Hogwarts houses

In the Harry Potter series, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is divided into four houses, each bearing the last name of its founder: Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff. The houses compete throughout the school year, by earning and losing points for various events, for the House Cup. Each house also has its own Quidditch team that competes for the Quidditch Cup. These two competitions breed rivalries between the houses, the greatest of which is that between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Houses at Hogwarts are the living and learning communities for its students. Each year group of a certain house shares the same dormitory and classes.

House system

The house system is not unique to Hogwarts as it is a feature of many real schools in some English-speaking countries today. As with many other features of Hogwarts, J.K Rowling has adapted features of real-world boarding schools to add verisimilitude to the Harry Potter universe. House rivalries, separate dormitories, and the point system are all features of the real house system. The house system at Hogwarts may, within the timeline of the books, pre-date the earliest house system in the real world.

Sorting

In the Hogwarts' early days, the four founders handpicked students for their Houses. When the founders worried how students would be selected after their deaths, Godric Gryffindor took his hat off and each "put some brains" in it, allowing The Sorting Hat to choose students. Now, at the beginning of each school year, the magical Sorting Hat is placed on each new student's head, during the Sorting Ceremony. The Sorting Hat announces the house the student is bound to join. Before beginning the Sorting ceremony, it sings a short song about the founding of the school and the four houses; The Sorting Hat's songs are different every year, and the Hat is said to take all year composing the next one (according to Ron Weasley, at least). The songs tend to give advice in troubled times.Template:HP5

The Hat sorts by judging each student's qualities and placing them in the most appropriate house. The student's own choices may affect the decision: the clearest example is the Hat telling Harry Potter that he would do well in Slytherin in the first book, but ultimately selecting Gryffindor after Harry asks it not to put him in Slytherin. Another example is in the fifth book when Hermione Granger states that The Sorting Hat considered sorting her into Ravenclaw, but after she clearly stated in a previous chapter that she wanted to be in Gryffindor, her choice probably ultimately overrides The Sorting Hat, resulting in her placement into Gryffindor. Albus Dumbledore later explains to Harry that this is how it should be, when one considers how a person's choices define them more than their abilities. It is in fact likely that the Hat selects houses according to the predetermined decisions of an informed student, and only genuinely selects those who have no preconceptions or expectations (according to Horace Slughorn, house affiliations tend to run in families, and it is notable that Ron Weasley could not consider being in any house other than that which every other member of his family had been in; however, when Harry mentions this, Hermione points out that Parvati Patil and Padma Patil, who are twins, are sorted differently, into Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, respectively). For example, every member of the Black family had been sorted into Slytherin, with Sirius Black being the sole exception, which was remarked upon by Slughorn, its Head. On the other hand, many House members appear to share common traits: it is unknown if these are present before Sorting and used as criteria, or if they are inculcated into students through their presence in the House.

The hat does not just consider the student's most obvious strengths; it also sees a student's potential qualities. "You could be great you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness", it says to Harry when it suggests Slytherin as the best house for his future. Similarly, Hermione and Neville Longbottom do not immediately jump out as prime examples of Gryffindor courage in the beginning of the series, but they have both gained a tremendous amount of courage as they have grown. Hermione is even asked point-blank in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix why the Hat didn't put her in Ravenclaw, considering her intelligence. Her answer is that the Hat "considered it, but decided on Gryffindor in the end" after she insisted on it which could mean that the student's own wishes are the determining factor in most sorts (notably, she wanted to be in Gryffindor before even arriving at the school). Similarly, Neville may have a number of qualities suggestive of Hufflepuff, yet was sorted into Gryffindor. Interestingly, in the final novel of the series, Dumbledore notes that Snape is braver than most men, and that perhaps Hogwarts sorts too early.

House dynamics

The four houses are rather separate entities. Each has its own common room and dormitory, its own table in the Great Hall, and students mostly share lessons with classmates of their same house. There is no rule against students from different houses mingling, but in practice, a good majority of social interactions occur within the same house. Each house has one teacher who acts as its Head of House, along with its own ghost. Both Head of House and house ghost were previously pupils within that house.

A great deal of rivalry exists between the houses. This rivalry is demonstrated in the Quidditch matches and the annual school competition for the House Cup, which is determined by the number of points earned or lost by each member of the rival houses. These points are awarded or taken based on students' conduct throughout the school year. All members of the faculty, and school prefects have the authority to grant and deduct points as they see fit in each instance.^[1] Some, like Severus Snape, the former Potions master, tend to favour their own house, but that does not seem to be against the rules. He is despised by many students, other than those in Slytherin, where he is very popular. It is unknown how much favouritism the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw Heads show, although it can be deduced that it is minimal or non-existent, as both Professor Filius Flitwick (Ravenclaw) and Professor Pomona Sprout (Hufflepuff) are kind, lighthearted people, who obviously want to win the House and Quidditch Cups but are not as vindictive as Snape in going about it. It is known that Professor Minerva McGonagall, the stern head of Gryffindor, does not show much favoritism towards her house. In fact, she deducted 50 points apiece and awarded detentions to three students in her house (Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Neville Longbottom) when they were caught out of bed after hours in the first book (Ronald Weasley in the movie version), and supported Professor Snape wholeheartedly in giving Harry detentions for the rest of the school year, even on overlapping Quidditch matches, after Harry used the Sectumsempra spell on Draco Malfoy in book six.

According to Rubeus Hagrid, "every wizard that's ever gone bad was in Slytherin." While this appears to be a general rule, there are exceptions; Peter Pettigrew, for example, was from Gryffindor yet betrayed the Potters to Voldemort. Hagrid's statement here is also interesting, as at that time, Sirius Black, an ex-Gryffindor student, was thought to have been a Dark wizard. However, it is possible that Hagrid was unaware of this, given his friendly attitude towards Sirius when he loaned him his flying motorcycle. None of this necessarily means, however, that all Slytherins are evil. For example, Horace Slughorn has been a loyal friend of Albus Dumbledore and has helped him on different occasions. Slytherins are chosen for their cunning and pure-blood heritage (although blood purity does not appear to be essential - Lord Voldemort and Snape were half-bloods, though Voldemort certainly is prejudiced. Furthermore, Fenrir Greyback states that there aren't many muggle-born Slytherins). It has also been said that all four houses must band together and fight as one if Hogwarts is to stand. It must be remembered that all of the Houses have their virtues and flaws: none are inherently good or evil. Slytherins may have earned their reputation as evil because they show such contempt towards Gryffindor, the protagonist house. They also don't show much generosity towards other houses either, whether those in them are pure-blood or not.

House rivalry is most seen between Slytherin and Gryffindor ("Gryffindor and Slytherin students loathed each other on principle"Template:HP6). This rivalry likely goes back to the days of Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin after they founded Hogwarts, because the Sorting Hat said that they were the best of friends before they founded the school.Template:HP5 While it is not clear if there is a similar rivalry between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, it seems very much unlikely due to the cheerful disposition of the Heads for said Houses, as opposed to the contempt of Professor Snape and the passion of Professor McGonagall (Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff, however, once great friends, are documented as having had a severe falling out at some point by the Sorting Hat's song in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix).

Usually, though not always, the other two houses appear (in Harry's eyes) to support Gryffindor in its rivalry with Slytherin, which again is reminiscent of how Slytherin was in the end opposed by all three other Founders. Dumbledore's Army is a representation of the unity between these three houses, as all of its members are Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs. There are no Slytherin members. However, one exception to this occurred when Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin all initially supported Hufflepuff's Cedric Diggory instead of Gryffindor's Harry Potter in the Triwizard Tournament.Template:HP4 Also in the first Quidditch match of book 6, it is said that many of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws had "taken sides" in the Gryffindor vs Slytherin match, but does not specify which Houses took which side (due to the nature of previous books however, it is likely that they chose Gryffindor over Slytherin).

Before the final Battle of Hogwarts, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw join Gryffindor in defending Harry Potter against Slytherins willing to turn Harry in to Lord Voldermort. After Slytherin Pansy Parkinson screams for someone to "grab [Harry Potter]", students from the other three houses rise in a "massive movement" and stand facing the Slytherins with their wands drawn. In addition, when the school is evacuated, seventh-year students are given the option of staying to fight; many Ravenclaws, even more Hufflepuffs, and almost all of the Gryffindors (including several underage students who need to be forcibly evacuated by McGonagall) remain, but all of the Slytherins leave. (Voldemort later remarks that several of them have even joined their parents on his side.) Only Slughorn helps in the final battle, rallying the citizens of Hogsmeade Village to join the fight and duelling Voldemort himself.Template:HP7 This seems to go against the Sorting Hat's warning that Hogwarts could only survive if the four houses stood united, yet when Harry visits the headmaster's office following the battle, Phineas Nigellus Black seems proud of Slytherin's contribution, so it is possible that Snape's work as a spy against Voldemort went a long way towards redeeming his house's standing in the school's history.

The houses of Hogwarts

Gryffindor

Gryffindor crest

Gryffindor values courage, nerve, and chivalry above all else. Its animal is the lion, and its colours are scarlet and gold. Nearly Headless Nick is the house ghost. According to Rowling, Gryffindor corresponds roughly to the element of fire. The founder of the house is Godric Gryffindor. To emphasize the House's affliation with fire, Gryffindor alumni like Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall, seem to prefer fire as their weapon of choice.

Located in one of the castle's highest towers, the entrance to which is located on the seventh floor and is guarded by a painting of the Fat Lady, who is garbed in a pink dress. She permits entry only after being given the correct password, regularly changed by the House's prefects.

The current Head of Gryffindor House is Professor Minerva McGonagall.

A few notable Gryffindors (for a complete list, see List of characters in the Harry Potter books. Also see Minor Gryffindors):

Harry Potter
Ron Weasley (Also see The Weasley Family)
Hermione Granger
Neville Longbottom
Albus Dumbledore
Minerva McGonagall
James Potter
Lily Evans
Remus Lupin
Sirius Black
Peter Pettigrew
Rubeus Hagrid

Hufflepuff

Hufflepuff crest

Hufflepuff, founded by Helga Hufflepuff, values hard work, loyalty, tolerance, and fair play above all else. Its animal is the badger, and canary yellow and black are its colours. The Fat Friar is its ghost. According to Rowling, Hufflepuff corresponds roughly to the element of earth. The Hufflepuff dormitories and common room are located somewhere in the basement, their entrance found through a still-life painting that is somewhere near the kitchens. You must give a password to the painting to enter. The Hufflepuff common room is filled with yellow hangings and fat armchairs and it has little underground tunnels leading to the dormitories, all of which have perfectly round doors, like barrel tops (very much like a badger sett)^[2]. Very few Hufflepuff members are specifically mentioned, and, in general, they are not seen much in the Harry Potter books. The current Head of Hufflepuff House is Pomona Sprout.

A few notable Hufflepuffs (for a complete list, see List of characters in the Harry Potter books. Also see Minor Hufflepuffs):

Ravenclaw

Ravenclaw crest

Ravenclaw values intelligence, creativity, wit, and wisdom."Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure" is an oft-repeated Ravenclaw proverb Template:HP5 Template:HP7. Its animal is the eagle (not a raven as expected), and its colours are blue and bronze (though the movies have portrayed their colors as blue and silver). The house ghost is the Grey Lady, who was revealed in book 7 to be Helena Ravenclaw, daughter of Hogwarts co-founder Rowena Ravenclaw after whom the house was named. According to Rowling, Ravenclaw corresponds roughly to the element of air. Rowena Ravenclaw was also the apparent owner of the diadem, which was proven as a horcrux in Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The Ravenclaw common room and dormitories are located in Ravenclaw Tower on the west side of the school. Few Ravenclaw students are specifically mentioned in the Harry Potter books. The common room is round, like Gryffindor's common room, and has a dome ceiling painted with stars. It also features the bust of Rowena Ravenclaw wearing her diadem. In order to gain entry to the Ravenclaw common room, a logical riddle must be solved. This is in contrast to the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Slytherin common rooms, which require a password to enter. This likely is meant to correspond with the wit and intelligence associated with Ravenclaw, and the riddles seen in the book are philosophical in nature eg. 'What came first, the phoenix or the flame?' and 'Where do vanished objects go?', the answers to which are, respectively, 'A circle has no beginning' and 'Into nonbeing, that is to say everything', as stated by Luna Lovegood and Professor McGonagall respectively.

The current head of Ravenclaw house is Filius Flitwick.

A few notable Ravenclaws (for a complete list, see List of characters in the Harry Potter books. Also see Minor Ravenclaws):

Slytherin

Like Salazar Slytherin, its founder, Slytherin house values ambition, cunning, resourcefulness, and pure blood heritage. The book also suggests that power-hunger is a characteristic of Slytherins. Its animal is the serpent, and its colours are green and silver. The Bloody Baron is the house ghost. According to Rowling, Slytherin corresponds roughly to the element of water. The Slytherin dormitories and common room are reached through a bare stone wall in the dungeons. The Slytherin common room is a long, low, dungeon-style room, located under the Hogwarts lake and furnished with green lamps and chairs. [1]

Until the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince the head of Slytherin House was Professor Severus Snape. After Professor Snape fled with the Death Eaters, Professor Horace Slughorn filled in for him. Slughorn had been Head of Slytherin for many years before retiring, and had just returned to Hogwarts in Half-Blood Prince.

The Sorting Hat claims that blood purity is a factor in selecting Slytherins, although this is not mentioned until the fifth book. This suggests that it bases its decisions more upon the views of its members, than directly on any accurate test of blood. There is no reason to believe that muggle-born students are not sorted there, merely that pure-blooded students are more desirable to that house, as there are definite examples of half-bloods in the house (Snape and Voldemort). In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, a group of snatchers claim that "not many mudbloods" are sorted into Slytherin, which suggests that while muggle-born Slytherins may be uncommon, they are not unknown. The fact that Rowling intended to place a character named Mafalda, a half-blood who was the daughter of a Squib and a Muggle, in Slytherin, suggests that Rowling at least does not view the Slytherin House desire for blood-purity as particularly influential upon the Sorting Hat. Mafalda, intended to be a cousin of the Weasley children, was ultimately cut from final edits of the book, to allow for more room to develop other plot lines.

According to Albus Dumbledore (in 'The Chamber of Secrets'), the qualities which "Slytherin prized in his hand-picked students" include "Parseltongue...resourcefulness...determination...a certain disregard for the rules": which Dumbledore notes are qualities possessed by Harry Potter.

Contrary to the wishes of the other founders, Salazar Slytherin wanted a stricter policy of admittance—one limited to pure-blood students. The controversy this created apparently led to Salazar leaving the school and the Chamber of Secrets behind. A millennium later, the house's students are still considered affiliated with Salazar's reputed views although some half-bloods, most notably Voldemort and Snape, have been in Slytherin. "Pureblood" lineage is certainly one of Voldemort's public goals. It is often mentioned in the novels (especially in Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets) that most of the dark wizards were in Slytherin (though how many were from this house before Tom Marvolo Riddle began recruiting there is unstated: as his own House, it was certainly most easy for him to recruit there). However, good Slytherin wizards also exist: most notable in the canon is Horace Slughorn, a member of the House prior to the entry of Tom Riddle, who even Harry acknowledges as pleasant, regardless of his lack of backbone. Cunning and ambition are easily turned towards evil purposes but are not inherently negative.

Though most former or current Slytherins are portrayed by Harry as either bullying, haughty or downright evil, the House also contains some of the series' most striking and dramatic stories of redemption. Severus Snape, a devoted Slytherin, spends much of his adult life as a spy for the Order of the Phoenix and in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is acknowledged by Harry as the bravest man he has ever known. Similarly, Regulus Black, a former Death Eater and the younger brother of Sirius Black, turns against Voldemort at the age of seventeen, ultimately giving his life and putting himself in great pain to return his old master to mortality. Even Draco Malfoy, Harry's spoiled schoolboy rival feel moral uncertainty in Books 6 and 7 and ultimately, does not commit to true evil. His mother, Narcissa Malfoy, another Slytherin, turns against Voldemort near the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (out of concern for her son), saving Harry's life. It is therefore important to note that the primary Slytherin qualities (resourcefulness, cunning, and a degree of self-import) are not, in and of themselves, evil attributes, they are simply amoral attributes that are easily turned toward evil. An excellent example of a "good" Slytherin would be Horace Slughorn, who, although very jovial and friendly to all his students, nevertheless wishes to be connected to powerful people to provide connections for his promising students (and for some of his own reasons). He is also the lone Slytherin to fight in the final battle against Voldemort.

Following Voldemort's ultimate defeat, Slytherin becomes more diluted in its blood purity, no longer the pure-blood bastion it once was. Its dark reputation, however, does linger.^[3]

A few notable Slytherins (for a complete list, see List of characters in the Harry Potter books. Also see Minor Slytherins):