Harry Potter: What do you think would have happened if he'd been in another House?

[Legion]

It's just one of those things that I was wondering recently.

Let's say for example that he simply wasn't put in Gryffindor, in the second year he wouldn't have been able to get Gryffindors sword from the hat, and most likely wouldn't have been able to defeat the Basilisk.

Or even earlier, Ginny would have never been able to steal the diary back and wouldn't have been captured.

In the third book Sirius Black would have went into the Gryffindor common room, despite Harry not being there, so that'd cause a few changes.

If he was put in Slytherin then would he be mistrusted by the other students, especially in the second year (although he'd never have duelled Malfoy and so nobody else would know he could speak to snakes)?

So what do you think would have changed significantly? Even more so if he went into Slytherin?

Note:

I am very well aware that the books were written with the intention of him being in Gryffindor, there is no need to point that out, as a lot of things more or less rely on this fact. This is just for discussing different directions people think the series might have taken.

One thing I'd like to avoid if possible is the fact that Hermione is pretty much the person who figures everything out, let's assume for the sake of discussion that Harry is capable of thinking as well.

 

[Muspelheim]

Hmm, I'm more interested in what might have happened if Harry had ended up in a different house than the Dudley's.

On that note, I know muggles are useless and boring, but surely social services would've reacted at some point to Harry's troubles? I mean, if I were the Dudley's next door neighbour, I'd have called the social services right away if I knew one of their kids had to live in a cupboard under the flippin' stairs. Or at the very least when they renovated one of their bedrooms into a prison cell.

Dumbledore, you senile old sod, you might as well have left the baby balancing over the shark tanks at the aquarium.

 

[Colour Scientist]

It would have just been Neville Longbottom and the Philosopher's Stone then, wouldn't it?

Didn't she kind of set it up that it could have been one or the other?

 

[Aris Khandr]

If he'd been in Hufflepuff, then he wouldn't matter. Because no one in Hufflepuff matters. They're the leftover house.

 

[Thaluikhain]

It would have just been Neville Longbottom and the Philosopher's Stone then, wouldn't it?

Didn't she kind of set it up that it could have been one or the other?

Well, Voldemort could have gone after Neville instead of Harry first, not quite the same thing.

...

The problem with Harry not going to Gryffindor is that Harry is a hero, and Gryffindor is the house for heroes. He doesn't really work anywhere else, unless he turns out not to be a hero.

In the last book, Dumbledore recognises that Snape is a good and brave man, and a member of Slytherin. He doesn't say that Slytherins can be good and brave just like everyone else, he says that "sometimes we sort too soon", that because Sanpe is a good and brave man, he should be a Gryffindor.

For Harry not to be in the house of the heroes, he either has to not be a hero or the sorting hat makes a mistake again.

Personally, I'd like to have seen Hermione as the hero/ine. Harry is just born a hero, born rich due to his inheritance, born naturally good at flying, gets extra special magic from Voldemort when he's a baby, even more rich due to another inheritance etc.

Hermione had to work for everything she's gotten (well, besides being clever and determined), and has to help the other heroes who just sort of muddle along.

 

[Legion]

It would have just been Neville Longbottom and the Philosopher's Stone then, wouldn't it?

Didn't she kind of set it up that it could have been one or the other?

No, because the prophecy came about due to Voldermort killing trying to kill Harry over Neville (it could have been either). That has no relevance to what house Harry ended up being in.

The prophecy would still exist.
He'd still have motive due to his parents being killed.

On that note, I know muggles are useless and boring, but surely social services would've reacted at some point to Harry's troubles? I mean, if I were the Dudley's next door neighbour, I'd have called the social services right away if I knew one of their kids had to live in a cupboard under the flippin' stairs. Or at the very least when they renovated one of their bedrooms into a prison cell.

They wouldn't know that he did. Social services don't really have cause to visit unless they have knowledge of a child being mistreated, to the outside world the Dursleys act like a model family. It's why they try and keep Harry out of sight, so nobody suspects that they aren't. There is no way they'd let neighbours know about him being in the cupboard, that's why they were so shocked that the letters mentioned it in the first one.

 

[Legion]

The problem with Harry not going to Gryffindor is that Harry is a hero, and Gryffindor is the house for heroes. He doesn't really work anywhere else, unless he turns out not to be a hero.

In the last book, Dumbledore recognises that Snape is a good and brave man, and a member of Slytherin. He doesn't say that Slytherins can be good and brave just like everyone else, he says that "sometimes we sort too soon", that because Snape is a good and brave man, he should be a Gryffindor.

For Harry not to be in the house of the heroes, he either has to not be a hero or the sorting hat makes a mistake again.

Eh, kinda.

It's more a case of Slytherin being for the ambitious and Gryffindor being for those willing to put others ahead of themselves. Snape shows that he is willing to sacrifice a lot for the greater good, whereas a Slytherin would be more likely to aim for personal gain. It's not so much good and bad, as it is selflessness and selfishness.

As for the "hero house", that's how the books come across, but it's not really the "idea" behind it. They each have their own virtue, but as the hero of the book is in Gryffindor it focuses on them as the heroes.

I am asking for people to use their imaginations, not think of reasons for why it wouldn't work.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Eh, kinda.

It's more a case of Slytherin being for the ambitious and Gryffindor being for those willing to put others ahead of themselves. Snape shows that he is willing to sacrifice a lot for the greater good, whereas a Slytherin would be more likely to aim for personal gain. It's not so much good and bad, as it is selflessness and selfishness.

As for the "hero house", that's how the books come across, but it's not really the "idea" behind it. They each have their own virtue, but as the hero of the book is in Gryffindor it focuses on them as the heroes.

I disagree there, I think it's fairly implicit in the books that, perhaps despite their intentions, Gryffindor are the heroes and Slytherin are the villains. Hagrid in the first book says all evil wizards were Slytherins, no Slytherin students fight against Voldemort in the final battle, but all the Gryffindors volunteered, etc.

I even read somewhere that Rowling gave people birthdays depending on what house they were in, because she felt some starsigns were more trustworthy than others.

I am asking for people to use their imaginations, not think of reasons for why it wouldn't work.

I'm not saying it wouldn't work, just that I can only see two ways for it to happen, that the hat made a mistake (like Dumbledore said it did for Snape), or Harry isn't a hero. Now, you might disagree, but I'm proceeding from that premise.

Now, if Harry wasn't a hero, for the prophecy to work, Neville would have to have been the one Voldemort went after first. Well...unless Harry dies heroically, I guess, which would fit.

Anyway, assuming Neville is the chosen one, more or less swap him and Harry, I guess. His parents get murdered instead of tortured, though his grandmother is less disappointed with him cause he sorta kinda offed Voldemort. Neville grows up exactly as Dumbledore didn't want Harry to, knowing he was famous since he was one year old. But Neville could work more or less as well, I think.

Harry stops being in any way important. He might still be around as a bit player, but I'd say he'd be less relevant than Luna.

...

If Harry is still the hero, though, and was put in another house by mistake he still has to stop Voldemort from getting the Philosopher's Stone. Probably he doesn't work with Ron and Hermione, he gets friends from his own house. IMHO, it is vital he is friends with people in his new house. He needs support and help from his housemates, the only student that regularly helps in that way outside his house is Luna, late in the series, and she's one person compared to all his housemates. I'm proceeding with the assumption that he is friends with his housemates, because he needs that to be the hero. Yes, him being "the hero" distorts all sorts of things in weird ways, but that's how I'm interpreting the rules of the world to work. I suppose being in a certain house might "rub off"...Harry is always a hero, but tries to be cleverer in Ravenclaw, tries to be sneakier in Slytherin, tries to be mumble mumble mumble in Hufflepuff.

I've rambled on for ages, mostly about Slytherin, so I've broken it up.

Spoiler: Slytherin

Now, maybe he chose Slytherin, because he thought Malfoy was right about some wizards being better than others. Maybe it's because they hate muggles, and he hates muggles due to how he was raised. Now, dunno if Snape would still hate (or act like he hates) Harry, cause his in his own house, and friends with Malfoy, who is Snape's favourite. Maybe Harry becomes the favourite, or maybe it's still Malfoy. Anyway, I'd imagine that if he'd followed Malfoy's advice and gone for Slytherin, the two of them would get along. Possibly if he saves Ginny, he can swap Slytherin friends for Gryffindor friends at some point, but it's much more awkward because they don't share a common room and all.

IMHO, this would cause the most problems. The house is full of evil people that are against him, instead of a support base that he really needs. Shame, no sitting round the Slytherin common room talking about how much they hate muggles (him with some serious justification), playing tricks on Gryffindor mudbloods and blood-traitors.

Anyway, because he's the hero, he'd have to stop Voldemort from getting the Philosopher's Stone, maybe with Malfoy, and their trusty but dim-witted friends Crabbe and Goyle. Of course, they don't know it's Voldemort as such until fairly late on, and it's really awkward when they find out, given his friends are Voldemort supporter's kids.

Maybe instead of keeping the Stone from Voldemort, they want to steal it for themselves, or they don't find out? Yeah, Harry only knew because Bane told him, and Bane might not want to tell a Slytherin. More than that, Harry was only in the forest due to his thing with Malfoy, if they were friendlier, they'd not have known who was really behind it. And as a Slytherin, Harry might not want to tell his friends who was really behind it, of course...actually, I like that idea. Trying to stop Snape when they are Slytherins seems a bit odd, though.

Second book...Harry has to save some girl he doesn't know (except he doesn't like her family) from being killed by his friend's dad? Um...though again he doesn't know who's behind it till the end of the book, but then again, if he spent the holidays at the Malfoy's house, he'd probably have met Dobby. Also, Malfoy wanted to know who was behind it all, so he could help them. Maybe Harry is working with Malfoy on this, but gets worried when he hears about the school maybe closing, and him going back to the muggles. Assuming he did save the Gryffindor blood-traitor sister of a bloke he doesn't like and a member of a family his friends don't like...hmmm...well, he can say he was doing it to keep the school open. Probably Ginny won't be the love interest, though, or it will play out really differently. I'd say he could maybe still use the sword of Gryffindor, because that's the house he should have been in...he just keeps this to himself. If he saves Ginny, then presumbly Slytherin and Gryffindor start being able to get on a lot better, unless Slytherin really hold it against him, in which case he needs lots of Gryffindor friends.

Book 3, maybe Malfoy doesn't annoy Buckbeak into huring him. After all, if his friend had ridden him, instead of his rival, he might have been feeling more respectful. If Malfoy is injured, Harry won't be near Hagrid's when the executioner comes, just before Sirius attacks Ron/Wormtail. Unless maybe he wanted to see Buckbeak die, and got caught up with Ron and Hermione when Sirius came. Riding Buckbeak to save Sirius probably won't have happened, either because Buckbeak didn't hurt Malfoy and is off somewhere else, or he did and Harry isn't happy with that.

Book 4, Winky doesn't use Harry's wand, because he's not with the Weasleys, unless he saved Ginny and they are friends now. Harry is the Slytherin Tri-Wizard Champion. Suddenly he's got the house's support. Maybe he's been a bit too friendly with a blood-traitor girl, maybe he's spoil Lucius' plan by mistake, but he's now giving serious glory and prestige to house Slytherin, so that can be overlooked. His housemates and their friends busily help him cheat. Big problem when Voldemort summons the Death Eaters, and some of them are his friend's parents. OTOH, there was mention of Harry being thought of as the next Dark Lord. Now, if he got into Slytherin house, defended the Philospher's Stone against someone using strange magic (as long as he doesn't say who was behind Quarrell), defended the school against a murderous basilisk that someone (if it is still Lucius, maybe Harry/Dumbledore didn't figure out who, maybe Harry did but made a deal with Lucius to keep quiet) had set loose on a prominent magic family (even if the are blood traitors)...maybe some people give up on the long dead Voldemort and put their future in Harry. And when Voldemort comes back, maybe it's too late and they are committed, and they don't dare go back. Up until the end of book 4, none of the Death Eaters knew that he'd come back, and he was not happy with them as it was. Not saying this would logically follow, just that something like that, IMHO, has to for the series to continue along anything like the same lines.

Book 5 Dumbledore has to keep Harry safe, which probably means the Order of the Phoenix. If Harry saved Ginny, they should be able to mostly get along. If he didn't, Harry is probably that horrible Slytherin kid nobody likes...until he saves Mr Weasley (assuming he does, which does seems likely...as long as he recognises him, he's not had nearly so much contact if he's a Slytherin). Voldemort might not have a Sirius to lure Harry to the ministry, but if Harry was friendly with the Malfoys, they might find someone that way instead. Maybe even Draco.

A lot of the DA were Harry's friends from Gryffindor. Unless he's still got Slytherin support, they'd be hard to replace, unless Gryffindor really goes along with the idea (in which case he can have both). This means he's in trouble when he visits the ministry, which Voldemort definitely has to get him to do, due to the security there. Maybe the DA doesn't get caught by Umbridge, though, especially if he's got Slytherin support (Harry always knows to expect the Inquisition when it comes looking for him), and if Slytherin sneakiness meant they don't all write their names on a piece of paper with "Dumbledore's Army" on it and leave it behind...though that meant Dumbledore took the blame for them, might have helped in the end.

If some of the Death Eaters rallied behind Harry as a new potential Dark Lord or from fear of Voldemort, they'd presumably play nice(ish) with Dumbledore (keeping any future Dark Lord plans to themselves). Possibly swap the Order with ex-Death Eater a lot of the time, but there'd be all sorts of disagreements. Maybe Harry saves someone else instead of Mr Weasley (if someone else was on duty when the snake turned up).

Book 6...if Malfoy is with Harry, the Death Eaters need another way in...though Snape just needs to kill Dumbledore. If Dumbledore doesn't get disarmed/recognise Draco as going to kill him first, though, Voldemort gets the Elder Wand, and so Harry has problems/dies at the end of 7, unless he can disarm Snape somehow before Voldemort kills him.

Oh, if Snape was nicer to Harry for being in his house, then his potions marks might have been better, he'd have known he was going to do potions this year, and never seen the Prince's potion book.

Maybe if Harry was feeling more Slytheriny, he recognises Scrimgeous might not have been wrong to want to give people the impression that the ministry had things under control, so people are less scared and Voldemort has somewhat less success.

Book 7 is actually much the same, IMHO, assuming Harry gets this far. It doesn't matter which house Harry's companions come from, as long as he's got some not rubbish ones. The house structures keep them seperate at school, not in a tent in the middle of nowhere. Oh, given that Snape just chucked it in a pond, Harry should be able to get the sword...strange men walking past ponds distributing swords is no way of judging what house you are in, after all.

If Harry can get and maintain Slytherin support, then him being in that house is a very good thing. Instead of being the stock villain house at worst, or not taking part in fighting Voldemort at best, Harry could bring the Slytherin onside, and show Slytherin they don't have to be rubbish villains all the time. Now, he'll need to be on good terms with the other houses, but if he saves Ginny in his second year, that's going to help a lot.

Spoiler: Hufflepuff

Now, if he got mistakenly sorted into Hufflepuff...well, Voldemort wins. Less flippantly, Hufflepuff has two champions in the Tri-Wizard championship, and Harry is on the same Quidditch team as Cedric (awkward), but can't be Seeker. Dumbledore therefore can't hide the ring inside the first Snitch Harry ever caught, unless he replaced Cedric as Seeker after he died...which would be really awkward. Actually, competing against a teammate and captain in the Cup would have been interesting. Likewise, getting the key in the end of the Philosopher's Stone required him to be a Seeker.

But there's no good sidekick material in Hufflepuff. Justin sorta is useful, and maybe Zach could shape up (always wished he wouldn't be wrong about everything, and was annoying, but people put up with him because he was actually useful). On ther other hand, Harry keeps getting into trouble because of his temper, possible Hufflepuff teaches people to be calmer, not sure.

Spoiler: Ravenclaw

Ravenclaw...maybe. Same Quidditch team as Chang, again not Seeker. If they have a relationship which falls apart, it messes up the team. Ravenclaw, to me, almost seems like a serious house, just needed a bit more oomph. Of course, the cleverest people get sent to Gryffindor anyway, which is a bit unfair. Of all the houses Harry could have been in other than Gryffindor, I think Ravenclaw would have enabled Harry to do the best.

Sidekick material...well there's Luna, and some of Ginny's boyfriends, so she might be brought into the loop as an outsider the way Luna was with the Gryffindors. Still, not great material.

Spoiler: General stuff

Honestly, though I don't think if Harry was in another house, he'd be likely to last the whole series. He wouldn't have the support of fellow heroes around him that he needs to keep fighting Voldemort.

But as mentioned previously in this thread, though, Harry being in the same house as Ron, (or at least the person who owns Scabbers) is a major part of book 3. If Harry isn't involved. Maybe Wormtail never takes human form again, maybe he's killed as soon as Sirius or Lupin find him. Because of that, book 4 doesn't really happen, nobody goes to help Voldemort or discovers Crouch's secret. Book 3 starts off dramatically, but then Sirius just disappears towards the end of the year, and nobody knows why he's decided to leave. Fleur, Viktor and Cedric compete in the Tri-Wizard Championship the year after, Harry is a spectator, and Voldemort doesn't come back. But then, maybe Wormtail could have chosen a different wizard family, one in Harry's house, or Harry just sort of blundered into things. If Harry is the hero, he sort of has to stop what's going on, though, and probably spare Wormtail, even though it'd be smarter to just bring back the body.

Oh, in book 6, Slughorn dies of poisoning, as Ron wouldn't drink the stuff first. Now, somebody else could have eaten the chocolated meant for Harry and all, but unlikely.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Wouldn't having him being put into a different house pretty much mean his personality would of been different itself?

I mean he end up putting into Gryffindor (well as a second placed for resfusing to joined Slytherin) for being brave. For him to had end up joining the other hourses would mean he would of either had been smart, friendly or cunning (or had accept the sorting hat first choice).

That itself would of change drastically of what Harry would of done and how or what he think. Well for one thing he wouldn't had end up being friend with Hermione let alone if he still try to stay friend with Ron when he was place in Gryffindor .

 

[Thaluikhain]

That itself would of change drastically of what Harry would of done and how or what he think. Well for one thing he wouldn't had end up being friend with Hermione let alone if he still try to stay friend with Ron when he was place in Gryffindor .

I dunno, Harry (and Ron) became friends with Hermione after saving her from a troll. Doesn't matter what house he was in for that. Possibly could have upset her in the first place as well.

He was being friendly with Ron on the train before they'd been sorted. Both being in Gryffindor helped, but might not have been essential.

 

[janjotat]

Wouldn't having him being put into a different house pretty much mean his personality would of been different itself?

I am trying to imagine a Harry Potter from Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. In the end I think he would have been a very dull person.

 

[Jamieson 90]

Well from the Sorting Hat's comments he could have been in any house, but it was his aversion to Slytherin that pointed the hat in the direction of Gryffindor, most likely because of the on going feud between the two houses.

So how would it have played out?

Ravenclaw:
It's likely that instead of befriending Ron, Harry would have made friends with the boys of Ravenclaw, such as Anthony Goldstein, Terry Boot and Michael Corner. Also If I remember correctly Hermione had a choice between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, but most likely chose Gryffindor because Dumbledore had been in the same house, and because that's that's where she expected Harry to go, as she was desperate for friends, so she may have ended up in Ravenclaw too, although she's sorted before Harry so she'd be relying on their interactions on the train, which would be different if Harry had a more pro-Ravenclaw personality.

As for Harry himself the general environment around him would encourage him to study more, so his grades would most likely be better, although it's a misconception that he's stupid or just average. He cast a corporal patrnous at thirteen, and in his O.W.L.S he received an O in Defense, as well as 5 E's, of which one was in Potions despite the fact Snape hated his guts and didn't offer him any help, so if he did actually receive tuition he may have actually got an O, not to mention it's ironic how much Harry learned from Snape via his potion's textbook, showing that Harry had the potential if only Snape would have helped him.

Which leads onto my next point, being in Ravenclaw it's possible Harry may have been treated differently by his professors and peers, and that he may have remained neutral instead of getting involved in the fight between Gryffindor and Slytherin, and that as a consequence he might have gotten on better with Malfoy, and been treated better by Snape. It may have also effected have he went about things; he's known for being a spur of the moment guy, and improvises a lot, so being a Ravenclaw he might have thought things through and acted differently, although we'd be here forever if we analyzed everything he did.

Slytherin:
I personally couldn't see it happening because the abuse at the Dursleys (being starved and locked in a cupboard is abuse, and the fact Uncle Vernon didn't mind slapping Dudley, makes me believe Harry was probably hit although JKR couldn't show it), made him want to be accepted and not stand out, hence when the Sorting Hat told him he could be great in Slytherin, he opted for Gryffindor where he sought to make friends.

But let's just say he did go there, well I could see things being cold between him and Draco, although Snape would most likely treat him a lot better; I'd bet he'd be shocked and have to rethink his position on Harry, and despite his hate for James I don't believe he'd openly go against his bias towards his Slytherins, so Harry would most likely do a lot better in potions, not only that but I could see the Slytherins warming up to him so long as he gave them a chance, perhaps convincing them to side with him and not the Death Eaters when Voldemort rolls around. Of course the rest of the school would be a lot more frosty towards him, and even more so when he's accused of being the Heir of Slytherin, although he may get Slytherin some prestige through the TriWizard Tournament. I also believe he'd be a lot more sneaky about how he acts, and would probably learn Pureblood customs too.

Hufflepuff:
I think this would probably be the best house for Harry to have gone too, and I find the prejudice against Hufflepuffs to be ridiculous; what's so wrong with being hard working, sociable and loyal? Aren't those qualities you'd look for in a friend? So yeah I think Harry would be inundated with friends, and that as a consequence he wouldn't feel so isolated when part's of the school turn against him, and can you imagine Hufflepuff having two champions in the TriWizard Tournament? The Puffs would have been going crazy. As for negatives I could see parts of the school thinking less of him because of his house, which is sad but true.

Head of House:
Regardless of which house Harry went to I could see Filius Flitwick, Severus Snape, and Pomona Spout all being better Heads of Houses' than Minerva McGonagall.

Her failings are many:
1. Instead of punishing Harry as she rightfully should (Madam Hooch had said anyone caught flying would be expelled faster than they could say Quidditch), she instead rewarded him by showing blatant favoritism by allowing him onto the Gryffindor Quiddtich team, oh and got him a Nimbus 2000, although it's debatable whether she bought it or the money came out of Harry's vault.

2. Inconsistency - when Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Draco were caught out of bed she docked twenty points off Slytherin and awarded Draco a detention, whereas for her three Gryffindors she docked fifty points each, or one hundred and fifty combined, and then to make matters worse their detention was held in the FORBIDDEN FOREST, yes four first years in a place that is forbidden and at midnight too, with the only adult there unable to do magic, and they knew something dangerous was there because unicorns were dying, Hagrid said so himself. Are they stupid? But you know what's even more aggravating? The fact that McGonagall only gave Harry and Ron detention in 2nd year, you know when they stole a car, broke the Statue of Secrecy, and damaged the Whomping Willow, maybe if she'd of reversed the punishments for the offenses she'd have been right, but because she didn't it doesn't make any sense.

3. She did nothing when three of her own students confided in her about the Philosopher's stone, yes it was shocking and perhaps it could have been put down to childish imagination, but regardless she should have just humored the kids and checked anyway, and if there's nothing wrong no harm done, but if there is something wrong well then they can do something about it, you don't just blatantly ignore the issue. Is it any surprise Harry dealt with things on his own when the adults around him didn't listen to him when he asked for help?

4. She was the direct cause of Ron, Hermione and Harry being treated as outcasts in first year due to the point deduction, and did nothing about it, just as she didn't help Harry when he was being slandered by the entire school in second year, or again when the same occurred in fourth year through the tournament, and surprise, surprise, no help again when he's being accused of lunacy in fifth year too. In fact the only time she actually did anything remotely worthwhile was in his career meeting, when she promised to help him become an Auror, yet I suspect it was more to do with putting Umbridge in her place, than actually helping Harry, and no surprises because in sixth year she didn't make good on her promise.

I could probably go on but this post has already gotten too long.

 

[Auron225]

If he wasn't in Gryffindor, and didn't become friends with Ron so much - would he have been rescued from his temporary prison near the beginning of the second book? Who else would have been able to and willing to do it, provided they knew? And what would've happened then?

Come to think of it, I always wondered what the Dursleys would do when someone reported to social services bars on a bedroom window on the FRONT of the house (as if no-one will notice). Was that seriously their long-term plan?

 

[BrotherRool]

I think Hufflepuff would have been an almost identical case to Gryffindor. People might expect a little less of Harry and he would have been enormously popular in his house. He would still have been friends with Ron (they shared some classes with the Huffers) but would he have become friends with Hermione? They wouldn't have shared broomstick lessons together, so no detention and Neville and Hermione wouldn't have been there with them when they find Fluffy (unless Ron brought them or Harry was accompanying Ron).

And he would have probably become much bigger friends with Cedric Diggory (and Hufflepuff would have won everything Quidditch =D). Diggory would be a good friend and adventure with him well.

Ravenclaw would be a bit different because the key virtue is intelligence, whereas Hufflepuff in being good natured also attracted a similar type of brave on others behalf. He would have probably done something sneakier to the Basilisk than drawing a sword and stabbing.

Slytherine is the hardest, he could have still been good and Slytherine, but he would have been more ambitious which would be good for his education, but it's easy to see him being drawn into the dark side. I think Malfoy would have still hated him, because Harry wouldn't ever be a lacky and they would have ended up butting heads in the same way

Eh, kinda.

It's more a case of Slytherin being for the ambitious and Gryffindor being for those willing to put others ahead of themselves. Snape shows that he is willing to sacrifice a lot for the greater good, whereas a Slytherin would be more likely to aim for personal gain. It's not so much good and bad, as it is selflessness and selfishness.

As for the "hero house", that's how the books come across, but it's not really the "idea" behind it. They each have their own virtue, but as the hero of the book is in Gryffindor it focuses on them as the heroes.

I disagree there, I think it's fairly implicit in the books that, perhaps despite their intentions, Gryffindor are the heroes and Slytherin are the villains. Hagrid in the first book says all evil wizards were Slytherins, no Slytherin students fight against Voldemort in the final battle, but all the Gryffindors volunteered, etc.

That's actually non-canon believe it or not =D According to Rowling a good portion of Slytherine sneaked in to join the fight to help save Hogwarts and she just didn't end up putting it in the books.

I think it's rightly implied that Salazar was a pretty bad dude and his morals attracted a lot of bad dudes, but also that you can get good people too and the implication that they sort too early is that anyone has a chance to be good. So it's not just that Snape was sorted in the wrong house, but anyone, Malfoy, Slughorn etc have the power to be good in them too. If people can turn out to be different in later life then it makes the whole idea of stereotyping houses pointless, rather than inefficient. In general the books start off black and white and end up grey, so I think that fits in with the idea that Slytherine aren't evil at all.

Think of RA Black as well, that was another hero who belonged to Slytherine.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

It would have just been Neville Longbottom and the Philosopher's Stone then, wouldn't it?

Didn't she kind of set it up that it could have been one or the other?

Well, Voldemort could have gone after Neville instead of Harry first, not quite the same thing.

...

The problem with Harry not going to Gryffindor is that Harry is a hero, and Gryffindor is the house for heroes. He doesn't really work anywhere else, unless he turns out not to be a hero.

In the last book, Dumbledore recognises that Snape is a good and brave man, and a member of Slytherin. He doesn't say that Slytherins can be good and brave just like everyone else, he says that "sometimes we sort too soon", that because Sanpe is a good and brave man, he should be a Gryffindor.

For Harry not to be in the house of the heroes, he either has to not be a hero or the sorting hat makes a mistake again.

Personally, I'd like to have seen Hermione as the hero/ine. Harry is just born a hero, born rich due to his inheritance, born naturally good at flying, gets extra special magic from Voldemort when he's a baby, even more rich due to another inheritance etc.

Hermione had to work for everything she's gotten (well, besides being clever and determined), and has to help the other heroes who just sort of muddle along.

I'll agree that Hermione would've been greet as the lead Heroine in the HP franchise, but then there would be a huge "Goku" complex, meaning that Hermione, on top of being clever, determined, and gifted with magic, would always have to come to save the day regardless of what anyone one else does.

Hermione has a great role of being the smart and competent with magic one, Ron is goofy, lighthearted one who tends to nullify any amount of tension in a room, allowing the other heroes to complete their roles effectively, and Harry is the resourceful, gifted one that saves everyone and rallies the troops, despite being outclassed by some of his fellow wizards.

 

[Little Woodsman]

Hmm, I'm more interested in what might have happened if Harry had ended up in a different house than the Dudley's.

On that note, I know muggles are useless and boring, but surely social services would've reacted at some point to Harry's troubles? I mean, if I were the Dudley's next door neighbour, I'd have called the social services right away if I knew one of their kids had to live in a cupboard under the flippin' stairs. Or at the very least when they renovated one of their bedrooms into a prison cell.

Dumbledore, you senile old sod, you might as well have left the baby balancing over the shark tanks at the aquarium.

My thoughts on the subject were pretty similar to this. One of the reasons I delayed starting to readthe books (and I've
never watched the movies) was that while I can suspend my disbelief enough to take in wizards hidden all over the world,
magical creatures all over the place hidden by the wizards etc.... it just boggled my mind that
1)The Dursleys were such a bunch of arseholes that they treated their nephew/cousin like that
2)Why in the ^#** no-one ever called social services! The kids & teachers at his school had to have noticed that he
was wearing castoff clothes way too big for him when he came from an upper-middle class family! If I were one of
his teachers my first thought would have probably been "Oh my god, I bet those are to hide bruises!".

And seriously--Harry's parents were supposed to be so well loved, Harry himself deeply appreciated and *nobobdy*
from the wizarding community ever thought to check up on him? Arabella Figg, supposedly put in to the neighborhood
to keep an eye on him *never* told any decent wizards about his circumstances? Or if she did, nobody did anything
about it?

My apologies, I got kind of rant-tastic there.....

My big "What If" for the HP series has often been "What if the Dursley's hadn't been a bunch of arseholes, and
treated Harry like an actual family member?"

 

[Vault101]

Personally, I'd like to have seen Hermione as the hero/ine. Harry is just born a hero, born rich due to his inheritance, born naturally good at flying, gets extra special magic from Voldemort when he's a baby, even more rich due to another inheritance etc.

Hermione had to work for everything she's gotten (well, besides being clever and determined), and has to help the other heroes who just sort of muddle along.

you just blew my mind 0_0..........similar to when I leanred what squibs are the charachter finch made alot more sense

in the very first book doesnt the sorting hat suggest slytherin for harry?..like it makes sense? (which it really doesnt)if harry had been in slytherine (or even the others) would he have been unable to be freinds with ron/herminone? I know its not a rule but it seems to be an unwritten one

 

[Some_weirdGuy]

Let's say for example that he simply wasn't put in Gryffindor, in the second year he wouldn't have been able to get Gryffindors sword from the hat, and most likely wouldn't have been able to defeat the Basilisk.

Didn't the sword materialise for him because he was showing loyalty to dumbledore (and bravery against tom riddle by speaking so highly of dumbledore)?
So, even if he wasn't actually from gryffindor himself, it could still have appeared for him I think (unless it actually said somewhere that he had to be in griffindor house to get it. I don't remember that ever being stated, but i'm not by any means all that invested in Harry potter, beyond reading two or three of the books and watching the movies).

 

[Legion]

Let's say for example that he simply wasn't put in Gryffindor, in the second year he wouldn't have been able to get Gryffindors sword from the hat, and most likely wouldn't have been able to defeat the Basilisk.

Didn't the sword materialise for him because he was showing loyalty to dumbledore (and bravery against tom riddle by speaking so highly of dumbledore)?
So, even if he wasn't actually from gryffindor himself, it could still have appeared for him I think (unless it actually said somewhere that he had to be in griffindor house to get it. I don't remember that ever being stated, but i'm not by any means all that invested in Harry potter, beyond reading two or three of the books and watching the movies).

It did mention he had to be in Gryffindor, yes.

Fawkes (the phoenix) came to him for showing loyalty to Dumbledore, but the only reason he could withdraw the sword from the sorting hat was because he was a "true Gryffindor". Although I suppose another weapon or tool could logically be given, should he have been in another house. Of course, it wouldn't have the same affect as the sword though, seeing as it absorbed venom from the Basilisk, therefore giving him a means to easily destroy Horcruxes.

in the very first book doesnt the sorting hat suggest slytherin for harry?..like it makes sense? (which it really doesnt)if harry had been in slytherine (or even the others) would he have been unable to be freinds with ron/herminone? I know its not a rule but it seems to be an unwritten one

It mentions that he could "do well in Slytherin" as he has a "thirst for power" and then it says "No? If you are sure...". Slytherin is (supposed to be) the house for the ambitious and those who desire strength. While it doesn't make much sense in how the books are written (as all the pricks are in that house), there is no reason why Harry couldn't be in the house based upon the ideal of what the house stands for. If it were just a school for the kind of person who is likely to become a criminal then it'd just be useful as a means for deciding who not to teach magic really. That's why before I suggested people not look at it with how Rowling wrote it, but rather look at the lore itself.

Personally I don't think he'd be friends with Hermione if he were in any of the other houses. Simply because he only became friends with her two months of being in the same house, and that was when Ron upset her and she ran off. Only from realising she was missing and going to save her from the troll did they actually become friends. There's no (obvious) situation in which they'd be friends if Harry were in another house.

With this topic I am not really asking how Rowling would have written the story if she'd changed the house. I am looking for people to imagine their own ideas based upon the world itself. So as long as it's plausible, I think it's worth discussing, even if it goes against some of the themes of the books themselves.

My big "What If" for the HP series has often been "What if the Dursley's hadn't been a bunch of arseholes, and
treated Harry like an actual family member?"

To be honest, I don't think much would have changed.

When it comes down to it, Harry spent the first 11 years of his like with a family who both disliked and feared him, he had no friends and nobody to confide in or support him. Realistically he'd not be quite so well adjusted socially as he is in the series, as he is quite trusting, very friendly, and fits in with the school as well as the average teenager would.

Although of course this is due to the type of book Rowling was writing. The idea of a student with neurological and trust issues is not really the theme she was going for.

So considering that Harry is a decent and well adjusted person when it comes down to it, despite years of neglect, I don't see him coming from a kind family changing that much. His summers would be more pleasant, but beyond that I don't really see what it'd affect.