“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities”

1. Gryffindor

   
   Gryffindor obviously comes from the anime “griffin” but the “-dor” has been suggested to come from the Greek word “dor” – which means “gift.” That means that the house’s name would translate to “the gift of the griffin.” However, Gryffindor is actually a spelling variation on the French phrase “gryphon d’or” and this translates to “golden griffin”

2. Slytherin

   
   Students from Slytherin tend to have a natural flair for occlumency. Throughout the series there are many characters who are good at blocking unwanted mental intrusions such as Severus Snape, Bellatrix Lestrange, Narcissa Malfoy and Voldemort. The similarity between them all is that they were all sorted in Slytherin

3. Ravenclaw

   
   This house is the home to some of the more eccentric students. It is considered to be a very open-minded house and the welcome message on Pottermore describes this value best as: “geniuses are often out of step with ordinary folk, and unlike some other houses we could mention, we think you’ve got the right to wear what you like, believe what you want, and say what you feel. We aren’t put off by people who march to a different tune; on the contrary, we value them!”
   Ravenclaw is a house that cherishes curiosity and encourages students to explore unusual forms of magic (as well as do their homework and study!). Many famous Ravenclaws were known to be quite eccentric such as Ex-Minister Lorcan McLaird (who communicated with puffs of smoke), Uric the Oddball (who was known for wearing a jellyfish as a hat) and Luna Lovegood

4. Hufflepuff

   
   Before donating a rare first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to charity, Rowling revealed hand-written notes and sketches talking about the last minute changes she made to Hufflepuff. She originally had the house mascot as a bear before changing it to a badger and wrote, “Perhaps Hufflepuff would have the respect if deserves from fans if I’d stuck to my original idea of a bear to represent it”