Harry Potter had four houses, but they didn’t always seem equally represented by the books or movies, and some characters ended up in surprising houses. The Harry Potter movies, based on J.K. Rowling’s world-changing book series, popularized the Gryffindor house, home to Daniel Radcliffe’s Harry Potter and his family, Rupert Grint’s Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson’s Hermione Granger. This house of heroes was offset by Slytherin, a house of villains with the odd sweetheart thrown in. And yet, some characters didn’t quite fit into this duality, with some seeming better placed in another house.

The Potterverse movies also went into detail on the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff houses, though not as much as the other two. Newt Scamander gave Hufflepuff a good name in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which was sorely needed after their very limited exposure in the first eight movies. It seemed like some characters would have been better off in this house from the start, allowing more balance in the series. Likewise, it sometimes appeared that Ravenclaw deserved more interesting members, with so many books and movies to explore it.

10Percy Weasley – Gryffindor

Percy Had The Ambition Of A Slytherin

Every Weasley that appeared in the Harry Potter movies got sorted into Gryffindor, but Percy could have gone down a different road. While some Weasleys did show Gryffindor traits, it seems like the family was slightly more diverse, psychologically, than the books and movies let on. Percy Weasley, for instance, may have been more of a Slytherin than a Gryffindor. It’s no shade to Percy – Slytherins are far more useful than it seems.

Percy Weasley may have had more in common with Lucius Malfoy than Arthur Weasley when it came to his attitude towards the family. Granted, he may have avoided pure-blood supremacy, but he was dismissive of his family and shunned their name to advance professionally. Percy’s ambition makes him a dead ringer for a Slytherin. He was also never too keen to break rules as a Hogwarts prefect, demonstrating a lack of Gryffindor rebelliousness.

9Rubeus Hagrid – Gryffindor

Hagrid Could Have Been A Hufflepuff

Rubeus Hagrid was one of the famous Harry Potter Hogwarts professors that ended up in a fairly surprising house. Hagrid was sorted into Gryffindor, like many of the franchise’s heroes. And he showed bravery. However, his style of victory, success, and resistance to Voldemort was more in line with Hufflepuff. Hagrid was loyal to those he loved to a fault, no matter what their race or species. If anything, Hagrid was more loyal to those who never said a word – magical creatures.

Scamander’s allocation of the Hufflepuff house made perfect sense, and helps to demonstrate why it would have also been a good fit for Hagrid.

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This level of loyalty is so deep, most Harry Potter characters could only dream of it. Apart from, perhaps, Newt Scamander of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Scamander was kind and a loyal friend, not just to the important humans in his life, but the animals. Scamander’s allocation of the Hufflepuff house made perfect sense, and helps to demonstrate why it would have also been a good fit for Hagrid.

8Bill Weasley – Gryffindor

Bill Was More Of A Ravenclaw

Bill was another Weasley that sometimes seemed as if he didn’t quite fit the Gryffindor mold. He did seem closer to the typical Gryffindor than his brother, Percy, but he also exhibited some strong Ravenclaw energy. Bill was a brave adventurer on overseas missions, breaking into tombs to seek treasure. This probably does require courage, but it seems like more of a self-serving endeavor reliant on magical learning, after drilling down into it.

A Harry Potter TV show is set to debut on Max in 2026.

Bill was a Curse-Breaker, which required deep understanding of the curses protecting the tombs. This intelligence seems worthy of the Ravenclaw house. More to the point, Bill wasn’t breaking into tombs to save lives from evil mummies. Bill was working for Gringotts bank, which was involved in a number of shady schemes. Bill was working to secure Egyptian treasure for the bank, driven by the pursuit of his own craft, rather than any kind of brave heroics.

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7Regulus Black – Slytherin

Regulus Was A Diamond In The Rough

Regulus Black was a standout member of the Black family, much like his more famous brother, Sirius. He is a fan-favorite due to his understated heroism. Although nowhere near as pronounced as Sirius’, Regulus’ heroics saw him discard the social conditioning that had been drilled into him by his parents from day one. Regulus’ pure-blood supremacist family included some of Voldemort’s prime followers, such as Bellatrix.

Regulus tried to destroy a Horcrux, but unfortunately, ended up failing and dying as a result of his betrayal.

However, Regulus ended up defying his family to try and stop Voldemort. Fans are so set on Regulus’ importance in the story that global star Timothée Chalamet has been almost religiously dream cast in his role for the upcoming Harry Potter TV show. Regulus tried to destroy a Horcrux, but unfortunately, ended up failing and dying as a result of his betrayal. He drank the potion needed to secure the locket, but ended up dragged into a lake full of Inferi to his death.

6Cedric Diggory – Hufflepuff

Diggory Felt Like A Gryffindor

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Cedric Diggory made a surprising appearance in Hufflepuff, bearing in mind his powerful Gryffindor bravery. There is no basis in the claim that all heroes have to be in Gryffindor, as Regulus Black and Severus Snape demonstrate. Even Draco Malfoy acted heroically towards the end of the story. But Diggory was bold, courageous, and sometimes even brash and a little reckless in his determination to pursue the right path.

Diggory exhibited the best traits of Gryffindor, despite being placed in Hufflepuff. While it is true that Cedric could have been a classic Hufflepuff, this didn’t feel significantly explained in the books or movies. His defiance, confidence, and star quality made him seem like a Gryffindor the likes of Seamus Finnigan or Harry Potter himself. Cedric’s death was a major tragedy, and it seemed like he would have been good friends with Harry, had he survived.

5Peter Pettigrew – Gryffindor

Pettigrew Was A Classic Slytherin

Peter Pettigrew was one of the most surprising Marauders, which actually has quite a lot to do with his surprising Harry Potter house. Peter Pettigrew was good friends with Harry’s father, James, Sirius, and Remus, in his Hogwarts years. However, he betrayed them horribly. His decisions always carried a level of mystery but seemed to be fueled by cowardice and self-preservation, which are the opposite of Gryffindor traits.

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The sorting hat struggled to place Peter Pettigrew, so J.K. Rowling was completely aware of his fluctuating personality. Pettigrew was really quite brave, in many ways. He double-crossed his friends, which isn’t easy. But it sprang from a place of resourcefulness, as he ultimately hedged his bets on Voldemort. Pettigrew thought Voldemort would win the Wizarding War, so his actions, though complex and difficult, were more Slytherin-leaning than Gryffindor.

4Neville Longbottom – Gryffindor

Hufflepuffs Can Be Heroes Too

Neville Longbottom was a slow-burner of a Gryffindor, and his belonging in the house certainly made itself evident in the franchise’s final few outings. However, Neville seemed like one of Hufflepuff’s heroes. He was the epitome of “nice,” which is what Hufflepuffs sometimes seem. He was patient, in that he never sought the limelight or recklessly dived into problem-solving, like some of his Gryffindor friends.

His real strengths were his deep-rooted dedication and sense of justice – classic Hufflepuff traits.

Neville’s kind of heroism had Hufflepuff written all over it, driven, ultimately, by love. Like Harry, Neville lost his parents at a very young age. His love of them secured his place in the Wizarding War, fighting against Voldemort. However, unlike Harry, Neville waited until the very last minute of the story to loudly declare his loyalty, truly shining when he killed Nagini. His courage was real but understated, and his real strengths were his deep-rooted dedication and sense of justice – classic Hufflepuff traits.

3Albus Dumbledore – Gryffindor

Dumbledore Was Heroic Yet Scheming

As the most notable of Hogwarts’ headmasters, Albus Dumbledore is a hugely complex figure, but evidence suggests that he may have been better off in Slytherin. It is a tough call between Gryffindor and Slytherin when it comes to Albus Dumbledore, much like Harry Potter. The two houses have more in common than it seems at first glance. But Albus, far more than Harry, actually had the Slytherin gene. Dumbledore was a scheming, manipulative man who was willing to sacrifice a lot to get his way. His political beliefs drove him, and his beliefs were based on the love of his fellow Witches and Wizards, plus Muggles.

Dumbledore believed in a fairer world for everyone. In this sense, perhaps the courage needed to win the Wizarding War earned him his place in Gryffindor. But Dumbledore proved that he was willing to let others be harmed to achieve his goals. Even if he saw his goals as accomplishing the greater good, this is still, ultimately, a resourceful, cunning, ambitious profile. After all, Voldemort, too, thought he was operating for the greater good.

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2Ron Weasley – Gryffindor

The Golden Trio Should Have Covered Three Houses

Ron Weasley was often a great Gryffindor, but he would have made a lot of sense in Hufflepuff. Ron sometimes seemed like a startling addition to Gryffindor, exhibiting about as much courage as Fang on a bad day during many of the trials he faced throughout the books and movies. Ron’s fear was often comedy gold, and it did bely great strength of character. No one can doubt Ron’s intentions.

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But it often seemed like the narrative would have made more sense if Harry was the only Gryffindor in the Golden Trio. Ron was perfectly set up as a Hufflepuff – driven by intense loyalty to his friends and hard work. He kept pulling himself back up after not getting spells right. Meanwhile, Hermione was actually a classic Ravenclaw. Having each of the Golden Trio in a different house would have allowed a far more interesting exploration of each house. Then, Draco could have remained the representative Slytherin out of Harry Potter’s main characters.

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1Hermione Granger – Gryffindor

Hermione Screamed Ravenclaw

Hermione Granger was a Ravenclaw all over. Her focus on intelligence, knowledge, and wisdom was the whole point of her character. She used her brains to get the Golden Trio out of messy scrapes over and over again. It is true that there can be smart Gryffindors, just as much as there can be brave Ravenclaws. And, it was important for the books and movies to express this nuance.

But it would have made much more sense if the nuance was expressed by Hermione representing the house of wisdom. Overall, she was far more inclined to Ravenclaw’s set of traits, with her advanced use of spells and potions. If placed in Ravenclaw, Hermione’s bravery could have shone through, proving the true value of Ravenclaws, who didn’t really get enough credit throughout Harry Potter.