How Would The Other Houses Do It?

There is a game that I like to play that was inspired by a pin I saw on Pinterest. The pin went something like this:

There is a locked door

Gryffindor: Knocks it down

Slytherin: Picks the lock

Ravenclaw: Finds the key

Hufflepuff: Knocks

I liked the idea of using the basic qualities known for each house and trying to figure out how each of them would approach a situation. So, on my rereads when I come across a certain situation where we know how one of the houses reacted, I like to pose the question: How would the other houses do it?

When coming up with these ideas here are the criteria I use for each house:

• Gryffindor: Brave/over the top
• Slytherin: Cunning/unpredictable
• Ravenclaw: Smart/imaginative
• Hufflepuff: Practical/simple

I know this is an oversimplification and generalization of the attributes of each house. This is not meant to diminish anyone who represents any particular house, but simply to make the game easier to play.

So, recently after rereading Chapter 3 of Chamber of Secrets, “The Burrow,” I found the perfect situation to play this game. We know how Gryffindors would handle not hearing back from Harry after writing letters to him all summer: they decided to take an illegal flying car across the country in the middle of the night to see what’s up. How would the other houses do it?

Before I continue, I need to use the Sonorus charm to send a shout out to my reread group: my mom, Christie, and my friends, Angela and Kim. We discussed this situation as a group and came up with these ideas together. Thanks ladies, it was fun!

Slytherin: swipe some of their parents’ Polyjuice potion and concoct a plan to detain Dudley for a short time in order to transform into him and infiltrate the Dursley household to make contact with Harry.

Ravenclaw: create some sort of magical tracker, like a tracking number Muggles use for their packages, to find out where your letters to Harry are ending up.

Hufflepuff: show up with a plate of brownies at 4 Privet Drive.

Are you in one of these houses and thought of a different way you might handle this particular situation? Let us know at the bottom of the podcast page in the comment section. I’d love to hear everyone’s ideas!

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