Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In today’s video, we’re going
to be discussing Harry Potter, the house system, and a popular “what if” scenario that
has been leaving fans curious for years- WHAT IF Harry Potter, the boy who lived, was sorted
in to SLYTHERIN. What makes this question so compelling is that Harry is such a quintessential
Gryffindor- showing his immense bravery on numerous occasions throughout the series.
Furthermore, Harry being in Slytherin would PRESUMABLY alter the course of the entire
series.
Let’s dive right in to it.
Now, when the books first start out Harry is just an innocent, downtrodden young man.
He’s trapped in the boring muggle world with no real concept of the wizarding world,
and he has some of the worst adoptive parents that you could ask for. Right from the very
beginning, you feel for Harry, and you can’t help but think of all the hardship that he
has to endure up to that point.
When Harry starts nearing the appropriate age to start attending Hogwarts, one of the
most famous magical schools in the wizarding world, he starts getting Hogwarts letters
in the mail. This happens because of the book of admittance and quill of acceptance.
Little did he know that when his name was first inscribed on the book of admittance
it would change his life forever. When the Hogwarts letters started piling in, Harry’s
uncle Vernon knew exactly what was up- and vehemently disallowed Harry from opening any
of the letters sent, despite them being addressed to him.
Fortunately, however, Dumbledore and Hagrid are more than privy to Harry’s ‘unique’
circumstances, and Hagrid ends up hand-delivering the acceptance letter to Harry, ensuring that
he is aware of the upcoming school year. After a brief explanation from Hagrid introing the
wizarding world, Harry travels to diagon alley where he picks up all of his school supplies.
At first it’s overwhelming- but at the same time it’s exciting, as it indicates a new
chapter in Harry’s life- a chapter full of excitement and magic. What we need to remember
though, is that Harry, despite his reputation, wasn’t yet a strong person. He had a rough
start to his life, the only influences he had were his adoptive family, who were awful,
and he must have been HIGHLY impressionable. Not before long, Harry finds himself on the
Hogwarts Express, sharing a compartment with a somewhat shy, yet friendly Ron Weasley.
Together, the pair make the journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters at King’s Cross
Station in London to Hogwarts for the very first time. However, Harry’s previously
tranquil and confusing first journey to Hogwarts is not without altercation. Shortly after
Harry and Ron have introduced themselves, Draco, Crabbe and Goyle all burst in to their
compartment- curious to see if it’s true that THE Harry Potter is coming to Hogwarts.
After insulting Ron due to his appearance – red hair, freckles, shabby looking…must
be a Weasley – Draco offers what I believe is meant to be his best piece of advice, along
with his outstretched hand:
“‘You’ll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter.
You don’t want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.’
He held out his hand to shake Harry’s…”
Of course, in the book, Harry quickly rejects this offering, with the sentence ending with
“…but Harry didn’t take it.”
But…WHAT IF he had? What if, in that moment, he had hesitated, ever so slightly. Paused
just long enough to think, “Well, what’s the harm in keeping my options open? Who really
knows who these two boys are? Who’s to say that Ron Weasley would make a better ally
than Draco Malfoy in this new and intimidating world I’ve found myself thrown into?”
Like I stated earlier, Harry is young and massively impressionable. He was THRUST in
to a magical world with no prior knowledge of it, and now he’s being put in pressure
situations where he’s having to assess, on the spot, which company is right for him.
But I’ll also say this- Harry’s willingness to accept or deny Draco’s handshake does
not necessarily have any bearing on what house he would end up in, it just means that things
might be a bit more awkward for him once he’s sorted in to Slytherin, having instead chosen
the friendship of someone in a rival house. HOWEVER, for the sake of the video I’m going
to proceed on the basis that Harry did accept Draco’s handshake- a decision that would
already send him in a very different direction than the Harry we’re used to.
And so, instead of immediately rebuffing Draco and making an enemy, he reaches out and meets
Draco’s hand. Perhaps he does so while looking at the floor and even blushes a little – feeling
a bit ashamed for not standing up for Ron, who had just been so nice to him.
Once they reach Hogwarts and The Sorting Ceremony begins, Harry listens to the Sorting Hat’s
song along with the rest of the students, paying special attention to the following
verses:
“There’s nothing hidden in your head The Sorting Hat can’t see,
So try me on and I will tell you Where you ought to be.”
Students begin to get sorted in to their houses, and Harry sees Malfoy, his new – and potentially
only – ally become a member of Slytherin House. So, what could be so bad about joining
a house with someone who’s offered to show him the ropes of the wizarding world? And
then, as if answering this thought, when Harry is called up for his placement, the Sorting
Hat shares:
“You could be great, you know, it’s all here in your head, and Slytherin will help
you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that…”
And instead of fighting it, Harry embraces it, thinking that doesn’t sound so bad…
After all, Slytherin isn’t inherently bad, in spite of the brush that it’s painted
with. From Harry’s perspective he might question why it would even be an OPTION as
a house if it was as bad as some people said. House biases are a VERY real thing, and it
just so happened that Harry’s initial friendships in the existing story were students that came
from Gyffindor. Of course they were going to be pro Gryffindor and anti Slytherin- they’re
rivals! With that being said, upon the Sorting Hat’s declaration that Harry was indeed
a Slytherin, nothing would have been the same for him.
Obviously, the first major difference would have been his friendships at Hogwarts. Hard
to have best friends in Slytherin’s rival house of Gryffindor – especially, if you’ve
slighted one of those people before you even really got to know them. And, it’s highly
unlikely that Harry’s new pal, Draco, would’ve accepted Hermione Granger – a “mudblood”
or witch born of Muggle parents – as acceptable company. And, so, Harry would’ve continued
to develop a friendship with Draco. This bond likely would’ve pushed Crabbe and Goyle
out of Draco’s immediate crew – who needs “bodyguards” – err, friends – when
you have the great and famous Harry Potter as your bestie?
Due to Draco’s interest in Quidditch – or, at least, his interest in being on the team
– Harry may have still ended up playing the sport – but for Slytherin House. Perhaps
he would’ve intentionally ousted Slytherin’s former seeker, Terence Higgs, in his first
year at Hogwarts – fueled by his developing maliciousness. Or, maybe, he would’ve waited
until Lucius Malfoy – Draco’s dear dad – donated enough Nimbus 2001 broomsticks
to the entire Slytherin Quidditch team in their second year, resulting in both Harry
and Draco being welcomed onto the team. Harry and Draco may have fought over who played
seeker – but something tells me Harry would’ve earned the role being the talented and famous
Harry Potter. In either case, I think Harry would’ve still been enthusiastic about the
game of Quidditch, just on a different team.
And, so, similarly to his friendships, Harry’s other relationships also would’ve been affected.
Most notably, his mentors. Instead of Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts’ headmaster, the obvious
choice would’ve been the Head of Slytherin House, Severus Snape. With Harry’s placement
in Slytherin, rather than Gryffindor, perhaps Snape would’ve sooner revealed his past
connection with Harry’s mother, Lily – and seen less of a resemblance between Harry and
his dad, James, who was, of course, a Gryffindor. With Snape as Harry’s mentor, there would’ve
been little reason for Dumbledore to get so involved in Harry’s life and progression
through Hogwarts, as he already would’ve had the guidance of Severus. And with Draco
openly referring to the likes of Hagrid as “riff-raff,” it would’ve been unlikely
that Harry pursued any further interactions with a lowly school-gamekeeper.
Harry’s love interests and romantic inclinations would’ve also been impacted. Hard to see
him firing up a romance with Ginny Weasley after so many years of bad blood between Harry
and Ron – which, would’ve been a direct result of the handshake with Draco. I guess
it’s possible that he may have still had a relationship with Ravenclaw’s Cho Chang
– but something tells me that this version of Harry would’ve been more interested in
someone a little less kind and a little more ruthless – like, say Pansy Parkinson, leader
of a gang of girls from Slytherin House, who were often associated with Draco and his crew.
It stands to reason that Pansy – who is seen to be romantically linked to, or at least
interested in, Draco throughout the series – may have even become involved in a love
triangle between Malfoy and Harry. If Harry had been a suitor, perhaps he would’ve been
the one to take Pansy to the Yule Ball in The Goblet of Fire, not Draco. From there,
who knows what might’ve happened…
I think that if Harry was sorted in to Slytherin there’s a large chance that he could have
adopted the role that Draco plays in each of the books, replacing Malfoy as the villain.
As an orphan who lost his parents at such a young age, and who was badly mistreated
by his extended family for his entire childhood, it really doesn’t seem that far-fetched
that Harry could’ve become the series’ antagonist, rather than its protagonist. Can’t
you just see it? A malicious version of Harry replacing Draco in each of Malfoy’s scenes?
Perhaps, he would’ve even been the one sought out by Voldemort to assassinate Dumbledore…
Which begs the question: If Harry had become the villain, who would’ve carried out the
adventures of Harry Potter? Who would’ve stopped Professor Quirrell slash Voldemort
from getting the Philosopher’s Stone? Who would’ve overshadowed Cedric Diggory in
the Triwizard Tournament? And who would’ve hunted down Voldemort’s horcruxes alongside
Ron and Hermione?
Flipping the switch entirely, I think that another ‘what if’ outcome from Harry being
sorted in to Sytherin is that he influenced Slytherin house for the better, leaving a
positive impression on Draco, Goyle, Crabbe, and all of the other Slytherins who embraced
him. We see Harry grow up with an intense rivalry with Draco, but who’s to say that
IF he had grown up alongside him, some of Harry’s innate ‘positive’ traits couldn’t
have rubbed off on him? Maybe Harry’s nature and sorting in to Slytherin could have resulted
in a more unified Hogwarts? If you want it, I’ll elaborate on that ‘what if’ scenario
in another video.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed today’s video. If you enjoy the content, please LIKE the
video and SUSBCRIBE to the channel.
Until next time…
Remember
YER A WIZARD ARRY