Houses of Hogwarts

The four Houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry are the primary living and learning communities for its students. Named after the school's four founders – Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin – each House embodies a distinct set of personality traits and values. Upon arrival, first-year students are assigned to one of the four Houses by the Sorting Hat in a process known as the Sorting Ceremony. This assignment determines a student's dormitory, Common Room, and classmates for their entire time at Hogwarts. The Houses compete throughout the school year for the House Cup, fostering a strong sense of identity and rivalry, most notably between Gryffindor and Slytherin.

The Sorting Ceremony is a tradition held at the start of each school year in the Great Hall. First-year students are called forward one by one to sit on a stool and wear the Sorting Hat, an ancient, sentient magical hat that once belonged to Godric Gryffindor. The Hat examines the student's mind, judging their qualities, and announces which House they belong in. While the Hat's decision is usually final, it will take the student's own choice into account, as demonstrated when Harry Potter pleaded not to be placed in Slytherin and was subsequently sorted into Gryffindor.

• Founder: Godric Gryffindor
• Values: Courage, bravery, nerve, and chivalry.
• House Animal: Lion
• House Colours: Scarlet and Gold
• Head of House: Minerva McGonagall
• House Ghost: Nearly Headless Nick (Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington)
• Founder's Relic: The Sword of Gryffindor
• Common Room: Located in Gryffindor Tower on the seventh floor. The entrance is guarded by a portrait of the Fat Lady, who requires a password to grant entry. It is a cozy, circular room filled with squashy armchairs and decorated in the House colours.

• Founder: Helga Hufflepuff
• Values: Hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty, and fair play.
• House Animal: Badger
• House Colours: Yellow and Black
• Head of House: Pomona Sprout
• House Ghost: The Fat Friar
• Founder's Relic: Hufflepuff's Cup
• Common Room: The entrance is located in a corridor near the Hogwarts kitchens. The books describe it as a “cosy, round, low-ceilinged room” with a honey-coloured, woody atmosphere. The entrance method is concealed within a pile of large barrels, requiring a specific tapping rhythm to open (Pottermore).

• Founder: Rowena Ravenclaw
• Values: Intelligence, learning, wisdom, and wit.
• House Animal: Eagle
• House Colours: Blue and Bronze
• Head of House: Filius Flitwick
• House Ghost: The Grey Lady (Helena Ravenclaw)
• Founder's Relic: Ravenclaw's Diadem
• Common Room: Situated in Ravenclaw Tower on the west side of the castle. To enter, one must answer a philosophical riddle posed by a bronze, eagle-shaped door knocker. The common room is a wide, circular, and airy room with graceful arched windows that offer spectacular views of the school grounds.

• Founder: Salazar Slytherin
• Values: Ambition, cunning, leadership, and resourcefulness. The House also has a historical reputation for valuing pure-blood ancestry.
• House Animal: Serpent
• House Colours: Green and Silver
• Head of House: Severus Snape, and later Horace Slughorn
• House Ghost: The Bloody Baron
• Founder's Relic: Slytherin's Locket
• Common Room: Located in the Hogwarts Dungeons, underneath the Great Lake. The entrance is a bare stretch of damp stone wall, which opens upon hearing a password. The room is a long, low, dungeon-like space with rough stone walls and a greenish glow from lamps hanging on chains.

The House Cup is a year-long competition between the four Houses. Students earn House Points for their House through academic achievement, good deeds, and winning the Quidditch Cup. Points can be deducted for breaking school rules. The running totals are displayed in four giant hourglasses in the Entrance Hall, which are filled with gemstones corresponding to each House's colours: rubies for Gryffindor, emeralds for Slytherin, sapphires for Ravenclaw, and diamonds for Hufflepuff (originally topazes (Pottermore)). At the End-of-Term Feast, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup, and the Great Hall is decorated in that House's colours.

The House system is central to the social structure of Hogwarts and a major source of conflict and character development. The intense rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin reflects the larger struggle between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. The system highlights themes of prejudice, as seen in the negative reputation of Slytherin House, and identity, as Harry struggles with his own Slytherin-like qualities. Ultimately, the story emphasizes that an individual's choices are more important than their perceived traits or group affiliation. During the Battle of Hogwarts, students from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw stand together to fight Voldemort, and even some Slytherin students, led by Horace Slughorn, return to join the battle, signifying a moment of unity that transcends old divisions.

• J.K. Rowling has stated that she conceived of the four Houses on the back of an aeroplane sick bag (J.K. Rowling interview).
• The four Houses correspond with 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 changed from blue and bronze to blue and silver, and its symbol is a raven instead of the book's eagle.
• In the original books, the gems in the Hufflepuff hourglass are diamonds. They were later identified as yellow diamonds, or topazes, on Pottermore to better align with the house colour (Pottermore).