Why Characters Seem to "Break House"

So what do these three men have in common? All of them, debatably, "broke  house" or so to say, broke house characteristics. Here, we're going to have a closer look at why really, any house can turn evil, and sort of warp itself.


To start, we have Lockhart, and to a lesser extent Quirrell who both "broke house" with Lockhart being talentless, and Quirrell being a servant of Voldemort. Interestingly enough, both were from the same house, Ravenclaw, and as such, were supposed to be those gifted with intelligence and wisdom. Lockhart, on face, doesn't fit this description at all, and Quirrell is more known from the books for his cunning, a Slytherin trait. So why did these two end up in Ravenclaw at all? The answer is found in Pottermore, as Lockhart is described as being talented with beauty products, creating his own, while Quirrell was talented in the theory of defense against the dark arts. Quirrell, as it follows, did not believe he got the respect he deserved, and followed as such to track down and try and defeat Voldemort, only to be promised more power and respect than he could imagine, and thus, fell. So what of Lockhart? He still wasn't wise, but Ravenclaws, as given in their house description are known to have a bit of a loony streak, with insanely talented witches and wizards, but some that fall so deep into one field it becomes a point that can be mocked. For Lockhart, these fields were charms, and beauty products, and he believed himself deserving of more, and like Quirrell, ended up on a rather twisted path to achieve those ends. In truth, neither can be said to have "broken house" rather than carried on with that their house traits were, and then due to some dissatisfaction, did things that may have been considered "unexpected for a Ravenclaw" when in fact, it's a logical extreme, and something that could produce truly terrifying villains. If one can imagine a Voldemort with such twisted logic and power of the Dark Arts, thinking and truly believing that he's making the world a better place, instead of the hate-filled and power-hungry Voldemort we see, it would be perhaps worse and far more frightening a foe.

So, that takes us to perhaps the best example of breaking house, Wormtail. Unlike the other two, there is not much on dear Wormtail through Pottermore, so this requires more speculation. He was a Gryffindor, like the other marauders, and was a talented young wizard, able to have an animagus at a young age. So why the betrayal to Voldemort? Why beg for his life when Sirius confronts him? If Gryffindor is about bravery, Wormtail had perhaps the worst sense of it ever known. To this, I'd like to give a foil in Neville. Now, Neville can't be said to be the bravest that had ever lived either in his first year, and in truth, we don't see Neville in a Gryffindor's role till the fifth book at best. Rather, Neville personifies something else in Gryffindor: determination. This is what I think had put Peter Pettigrew in the house. I do get the sense that he was slower and less talented as a whole than the other marauders, and always wanted to prove himself to the boys he looked up to. As such, he was able to grow using them as benchmarks, and was probably the last to achieve an animagus form. So why the defection still? It follows that while he wanted to be better, it was perhaps what was offered. He was possibly a fearful boy, and in adulthood, a fearful man, and when he was promised the power to be brave, he made the deal. He probably always believed himself inferior to the others in talent, and his desire was to grow and be respected by them, and probably never got that respect. This explains some of his "break" as we take Gryffindor in this case as determination, rather than the traditional notion of bravery.

What of the other houses? How might they "break house"? Slytherin, in my own opinion, can never be said to be breaking house, as they have perhaps the loosest qualification in ambition. They need to want something. So long as they want something, they act within their house description. Whether it be fame in Slughorn, power in Voldemort, or love in Snape, if they want it, then it fits the house. Hufflepuff is slightly more interesting to speculate on, as they could be Disloyal, lazy, dishonest, and unfriendly but again, this is a matter of perspective, as it could be said "disloyal/unfriendly to whom, and why?"  and "lazy how? maybe they're being considerate" or "dishonest to keep a friend happy/ to stay loyal to some." As such, it's easy to see how there could be, in theory, an evil Hufflepuff, as they may abandon some characteristics to favor others.

In conclusion, while Dumbledore said "perhaps we sort too soon" I think he needs correcting. Perhaps, it is not that we sort too soon, but that we should not be characterized by our sorting. Any house can turn out evil people, and any house can surprise you with individuals that seem to break the mold of the stereotypical member. Just like a Slytherin need not be evil, a Ravenclaw need not be particularly clever as a whole, a Hufflepuff need not be friendly and a Gryffindor need not be brave.

So as always, post your thoughts here below!