Hogwart Houses - Tumblr Posts
A Harry Potter Rant.... (What House Do You Belong To?)
Ok, so let me begin with saying that I am a huge Harry Potter nerd, like I love the story of Harry Potter and I think it is amazing. With saying that and evening though the series has ended, I still find things to pick apart and usually rant about. Yes, I realize Harry Potter is fictional. Yes, I also realize this rant has no important significant what so ever... But this post is going to be things that I thought of and just want to ramble on about, and if you want to add on something or debate it, please, feel free. Also I would like to point out, if I say something you take offense with, I am deeply sorry. Sometimes I say things that are highly inappropriate and forget that they are offensive. I am not an asshole, even though sometimes I do have tendencies that make it seem like I am one. So again, if I do ever say anything that might offend you I am sincerely sorry.
So to start, I have been thinking lately what house I would most likely fit into, and honestly I would like to say Ravenclaw. I mean I would probably be able to figure out, if Pottermore would stop being in Beta Mode, but I guess that is what I get for not finding the stupid quills to answer the questions to allow me be part of the Beta Phase... Anyway, I think the characteristic of the houses can really be summed up in what I think is sort of American cliche-esque, click-ish way...
Gryffindors: In the story we are rooting for the Gryffindors because Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger are Gryffindors, but when you think about it, the Gryffindor house is really the most arrogant, naive, and confrontaitnal house there is, at Hogwarts. I mean seriously all they are missing is the steroids, fake tans and loud techno music to become the "Jersey Shore". There idea of the bad guys if it's not Voldemort is the Slytherin House. I mean sure, through out history the Slytherin House has been the only house that is known to deny people who are muggle born and also housed Voldemort. But Germany held Hitler and he had the Nazis and what not, but we don't view Germany or Germans as evil or the worst people ever... So what Gryffindors need to do is get off there high horses and realize that when they generalize people based on stereotypes it makes them seem prejudice and a bunch of douchebags. Also sidenote, I also see the irony of what I just said and what I am doing, but I don't think everyone in Gryffindor is a douchebag, just majority of them. So basically to wrap up the Gryffindor house, it's basically like a British version of the "Jersey Shore", meaning less muscles, more pasty pale kids, walking around thinking they know best and that they are the best thing ever to come into Hogwarts. I imagine Gryffindors being a house full of Douchebags, Tools and Pricks, so when entering the Gryffindors' Dormitory I imagine there being a bunch of wand pumping, techno music, with a club like atmosphere and a bunch of drama, Think a mix between an episode of "Degrassi" or "Skins" with a touch of "Gossip Girl" or "90210".
Slytherin: I honestly feel like Slytherin are the most misunderstood house out of the four. When reading the series we are almost trained to sort of have some feeling of resentment towards Slytherin, and yes I know some people who love Slytherin rather than hate Slytherin, but in a way I feel like they got the short end of the stick because people who are housed in Slytherin are viewed as being manipulative and evil. I view the Slytherins being cunning and viewing things rather logical rather than emotional, also opportunists. They want people who have at least on magical parent because that is tradition and that house is best suited for people who know a little more about magic, than ones who have no idea because they are the first witch or wizard of their families. I view Slytherins as the most pristine house out of the rest, following tradition and having a sort of protocol and high class like nature. So I imagine the members of the Slytherin house sort of like a mix between a rich noble traditional secretive Japanese family you see in animes and the kids of "Clueless". So I guess like Sebastian and Catherine of "Cruel Intentions" with or without the creepy step-brother/step-sister sexual tension, even though thinking about it, it would make sense, since Slytherin house is very in to keeping blood somewhat pure, there would have to be some sort of incestuous love making I mean, it is not a scene we see in the book where Draco mistakenly makes out with is cousin, but I assume sometime throughout the history of Hogwarts, it had to happen.
Ravenclaw: When I think of Ravenclaw I imagine hipsters for some reason. According the series, Ravenclaws are the smartest house out of the school. So in my head I view the Ravenclaw students being nerdy and into things that the other students wouldn't be into. To describe what I am thinking, it is sort of like the member of My Chemical Romance in their music video of "I'm Not Okay", If you have never seen that video I advise you to go to YouTube now and find it. It is one of my favorite music videos of all time. I also feel like they would love indie alternative music, comic books, foreign and cult classic films, and hot beverages. I also think Ravenclaws would be so hipster that they use electricity and know about and use muggle things. They would be the annoying students who would probably boast about knowing certain things that the other students in other houses have no idea about. They would sit around their tower listening to a bunch of alternative rock vinyls, drinking freshly hot brewed speciality tea, eating designer cupcakes, while reading "Spin", "IKEA", "McSweeney's" or any other alternative pop culture magazines or novels and discussing things from the problems of the Ministry of Magic to upcoming concerts.
Hufflepuff: I do not know why, but I view the Hufflepuff house as the party house, I mean it is the house that takes in everyone else. With that said, we never ever hear of students experimenting with drugs or sex. These students are 11-18 year old, and you are going to tell me that no student has ever broke into the green houses and stole some Gillyweed to smoke, or decided to perform sexual activities in the dormitories or in the room of requirement? Like I seriously feel like there are so many shenanigans happening at Hogwarts that as us the readers have no idea about, and I also feel like majorities of the students that are the troublemakers would be in Hufflepuff. Like seriously out of a bunch of kids, let us say about 200 kids, you take out the kids who are traditional and come from magical families, you take out the brave, cocky kids, who are usually very athletic, and then you take out the smart kids... Who are you left with? The kids who are pretty mediocre and probably don't really want to be in school, and the kids who are pissed because they didn't get the house they wanted so basically you are left with "The Bad News Bears".... So to compensate I believe they are most likely to experiment with Sex, Drugs and whatever else they find fit to fill in there feelings of just being left overs. Therefore I also believe that it is no coincidence that their dormitory is in the basement and that their house artifact is a cup. I for some reason see their dormitories being all messed up and there being a never ending mega keg in the middle of the main room and then people passed out or smoking or whatever.
a writer from another fandom (shoutout to entirelytookeen) was talking about sorting characters and said, "[Gryffindor] will do the right thing even if it kills her, [Slytherin] will do the right thing even if it kills everyone else." what do you think of that take on the Gryffindor/Slytherin divide?
That is very interesting. I’ve been thinking about it ever since you sent this. I mean, if we look at Harry, yes. Definitely. This fits. And if we look at, say, Voldemort. Or even Draco. Sure. Yes. (Although we need to be careful with what is the ‘right thing’ here. According to who? I might say ‘do what is important’)
It can be argued that Harry represents in many ways the best of Gryffindor house, while Voldemort (and possibly Draco) represent the worst of Slytherin house. So it isn’t quite a fair comparison. After all, there are canonical Slytherin who sacrificed themselves, or were willing to put their own lives in danger. (Regulus, Snape, Slughorn, for example.) Alternatively, Gryffindor’s reckless nature can cause harm to others when they are at their worst. It may not be their intention, bit it is often the outcome.
So maybe I would revise and say: Gryffindor tend more towards sacrifice, and Slytherin tend more towards preservation. Gryffindor focus on ‘how might my sacrifice be good for others, how do my actions make things good right now’ while Slytherin might focus on ‘what can be done so no sacrifice is needed, and what parameters do I use to decide what sacrifice will be needed.’ At their worst, this can mean throwing everyone but themselves in front of the curse, at their best, this can mean keeping anyone from getting hit by the curse. Just like at their best, Gryffindor’s sacrifice impulse can save lives at the cost of only their own, but at their worst, even more lives are damaged because of their impulsive, short-sighted sacrifice and lack of understanding of the full implications beyond their own heroics.
Or, even that Gryffindor focus on saving everyone, and Slytherin focus on saving what’s important. Which might even be a matter of idealism versus pragmatism. Which may come back to your friend’s very well-stated point: if it came down to it, a Slytherin would be able to sacrifice others if it was necessary, whereas a Gryffindor might not. Which is rather exactly the kind of role I had Ginny play in The Changeling during that last year with the DA. She made the tough decisions she knew her Gryffindor (and Hufflepuff) counterpart may not have been able to make. She understood that there are far more kinds of sacrifice than your own life. That living with it can be even harder than dying for it.