I read an article the other day that seemed too good to be true, but today, I felt ready to accept this challenge. Pottermore, the online community game designed by J.K. Rowling herself to expand upon the Potterverse, is back! Notorious for character biographies, and lots of juicy details to help explain the magical world we grew up in, this website’s best feature has returned as well: the Sorting Hat.
For fans of the series, you already know what the Sorting Hat is and does. You can skip to next paragraph, this information isn’t necessary for you. For the Muggles reading this, the Sorting Hat is how students are placed in their houses at Hogwarts, the magical school set in the UK where much of the series takes place. The Sorting Hat belonged to one of the founders of the school, Godric Gryffindor, and has sat upon the heads of wizards of the likes of Merlin, Voldemort, and Harry Potter himself. Always starting the sorting with a song which often made predictions about times to come, the Hat could also hide and present objects depending on the situation (check out Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the Hat presents Harry with the sword of Gryffindor.)
So, the Hat is back, which makes this Potterhead want to know if her original house has changed. As a child, I always thought I was a Ravenclaw. However upon taking the quiz the first time, was sorted as a Hufflepuff. It actually made sense to me, so I went with it. I have come to bleed yellow and black; I proudly represent the house of the badger.
My issue with the original test deals with the fact that Pottermore used to be a competition game, with each user being able to earn House Points, and periodically, the winning house would be selected. In order to keep the game relatively fair, there needs to be a pretty equal number of people in each house. That would mean there is an algorithm set in place to sort all people pretty evenly between the houses.
The new Pottermore doesn’t have the House Cup competition anymore, which means people should be sorted by their answers, thus making the new test (hopefully) more accurate. So today, I will take the test again, to see if I’m truly a Hufflepuff, or something else...
Begin early midlife crisis. I’m not sure how I feel right now. I’ve been a Hufflepuff for the last six years, and have dropped a pretty penny on Puff gear (because everything has to be custom made; the only houses that get merch are Gryffindor and Slytherin). I don’t feel that Ravenclaw fits me, and I don’t think I’ll be keeping the house.
That’s the great thing about Pottermore, it’s all just fantasy. Besides, if I feel that I’m a Hufflepuff at heart and in mind, why, Dumbledore himself would agree with me!
“Of course, it is happening in your head...but why on Earth should that mean it is not real?”
If you're feeling curious, take the new sorting quiz here, and share what you got! Were any of you surprised?
