When our kids were little, they loved Harry Potter, especially Ryan, who has the exact same birthday at Harry.
I never read the books because of reasons, and I only saw the first couple of movies, also because of reasons.
Recently, Anne and I decided that we would finally read the books, and we’re about halfway through the first one (I’m a couple chapters ahead of Anne, because I had some time on an airplane that I spent … wisely).
Yesterday at Wondercon, while we were walking to our panel, I told Felicia that we were reading the books, and trying to describe to her how much I love them.
“I just … I really want to go to Hogwarts,” I said.
“They’re building one at Universal Studios,” she said.
We passed through a curtain and approached a set of large, closed doors.
“No, I don’t want to go to an amusement park recreation of Hogwarts,” I said, “I want to go to Hogwarts. I want to go to a train station, run though a wall to platform 9 3/4, and take a train to Hogwarts, where I will learn how to be a wizard. I want Hogwarts to be real.”
I noticed that she’d taken a subtle step away from me, which was probably a good idea. I was getting excited.
“What house are you?” She said. Our escort opened the doors and led us into an enormous corridor that was over twenty feet high, equally as wide, and a few hundred feet long. Chairs were stacked along one wall, and the other wall had doors in it that granted access to the various meeting rooms where the panels were held.
“I’m pretty sure I’m Ravenclaw,” I said.
“No way, dude. You’re totally a Slytherin.”
“I am not a Slytherin!”
“Yeah, you totally are a Slytherin.” Felicia crunched up her nose and grinned at me. “My brother’s a Slytherin.”
“Dude, I’m going to be Ravenclaw … or maybe Gryffindor. But I really think I’m Ravenclaw.” Our footsteps and voices echoed off the cement floor and walls. I imagined that we were in a castle.
“I’m Ravenclaw,” Felicia said.
“When I get home, I’m taking the test at Pottermore, and I’m going to be Ravenclaw, too.” We arrived at the door for our panel, and waited while the panel before us finished up. We talked a little bit about what we’d make sure to cover on the panel, and I realized that the corridor we’d just walked down was perfect for riding a longboard skateboard.
The previous panel walked out, the room filled up with people who were there to see us, and after a quick Tabletop trailer, we went inside for our panel. It was great.
When I got home last night, I was too tired for taking the sorting hat test at Pottermore, so I took it this morning. I was honest in all of my answers, and spent a fair amount of time thinking about some of the questions. I wasn’t trying to get the house I wanted (and I don’t know enough about Harry Potter to manipulate the results, anyway), so I was incredibly happy (and a little relieved) when I found out that, yes, I was in Ravenclaw.
I know it’s a silly thing, and I know I’m a little too old to really care about it, but reading Harry Potter makes me feel like I’m part of something that’s special, that means a lot to a lot of people.
And I know it’s silly to care about what house I’m in … but I’m really glad to be in Ravenclaw, because I have a lot of books I need to read.
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Slytherin!! Yeah
Hufflepuff, and it fits me to a t! Although for a very long time I did think I was Ravenclaw.
I’m a Ravenclaw!
Every year since finishing the series, I start re-reading it again from Thanksgiving to Christmas. I love being able to open up those books and step back into the world that I feel like I grew up in! The books have a magic far beyond the wizarding world; they get people reading, connect people to one another, and make friends of strangers. There is something so wonderful about the universality of these stories!! Enjoy them Wil!
“I want to go to Hogwarts”. Right. That was me, when I was younger, saying “I want to be in Star Trek. Not on the set, not on the show, but IN that world”.
All I can say, sir, is that you should keep in mind that in the books, Slytherin is given a bad reputation by J.K. Rowling, on purpose, to let the one house be a scapegoat, so-to-speak. It’s also written from Harry’s perspective, so also please keep that in mind.
I won’t promise that All Slytherins are 100% good, but what I CAN say is that we’re not all that bad. We’re humans, we feel, we aren’t evil. We just do things to have them go our way if we can help it. Give us an edge, or whatnot.
As a Slytherin, people are rather surprised that I am one such member of the house because they tell me that I’m too nice. It’s not about being too nice to belong to a house, just… just the values one has that resonate with oneself that shows you’re in that house. I value my self, I will put myself first, but lo to anyone who would mess with my family and friends, for they’re dead meat.
Are you getting my drift here, Mr. Wheaton?
So please, don’t discount the Slytherins in the books and transfer that out to the Slytherins that may work and live around you: I reiterate, we’re not all bad, and would have your back if you were a friend of ours.
That’s all. Peace, dude.
This is completely true. Indeed, there are honorable Slytherins in your future if you keep reading, Wil. The four houses of Hogwarts are a values assessment, not a judgement.
I still haven’t read them. But the world I wanted to be in as a kid was iThe NeverEnding Story, I LOVED Falcor. I know in Heaven He is there, waiting. I was actually talking to someone at my church about Falcor just this week and they said “Oh that dog terrified me as a kid.” I was about to correct her and then I decided it was better to just shake my head and smile.
I am so jealous. I wish there was a pill I could take to forget Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and few dozen other books and movies just so I could experience them again for the first time…
I’m a Ravenclaw as well! I tagged along on my Aunt & Uncle’s vacation to Orlando last month and out of all if the neat stuff we saw at Universal, Honeydukes was the ultimate HP moment for me.
Pretty sure the fact that you say you spent time pondering your answers means that you really *do* belong in Ravenclaw 😉
Ha, totally 🙂
I’m in the same house as Wil Wheaton… That’s some multilevel fangirling right there.
I totally agree with Jessica. Some worlds are just so amazing to discover you wish you could do it over and over again, though for Harry Potter I feel like Pottermore is kind of a way to rediscover it because of the fantastic art and extra content from JK. Also, I had always been a little bummed when you mentioned you weren’t into Harry Potter and I’m ecstatic that you are giving them a chance and loving them.
Since everyone seems to be sharing their Potter intros, mine went like this: borrowed the first four books from a classmate when I was in vet school. Mid-twenties age. Immediately hooked. Read the others as they came out and saw the movies in the same way. Loved the whole world of it, though some books/movies more than others, of course.
As for my house, I never really thought much about it at first, but when it became a thing online, I then had to decide where I wanted to be. And, oh, did I make that a project. (Super geek incoming!)
See, the Sorting Hat sorts you at eleven years old. I knew that at eleven, I would have likely been in Gryffindor or Slytherin. As an adult, most of us are Hufflepuffs, or should be, because fairness and all. But I was always nerdy/different, too, and that suits Ravenclaw. So, all of the houses appealed to me. But since everyone at that time was either a Lion or a Snake, I wanted to be different, and since Luna Lovegood is my spirit animal in the HP universe (oh, so much my HP spirit animal, that Luna is – I can’t say more without spoiling you, but suffice to say that while many things led me to this idea, one particular thing about her just nailed it for me), so Ravenclaw was my desired house.
So, I took the crazy big personality test you can find online that tells you your house. This was long before Pottermore. And I tried to take it as my eleven-year-old self would have. Then, because I’m no longer eleven, I took it again, answering as I would now. I did this with the intention of averaging my scores and telling my house that way, since I was still undecided. I realized somewhere along the way through the crazy big test (it’s, like, a hundred questions and pretty intense) that I was doing MATH to determine my Hogwart’s house, and that’s when I laughed because, well, Ravenclaw, then, no? No test needed, right?
But I kept at it and guess what? Ravenclaw won using my method.
And when Pottermore came along (got in on the beta by complete fluke), I took the Sorting Hat test like everyone else. I answered as honestly as I could, and bit my nails like everyone else who actually cares about these things. When that blue banner came up, well…
\o/
So, there you have it. My house story in a rather large nutshell. Suffice to say I get it, and I’m glad to have a new member of the house.
Welcome to Ravenclaw, Wil.
Read away, do the math, or play some Quidditch. It’s all okay. We welcome all sorts here. Find the thing that you love, and love it the most that you can. It’s the Ravenclaw way. 😉
No, Wil ! There should be no shame in loving Harry Potter.. no matter the age ! Congrats on the house placement. I’m a Hufflepuff, myself. We love everybody !
When I took the test on Pottermore, I was so nervous that I wouldn’t be sorted into Hufflepuff. I’ve known since I read the first book that I belonged in Hufflepuff, and at that moment, literally the most important thing in the world to my identity was that JK Rowling’s personalized test sorted me into MY house. I’m pretty sure I would have cried if I had been sorted otherwise.
Welcome to the fandom, sir.
I’m sorry, too old to care? This coming from someone who makes an engaging program about playing board games? Someone that always says it’s ok to let your geek flag fly high and be proud of who you are?
The day you start thinking you’re “too old” for anything is the day you lose more of your sense of wonder and imagination. Never ever (and I mean Ever) let that happen!
As a thirty-fiver year old man who spent a long time avoiding the books (I have a rabid aversion to any FAD), can I just say …
Welcome to the Common Room.
[i.e. also a Ravenclaw on Pottermore.
Ah the joy of being a geek, not caring about age restrictions on what we enjoy — as long as it’s not creepy 🙂 ]
The Doctor would be Slytherin. So would River. I love being Slytherin, we can be sneaky for the forces of good. Most moms are Slytherin just for that reason.
Welcome to Ravenclaw! I don’t think I took or trusted any sorting quizzes until the official one from J.K. herself. I believe the actress who played Luna got sorted into Gryffindor and felt like she no longer knew who she was. I feel like I enjoyed the movies more the more time had elapsed since I’d read the book, FYI.
Why is it silly to care about to which house you belong? (Not ending sentences with prepositions is HARD.)
I sorted to Hufflepuff. Fitting, I think!
I envy that you have all the books before you to delve into. Though I love all of the books and movies and I’ve been to the Wizarding world of HP… there’s nothing like that first read through of all the books… not knowing what was ahead of you. ENJOY!
It’s been many, many years since I took a sorting quiz, but out of all the many ones I’ve taken before I was usually Slytherin half the time and Hufflepuff the other half. Both Houses I loved, but never quite knew which house I was meant to be in. I don’t know why I never got around to taking the Pottermore quiz, but I just did and got Slytherin!
Most of my friends probably wouldn’t put me as a Slytherin, I’m quite the shy, quiet introvert but I always had a feeling I would be a Slytherin (like you did with Ravenclaw). I was so incredibly nervous taking the quiz and trying to be as honest as possible. It is quite nice to know the house you thought you belonged in, is the house you got. 🙂
It’s never too late to get into Harry Potter! I’m glad you enjoy it so much; I’m one of those people it means a lot to, ever since I picked up Sorcerer’s Stone 13 years ago. Enjoy the story 🙂
And congrats on Ravenclaw! I’ve always associated with Hufflepuff, but Pottermore has spoken! Guess I’m a Huffleclaw…or a Ravenpuff…or a RavenHuffleClawPuff. To each their own!
My father introduced me to Harry Potter when I was 40 and my son 10, just one year younger than Harry himself. A retired librarian, he was forever on the hunt for something new to read to, then with his kids (as a parent, as a teacher, and finally, as a grandparent).
Sadly, my father only lived long enough to read the first four books, and my son’s interest waned around the same time. Not me; I finished all seven and enjoyed the second reading of the series just as much as the first.
Thanks Wil, your blog brought back some lovely memories.
Whoa, I got Slytherin! I totally was NOT expecting that, LOL.
I am just so happy for you both, discovering Harry Potter. Yay! (Also: never too old.)
I read the first book on vacation years ago, finished it in two days and had to have more. The only one I could find was volume four (still my favorite). When I got home, I bought two and three, then had to read them again in order. I needed the universe to make sense. Then I waited an interminable period for each new book to be released. When the last book came out, I devoured it, then dived into a full reading of the entire series. I finished in about 10 days (that’s a lot of pages, yo). When it was over, I had trouble relating to the rest of the world for a while. Welcome, Mr. Wheaton. I envy that you don’t have to wait for the end.
I was lucky enough to attend a school that was remarkably like Hogwarts. It was life-altering, and the connections made there have followed me to this day. http://www.lsmsa.edu/
For the longest time I thought I would be placed in Hufflepuff. Not to try and toot my own horn, but I was always the type of person that put in the hardwork that was needed for whatever project, and didn’t care that I had to do the menial work or labour for it. I was also the type to seem a bit like a pushover and would tend to have people take advantage of my kindness a lot. A lot of my friends would think that I would be placed in that house too, especially since I wasn’t particularly cunning and driven, and I was a fairly shy and not courageous type at all.
And then I finally took the Pottermore quiz for fun to see where I would actually placed as per Rowling’s approved standards, and I was put in Ravenclaw too! And you know what the funny thing is? I never thought of myself as witty or intelligent. I never gave myself that credit. I was so focused on some of the “lesser” qualities of myself that I didn’t even consider myself potentially a fit for Ravenclaw. And it took a quiz designed for children to help me realize I have qualities worth noting that make up a whole identity of myself I don’t usually let myself see.
That is what makes Harry Potter pretty cool, and that’s part of the magic it has, even into adult years.
You know, regarding my outrage over any kind of spoiler, people are always all “statute of limitations” and “just get over it”. But your example of just starting to read HP reminds me that sometimes, there’s just not enough time to get around to all the good stuff. Plus, there’s always another generation of fans coming up who deserve all the goodness and surprises of the classic books, shows and movies. So I will hold my ground and raise my voice against all spoilers, always!
The books are great. Wish I could read them for the first time again. Still, returning to the world is most satisfying. THe audio books, BTW, are amazing. Jim Dale does an amazing job performing all the various characters, so much so that I went through withdrawal when I finished the last one. As good at immersion into a world as the audio version of Ready Player One.
Yes! Jim Dale is astounding! We listen to HP or some other audio book every night as we fall asleep. Our kids do too. We all agree that listening to any other book is never as good because Jim Dale is not the one reading aloud.
And I am completely surprised it took this long into the comments for someone to sing JD’s praises. He is the master.
When I started reading the books I really hoped for a letter from Howarts. It never came.
Ravenclaw!
I just finally bought the last three movies a few weeks ago and did a marathon Harry Potter movie fest every night after work. It was fun. And I have read all the books at least once.
Hmm, I have wanted to join Pottermore for some time. Thank you Wil for giving me the push off the fence to do so now.
And guess what? Ravenclaw too!! I really wanted Gryffindor.
In no way is any of that silly. I just read the books within the last year and I loved every word. I have been dillydallying over reading the last book because I don’t want it to end, And I so want to go to Hogwart’s. Do you think they’d take a 44 year old mom? Hufflepuff pride!
Wil, there is a big write-up about you and Bjo Trimble at Startrek.com. Check it out.
I did that test awhile ago… Ravenclaw. 🙂
I’ll watch for you and Felicia in the common room. heh.
(btw, my wife and her best friend are Slytherin, so they’re not all bad, just mischievous)
Several years ago, I took the test on some website (can’t remember but I’m sure it was not “official”) and was placed in Ravenclaw. I took the test again, manipulated the answers and was placed in Gryffindor which, at the time, was the house I wanted to be in. Brave. Courageous. Popular. Since then I have accepted the fact that I do not possess what it takes to be in Gryffindor. I just went on Pottermore, took the test, and was placed in Ravenclaw. It’s where I belong and I feel good about that.
As for the books, I started reading them around the time book three had come out. Once I got caught up, I went through agony during the year long wait between books, buying every Harry Potter related book I could find just to fill in the empty void. I read the first three books several times and even went to the extent of buying the complete set from Amazon.co.uk so I could have the full experience of the story as it J.K. Rowling intended.
And I, too, want to go to Hogwarts. The real Hogwarts. And be part of the original Start Trek crew. And be the Doctor’s side kick for a year or two. But I’ll pass on being a Hobbit or Elf or Dwarf….that world is just to darn scary for me.
Oh to be reading those books for the first time. My son has decided he’s going to tackle the series in fifth grade (he’s nearing the end of 3rd now). I began reading them the second year I taught borrowing the books from my students which they absolutely loved. They just thought it was awesome a teacher was reading what they were reading, and that I had to borrow the books from them.
I was surprised to be sorted into Hufflepuff on Pottermore but after reading the description it’s totally where I belong. Go Badgers!
Oh come now, Wil. You’re never too old to worry about what House you belong to. When I was younger, I wanted to be in the Star Trek universe – then the worlds of Babylon 5, the Witches of Eileanan, and the list goes on and on. If you lose your sense of wonder and enchantment, then you really do start to grow old.
Don’t feel too silly. I actually shed some tears when Pottermore tried to tell me I wasn’t a Ravenclaw.
I recently started reading the HP books to my kids (voices and all) and we are on the 3rd book now, and I’m sad as I can’t read any more to them for a few years as the next couple books are deemed too dark for their age (by my husband). I love watching their reactions to the big reveals and such and it’s like I’m reading them for the first time in many ways (though I’ve read them so many times).
Anyhow, have you heard you can go to Hogwarts (virtually) and it’s free?!
http://www.hogwartsishere.com/
You can go to Hogwarts! http://www.hogwartsishere.com/
Welcome to Harry Potter! And if you’ll forgive me for adding my voice to what I’m sure are many others….please, please, please take a quick listen to Jim Dale’s narration of the audio books. It’s an epic performance of an already epic story. He creates a unique and wonderfully consistent voice for EVERY CHARACTER though every book in the series. Not to be missed!
Right you are sister, Jim Dale’s narrations of these books are nothing short of Amazing! I travel and work long hours so I do not have much time for reading so the audio books were just the trick. Jim Dale’s complete vocal transformation from character to character is unbelievable. “I Second your Recommendation”
When I read through the books, I wanted to be a Ravenclaw so badly, but I was fairly convinced I’d be sorted into Hufflepuff. When Pottermore went live, I was mentally preparing myself not to be disappointed when that’s where I ended up. (“Tonks is in Hufflepuff and she’s wonderful”)
The last question I got from the sorting hat was “Which house would you want to be in, Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw?”
It makes me unreasonably happy that I made it into my favorite house in a fictional world.
Fellow Ravenclaw, I hope you abide by all rules set by the Hogwarts Staff!
P.S. – Pottermore account required.
I got slytherin! I was sort of horrified about my whole existence, but on further research, slytherin means I’m ambitious and love water. But I live on the coast so of course I love water. Right? I hope this doesn’t mean I’m evil . I never thought of myself that way. Hmmm.
This post makes me so happy!
Strange thing about those Harry Potter books: I didn’t find the plot or characters memorable, but I *really* loved the idea of a gigantic, history and mystery-packed castle that doubled as a wizarding school.
I think we all would like to be 11-years-old again and beginning an amazing personal journey at Hogwarts.
slytherin… I am in slytherin!!! I did not know where I belonged but I did not think I belonged there. Oh, well. I shall embrace my inner snake!!
Late to the party? Better late than never. I didn’t want to read them either, but hear the first book played on the radio on Boxing Day in the UK a few years ago… I still want to go to Hogwarts… for REAL too.
Wil,
Did you know that there is a fan run online Hogwarts? You can now take those wizard courses you always wanted to.
http://www.hogwartsishere.com/
Chris