Quiz: Which 'Harry Potter' House Are You?

Ever since Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone introduced the Wizarding World to the masses in 1998, people have waited anxiously for Hogwarts letters to reach their doors.

Hogwarts, after all, is a magical place where you can fly on broomsticks, transform objects into other objects, and—perhaps best of all—find your best friends in a Hogwarts house of your very own. But are you a Gryffindor, a Slytherin, a Hufflepuff, or a Ravenclaw? After all this time, the Sorting Hat is ready to tell you via the quiz below.

What house did you get? Remember, the Sorting Hat's answer is final—so even if you aren't totally satisfied, maybe there are still untapped parts of yourself that your newly adopted Hogwarts house will inspire you to embrace. Regardless, the Start-of-Term banquet will begin following the headmistress's speech. After that, your prefect will lead you to your dormitory, where you'll begin your tenure at Hogwarts at last.

How the Four Harry Potter Houses Were Founded

Warning: ‘Harry Potter’ Spoilers Ahead!

In the Harry Potter series, Hogwarts is the main magical school where most of the events in the seven novels take place. In the story, the school was founded by four witches and wizards: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Each one of these powerful sorcerers was motivated by the same “selfsame yearning,” according to the Sorting Hat: “to make the world’s best magic school.”

They went on to build Hogwarts Castle somewhere in the Scottish Highlands, where it was buried in layers of charms and protections. Its four houses were each modeled after aspects of one of the founders. 

According to legend, an ordinary hat belonging to Gryffindor was chosen as the Sorting Hat and enchanted with the founder's memories and values. The Sorting Hat was also given Legilimency, which allowed it to peer into the mind of whoever wore it, thus enabling it to determine which students belonged to which house. 

As for the founders? They began as friends, but eventually, Slytherin had a major falling-out with the other three. The cause? Slytherin’s distrust of Muggles, and his belief that only pure-blood students should be admitted. Ultimately, Slytherin left the school but went on to create the Chamber of Secrets, which would remain sealed until Slytherin’s “true heir” came to the school... Of course, anyone who has read the books or seen the movies knows how that one turned out!

Famous Members of the Harry Potter Houses

Though the traits and aspects associated with each of the four Hogwarts houses are quite specific, each house contains a wide variety of personalities that defy the stereotypes sometimes associated with them. Luna Lovegood and Cho Chang are both members of Ravenclaw, for example, while Cedric Diggory is a consummate and beloved Hufflepuff.

Meanwhile, Slytherins are often associated with corruption, and indeed, the house seems to tend to produce dark wizards. But not all Slytherins are evil, of course, and some do choose to use their cunning, shrewd minds for good rather than evil. The wizard Merlin, known as the most famous wizard in history in the Harry Potter universe, was sorted into Slytherin, and wound up using his powers to protect the rights of Muggles. 

Of course, members of Gryffindor comprise most of the main characters in the Harry Potter franchise. Harry, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Albus Dumbledore, and Minerva McGonagall are all part of the house, making it a common one for fans of the series to aspire to. 

Yet each house has its own strengths and weaknesses—and the question of which house fans’ personalities align with is just one of the Harry Potter series' endless charms.

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