What would have become of Harry Potter if the sorting hat had placed him in Hufflepuff instead of Gryffindor?
What if he was placed in one of the other houses?
Hullelpuff?
Slytherin?
Ravenclaw?
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M$3 Answers
But what about Hufflepuff? If the ever-wise Sorting Hat had placed Harry into Hufflepuff, it would've meant that Harry was more modest, very loyal, and not very competitive. He wouldn't have had the bravery to chase after Neville's Remembrall, and would've never been placed on the Quidditch team at such a young age. He would've have become so close to Ron and Hermione, or Ginny. Most likely, he would've been fiercely protected by Dumbledore, but remained mostly aloof to the doom that was hanging over his head. BUT, that's assuming Voldemort would even be destined to attack a Hufflepuff Harry. Would the prophecy have still indicated that Harry was the one who must not survive? Probably not. That job would've fallen to Neville, who would've been the hero that Harry looked up to and followed. Because, after all, Hufflepuffs are followers, not leaders.
What about Slytherin? If Harry had been placed in Slytherin, it would've been because Harry's *will* was to be in Slytherin, meaning that he gave into his darker side after years of abuse in a cupboard under the stairs. His seething anger, sense of vengeance against his abusive family and parents' wrongful deaths would've manifested itself in a craving for power and revenge. Harry would've accepted Draco's offer of assistance his first day of Hogwarts. Harry would've hid his mother's family's muggle-connections, boasting exclusively about his pure-blood status. He would've inwardly been intrigued by Voldemort's methods and cultivated his Parseltongue talents to his own advantage. He might well have still been placed on the Quidditch team at a young age, but more likely because he was caught playing "Keep Away" with Neville's Remembrall. And while Voldemort may have still been out to get Harry, Dumbledore's job would've been twofold: Protect Harry from outside evils, and protect Harry from the evils within.
What about Ravenclaw? A Ravenclaw would've been far too smart to break any of the rules the way Harry did that first year. Chasing after that troll? Stupid! Harry would've gone to get a teacher. He would've never stood up to Draco the way he did. He would've taken in the measure of Draco and all of the Slytherins more carefully. And while he still may have been easy friends with Hermione, and most certainly Luna or even Ginny, poor Ron's antics probably would've have made the friend cut. Lord Voldemort would still be after Harry, who would try to reason everything out, and likely would've died, his hopes of saving the world crushed once Snape performed the Avada Kedavra on Dumbledore.
It's only because of Harry's shear foolhardy bravery that he was able to take on Voldemort and win. Most of Gryffindor Harry's brave and heroic antics were...let's face it, stupid. Taking on the troll in the girl's lavatory? Dumb. Going after the Sorcerer's Stone based on thin and misguided assumption? Idiotic. Going into the Shrieking Shack to kill Sirius Black, and in the course of things striking down a Hogwarts teacher? Ridiculous. But it's Harry's stubborn hot-headedness and bravery that send him off on his quest to finish Dumbledore's business at the end of the series. We NEED him to make those brave, but stupid choices. Otherwise the story wouldn't have had a happy ending. That's why so many others failed where Harry went on to fulfill his role as "The Chosen One".
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M$As for your other questions, per the Sorting Hat Gryffindors are brave, Hufflepuffs are loyal, Ravenclaws are wise, and Slytherins are cunning. As I said before, every character has bits of every house in them. Take Hermione, for example - she's obviously part-Ravenclaw, with her intelligence, but she has a strong loyalty (part-Hufflepuff) to her friends. She's also extremely Gryffindor for doing all the brave stunts she does, and she's Slytherin for working against or with people to get what needs to get done. Same with Harry - as mentioned before, he is very loyal to his friends (Hufflepuff), he's very, very brave (Gryffindor), he's quick-witted and can think on his feet (Ravenclaw), and he manipulates the situation to get things done (Slytherin).
I think it's really true that the Sorting Hat says that your choice has a lot to do with what house you're in, because really, everyone belongs to every house - it's just what you feel is most important about yourself.
Harry Potter fan since 1999. :)
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M$
Nice answer.
I made a related question that I'm sure you'd want to answer!
Which Hogwarts house would you be in?
There were TWO people that the oracle could have been talking about. The other person would have probably been the Chosen One if the Sorting Hat changed things.
As another person answered, Rowling made it clear what the strength of each of the houses were...
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M$
Agreed, "Prisoner of Azkaban" is both the best book and movie!
@buddawiggi: The characters' own strengths and house unity are big themes towards the end of the series. I recommend picking up the books - if you've seen through Half-Blood Prince, I recommend reading Deathly Hallows. The last book in particular is about pushing the trio to their Gryffindor limits, though Harry has a rather annoying fatalistic attitude through the whole book. It's definitely worth a read - I'd pick it up before the movies come out, to be honest.
@buddawiggi.... If you enjoyed the movies, you'd *really* enjoy the books. There's a lot more fun and wordplay and all kinds of goodness in there.
To be honest I think some of the movies don't make total sense unless you already knew what's going on and why from the books. They don't have to, cos most everyone that watches the movies *has* already read the books.
If you have neither read or watched the Prisoner of Azkaban you're missing out! That's the best book and the best movie in mine and a lot of other people's opinion.
Thats the thing I have not read the books and I have seen a few of the movies .. some more than others. Half-Blood Prince, The Sorcerers Stone, Chamber of Secrets are the movies I have seen and out of them I have seen The Sorcerers Stone more than the others.
Ah thanks, budda and @potterarchy. It feels soo good to stretch my answers arms now and then. You guys know how much I love this! :D
Btw, you gotta wonder why the hat didn't put Hermione in Ravenclaw. :)
@philipy, I've heard many people ponder why Hermione wasn't in Ravenclaw (which, by the way, I think is the house I would've ended up in...just guessing). But I think the distinction is Hermione's bravery. Although she is up to the cleverness and thoughtfulness of any Ravenclaw, she has the bravery...and just a touch of foolishness...to give her the heroic qualities of a Gryffindor. Where a typical Ravenclaw might research a situation, seek assistance from a Professor, or otherwise hesitate, Granger just jumps right in, sometimes in spite of her education.
That's why she gets on so well with Harry and Ron.
For me, I think the bigger question is how Luna didn't end up a Gryffindor. She has all the bravery and heart in the world. But I guess the Sorting Hat knows best!
Interestingly enough Hufflepuff is the one house that the Sorting Hat didn't consider putting Harry into.
-- Quote
'Difficult. Very Difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness yes - and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?'
-- /Quote
Hufflepuff doesn't get a lot of attention in the books, and not many of the characters are in it.
There is the @gno we know and love nice to see you again! Terrific answer. :)
Answers like this are reasons why we should bring back AOTD! Go Gno!!
A winning answer if I ever saw one!
@philipy: I think that's pretty fair. Hufflepuffs by nature wouldn't have a whole lot to do with a gigantic battle. While they are followers and not leaders and would naturally fight if told, I think they'd prefer to not get involved. I think they are, above all, peace-keepers.
@gno: Like I mentioned in my answer, I think everyone has a bit of every house in them - it's just what they value to be more important to them, or like in Harry's case, which they'd prefer not to have the reputation of...