> In the series of books by J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter belongs to which house atHogwarts?And the answer: Gryffindor. Photo courtesy: Warner Brothers.In the books, at the beginning of each schoolyear, new students at Hogwarts are placed in one of four houses, based on theSorting Hat's assessment of their personalities and tendencies. While HarryPotter embodies some traits of Slytherin, the Sorting Hat makes him aGryffindor.Interestingly, the Sorting Hat dates far back in the wizarding world of HarryPotter– at least a millennia, in fact. According to Potter lore, the fourfounders of Hogwarts – Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff,and Salazar Slytherin – decided to magically imbue an otherwise ordinary hatwith their combined intelligence. As a result, the quartet was able to maintaintheir tradition of sorting posthumously. The Sorting Hat also boasts a plethora of other intriguing skills. In additionto the yearly sorting, the Hat opens the students' banquet with an originalsong. Curiously, the Hat is sometimes able to offer warnings of violence orother dangers on the horizon. > "Sings a different [song] every year. It's got to be a pretty boring life,hasn't it, being a hat? I suppose it spends all year making up the next one." -Ron Weasley, on the Sorting Hat's existenceThe Hat also has the unique ability to summon the Sword of Gryffindor. Should atrue, worthy Gryffindor shove their hand into its brim, the sword will magicallyappear. This is thought to be due to the fact that the Hat's original owner wasnone other than Godric Gryffindor himself. How would the Sorting Hat sort you? Check out this quiz[https://www.buzzfeed.com/eleanorbate/accurate-af-sorting-quiz] to determineyour Hogwarts house. And, check out the Sorting Hat scene from Harry Potter andthe Philosopher's Stone below.