What makes a Slytherin/Gryffindor/Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw?

So my Lucy's a Hufflepuff, and I'm having a really hard time getting a quidditch team together for her. I think one of the reasons might be because of the perceptions people have about Hufflepuffs. I mean, even JKR didn't seem to like them that much.

When you read the house information on this site, one of the things that stands out for me is Hufflepuff rarely wins the house cup or the quidditch cup. Um, for a house that values hard work, loyalty and takes anyone, that sounds unlikely. For me, Hufflepuff would be the house that sticks together to overcome any obstacle they encounter.

So anyway, I wonder how everyone else's perception of what makes a good Slytherin or Ravenclaw or Gryffindor or Hufflepuff deviates from what the common knowledge about it is. And if you have examples of characters that portray that, tell us that too.

Like Keith springs to mind as a character who you wouldn't think of as a Ravenclaw, he seems more like a Gryffindor or even a Slytherin sometimes, but I guess his imagination must be what made the difference.

Very interesting question. I guess I have my own ideas of what I think are key characteristics of each house. I guess I'll just post them as a starting point, even if some of them are perhaps more commonly known things:

Slytherin: Not just cunning and ambitious, but I see them as generally more self centered and motivated by self gain. I am not saying that's necessarily an evil thing, but I just think that's how their minds work. I don't see them as necessarily being a house that loves to come together for teamwork--not unless there is a common "treasure* of some sort that they all will get some gain from--i.e, a goal of winning the house cup because of what it means to them, or working together on a prank for the joy of seeing someone else inconvenienced. I do see them being strongly steeped in tradition. Some of the Slytherins come from long lines of family members who have belonged to the house and therefore they have a very strong, aggressive sense of house pride and it seems to shape their code of ethics and values. I think a lot of the Slytherins have been, more or less, shoved out into the world by their self centered parents and have learned they needed to be self centered as well or their own needs did not get met. ie, Draco Malfoy as a prime example.

Gryffindor: In many respects I see Gryfffys as being the polar opposite of Slytherins. A Gryffy values teamwork, love, honesty, family and friends far more than their own individual accomplishments. They love teamwork and the sense of loyalty, friendship and family that teamwork gives them. A Gryffy not only will resist throwing someone under the bus as much as possible, but they would be the first to jump, themselves, under the bus in order to protect someone else. I don't see a Slytherin really ever doing that, quite honestly. Gryffys seem to always be looking at the greater good and concentrating on moving towards that goal as a pack, even if it means they must use themselves as pawns in some manner to accomplish that end. Gryffindors are very strongwilled, generous, honest sometimes to their own detriment, ambitious, intelligent but not necessarily in a devious way. Their strong will and determination to always be looking to thwart the dark arts helps them bond and also helps them learn that being cohesive is a marvelous weapon as well as a support. Gryffs tend to have long lines of generational succession as well, but I think its because they are raised in families who have strong bonds and connections and teach their children to treasure those same values. It forms that desire for a Gryff to connect not only to the present, but the past and the future. Example: Remus Lupin, Harry Potter, Albus Dumbeldore.

Ravenclaws: I guess I see Ravenclaws being the bunch that is perhaps a bit more streetwise. I see them as being tenacious, fun loving, good spirited, and energetic. I guess when I think of a Ravenclaw, I see someone who is perhaps a goodhearted, streetwise student who is not above pranks for the fun of it--not in a meanspirited way, but just for fun. I see them as being, for the most part, quick tempered, but their tempers not being longlasting, and I think they are sort of a midground between gryffindor and slytherin. I see them having the cunning that a slytherin has but the goodheartedness, for the most part, of a gryffindor, but with a dash more of an independent spirit thrown in. I think a class clown might be more apt to come from here, if it is relatively harmless fun that is at work. Examples: Luna Lovegood, Moaning Myrtle.

Hufflepuff--I see these students as being different from what is sort of assumed. When I see a Hufflepuff, I see someone who is very individualistic, not afraid to be independent, knowing full well the difference between being alone and being lonely. I see them as being perhaps some of the hardest working and most dedicated of any of the houses. I think once a Hufflepuff sets into doing a task, I believe they will work at it methodically and painstakingly, and in a dedicated fashion until they accomplish what they set out to do. I see them as perhaps more deeply intellectual, not needing to be the life of the party in order to be satisfied with themselves and their lives but being secure in who they themselves are. I see the "loners" or outcasts as being placed in Hufflepuff because many of them do have a certain contentedness in being an individual. And because they all are so alike in their personalities, I think it allows them to come together when necessary, as a house for team events. Example: Nymphadora Tonks, Professor Sprout.

How'd I do?

K.

Hmmm, I don't know about Slytherin. I tend to accumulate Slytherin charries, and I've always seen them as one of the most loyal houses towards each other. See, Slytherin is pretty much rejected by the rest of the school, so they have to stick together with each other because it's all they have. That's why they spend so much energy thinking about blood and family; it's kind of like who you can trust.

I actually played Salazar Slytherin on a founders site once, and when he first got together with the other founders, his thoughts weren't about hating muggles (that came later); they were that he and his family had been persecuted, so he wanted to protect other pureblood witches and wizards from the same thing. *shrug*

well, it will be interesting to see what others think too

This is really interesting, because I have never doubted the fact that Amelia belonged in Ravenclaw, but the way Khaat's descriptions fit, it seems like she should be in Hufflepuff, what with the individual, alone vs. lonely bit. I always saw that as being more of a Ravenclaw trait, and Hufflepuff being more of the friendly, accepting of anyone and thus they are usually surrounded by others. It is interesting to see another take, though.

I think a lot of characters do not get sorted into Hufflepuff because when we create characters, we tend to think in extremes. Very few characters on the site are middle of the road characters - they are either fiercely loyal, extremely self-centered, very intelligent, very blase about others, really shy or crazy outgoing. When we think in extremes, I think it is easier to be sorted into Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin, because Hufflepuff, to me, seems to be where the more "normal" students get sorted; not "normal" in a bad way, not at all, but rather those students without any extreme quality that will get them sorted into another of the three houses. Am I making any sense?

Yes. Very much so. And those are really good observations. But your view is interesting because I always saw Hufflepuff as the house that others might be quicker to overlook or not include because their personalities are not as strong and aggressive as the other houses. I guess I thought that might be part of why it was the house that was the least defined.

I agree, I kind of have a hard time seeing Chase in Hufflepuff, I always imagined her either in say Gryffindor or even Slytherin, because she changes around so much. But maybe that's what makes her a good Hufflepuff, because she isn't just one extreme and then the other. Maybe Hufflepuffs are just the people who instead of being fiercely loyal, or hard working, or extremely cunning, or very smart, they have everything all put into one. Like 'Normal' except... more unnormal then what we regularly think of.

I think we don't get a lot of Hufflepuffs because they were kind of ignored in the books...I mean, JKR really only cared about Gryffindor/Slytherin, but Hufflepuff got the worst of it. I kind of put my disdain of Hufflepuff into Keith...he's very likely to dismiss Hufflepuff charries on the basis of "lol hufflepuff"

I always saw Ravenclaw as the most isolated of the characters, and often see Hermione as the perfect example of a Ravenclaw - at least before she became friends with Ron and Harry. She was brilliant but isolated, prone to stress and breakdowns...I kind of tried to break that with Keith. He's smart, but incredibly lazy, still managing to be ambitious...he'd probably be a better fit for Slytherin but I think he was too innocent at the time of our sorting. Dumbledore wondered if they sorted too soon...I think Keith is a perfect example of that. He started out Ravenclaw but is slowly becoming more Slytherin than anything else.