Slytherin

Draco Malfoy

This should have been an easy one and in a way it was but out of all the students I've sorted this year, I feel that this was the worst decision I made. I doubt the student in question will mind, he had his heart set on Slytherin but now looking back on it, I feel like I should've put more thought into it and maybe considered another house.

From the outside Malfoy is the perfect little Slytherin. Cunning, ambitious and smart he will go on to do great things and Slytherin will help him reach his potential. He wanted Slytherin so badly as well and I do love it when I can make the student happy, its one of the perks of the job.

Like any other student, I went through the normal elimination process. Malfoy is too arrogant for Hufflepuff and whether that is down to his upbringing or not, I can safely say that Malfoy certainly does not have the right attitude towards other people to be a Hufflepuff. He is very loyal to his friends though and is caring towards the people he truly loves but whilst this is extremely Hufflepuff of him, it can easily be a Slytherin trait.

Do you see what I mean now? Slytherin is not as bad as everyone thinks and I am sick of people painting all Slytherins with the same brush as Voldemort. There is plenty of love and kindness in Slytherin just as much as Gryffindor.

Anyway excuse my little rant, back to Malfoy.

I did consider Ravenclaw for him as when he can be bothered, Malfoy is actually quite smart, especially in problem solving and logic but he doesn't always make wise decisions so Ravenclaw would not have suited him that well.

Which just left Gryffindor and Slytherin.

In a way, Malfoy and Potter are two sides of the same coin. One desperate for Gryffindor who could've done well in Slytherin and one desperate for Slytherin who would've been better suited for Gryffindor. Malfoy had the potential to be brave and bold but his mind has been clouded by his family which has led to him to desire to be a Slytherin and I of course was happy to oblige him, since he would do well there.

For now Slytherin is the best fit for him but in a few years time?

I'm not so sure. I do stand by my decision, he will do well in Slytherin but, then again he would also have done well in Gryffindor. It's a fifty- fifty chance really. A part of me feels I made the right decision whilst another part of me is bitterly disappointed that I didn't sort him into Gryffindor. We shall to wait and see how this affects him but Gryffindor will always be a niggling doubt in my mind, no matter what happens.

Theodore Nott

This one was much easier than Malfoy although I did have to spend quite some time thinking over it and the poor children always worry when I do that. Looking into Nott's brain, Slytherin didn't really jump out at me like a house will in most peoples brains; he seems very adaptable and could probably do well in any house I put him in. Gryffindor was ruled out immediately as Nott chooses to stay out of trouble and let other people do the fighting and he's also quite quiet, not in a talkative way but meaning that he prefers to stay calm and calculate things rather than be hot tempered and rush into situations which is a typical Gryffindor trait.

Hufflepuff was then quickly eliminated as Nott is quite vengeful which means he wouldn't suit Hufflepuff. Ravenclaw seemed like a strong possibility for Nott as he is extremely intelligent and I expect he will go on to do great things and I would have put him in Ravenclaw if it wasn't for his attitude towards work.

You see Nott knows he's intelligent (it'd be pretty difficult for him not to have spotted it) and this means that he wont always put 100% effort in if he doesn't think it is worth the time. Combine this with him not caring enough and Nott no longer seems to have the right personality for a Ravenclaw.

So the only house left was Slytherin: loyal, ambitious and cunning, it is the perfect house for Nott.

Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle

I put these two together because they're like two peas in a pod and like I said earlier, I can talk about some students more than others. These two were very easy to place as they are natural Slytherins.

Not to be rude but they aren't the sharpest quills in the box and therefore needed guidance as they would be very loyal to whoever they followed, which coincidentally is a Slytherin trait.

Ravenclaw was out as they just simply weren't smart enough. Hufflepuff was out almost as quickly as they are just too thuggish and aggressive to be kind and I just didn't think they would fit in there.

Maybe Hufflepuff would've changed them for the better but it was too much of a risk to take; I wouldn't want any Hufflepuffs ending up in the hospital wing!

Gryffindor was also ruled out as without a leader, these two are nothing, they aren't really bold or adventurous. Again Gryffindor could help them reach their potential but it could also have backfired spectacularly. This is why Slytherin is perfect for them. They are reasonably ambitious and want to do well in the world but need guidance and a leader and the fraternity in Slytherin will help them in this. I just hope that eventually they will be able to stand on their own two feet.

Daphne Greengrass

Compared to the last two, this one was pretty difficult. The Greengrass family name is not actually that common in Hogwarts as many family members have gone to foreign schools in the past so I was particularly looking forward to sort this girl and I wasn't disappointed. Compared to some people, Greengrass has quite a complex mind and could've done quite well in all the houses meaning that it was a difficult decision for me. She is wise and quite reserved like a Ravenclaw but finds no enjoyment in learning and is very modest. She's brave enough for Gryffindor but is not very bold or outgoing. Hufflepuff would have been a good match as Greengrass is very nice and isn't vengeful but she can be a bit vain. And then of course, there's Slytherin as she is extremely cunning and loyal but actually isn't that ambitious.

I was torn between Hufflepuff and Slytherin which I have to say is an unusual mix but eventually the pure bloodlines persuaded me to go for Slytherin.

Everyone's always saying how Slytherin only take purebloods and I personally think its a load of rot and I should know since I'm the one who decides. Of course I am quite bias towards purebloods when it comes to Slytherin and I do always consider Slytherin for them but that's only because of Salazar Slytherin. Since he wanted students of the purest blood, a lot of purebloods seem to think it's their destiny to be in Slytherin even though I've sorted plenty of half-bloods there. Combine desire with genes and you get a pureblood child full of genes screaming to be put in Slytherin. Many a time I've had to argue that Slytherin is not the right house, regardless of what that particular child actually wants. It's not always easy to ignore, especially if the child has a privileged upbringing and in some cases, if Slytherin is possibility for them, I will sort a pureblood into Slytherin and this is what happened for Greengrass. Hufflepuff would have been fine but at the end of the day, Slytherin might be the best place for her.

Blaise Zabini

I've never seen a Zabini before in my time at Hogwarts and since he isn't Muggle-born, I was curious about what his personality would be like since I have heard of his mother who in my opinion, would have definitely been in Slytherin had she come to Hogwarts. This Zabini is no different although I do think he has a much nicer personality than his mother and will not be murdering anyone any time soon.

Witty, charming and sophisticated, he is the perfect Slytherin.

Hufflepuff was ruled out immediatley for Zabini as he is far too arrogant and is extremely spoilt. This also ruled out Gryffindor as he is not selfless enough and would never think of others before himself, which in my opinion, is quite a wise choice sometimes.

Out of the two houses that were left, Ravenclaw and Slytherin, after weighing up the two options, Slytherin just seemed like the better option. Zabini has no true thirst for knowledge like most Ravenclaws, actually he considers education beneath him and cares much more about money than pursuing a worthwhile career. Slytherin will help him fulfil his potential.

Pansy Parkinson

Another one who was obviously a Slytherin.

She seemed quite eager to go there as well, much more eager than most of the other Slytherins I'd already sorted. Slytherins tend to be quite ambitious but Parkinson is the one of the most ambitious I've ever sorted, she'll definitely try and climb the pureblood society ladder. This may have enabled her to go to Ravenclaw but the problem with that was, to put it bluntly, she just isn't smart enough.

Hufflepuff was also out as whilst Parkinson is loyal to her friends, she doesn't spare a thought for anyone she doesn't like. She's bossy and shows a lack of discipline so Hufflepuff was definitely out.

Gryffindor also just didn't seem to fit as she's too interested in self-preservation and while I don't encourage recklessness, I do think Parkinson might be quite cowardly so placing her in Gryffindor just didn't feel right. She's very confident in herself so Slytherin will be fine for her, although she might have become a better person if she'd been sorted somewhere else.

Millicent Bulstrode

This one was only really a toss up between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Unfortunately Bulstrode isn't quite smart enough for Ravenclaw and is too hot-tempered for Hufflepuff. When truly angered I think she could be quite aggressive so Hufflepuff was definitely out.

Bulstrode is very bold and isn't afraid to fight for what she believes in, especially animal rights, and that is very Gryffindor of her. I think she would be brave, given the chance but it's always difficult to judge how brave someone will be, in my experience it is all very well to say you're brave but when given a chance to prove this, you might be a total coward.

Despite this, I think Bulstrode would be brave and therefore should have gone to Gryffindor. But when I considered it, it just didn't feel right. My instincts were saying Slytherin and sometimes I just have to go with my gut feeling (even though I don't have one!)

Loyal, reasonably confident around her friends are Slytherin traits and Bulstrode has these making me more inclined to pick Slytherin. On top of this she's a pureblood and her family have been in Slytherin for generations so I had no issues with putting her Slytherin and I hope the very best for her.

Tracey Davis

Out of all the Slytherins I sorted, this one was the most disappointed with the result and practically begged me to change my mind. She's a halfblood a few generations down the line so she won't have any issues with the other Slytherins but she was desperate to be in Ravenclaw. I'll admit it's unusual for a student to be so upset they'd beg me to change my mind.

Ravenclaw was a possibility for Davis as she loves books and was actually looking forward to learning new things. The enjoyment of learning was there but I felt in Davis' case, it was overshadowed by a need to prove herself.

Davis is very ambitious and that made me feel that Slytherin would actually be better for her than Ravenclaw. She would've done well in both houses as she's quiet and calm and is very logical and thinks things through, the complete opposite of a Gryffindor.

I feel that whilst Ravenclaw would suit Davis for now, in a few years she'd feel it wasn't enough and she wouldn't reach her full potential there. Davis might be upset now but she'll soon learn how to be a Slytherin: cunning and calculating. In fairness to her she was halfway there; she just needed a little push into the right house.