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In times of old when I was new
And Hogwarts barely started
The founders of our noble school
Thought never to be parted:
United by a common goal,
They had the selfsane yearning,
To make the world's best magic school
And pass along their learning.
"Together we will build and teach!"
The four good friends decided
And never did they dream that they
Might someday be divided,
For were there such friends anywhere
As Slytherin and Gryffindor?
Unless is was the second pair
Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?
So how could it have gone so wrong?
How could such frienship fail?
Why, I was there and so can tell
The whole sad, sorry tale.
Said Slytherin, "We'll teach those whose
Intelligence is usrest."
Said Gryffindor, "we'll teach all those
With brave deeds to their name,"
Said hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot,
And treat them just the same."
These differences caused little strife
When first they came to light,
For each of the four founders had
A House in which they might
Take only those they wanted, so,
For instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning, just like him,
And only those of sharpest mind
Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and the boldest
Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,
And taught them all she knew,
Thus the Houses and thier founders
Retained friendships firm and true.
So Hogwarts worked in harmony
For severalhappy years,
But then discord crept amoung us
Feeding on our faults and fears.
The Houses that, like pillars four,
Had once held up our school,
Now turned upon eachother and,
Divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed the school
Must meet an early end,
What with dueling and with fighting
And clash of friend on friend
And at last there came a mourning
When old Slytherin departed
And though the fighting then died out
He left us quite downhearted.
And never since the founders four
Were whittled down to three
Have the Houses been united
As they once were meant to be.
And now the Sorting Hat is here
And you all know the score:
I sort you into Houses
Because that is what I'm for,
But this year I'll go further,
Listen closely to my song:
Though condemned I am to split you
Still I worry thet it's worng
Though I must fulfill my duty
And must quarter every year
Still I wonder whether sorting
May not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes
And we must unite inside her
Or we'll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you....
Let the Sorting now begin.
This Song has even more details about the school's founders and their personalities. It is here that the Hufflepuff stereotype is validated, even though it is still wrong. "Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest" sounds like Hufflepuff is made up of leftovers. But no student is a leftover. everone has a value, and Hufflepuff was good enough to see it. This is also not to mention the fact that the previous Songs described Hufflepuffs as just, loyal, patient, true, unafraid, and hard working. Those traits are hardly traits of so-called leftovers.
Here the Slytherin being evil stereotype is also perpetuated. This Song makes it sound as though it was all his fault that the founders had any arguments and he was the wrong one. But the Hat is also biased against this, being Gryffindor's hat. Also, the Hat warns against such rifts. It tries to get the Houses to cooperate, meaning that it can't fully believe Slytherins to be all evil, or else it would give advice fo how to get rid of all the Slytherins and defend the rest of the school. and remember, this hat has devled into all their minds; it knows whetheror not these kids (and yes, we're talking about school kids) are evil.
You may also nowice that this Song is very different from the other two. The Hat gives advice in this one. This is becausee Voldemort had just returned, and the Hat (who lives in Dumbledor's office, and can then overhear eveything that Dumbledore knows) knew that Umbridge was coming and what that would entail.
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Song 3 was taken from the following book:
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. First American ed. USA: Scholastic, 2003. 204-07. Print.