Harry Potter House Problems

August 16, 2012

So, I have to admit it: I've never finished the Harry Potter series. I started them six years ago, and I just didn't fall in love with them. I pretended around my friends. I learned words like "Quidditch" and "Hufflepuff" and "Horcrux." I tried to blend in, but I was living a lie.

Recently though, my past has caught up with me and I picked up where I left off. It's hard to pinpoint just what turned my viewpoint upside down. Was it reading a fan based writing from fanfiction.net? Was it finishing the movies (and having tons of librarian guilt for not having read the books first)? Or, was it simply a fresh outlook on life?

Whatever it was, I was not only convinced to finish the series but also log on to J.K. Rowling's online game Pottermore. It was certainly a different experience than my other online gaming experiences. It's loaded with excerpts from the books and extra information and short stories – almost like reading a behind the scenes guide with character bios and details.

What was really interesting about the game is when something major takes place, such as Harry buying his wand; you as the player take a short quiz and are assigned a wand of your very own. Perhaps, it's a bit childish and a few years late, but this thrilled me to no end. I could not wait to get to the sorting ceremony! What house would I end up in? I could see myself in Gryffindor... or maybe Ravenclaw, or maybe Hufflepuff would be a good fit! When the time came, I was given a series of choices. They weren't simple; one was what magical power I would choose if offered the choice... of about six to eight choices! Not an easy decision!

At long last, the hat had produced a verdict – Slytherin?! How in the world did that happen? I immediately asked my fiancée (Who got me logged on in the first place) how accurate the test was. She replied, "Well, pretty accurate since it was designed by the author herself." Never one to argue with primary sources, I accepted my fate as one of the "bad guys" and found a whole new perspective on the series.

Once I was placed in Slytherin, my whole perspective changed. It was no longer "those jerks that pick on Potter." I was one of them! All of a sudden, I felt invested in the story. What is MY house doing? What are its values? It was a fun afternoon surfing the web and looking up fan art and articles on the Harry Potter Wiki. I found out that I’m not a bad guy at all and could actually show some Slytherin pride and not feel like a jerk.

So until next time, give a series a new chance and see if you might see it through a new set of eyes. Check out some fan fiction (some is really good!) and maybe even log on to some Wikipedia pages you'd never visit before. You might find something new about yourself as well.

Stay classy, Raytown

Ethan C.
Raytown Branch