January has been both a sad and exciting month for Potterheads. This is because of the unfortunate passing of Alan Rickman, who portrayed Professor Severus Snape in the "Harry Potter" movies. The other (and happier) reason is that Pottermore has brought back the Sorting Ceremony! For those who don't know, this is a quiz you take upon entering Pottermore to find out what house you belong to.
Now a lot of people who had an old Pottermore account have gone back into the site and retaken the quiz, only to find out their house has changed! Most people are surprised, and some a little upset, at this unexpected switch. Does this mean there's something wrong with the sorting? Most likely not! It's not the hat that's changed, it's the person sitting under it. Is it a bad thing that you're house has changed? Not at all! It happens, and even J.K Rowling has acknowledged the existence of "hybrid houses" such as Slytherpuff on Twitter. So the change might mean you just belong equally to two houses.
Also, recall that the sorting is based on the core values of a person, and if those have changed in the time between your first sorting and the new one, it makes sense your house would change as well. Let's look at those values:
Hufflepuff: loyalty, humility, honesty, fairness and a solid work ethic.
Ravenclaw: intelligence, ingenuity, imagination, creativity and the thirst for knowledge simply for the sake of knowledge.
Slytherin: ambitiousness, cunning, unyielding motivation and sophistication.
Gryffindor: bravery, confidence, morality, honorableness and a need for justice.
Years and life change people, just look at Neville Longbottom. No one but Dumbledore and the hat saw the bravery in that squishy-faced boy in the first book, most of us laughed and brushed him off as comic relief. Then by his seventh year, the boy who lost his toad is standing up to The Dark Lord! If that can happen, then why can't someone grow into another house? None of the qualities in the houses are inherently negative, nor should they be seen as such. So you fit into two houses, that's awesome.
If you are unhappy with the change, remember that even though Pottermore may say one thing, it is our choices that define who we are. Rowling showed us that in the very first book, "Not Slytherin" is all Harry had to say to the Sorting Hat to not be placed in that house. So if you have been placed in Ravenclaw, but feel the lion in you growl in contempt, then identify as a Gryffindor! Take the quiz for fun, or because you don't know what you'll get, but remember what house you are lies in who you are and nothing can change that.
