Ravenpuff? Huffleclaw?
I want a snack with a view
I’ve sat under the Sorting Hat and the results are: mixed.
I wasn’t 11 when I first read Harry Potter. I wasn’t even a teenager. I was 27 and read the first four books (oh, Cedric!) in the month before I started law school. The fifth book came out three years later, a month after my 30th birthday, the first weekend of July while I was studying for the Bar. Clearly I couldn’t start the book because I would lose days of study devouring it without pause as I had the others. I had to wait until after the Bar... the last week of July.
The Texas Bar is three days long, culminating in the essays. When I walked out of there after my sixth essay of the day, about three o’clock on a hot as hell afternoon, I sat down in my car, turned the AC on, and picked up The Order of the Phoenix that was sitting on my passenger seat. I read the first chapter in the parking lot before I drove home to keep reading. A lot of things contributed to my experience of the Bar – part of it was Harry Potter, giving me something special for just getting through it, pass or fail.
That was twenty years ago, when I was caught up in the middle of the series and wanted to be a Gryffindor because I didn’t think it through. If the Hat does indeed take our preferences into account, my answer must be Ravenclaw. At 11 I know absolutely that’s what I would’ve wanted. The only positive attribute I was fairly secure I had at 11 was smart. It was the identity I wanted and I would’ve known Ravenclaw was for the smart kids and that’s where I would’ve wanted to be. I like the dark colors and the gothic romance of the Grey Lady and I’ve always wanted a diadem. I would’ve had an incredible view out of the tower and I am someone who really needs a horizon for mental health.
However. Life happens and the fact is today I would really like to burrow into the Hufflepuff rooms so very near the magical kitchen of Hogwarts. I could totally get behind that. I have matured in my view of human attributes, of course, since 11. That’s 4th grade people. Imagine how much more nuanced your understanding of everything is since you were in 4th grade. I, for instance, know “smart” is really complicated and there are so many different ways to be smart. Also, smart isn’t everything. I couldn’t be a Slytherin because ambition has never been a strong motivating force for me. I couldn’t be a Gryffindor because they’re just so – so. The fact is the desire to be on top, intelligence, kindness, loyalty, and bravery exist in different measure in all of us, and thus in every House. Cedric was driven to win the Tri-Wizard and had to be smart and brave to stay in the game. He was also a good sport and decent. He was a Hufflepuff made good. Luna had little overt ambition, but she was bright and curious, brave in her quiet way, loyal, and always, always kind. She was our most famous Ravenclaw.
The Houses appeal to the mind of an 11 year old, simple and unnuanced. At 11 I was a Ravenclaw. In my simpler moments, I always will be. But I value courage and I value kindness and I can appreciate ruthless ambition even if I don’t feel it much. The Hat takes your choice into consideration so my feeling now is pick your own House. For whatever reason appeals to you at 11, or 27, or 48. Just know that a lot of your friends may be in a different House. I’d happily share my view with a Hufflepuff who would bring me a snack from the kitchen.