With the recent release of "The Cursed Child," there are still some things in the Harry Potter series that grind my gears. At the top of the list is the lack of house diversity, painting the Wizarding World in black and white, good and bad, Gryffindor's and Slytherin's.
Being a Ravenclaw, it's often difficult to talk about my house without being asked which that is, and having to explain using the only two characters that ever make an impact in the House of the eagle (Luna Lovegood and Cho Chang). The Golden Trio, the Weasley family and Albus Dumbledore (but the list could go on if we're being honest) are all sorted into Gryffindor, while characters such as Lord Voldemort, Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape are in Slytherin. Which leaves Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff on the back burner, becoming the houses that are the most forgotten about and the least cared for.
There's just no house diversity in the series and instead a chunk of Gryffindor's, a chunk of Slytherin's, with just a dash of Ravenclaw's and a pinch of Hufflepuff's. But here's three resortings that would've been cool to see play out.
1. Harry Potter
The problem with the series is Hogwarts' history with founders Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor, and how the two never saw eye-to-eye and eventually became enemies. Harry's sorted into Gryffindor because Hagrid (or Ron, if watching the films) convinces him that there was not a witch or wizard that went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. Even when Harry has the respected qualities to be sorted into Slytherin, Voldie's horcrux or not.
Although he's meant to foil Tom Riddle, having Harry, the Boy Who Lived, the Savior, as a Slytherin would have gave the house redemption from its tainted history and ended the long lasting feud once and for all. It also would have gave more leverage to the scene in the Epilogue, where his son Albus Potter is concerned from being teased that he could be sorted into Slytherin.
Harry eases Albus' worry by telling him Snape was a Slytherin and one of the bravest men he knew, but honestly, redemption arch or not, Snape still treated everyone in the series pretty badly. If Harry had been a former Slytherin telling his son first hand that it is OK to be sorted in the house, that would've been ten times more powerful.
Plus, imagine what Harry and Draco would've been like if they were best buds!
2. Hermione Granger
Whether it's the books or movies, Hermione is always complimented on her brains. In "Order of the Phoenix," she's asked why she's in Gryffindor when she has the smarts to be a Ravenclaw, and she reveals that she was almost a hat stall, the Sorting Hat taking nearly four minutes to decide what house to put her in.
While she values her friendship over knowledge and risks her life several times for Harry, having Hermione as a Ravenclaw (and Harry as a Slytherin, and Ron as a Gryffindor) would have solidified the message the Sorting Hat had been preaching from the start of "The Sorcerer's Stone." That the houses must work and come together in order to make it successfully through the war, and that prolonging the feud against Slytherin will cause permanent damage to the Wizarding World.
"Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
the warning history shows,
for our Hogwarts is in danger
from external, deadly foes
And we must unite inside her
or we'll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you...
let the Sorting now begin."
--Sorting Hat's 1995 Song.
In order to stop dark forces, there must be peace, and yet during the Battle of Hogwarts in Deathly Hallows, the whole of the Slytherin house is put in the dungeons, potentially putting their lives at risk while the other houses are free to fight or even escape.
Hermione becomes the brains of the group as a Ravenclaw, but also gives the Ravenclaw house more depth, proving that they don't just have to be intelligent, but also can brave enough to risk her own life for the lives of others. In turn, it gives Ravenclaws a badass role model to look up to.
3. Bellatrix Lestrange
The biggest flaw in the Harry Potter series is the lack of depth to Slytherin characters and their house. Snape may have been on the good side all along, but that doesn't make up for the crappy behavior he exhibits, and Draco may have not truly been evil, but he definitely has his moments as a bully, such as enlarging Hermione's teeth to the point where she has to go to the hospital wing.
There's been evil characters that hadn't been sorted into Slytherin, such as Peter Pettigrew (a Gryffindor) and Quirinus Quirrell (a Ravenclaw), but they're so easily forgotten about when there are already so many Slytherin antagonists that over power them.
Hufflepuff has been described by Pottermore to be the house that has the least students who have turned dark, and the only known Hufflepuffs that ever make an impact in the series are Cedric Diggory and Nymphadora Tonks. Many of the Hufflepuffs are side characters that aren't mentioned too often, such as Justin Finch-Fletchley, who gets petrified by the Basilisk and bullies Zacharias Smith.
Bellatrix may be evil, but that doesn't mean she should automatically be a Slytherin when she has the two main traits of a Hufflepuff. Even after Voldemort first downfall, Bellatrix and her husband Rodolphus were considered to be Voldemort's most loyal and trusted servants, and happened to be among the only ones who sought after him. Not to mention she's also pretty hardworking.
While Snape is considered to be Voldemort's right hand, Bellatrix Lestrange, also a former Slytherin, may be considered to be at Voldemort's left. It's hard to believe Voldemort would even bother with her if she didn't work for the position he gives her. She also went to great lengths to torture Neville Longbottom's parents.
I still love and adore the Harry Potter series, but without house diversity, it's narrowed down to black and white with no grey space. I'm crossing my fingers that with "The Cursed Child" out, we can get the house diversity both the series and the fans deserve.
