Pottermore sorting quiz results have consumed my Facebook feed the past couple of weeks. It’s gotten to be so bad that I haven’t seen a single political debate post in weeks. Seeing all these posts made me wonder, why do people care so much about which imaginary house they belong to? When I took the quiz and in result switched from Hufflepuff to Ravenclaw, I suddenly found myself understanding.
For those who don’t know, Pottermore is an interactive website founded by the "Harry Potter" series author, J.K. Rowling, that works to further explore the famous wizarding world first found in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." The site has expanded as Rowling has written new information about the books, the wizard world, and the characters. In 2015, the website was overhauled, and as a result, the site came out with a new sorting quiz. This quiz provides a number of questions that users answer, and then based on their answers, the site sorts them into whichever Hogwarts house is the best fit for them. Some of the questions include the following: “After you have died, what would you like people to do when they hear your name?” and “If you could have any power, which would you chose?”
Though you now know what the Pottermore sorting quiz is, you still question why it matters so much. We all know that the wizarding world is in London, but not in the actual city of London (even if we don’t want to believe it). We also know that everyone over the age of 11 doesn’t have a chance to get accepted to Hogwarts (though some of us are still hoping). Even though we know these things, we can’t help but dream that maybe the wizarding world is real.
For many people growing up, myself included, the series was an escape from the real world. It was a land of magic in which you could be anything you wanted. Most importantly, it was a land in which the underdog always won, something every kid can connect with. Being sorted into one of Hogwarts’ houses helps us to regain that immersion we felt as kids: It brings us back to a simpler time and place.
That’s not all, though. The sorting quiz result also gives us a community, a place where we can belong. If you are a Hufflepuff and you see someone out on the street with a Hufflepuff scarf, you’re probably going to say something to them. You might even shout “’Puff Pride!” Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Slytherins all do the same in their own way. We feel like we can connect with others from our house. We know that they have something in common with us because we’re in the same Hogwarts house, after all. Additionally, we can connect with anyone who identifies as being a part of a certain house because that means they like "Harry Potter," something we can all get behind.
Why does the Pottermore quiz matter? It matters because it gives us a place to belong: It gives us a family.
