The Final Word
by Dr. Weasley
Summary: I have a Quibble on the Pottermore sorting and if it is truly accurate. It states the mistakes that could be made with an online quiz and the overlapping qualities of each House.
With Pottermore out for many of its Beta-testers, people are finding themselves in the House they didn’t want or didn’t expect at least. But here’s what I’m wondering: Is the Pottermore Sorting really accurate? We all know the Sorting Hat is accurate, as it can see into your head and your past and many people have made some theories that it can see into your future. Now, I got Gryffindor on Pottermore, but I will tell you now, I am not a Gryffindor. However, if I were to put the Sorting Hat on my head and it told me Gryffindor, I would believe it; however, since I instead took an online quiz, I will not say I am a Gryffindor. I am a Hufflepuff, and proudly.
Now honestly, if you look at the traits of each House, you will see some things that overlap.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
and unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you’ve a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You’ll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
Now take a look at the Hufflepuffs and the Gryffindors. The Hufflepuffs are fiercely loyal and true – now if you have a personality like that, you will be brave as a lion to protect your friends or family, just as a Gryffindor will. But here, I believe, is the biggest difference between the two – (as seen in the last book). Let’s put Harry, Ron, and Hermione in Hufflepuff for the scenario. The trio is in the Room of Requirement, and Draco and Goyle are in trouble. The Gryffindor Harry will try to save them, while the Hufflepuff Harry will see it as a threat to the people he is loyal to, Ron and Hemione, and either leave or try to get Ron and Hermione to safety then try to save Draco and Goyle. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “That isn’t very kind! I thought Hufflepuffs were kind!” But someone who is extremely loyal will be kind first to those of importance to them, to those to whom they are loyal, very much like a Slytherin. Now, when faced with a question like “Someone’s in trouble! What do you do?” Gryffindor will automatically choose to save them, however so would a Hufflepuff, if they read the “someone” as someone they are loyal to, a friend or family member. A Gryffindor on the other hand will think of the “someone” as anyone, but they will still save them all the same.
Ravenclaws and Slytherins can also be very similar. Both can be top in their class – Ravenclaws, obviously, are intelligent and most likely already know the answer, however, a Slytherin is ambitious and will either study to get high marks or will use their cunning-ness on an essay question to just talk circles around the teacher. Also, ambition, one of the prides of Slytherins, is also a common trait in Ravenclaws. With a great brain comes great ambition, an ambition to do something with that brain of yours.
So now that you see some of the similarities between the Houses, you can also look beyond that and into how it may affect answering online questions. My belief is that Pottermore is not the final say, because a Slytherin and a Ravenclaw can get mixed up answers, and so can a Gryffindor and a Hufflepuff, purely based on how they see the question in their mind. So really, only you can have the final word on the decision on your House because if you think of the many aspects of yourself, think of the ones that stand out the most, of the ones you take the most pride in possessing, not the ones that best define your skill-set, but the ones you are most willing to let guide your actions, I think that is the only way to find your Hogwarts House. Either that or we can hook you up to a lie detector and ask you the Pottermore questions, except that all the people that lie a lot will be placed in Slytherin for their ambition towards one House or their cunning to lie and find the Houses each answer will represent. But that might be a bit too much work.
