For Harry Potter fans, there may be nothing worse the identity crisis that comes when Pottermore puts you in a different Hogwarts house than you imagined yourself in.
It hit longtime fan and actress Evanna Lynch, who played fan favorite Luna Lovegood in the final four films, when she first logged onto the site in 2011. The fan hub lets you choose a pet, pick your wand, and sorts you into your house, where you can earn points and win the House Cup. Lynch thought she was a Ravenclaw for years, but Pottermore told her otherwise.
https://twitter.com/Evy_Lynch/status/104947386345992193
It took Tom Felton—Draco Malfoy himself—a few years to finally get around to Pottermore. He might’ve warmed up to Slytherin, which gets a bad rep from fans and Harry Potter characters alike, but did Pottermore’s Sorting Hat feel the same way?
Evidently not.
Today was the day. I finally did it. I joined Pottermore and was sorted into……..Gryffindor. Heart broken x #slytherinforlife
— Tom Felton (@TomFelton) January 21, 2015
Felton’s fans came to consult him, but so did the very person who helped devise the test that put him in a different house.
.@TomFelton I could’ve told you that years ago. I just didn’t want to spoil your motivation ;)
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 21, 2015
J.K. Rowling considers herself to be a Hufflepuff, but is there a Gryffindor bias? As it was Harry’s house in the series, fans spent the most time with Gryffindor students and lore, leaving some fans believing the other houses got the short end of the stick. Slytherin in particular, due to its reputation for Dark Wizards, appeared as “evil” even though being cunning and ambition aren’t necessarily evil traits.
Even Daniel Radcliffe, when asked to sort celebrities as part of BuzzFeed Brews back in June, just ended up putting most of them in Gryffindor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y0N8J88fhA
Rowling might’ve tried to reassure Felton that he was a Gryffindor, but ultimately the Sorting Hat will take your thoughts into consideration, even if the online test won’t. If Felton thinks he is a Slytherin, then he probably is one.
Photo via Joella Marano/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
