As we get ready for the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the end of the month, we have spent a lot of time at the bookstore thinking about how best to get ready for this momentous event. Are we planning a midnight release party? Yes! Have we done press releases about said event? Heck yeah! Have we ordered the books? Of course! In all the party planning we have spent more time on one question than other: what Hogwarts House would bookstore staffers be sorted into? Laura is the staffer most behind this question, because she’s given it more thought than anyone else at the store. We have spent long lunches discussing the merits of each house and who should be where.
First off, Laura is a huge fan of Slytherin, which tends to be the reviled house because Draco Malfoy is such a bad kid. But Laura has aggressively lobbied for the true nature of a Slytherin having gone so far as to say, “Draco is not a poster child for anything.” Laura feels she and Darrilyn are Slytherins because they actually are gentle leaders without being pushy. And, as Laura says they have ambition and that’s not a bad thing at all. Laura’s defense of the Slytherin house is so well informed that even though I am not a fan of the house, I can totally understand what she’s talking about it and no longer see Slytherin as the house where bad people live.
Hufflepuffs make good bookstore staffers because they’re good at finding things. This is a very useful trait for anyone who is searching for an errant book while a customer is quietly tapping their foot wondering why we can’t just lay our hands on it (more on this phenomenon in another blog). Sandy is a Hufflepuff. Not only does she have the keen eye for finding missing books, she’s loyal to a tee and has the work ethic of Hufflepuff. To this I would add, that everyone on staff has Hufflepuff as a secondary house (yes, we’ve gotten very specific about houses at the bookstore).
The Flying Pig doesn’t have any Ravenclaws according to Laura. But she was adamant in suggesting the Kenny, our Thursday blogger, is a classic Ravenclaw because of his love and pursuit of knowledge for the sake of just knowing more. I totally agree.
And then there’s Gryffindor. The house that everyone feels good about being in because we’ve idealized it and told ourselves that this is the best house. Even though, as seen by the above list, it’s actually no better or worse than the others. Laura was very clear that Elizabeth, David, and I belong in this house. I’ll admit I was happy to be sorted into this house by Laura because, honestly, I think it reflects well on me. Vanity always figures in when you’re getting sorted into a house.
Laura and I have spent a lot of time at the store discussing these houses. Often we’ll get customers chiming in about what house they think they belong in. It’s fun to talk about Harry Potter like this. It shows how much these books have become part of our lives. And as I eagerly await the arrival of The Cursed Child I can’t wait to see what houses the children of Harry, Ron, and Hermione get sorted into.