot remember this, but it may be, that I just forgot.

But apart from that, I think, we must distinguish between two parts of the prophecy: The Power to vanquish the Dark Lord and the "one cannot livwe while the other survives".

The first part is potentially ambiguous, though we know, that Harry is full "of a power, the Dark lord knows not". Of Neville, this is not known, but he may have. This part of the prophecy is independent of LV´s action. Given, that both boys have this power, he selected one of both to fit to the second part of the prophecy. He will search for a showdown between Harry and himself and thus, as Sarah said above, will activate the power within Harry to vanquish him. Neville may also have this power and may - per chance - have the opportunity to prove it - but this will be his choice. Voldemort does not know about a "kill or be killed" situation with Neville. he may have seen, that he might a bit of a nuisance, but he has marked Harry as his main opponent. So, in this situation, Harry fulfills all the criteria of the prophecy, while Neville does not.

But the prophecy does not say anything about the person mentioned being successful. So, if Harry fails, there might be another one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord. But that would not be covered by the prophecy and thus be a nasty surprise to Voldemort.

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juliebug - Sep 27, 2006 3:18 pm (#6 of 44)
Detail Seeker, "Had the Longbottoms really been in hiding ?"

It's not fact that the Longbottoms were in hiding. Many have come to this conclusions because Frank and Alice were not tortured until after Voldemort's attack on the Potters.

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legolas returns - Sep 27, 2006 3:25 pm (#7 of 44)
Didnt the torture of the Longbottoms happen when people were beginning to feel safe again. This suggests that it was some time after Voldemort disapeared.

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juliebug - Sep 27, 2006 3:34 pm (#8 of 44)
There doesn't seem to be an exact date. According to the Lexicon time line, the Longbottoms were tortured in late 1981 or early 1982.

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rambkowalczyk - Sep 28, 2006 3:39 pm (#9 of 44)
According to Dumbledore, Voldemort chose Harry because he saw him as the greater threat because he is a half-blood like himself. So unless this is Dumbledore's big mistake it is already in the books that Voldemort chose Harry.

As far as I know there is no canon evidence that the Longbottoms went into hiding or didn't go into hiding. IMHO, it is reasonable to assume that they did.

THe attack on the Longbottoms occured after Voldemort was defeated because Bella and Co thought the Longbottoms knew the whereabouts of Voldemort (maybe they thought the ministry had him in some secret prison) after that Halloween. It doesn't say in the books when it happened. It's reasonable to assume it happened late 81 or early 82, but it could also have been much later.

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essie125 - Sep 29, 2006 4:31 am (#10 of 44)
Jo, of course I think about Alan when I think about Snape, Who wouldn't think about Alan all day every day eh.
Personally I believe LV did not have much of a choice. He knew where Harry was, but he did not know where Neville was. Besides why would LV consider the Half-Blood more powerfull then the pure-blood, when he has spent most of his adult life covering up the fact that he himself was half-blood. It would seem to me, that he would go for the pure-blood wizard. I never got DD's theory on this one, but then again I hardly ever got anything DD was doing.

I'm glad he's gone (stop throwing the tomatoes )

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Morlicar - Sep 29, 2006 7:06 am (#11 of 44)
essie, I think that DD's thesus is that LV chose Harry because Harry was the most *like* LV. Both were half bloods.

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Vulture - Sep 29, 2006 7:20 am (#12 of 44)
It's just my opinion, but I like it !!
I'm glad he's gone (stop throwing the tomatoes ) (essie - Sep 29, 2006 4:31 am (#10))

And you a Gryffindor, too _ shame on you !! ;-)

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painting sheila - Sep 29, 2006 10:28 am (#13 of 44)
Doing one of the things I love best . . .
OH! I Just had a thought -

rambkowalczyk you said "THe attack on the Longbottoms occured after Voldemort was defeated because Bella and Co thought the Longbottoms knew the whereabouts of Voldemort (maybe they thought the ministry had him in some secret prison) after that Halloween. It doesn't say in the books when it happened. It's reasonable to assume it happened late 81 or early 82, but it could also have been much later. "

This made me think that Bella and Co knew there might have been a connection with the Longbottoms and LV. Since the Potters were unfindable, Longbottoms were next on the list. Why would they be next on the list? Bella and Co might not have known about the prophecy, but LV may have been having both families watched. They knew something was up - just didn't know what or what direction to go in.

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haymoni - Sep 29, 2006 10:30 am (#14 of 44)
Or did they just torture them because they were Aurors?

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essie125 - Sep 30, 2006 5:37 am (#15 of 44)
Jo, of course I think about Alan when I think about Snape, Who wouldn't think about Alan all day every day eh.
painting Sheila

I had not even thought about that.

HAYMONI you could be right as well. LV's deatheaters knew nothing about the prophecy, only that it was valuable and that LV wanted it, however they did not know what it contained.

off topic

I can't wait for the film. Have you all seen the pictures of Umbridge?

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S.E. Jones - Sep 30, 2006 1:46 pm (#16 of 44)
Let it snow!
Anyone wanting to discuss the movie pics, please go to movie threads. Thanks!

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essie125 - Oct 1, 2006 5:11 am (#17 of 44)
Jo, of course I think about Alan when I think about Snape, Who wouldn't think about Alan all day every day eh.
Sorry S.E. Jones,

I will.

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Gemini 13 - Oct 2, 2006 8:12 am (#18 of 44)
I think we might be reading into things a little too far. I think it would be strange to have 7 books of harry being persued by Voldemort... Harrys parents dying... Dumbledore dying... Sirius... everything that has happened to Harry and then in the last chapter its "oops... its really Neville not you that was supposed to defeat Voldemort" I dunno... it just doesn't seem like a good twist. Now its possible that Neville could be a big help to Harry... we have noticed him getting better and better... but at the same time... I think JKR would have also had the directors of the movies focus a little more on him from time to time... it would be odd for those watching the 7th movie to see Neville be the hero when he only has 1 or two real scenes in each movie. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

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Madame Pomfrey - Oct 2, 2006 10:24 pm (#19 of 44)
I am a firm believer that Harry is the last descendant of Godric Gryffindor and I think Voldemort knows this.He chose Harry not because he is a half blood,but because like Voldemort,Harry is related to a founder.In fact,they are descended from the very two that upset the harmony at Hogwarts.

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shadzar - Oct 3, 2006 10:37 am (#20 of 44)
Edited Oct 3, 2006 11:30 am
We don't even really know if LV know the birthdays of either Harry or Neville do we?

As well we only have parts of the prophecy to go on. Only DD, and Harry know the full prophecy right?

Or were the elipses just to show Trelawney trailing voice and long pauses to gasp for air?

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Choices - Oct 3, 2006 10:58 am (#21 of 44)
*Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter*
Voldemort knows the first part of the prophesy, so he must have a general idea that their birthdays are at the end of July.

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Steve Newton - Oct 3, 2006 11:14 am (#22 of 44)
Librarian
shadzar, I am not convinced that Neville didn't hear the prophecy at the MOM.

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shadzar - Oct 3, 2006 11:37 am (#23 of 44)
I see. Yes he was only a few feet away when it broke, Steve. Hmmm. But what would that mean? All the silly things that happen to Neville to make him less confident in himself could mean the prophecy WAS intended to mean Nevillle, but since LV had chosen to go after the Potters then he had forced the prophecy to be Harry instead. If Neville heard it then he would have a greater understaing of why "these things" always happen to him and gain more self confidence?

So maybe LV inadvertantly altered the prophecy to be Harry and the risidual effects of it being meant for Neville, could mean the prophecy will not necessarily go as planned or foretold?

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Steve Newton - Oct 3, 2006 12:27 pm (#24 of 44)
Librarian
You have several very good questions. I, alas, have no good answers.

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shadzar - Oct 3, 2006 12:45 pm (#25 of 44)
OH, I didn't mean you exactly knowing, but could those things be possible which could have ramifications on what we expect from the 7th book. Well at least I FINALLY came up with some good questions. XD

Had been feeling like I was just repeating everyone elses ideas that I hadn't gotten to read all of.

It just makes me wonder even if we have enough clues to figure anything out since there are so much unexplained and the possibilities are limitless.

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Hoot Owl - Oct 3, 2006 1:43 pm (#26 of 44)
Teacher
Does anyone think it significant that even though his name was only added to the card after GH, Harry was able to retrieve the prophecy from the shelf? After all only the those who it was about are supposed to be able to do that. Only the ' Dark Lord' and the one with the power to vanquish him are in the prophecy itself. Doesn't that support the idea that it was always about Harry

Would the magic protecting the orb know that the original (?) had been supplanted with Harry Potter ?

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shadzar - Oct 3, 2006 2:42 pm (#27 of 44)
I think that would depend on how you look at the prophecy. Since Harry is now the one foretold then only he could get it or LV. But if Neville had been chosen then he could get it.

DD says LV chose Harry, but that doesn't mean that the choice could not have altered the original intent.

When dealing with prophecies it is very difficult, and most are only resolved as to what they really meant AFTER the events have fully played out.

There are few choices in prophecies as to who can choose and what choices they have. Most boil down to either act upon it or not. But the choice of which child could further confuse the prophecy, and any action taken upon details of the prophecy could alter its meaning.

I guess we would have to know how the MoM exactly protects prophecies and see examples of others therein that involve multiple persons with multiple choices.

I won't rule out Harry was always the intended, but for Neville's point of view and what DD said about "what if Neville had gotten the scar" we will never know since it happened to Harry; either by choice or happenstance. I believe that Alice, an Auror, would have given her life to protect her son. If that was all that was required being the sacrifice then the AK could have easily rebounded as did with Harry, and marked Neville.

The only real clue we have is the name of the books and its main character. I kind of hope we never know what the true meaning is, because prophecies are more fun when left to individual interrpretation.

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far from prefect - Oct 3, 2006 2:55 pm (#28 of 44)
I never thought about the fact that Harry tosses the orb to Neville. At that point the only two people to touch it are the two boys the prophesy could have referred to. That's kind of interesting...

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S.E. Jones - Oct 3, 2006 3:52 pm (#29 of 44)
Let it snow!
Dumbledore says that only the ones the prophecy refers can remove it from it's place on the shelf, not that only the ones it refers to can touch it, there's a difference. Obviously others could touch once it was removed from the shelf, otherwise why would Lucius have asked Harry to hand it to him. Wasn't that the whole point behind Voldemort's plan? He could lure Harry there to take it off the shelf and then have his DEs there to take it from Harry?

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far from prefect - Oct 5, 2006 2:56 pm (#30 of 44)
Well, of course that is the whole plan. And, yes, others can touch it after one of the parties refered to has removed it. I just never noticed that it was our two potential "chosen ones" who were handling it. Found that moderately interesting....

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essie125 - Oct 6, 2006 5:53 am (#31 of 44)
Jo, of course I think about Alan when I think about Snape, Who wouldn't think about Alan all day every day eh.
So that would mean that the spell is on the shelf in stead of the orb. wasn't the label with the names also on the shelves? Could this mean that whichever name is on the label, those people can take the orb of the shelf. So The prophecy could still be about Neville.

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S.E. Jones - Oct 6, 2006 5:35 pm (#32 of 44)
Let it snow!
essie --So that would mean that the spell is on the shelf in stead of the orb. wasn't the label with the names also on the shelves? Could this mean that whichever name is on the label, those people can take the orb of the shelf. So The prophecy could still be about Neville.--

Didn't JKR say it wasn't about Neville both in HBP and on her website? Here's what she said on her site (under the FAQ about the books; bold and underline are mine):
FAQ: What is the significance of Neville being the other boy to whom the prophecy might have referred?
A: Finally, I am answering the poll question! I am sorry it has taken so long, but let me start by saying how glad I am that this was the question that received the most votes, because this was the one that I most wanted to answer. Some of you might not like what I am going to say – but I'll address that issue at the end of my response!

To recap: Neville was born on the 30th of July, the day before Harry, so he too was born 'as the seventh month dies'. His parents, who were both famous Aurors, had 'thrice defied' Voldemort, just as Lily and James had. Voldemort was therefore presented with the choice of two baby boys to whom the prophecy might apply. However, he did not entirely realise what the implications of attacking them might be, because he had not heard the entire prophecy. As Dumbledore says:

'He [the eavesdropper] only heard the beginning, the part foretelling the birth of a boy in July to parents who had thrice defied Voldemort. Consequently, he could not warn his master that to attack you would be to risk transferring power to you.'

In effect, the prophecy gave Voldemort the choice of two candidates for his possible nemesis. In choosing which boy to murder, he was also (without realising it) choosing which boy to anoint as the Chosen One – to give him tools no other wizard possessed – the scar and the ability it conferred, a magical window into Voldemort's mind.

So what would have happened if Voldemort had decided that the pure-blood, not the half-blood, was the bigger threat? What would have happened if he had attacked Neville instead? Harry wonders this during the course of 'Half-Blood Prince' and concludes, rightly, that the answer hinges on whether or not one of Neville's parents would have been able, or prepared, to die for their son in the way that Lily died for Harry. If they hadn't, Neville would have been killed outright. Had Frank or Alice thrown themselves in front of Neville, however, the killing curse would have rebounded just as it did in Harry's case, and Neville would have been the one who survived with the lightning scar. What would this have meant? Would a Neville bearing the lightning scar have been as successful at evading Voldemort as Harry has been? Would Neville have had the qualities that have enabled Harry to remain strong and sane throughout all of his many ordeals? Although Dumbledore does not say as much, he does not believe so: he believes Voldemort did indeed choose the boy most likely to be able to topple him, for Harry's survival has not depended wholly or even mainly upon his scar.

So where does this leave Neville, the boy who was so nearly King? Well, it does not give him either hidden powers or a mysterious destiny. He remains a 'normal' wizarding boy, albeit one with a past, in its way, as tragic as Harry's. As you saw in 'Order of the Phoenix,' however, Neville is not without his own latent strengths. It remains to be seen how he will feel if he ever finds out how close he came to being the Chosen One.

Some of you, who have been convinced that the prophecy marked Neville, in some mystical fashion, for a fate intertwined with Harry's, may find this answer rather dull. Yet I was making what I felt was a significant point about Harry and Voldemort, and about prophecies themselves, in showing Neville as the also-ran. If neither boy was 'pre-ordained' before Voldemort's attack to become his possible vanquisher, then the prophecy (like the one the witches make to Macbeth, if anyone has read the play of the same name) becomes the catalyst for a situation that would never have occurred if it had not been made. Harry is propelled into a terrifying position he might never have sought, while Neville remains the tantalising 'might-have-been'. Destiny is a name often given in retrospect to choices that had dramatic consequences.

Of course, none of this should be taken to mean that Neville does not have a significant part to play in the last two novels, or the fight against Voldemort. As for the prophecy itself, it remains ambiguous, not only to readers, but to my characters. Prophecies (think of Nostradamus!) are usually open to many different interpretations. That is both their strength and their weakness.

Still, essie's comments do raise some interesting questions about the room of prophecies at the MoM. Would the Keeper of the Hall of Prophecy need to know the contents of the prophecy to make the labels? If so, and Harry and Dumbledore are the only ones who knew the full content, could Dumbledore have been the Keeper of the prophecies at the time it was made?

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T Vrana - Oct 7, 2006 3:44 pm (#33 of 44)
Madame Pomfrey- I have wondered, too, if Harry is a descendant of Gryffindor and that is why LV chose him. DD said he thought LV was going to make his seventh horcux with Harry's murder, and he wanted to use items connected to the founders for his horcruxes. But DD has Gryffindor's only heirloom, the sword. What if, when DD said in CoS that only a true Gryffindor could pull Gryffindor's sword from the Sorting Hat, he meant a REAL Gryffindor, not sorted into Gryffindor, but a descendant?

And, since he was trying to make a horcux, did he succeed in making one with something of Gryffindor, Harry. Is this why DD has been watching Harry so closely all this time and why Harry has the connection to LV. This last part really should go on the horcrux thread I suppose...

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Choices - Oct 7, 2006 5:56 pm (#34 of 44)
*Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter*
T Vrana - "LV was going to make his seventh horcux with Harry's murder"

It would have been his sixth Horcrux. The diary, ring, locket, Hufflepuff Cup, something of Ravenclaw's or Gryffindor's, and Nagini. The seventh part of his soul resides in Voldemort himself.

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T Vrana - Oct 7, 2006 6:54 pm (#35 of 44)
oh, yeah...thanks for the correction!

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far from prefect - Oct 9, 2006 1:28 pm (#36 of 44)
And, not to split hairs, but there are two Gryffindor relics at Hogwarts. The sword and the Sorting Hat.

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T Vrana - Oct 9, 2006 1:35 pm (#37 of 44)
True, but didn't DD refer to the sword as Gryffindor's only heirloom. Is the hat considered no longer his because all the founders contributed to it to make it not just a hat, but The Sorting Hat?

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Choices - Oct 9, 2006 1:44 pm (#38 of 44)
*Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter*
The hat itself belonged to Gryffindor, but all the founders contributed to it equally to make it into the Sorting Hat.

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T Vrana - Oct 9, 2006 2:06 pm (#39 of 44)
Right, that's what I was trying to say. It was just a hat, Gryffindor's, but just a hat. It was "reborn", you might say, as The Sorting Hat, and no longer a Gryffindor possession.

DD from "Horcruxes":

"I am confident, however, that the only known relic of Gryffindor remains safe."

Then he points to the sword. The Sorting Hat, I would think, is a relic of all four founders.

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S.E. Jones - Oct 9, 2006 2:17 pm (#40 of 44)
Let it snow!
Maybe the key point of that sentence is "known". Maybe most people don't know that the hat belonged to Gryffindor (prior to the hat mentioning it in a song in GoF, it think?) or maybe the comment means that there may be other relics out there but no one knows about them?

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Choices - Oct 9, 2006 7:11 pm (#41 of 44)
*Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter*
S.E. Jones - "Maybe most people don't know that the hat belonged to Gryffindor"

Yes, but Dumbledore made that statement and surely he, of all people, would know if the hat were also a relic of Gryffindors.

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Nathan Zimmermann - Oct 9, 2006 7:13 pm (#42 of 44)
In any event J.K. Rowling removed the possibilty that the Sorting Hat is a Horcrux on her website.

The Sorting Hat is a Horcrux.

No, it isn't. Horcruxes do not draw attention to themselves by singing songs in front of large audiences. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

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S.E. Jones - Oct 9, 2006 8:03 pm (#43 of 44)
Let it snow!
What I meant, Choices, was known by others other than Dumbledore.

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Meoshimo - Oct 9, 2006 9:57 pm (#44 of 44)
I think that after it was bewitched by the four founders, the hat became property of Hogwarts.