What Would Have Happened If Harry Potter Had Been Sorted Into Slytherin

What would have happened if Harry Potter, Gryffindor’s most famous alumnus, had been sorted into Slytherin house at Hogwarts School Of Wizarding And Witchcraft by the Sorting Hat? It’s an intriguing question sparked not least by the fact that Harry was very nearly sorted into the magical school’s green and silver house. Harry Potter was almost sent on an entirely different path, or at least one starting from a dramatically different point.

After coming to Hogwarts for the first time in Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry is told by the Sorting Hat during the Sorting ceremony that the decision is “very difficult” because he has so many characteristics that suit Slytherin as well as Gryffindor. Specifically, the Sorting Hat mentions courage, intellect, talent, and a thirst to prove himself, telling Harry that Slytherin would help him on his way to greatness. It’s only because Harry expressly asks not to be put in Slytherin that the hat ends on Gryffindor.

But just how different would the story of Harry Potter and the Second Wizarding War have been if the Sorting Hat had put him in Slytherin? What if he hadn’t asked to be put in Gryffindor and had joined Draco Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle in Professor Severus Snape’s house? And how would that have changed the ending of the Harry Potter series?

Harry Potter Would Still Have Fought Lord Voldemort

Fundamentally, Harry would still have been driven by the childhood trauma of losing his parents – Lily and James Potter – on that fateful night in Godric’s Hollow. That was the single most defining moment in his life up until receiving his letter for Hogwarts and none of that would have changed by the Sorting ceremony. It’s thus incredibly unlikely that Harry would have strayed from his path of wanting to stop Lord Voldemort, the murderer of his parents, once he became aware of his revival and intentions, regardless of them sharing a house.

In both the Harry Potter books and the movie series, Slytherin students are removed from the Battle of Hogwarts, despite the supposed message that they weren’t all inherently bad. They are invited to join the battle against evil, but all leave Hogwarts and seemingly join Voldemort (as he tells Lucius Malfoy himself). The only Slytherins who seem to fight the Dark Lord notably are Professors Snape and Slughorn – and one is in secret. Harry would undoubtedly have stayed and fought, since it was his fight, and McGonagall’s rule of all Slytherins leaving is a fallacy: those students over the age of 16 who were willing to fight were welcome to.

Crucially, Harry’s affiliation with his house would not have changed his feelings about Voldemort, nor his desire to bring him down, despite the suggestion written into the very fabric of the books that Slytherin is the evil house and even despite Harry and Voldemort being related. What would have changed were his methods on the way to the final showdown and the impact he had on the make-up of Slytherin house.

Harry Potter May Have Been Drawn To More Dark Magic

It seems logical to assume that a Hogwarts student starts to take on even more of the characteristics of the house they’re placed in thanks to proximity with other like-minded students. In that respect, Harry Potter would have been open to the influence of children who had been placed in Slytherin because of their cunning, their self-preservation, and their ambition. Those characteristics combine to make Slytherins most likely to look after their own necks and to do whatever it takes to survive and to succeed.

That could also have drawn Harry Potter to using more Dark Magic in his long battle with Voldemort and his forces. After all, even with Gryffindor traits and after being Sorted into the house, Harry is willing to use Unforgivable Curses, untested hexes, and outright criminality to achieve his goals; add Slytherin influence and ambition to the melting pot and there’s a recipe for more nefarious experimentation. Harry may not have turned outright evil simply because he was in Slytherin, but his means to an end may have turned darker. And closer association with the Dark Arts may also have meant his connection with Voldemort was noticed and acted upon earlier.

Harry Potter Would Have Caused Slytherin House To Implode

While it seems unfair that an entire house was written to be fundamentally evil in the series, the proof does appear to be in their actions, and Slytherin traits back it up. When Voldemort tells Lucius Malfoy that all of the Slytherins have joined his side, he is all but confirming that the bias against the house is well-earned. But what if the leader of the battle against Voldemort had been a Slytherin student?

The influence of Draco Malfoy – who was a prefect for Slytherin – and the perception that Severus Snape was aligned with Lord Voldemort seemingly warped the students into believing they too were part of Voldemort’s Death Eaters. But if Harry Potter were a Slytherin and had formed key friendships with other students, they would have been more likely to side with him over the Dark Lord. Harry was a prodigiously talented wizard and the likes of Crabbe and Goyle would probably have been drawn to him thanks to their Slytherin-defining characteristics of self-preservation through proximity.

In short, Slytherin’s inner dynamics would have completely changed and there would probably have been a civil war within the house, as those loyal to Harry Potter clashed with the more traditionally evil students.

Harry Potter’s Relationship With Severus Snape May Have Changed

Harry Potter would always be terrified of Severus Snape: he is a formidable character and his own Slytherin students fear him. But as one of his own students, Harry may have had a far closer relationship with Snape, not least because being Sorted into Slytherin would challenge the Professor’s belief that Harry is “just like his father.” In light of his more favorable treatment, Harry may have excelled in Potions long before he came into possession of Snape’s textbook because he would have had training from the man himself.

Would he have learned of the truth of his mission prior to Professor Snape’s death? Probably not, because Dumbledore’s agenda with Harry was always to keep him in the dark as much as possible, but the two would probably have enjoyed a less frosty relationship. That might also have impacted how much time and effort Harry spent assuming that Snape was the root of all evil and ignoring other helpful hints.

It’s still unlikely that Harry’s relationship with Lord Voldemort would have changed, however, because the Dark Lord was driven too much by his fear of the prophecy. While he attempted to recruit Lily and James Potter, their son still needed to be destroyed for Voldemort to thrive.

Harry Potter & Draco Malfoy Would Have Been Friends

It’s a little unthinkable in the early books, but there’s a real possibility that Harry and Draco Malfoy would have ended up being close friends. As a Slytherin, Harry would have spent very little time in Hogwarts outside of the classroom with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. He would probably have encountered Ron as the son of Order Of The Phoenix members, but it’s unlikely Ron and Hermione would have become such great friends without Harry as the bridge initially. Far more likely is that Harry’s best friend would be Draco.

Malfoy initially hates Harry because of everything that should make him admire him: he sees him as arrogant, self-involved, and privileged. It’s only because he’s in Gryffindor and not Slytherin that those characteristics – which ironically would all make him a great Slytherin – are detestable to the not-very-self-aware Malfoy. He sees in Harry a sort of mirror image of himself and it’s no accident that he initially offers Potter the chance to be his friend in Sorcerer’s Stone. It’s only because Malfoy is rude to Ron that he decides on the spot that he’s not the kind of person he’d like to associate himself with. Given more proximity and without Malfoy’s treatment of Ron as an issue, the pair would have become close, especially with the knowledge that Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy are related.

So what sort of impact would that have had on Malfoy? In the end, as well as conflict within Slytherin, the great House of Malfoy would also have been torn apart as Draco would most likely be drawn into Harry’s adventures and misadventures and would be torn away from his parents’ intentions for him. He would become a “blood traitor,” in the words of his elitist father who may have ended up disowning him entirely (though his mother, Narcissa, would be more likely to take Draco’s side).

Draco’s story would be completely changed and he may even have ended up taking on a key heroic role in the story. In fact, the idea of a Slytherin born into the family of a prominent Death Eater turning his back on his father and Lord Voldemort would have been just as interesting a story as Neville Longbottom’s tale of resilience and triumph over adversity. And Draco as a hero would also fit JK Rowling’s fundamental idea throughout the series that being in Slytherin house – or being born into any background at all – does not determine your actions or where you end up. In not delivering that sort of redemption arc for Draco, she actually failed the Harry Potterseries in general.

About The Author

Simon Gallagher
(398 Articles Published)

Simon is a veteran editor who has been writing online since 2010 – long before anyone wanted to read his work. He loves Clueless. Like, a lot.

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