If Albus Dumbledore had a Sterling Pound for every time the Sorting Hat misjudged someone, he'd probably have enough to give Hogwarts a modern facelift. Every fan knows that both Dumbledore and the Sorting Hat are not infallible. They have both, in fact, made mistakes over their tenure at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Some of these mistakes have indeed, resonated throughout the Wizarding World. Even something as seemingly minute as sorting children into Hogwarts houses can have certain butterfly effects. As a result, plenty of Harry Potter characters have broken the mold, or at least what the audience expected them to do based on their particular house philosophies.
Updated on August 28th, 2021 by Amanda Bruce: The longer Harry Potter reigns in pop culture discussions, the more apt fans are to see the flaw in sorting a child into a house that's meant to define them for the rest of their school life, and potentially, beyond. Humans are complex creatures, as are the fictional witches and wizards of Harry Potter. That means most characters are going to exhibit traits beyond the few that encapsulate their Hogwarts house. That's why even more characters whose motivations and actions could have sorted them into different houses should be ed.
REMUS LUPIN: FROM GRYFFINDOR TO HUFFLEPUFF
Like most of the characters that make up Harry's inner circle, Remus Lupin was sorted into Gryffindor as a child. There's no question that he exhibits the bravery of the house as he stood up to Voldemort's Death Eaters for two different generations. The loyalty and the hardworking nature of Hufflepuff, however, also appeared to be dominant character traits for him.
Remus spent most of his adult life heartbroken that one of his best friends had betrayed the rest, never truly believing that Sirius Black was in league with Voldemort. When given the opportunity to find out, he didn't turn Sirius over, but instead, gave his childhood friend the chance to explain, demonstrating that never-ending loyalty he has for those he cares about.
FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY: FROM GRYFFINDOR TO SLYTHERIN
Gryffindors are known for their impulsive natures as they tend to follow their hearts more than their heads. It's surprising then that the ambition associated with Slytherin applies to so many Gryffindors, like Fred and George.
Fred and George don't appear to take much seriously when initially introduced, but in reality, they have lofty goals. Their ambition is to spread happiness throughout the Wizarding World with their jokes. The creative way they develop snacks and trinkets to entertain their fellow Hogwarts students turns into a career path for the brothers.
QUIRINUS QUIRRELL: FROM RAVENCLAW TO HUFFLEPUFF
Harry's first Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher is certainly intelligent, and not a bad teacher, despite him carrying Voldemort's soul around on the back of his head. While he's sorted into Ravenclaw as a child, he demonstrates that same Hufflepuff loyalty that Remus Lupin does, just in the opposite direction.
Quirrell has absolutely unwavering loyalty to Voldemort. He could rival Bellatrix Lestrange in that regard. No one else, after all, happens to live with the other wizard's soul trapped in their body. No other wizard comes as close to getting the Sorcerer's Stone for him to bring him back to life either.
LUNA LOVEGOOD: FROM RAVENCLAW TO GRYFFINDOR
Luna's creativity and outside-the-box thinking make her an outsider amongst her peers sometimes. That doesn't appear to bother her one bit. While it's clear that makes her a good fit for Ravenclaw, she's also one of the few kids brave enough in the franchise to be authentically herself all of the time.
That isn't the only way she's brave, showing her Gryffindor side, either. Luna is one of the only people outside of Harry's immediate circle of friends who believes his of Voldemort's rise, no questions asked. She fights by his side when none of the other students he trained show up to help as well.
LAVENDER BROWN: FROM GRYFFINDOR TO HUFFLEPUFF
Though it's not showcased in the movies, Lavender's love for all things astrology is well documented in the books. Her aptitude for it, and her near-obsession with it, leans her a little bit in the Ravenclaw direction on occasion. The house that she most often demonstrates traits for, however, is Hufflepuff.
Lavender is someone who goes all-in on her relationships. She has the same best friend–Parvati Patil–the entire time she's in school. When Lavender develops a crush on Ron, he becomes her whole world. They only go their separate ways as a result of her feeling betrayed that he's so close to Hermione.
HARRY POTTER: FROM GRYFFINDOR TO SLYTHERIN
Imagine what the books and movies would have been like if only the Sorting Hat had his way with Harry himself. The judgmental hat was actually poised to put him in Slytherin! That could have easily turned Harry into a Voldemort Jr. Thankfully, Harry despised Slytherin, but not without demonstrating some cunning and ambition.
Apart from the fact that he can speak Parseltongue like Slytherin's progenitor, Salazar Slytherin, Harry has been on numerous occasions where he kept breaking Hogwarts' rules and displayed ambition, especially in Quidditch. Let us also not forget that he nearly killed Draco Malfoy using a deadly spell made by the "Half-Blood Prince." Using any means necessary to gain something is clearly a Slytherin trait.
HERMIONE GRANGER: FROM GRYFFINDOR TO RAVENCLAW
Another clear hiccup by the Sorting Hat. It can be said that Hermione should have been in Ravenclaw. She has wit, a craving for learning, and incredible wisdom for a witch her age. Come to think of it, Hermione would have given Rowena Ravenclaw a run for her money with her penchant to hog all the house points through recitation and classes.
From her first year in Hogwarts to her last, Hermione has displayed her Ravenclaw qualities through studying and impressive knowledge of the Wizarding World. Of course, her being Muggle-born while having those traits probably contributed to her placement in Gryffindor, the Wizarding World is a scary new horizon for any Muggle-born, after all, and that requires courage.
RONALD WEASLEY: FROM GRYFFINDOR TO HUFFLEPUFF
Spiders. Show those to Ron and he will go from Gryffindor to... well, Ron, in the blink of an eye. Nevertheless, the Sorting Hat placed him in Gryffindor for a reason, but it's easy to see Hufflepuff qualities in Ron.
Even if most of his antics in the films and books don't necessarily display chivalry or determination, he is still the most loyal friend ever. Ron never fails to help Harry in his time of need, especially when the Dursleys are giving him a hard time. Loyalty is truly one word that can be used to describe Ron, something which is also one of the key traits of Hufflepuffs. It's just that the Sorting Hat probably thinks it's funny to place all Weasleys in Gryffindor as some sort of a running joke.
PETER PETTIGREW: FROM GRYFFINDOR TO SLYTHERIN
Peter Pettigrew never deserved to be in Gryffindor - in fact, he never deserved to be in any house. Equal opportunity for all wizards and witches is prized; that's why they still cater to Slytherins. Speaking of which, that's where Pettigrew should have been in the first place.
The way he betrayed Lily and James Potter just to save himself and align with Voldemort is nothing short of self-preservation, a common trait among Slytherins. Afterward, he displayed plenty of cunning just to help the Dark Lord come back to life. A stereotypical Judas, Pettigrew - and one of the biggest repercussions from the Sorting Hat's choice.
NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM: FROM GRYFFINDOR TO HUFFLEPUFF
Just so Harry wouldn't feel so special (despite the whole franchise being about him), Rowling threw in another candidate as a prophesied chosen one: Neville Longbottom. That's probably why the Sorting Hat put Neville in Gryffindor. Still, it wasn't until the most crucial moments of the Wizarding World when Neville got to display his dominant Gryffindor traits.
Throughout his years in Hogwarts, Neville was visibly more of a Hufflepuff. He was patient, even to his bullies and there is no doubt of his commendable loyalty to what's right and noble. Of course, the Sorting Hat saw Neville's true potential even when he begged to be placed in Hufflepuff. That's the beauty of his character development, he went from Hufflepuff material to Gryffindor material.
