“Welcome to Hogwarts.”

“The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.”

A lonely boy discovers that he is a wizard and that there is a school where he can learn how to do magic. Harry Potter finds friends for the first time in the houses of Hogwarts. He also realizes his past and future.

The houses are named for their founders and symbolize the values each held dear.

You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave of heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff 
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw
If you’ve a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning
Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin
You’ll make your true friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.

They serve as a home away from home for the students. And the students’ behavior adds or subtracts points from their house with regards to the annual House Cup.

Often, rightly or wrongly, how one is treated is based on one’s house. Or at least the expectations held about one.

Personal note:

Yup, coulda just done Harry. But let’s face it.

The idea of the Hogwarts Houses have extended far beyond just Harry and his world. Other fandoms are being Sorted into them, as well as real people.

The joke that ‘What’s your house?’ has replaced the old ‘What’s your sign?’ is not entirely without merit.

I have a Slytherin lanyard I wear at work. And I’ve had people be surprised that I would advertise that I’m a Snake. They offer up the other houses I should be in, usually their own.

Be it an interesting trivia point for some, or a point of great pride for others, the Hogwarts Houses have made their mark in the Muggle world.