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What are your strongest traits and which Hogwarts house would you be sorted into? J.K. Rowling’s magical world of Harry Potter is something all Muggles (non-wizards) have dreamt about. One of the moments everyone has fantasised of experiencing is the sorting hat ceremony all first-year students go through to determine which house you’ll go into.
There are four houses in Hogwarts, all with unique identities, founders and preferred personal traits.
Gryffindor values bravery, nerve, chivalry and daring. Originally founded by Godric Gryffindor, their house colours are red and gold, and their emblematic animal is the lion. Famous Gryffindors include Albus Dumbledore and the three key protagonists in the Harry Potter series; Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.
Hufflepuffs are hard-working, patient, loyal and dedicated. The badger is their animal and yellow and black are their colours. Notable members include Newt Scamander (subject of the new film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), Cedric Diggory and its founder Helga Hufflepuff.
Ravenclaw students possess traits such as intelligence, knowledge and wit, perfectly embodied by their chosen animal, the eagle. They were founded by the famous witch Rowena Ravenclaw, who took blue and bronze as the house’s colours. Gilderoy Lockhart, Garrick Ollivander and Luna Lovegood are examples of prominent Ravenclaws.
Slytherin are known for valuing ambition, cunning and resourcefulness and therefore have a snake as their animal. The house colours are green and silver and were founded by the ruthless Salazar Slytherin. They have a strong rivalry with Gryffindor that dates to their two original founders. Renowned house witches and wizards include Tom Riddle (Lord Voldemort), Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy.
Ultimately, the sorting hat decides which house each student will be best suited to, but may take your choice into consideration as seen in Harry’s case. There is something particularly special and magical about the sorting hat ceremony, and it’s easy to transport yourself into the situation…
You stand in front of the tall doors leading into The Great Hall, which swing open revealing four long tables filled with students. At the end you can see the Professors sat at a table on a raised platform with the familiar figure of Albus Dumbledore in the middle, looking over his half-moon spectacles at the new students coming to Hogwarts.
Next to Dumbledore you see the old, battered but magical pointed sorting hat sat on a stool ready to be placed on your head to put you in the most suitable house. As you walk towards the hat with your fellow first years, you feel your heartbeat quicken.
You soon realise that it’s your turn to sit on the stool as Professor McGonagall reads your name off the list of new student names on a piece of parchment. You nervously sit down and feel the cold, leather hat rested upon the top of your head and he springs to life! Slowly but surely, he evaluates the traits and values you possess, many of which are unbeknown to you.
This process is just between you and the sorting hat. You’re having a private conversation. Just you and him.
Will it be Gryffindor? Will it be Hufflepuff? Will it be Slytherin, or perhaps Ravenclaw? Which table will you head to, and which house will welcome you into it with cheers and congratulations…?
Although incredibly nerve-racking, the process of the sorting ceremony is one experience which every Harry Potter fan wishes to go through as it encapsulates every aspect of the world JK Rowling crafted. It’s wonderful, and is one of the things that separate the magical and non-magical world.
Luckily, us non-wizards can embrace our magical side through the Warner Bros Studio Tour in Leavesden, Hertfordshire. Here you can experience the magical world of Harry Potter first hand.
You can harness your Gryffindor bravery by visiting the Forbidden Forest or use your Ravenclaw passion for learning to discover how the enchanting world of Harry Potter was brought to life in the movies.
If you’re eager to experience the magical world of Harry Potter then start by securing your ticket on the Hogwarts Express to Warner Bros Studio Tour London.
