Would you rather be brave or smart?

The other day I took one of those silly Facebook quizzes, "Where would the Sorting Hat place you?", and ended up in Gryffindor.

For those not familiar with the Harry Potter book and movie phenomenon, or who need a little brushing up like myself, here's more information about the four houses of Hogwarts, taken from the Hogwarts Wiki: (scroll down past the info if you're in the know)

Gryffindor

Gryffindor values courage, daring, nerve and chivalry. Its mascot is the lion, and its colours are scarlet and gold. The Head of this house is the Transfiguration teacher, Minerva McGonagall, and the house ghost is Nearly Headless Nick. According to Rowling, Gryffindor corresponds roughly to the element of fire. The founder of the house is Godric Gryffindor.

Though Gryffindor is the house of most of the major protagonists, not all Gryffindors fall into that category. Cormac McLaggen is the negative qualities of Gryffindor personified; he is ill-tempered and pushy. Romilda Vane is underhanded and displays a deceptive and devious nature by trying unsuccessfully to ply Harry with a love potion. On the Hogwarts Express, she is somewhat condescending towards Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. However, both McLaggen and Vane certainly are bold, and show confidence, two very Gryffindor qualities, and were therefore sorted into the house. Death Eater Peter Pettigrew also went into this house.

The Gryffindor common room is located in one of the castle's highest towers, the entrance to which is located on the seventh floor in the east wing of the castle and is guarded by a painting of The Fat Lady, who is garbed in a pink dress. She permits entry only after being given the correct password.

Hufflepuff

Hufflepuff, founded by Helga Hufflepuff, values hard work, loyalty, tolerance, and fair play. The house mascot is the badger, and canary yellow and black are its colours. The Head of this house is the Herbology teacher Pomona Sprout, and the house ghost is The Fat Friar. According to Rowling, Hufflepuff corresponds roughly to the element of earth. The Hufflepuff dormitories and common room are located somewhere in the basement, their entrance found through a still-life painting that is somewhere near the kitchens. Students must give a password to the painting to enter. The Hufflepuff common room is filled with yellow hangings and fat armchairs and it has little underground tunnels leading to the dormitories, all of which have perfectly round doors, like barrel tops (very much like a badger sett).^[16]

Ravenclaw

Ravenclaw values intelligence, creativity, wit, and wisdom. "Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure" is an oft-repeated Ravenclaw proverb.^[HP5][HP7] The house mascot is an eagle, the house colours are blue and bronze (changed to blue and silver in the films). The head of this house is the Charms professor, Filius Flitwick, and the house ghost is The Grey Lady. According to Rowling, Ravenclaw corresponds roughly to the element of air. The founder of this house is Rowena Ravenclaw.

The dormitories are located in Ravenclaw Tower on the west side of the school. The common room, which went undescribed in the series until the climax of Deathly Hallows, is round and filled with blue hangings and fat armchairs, has a domed ceiling painted with stars, and also features a replica statue of Rowena Ravenclaw wearing her diadem. Harry also notes that, by day, the Ravenclaws "would have a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains." A logical riddle must be solved in order to gain entry, whereas the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Slytherin common rooms only require a password.

Slytherin

Slytherin house values ambition, cunning, and resourcefulness. The book also suggests that the hunger for power is a characteristic of Slytherins. The animal representing Slytherin is the serpent, and the house colours are green and silver. The Head of this house is Severus Snape in the first five books and most of the sixth book. At the end of the sixth book and in the seventh book, the old Potions master and previous Head of House who has come out of retirement, Horace Slughorn, reassumes authority of the house. The ghost of Slytherin house is The Bloody Baron. According to Rowling, Slytherin corresponds roughly to the element of water.^[17] The Slytherin dormitories and common room are reached through a bare stone wall in the dungeons. The Slytherin common room is a long, low, dungeon-style room, located under the Hogwarts Lake, furnished with green lamps and carved armchairs.

Harry developed a negative view of Slytherin and asked the Sorting Hat not to place him in that house because of its sinister reputation. Rubeus Hagrid told him, "There isn't a witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin." This seems to be an exaggeration on Hagrid's part, as at the time, he believed that Sirius Black, a Gryffindor, was a Death Eater. Still, Slytherin House seems to have attracted more evil wizards than any other house, including Voldemort himself and almost all of his supporters. However, Slytherin itself is not evil; it is just that having ambition as a core quality results in a disproportionate amount of self-important, competitive students. There are some good Slytherins such as Slughorn and Snape (although his loyalties are unclear until the Deathly Hallows).

The Sorting Hat claims that blood purity is a factor in selecting Slytherins, although this is not mentioned until the fifth book. There is no reason to believe, however, that Muggle-born students are not sorted there, merely that pure-blooded students are more desirable to that house, as there are several examples of half-bloods in the house. In Deathly Hallows, a group of Snatchers claim that "not many Mudbloods" are sorted into Slytherin, which suggests that while Muggle-born Slytherins may be uncommon, they are not unknown.

When believing Harry to be dead and thinking that he has final victory in his grasp, Voldemort proclaims his intention to abolish the other three houses and force all Hogwarts students into Slytherin. This design is foiled by his defeat and death, after which Slytherin becomes more diluted in its blood purity, no longer remaining the pureblood bastion it once was. Its dark reputation, however, does linger.^[16]

I was disappointed. More disappointed than I had a rational right to be based upon the results of such a silly little quiz. You see, I wanted to be sorted into Ravenclaw. And I let my husband Dennis know about it last night when he was trying to watch a You Tube video of some chick playing Oingo Boingo's "We Close Our Eyes" on the ukulele.

"I just like the song. It's kind of unusual" he said, refering to the uke.

Heather: "How come you got sorted into Ravenclaw and I didn't? Everyone got sorted into Ravenclaw but me."

Dennis: "What are you talking about? Everyone got sorted into Gryffindor. Look, your cousin Tony's in Gryffindor."

Heather: "Tony's the only one and he's a former military guy."

Dennis: Looks at me closer and says, "Are you serious? Look, here's what it says... courage, chivalry... Isn't Harry Potter in Gryffindor?"

Heather: "I thought Harry Potter was in Ravenclaw. Would you look it up, please?"

Dennis: Googles it and confirms that Harry Potter was in fact in Gryffindor

Heather: "I thought all the mean people were from Gryffindor."

Dennis: "I think that's Slitheren."

Heather: "You could be right, but still. Would you rather be brave or smart?"

Dennis: Thinks for a moment and nods almost apologetically and admits "smart."

Heather: "Exactly!"

*pregnant silence*

Dennis: "You'd think Harry Potter would have been in Ravenclaw."

Heather: "Why?"

Dennis: More silence, then nervous laughter from Dennis

Heather: "Because he's smart?"

Dennis: "You're smart! You know, they only put me in Ravenclaw because of my answers on that quiz. Just take the quiz again."

Heather: "It's too late, it is what it is. You know, people judge you on this stuff."

Dennis:

Heather: "They do. Based upon the results of that quiz, my Facebook friends are going to jump to certain conclusions about me."

Dennis: "You're being silly."

Heather: "Easy for you to say, you got sorted into Ravenclaw."