The Four Gryffindor Protagonists as the Four Hogwarts Houses

The Harry Potter series has ignited many arguments between die-hard fans, ranging from what type of wand you would have to what animal form your Patronus would take (for readers that make it to the 5th book). Of course, the most common and heated question that arises between fans is what house you would be sorted into at Hogwarts. In my own experience, this question has led to many arguments between friends over the years, because if you think I’m in Hufflepuff do you think I’m just boring? Do you think I’m not smart enough for Ravenclaw, or am I not clever enough for Slytherin? Where Rowling may have intended to focus on the value in the differences between houses, the Harry Potter fandom has taken things into their own hands, furthering their own house stereotypes and fostering internal competition.

However, as we mentioned in class, it is interesting how the four Gryffindor protagonists of the series – Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville – all show very different personality traits, suggesting that they really shouldn’t have been placed in the same house. Starting with Hermione, it only makes sense that with her passion for education and innate intelligence that she would be the perfect fit for Ravenclaw. Neville seems to be the textbook Hufflepuff, as he clearly values honesty but has low self-esteem marking him as an underdog. People constantly walk all over him, especially Draco Malfoy, as he points out to Harry, “‘There’s no need to tell me I’m not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy’s already done that’“ (218). Ron demonstrates Slytherin traits with his desire to stand out as the best against the rest of his brothers. This resentment even affects his friendships, which is especially shown later in the series as he grows more and more jealous of Harry’s fame. It seems that Harry is the most fit for Gryffindor, as his main personality traits are courage and a strong moral compass to pursue the fight against evil.

While focusing on these four friends’ differences, it really doesn’t make a lot of sense why Rowling would place them in the same house beyond necessary plot development. In fact, it seems like the whole point of the houses is to take super similar people and just stick them all together, which doesn’t seem like it would lead to much character development. I think there’s a bit too much focus on the houses’ differences in the fandom, and not enough on what brings them together. As the sorting hat sings to the first years, Gryffindor stands out as a house for those with bravery, nerve, and chivalry. While Hermione prides herself on her brains, she definitely has the nerve to speak up in class and stand up to Ron and Harry’s antics. Ron’s selfish motivations also lead him to demonstrate bravery in the pursuit of being recognized. And of course, Neville’s brave act of standing up to his friends is the most obvious defense for why he earned a spot at the Gryffindor table. This bravery grows to be especially important later in the series, but no spoilers. Overall, a look at the differences between these four protagonists shows that while the four Hogwarts houses are certainly meant to be set apart, there is something to be said about the importance of the key traits that sort members into their house in the first place.