House

• Type: Social, competitive, and residential division of students.
• Location: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
• Founder(s): Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin.
• Key Features: Assignment via the Sorting Hat, distinct core values, Common Rooms and dormitories, Heads of House, House Cup competition, Quidditch teams.

The House system is a fundamental part of life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was established by the four founders of the school, who each chose to select students for their own House based on the personal qualities they valued most. This system was designed to create smaller, family-like communities within the larger student body, fostering camaraderie and healthy competition. After the initial founding, a profound ideological rift grew between Salazar Slytherin and the other three founders. Slytherin believed that magical education should be restricted to students of pure wizarding lineage, a view that Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, and Rowena Ravenclaw strongly opposed. This disagreement led to Slytherin leaving the school, but not before secretly creating the Chamber of Secrets. To ensure that students would be sorted long after they were gone, Godric Gryffindor bewitched his own hat, infusing it with the intelligence of all four founders. This created the Sorting Hat, an artifact that determines which House each new student belongs to during the Sorting Ceremony at the start of every school year. Throughout the year, students can earn or lose House Points for their House based on their actions, academic performance, and adherence to school rules. At the end of the school year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. The Houses also compete against one another in the school's Quidditch tournament for the Quidditch Cup.

The House system is a central element of the series, introduced when Harry Potter first learns about Hogwarts. His deep-seated fear of being sorted into Slytherin, the House of Lord Voldemort, and his subsequent placement into Gryffindor establish a key theme: our choices are more important than our abilities or predetermined traits. The Sorting Hat acknowledged Harry's potential for Slytherin but ultimately honored his choice. The rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin serves as a microcosm of the larger war between the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters. This dynamic is a constant source of conflict, seen in Quidditch matches, classroom interactions, and the annual race for the House Cup. However, Albus Dumbledore frequently stressed the importance of inter-House unity, especially in the face of Lord Voldemort's return. This unity was most prominently tested during the Battle of Hogwarts. While students from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw overwhelmingly chose to stay and fight, most Slytherin students evacuated. Nevertheless, some Slytherins, led by Horace Slughorn, later returned with reinforcements, demonstrating that courage and loyalty are not exclusive to one House. In the epilogue, Harry reassures his son, Albus Severus Potter, that it would be fine if he were sorted into Slytherin, naming Severus Snape as “one of the bravest men I ever knew.” This signifies a mature, nuanced understanding of the House system, moving beyond the simple rivalries of his school days.

Each House is named after one of the founders and has a distinct set of values, a Head of House, a resident ghost, and unique symbols.

• Gryffindor
  1. Founder: Godric Gryffindor
  2. Values: Courage, bravery, nerve, and chivalry.
  3. Head of House: Minerva McGonagall.
  4. House Ghost: Nearly Headless Nick.
  5. Symbol and Colours: A lion, scarlet and gold.
  6. Common Room: Located in Gryffindor Tower, behind the portrait of the Fat Lady.
• Hufflepuff
  1. Founder: Helga Hufflepuff
  2. Values: Hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty, and fair play.
  3. Head of House: Pomona Sprout.
  4. House Ghost: The Fat Friar.
  5. Symbol and Colours: A badger, yellow and black.
  6. Common Room: Located in the basement, near the kitchens.
• Ravenclaw
  1. Founder: Rowena Ravenclaw
  2. Values: Intelligence, learning, wisdom, and wit.
  3. Head of House: Filius Flitwick.
  4. House Ghost: The Grey Lady (Helena Ravenclaw).
  5. Symbol and Colours: An eagle, blue and bronze.
  6. Common Room: Located in Ravenclaw Tower, accessed by answering a riddle.
• Slytherin
  1. Founder: Salazar Slytherin
  2. Values: Ambition, cunning, leadership, and resourcefulness.
  3. Head of House: Severus Snape, later Horace Slughorn.
  4. House Ghost: The Bloody Baron.
  5. Symbol and Colours: A serpent, green and silver.
  6. Common Room: Located in the Dungeons, beneath the Great Lake.

• J.K. Rowling has stated that the four Hogwarts houses correspond to the four classical elements: Gryffindor is fire, Slytherin is water, Hufflepuff is earth, and Ravenclaw is air (Pottermore).
• In the film adaptations, the Ravenclaw house colours are depicted as blue and silver, and its symbol is a raven instead of the book's eagle and bronze (film).
• On the Pottermore (now Wizarding World) website, users can be sorted into a house via an official questionnaire created by J.K. Rowling. The author herself was sorted into Gryffindor (Pottermore).