Why is the Pottermore Sorting so important for Potterheads?

One can argue that after all, this won’t change a lot of things compared to the experience, just a quarter of a chapter. But, and I speak in my own name, hoping that others share my ideas, this is not where the problem lies. The problem lies in the fact that for years now we have identified with a certain House, which means we have put some of our traits of characters above others.

Belonging to a House is not jut about which color your tie is or which animal is on your badge. It’s about belonging to a family who shares the same ideas as you, who has the same priorities. Whether this affinity to a House comes from online Sorting quizzes or personal convictions, it has shaped our whole Potter experience. Hufflepuffs cried the hardest when Cedric Diggory died, Slytherins were the proudest of all when the truth about Snape was unveiled, Ravenclaws were the smuggest whenever Luna did something awesome, and Gryffindors cheered the loudest when Neville pulled the sword from the Sorting Hat.

Not one Potterhead can say they have no House. While some do not want to be confined to one category only, such as the Gryffinclaws or the Slytherpuffs, they do identify with the morals and values of the four Founders.

This is why the Pottermore Sorting is so important. In one moment, your convictions of sometimes more than a lifetime can be turned upside down. It’s just a sorting quiz like there are so many on the internet! some will say. Except it’s not. This quiz was designed by J.K. Rowling herself, and is the closest thing we will ever get to an actual Sorting Ceremony, since the answers are not obvious. The House we will join on Pottermore is the House we would have been in had the Potterworld really existed.

This prospect is frightening. I know that when I take this test, my heart will be thundering harder than anything. For twelve years now, I was a Ravenclaw. Some of the most important life decisions I took were done with this fact in mind. Hell, if I’m leaving my suburbian France for New York in four days is because I always believed that a Ravenclaw would do everything in their power to know the most about their subject of predilection. This identification gave me the confidence and the courage to try to attain my dreams.

So even if I end up in Gryffindor, Hufflepuff or Slytherin, I will not be disappointed. Of course, at first I will feel a little point of regret. But I will enter my new family with all the enthusiasm and the pride of a First Year, and do everything to make it win the House Cup. But I will not forget the twelve years I spent under the blue and bronze emblem, not will I stop loving it. I’ll just do it from a little bit farther than before.

So, Pottermore early suscribers, be warned: if you’re not from my House, be prepared to fight for those House Points.