AQ: The Sorting
I enjoyed the results of my Sorting poll (in which 30 people voted) and the discussion that followed. There were some persuasive arguments regarding where various AQ characters would be sorted. And now that you have voted, I will give my opinion as promised.
First of all, let's be clear: no purported personality test can neatly sort everyone into a finite set of categories, and very few people will perfectly match one and only one out of a set of profiles, especially profiles as large-grained and ill-defined as Hogwarts houses. Sorting people into one of four personality types and believing they really will all have more in common with each other than any random person in one of the other types is really pretty silly. So when I say "I think this character would go to this house," that doesn't mean I think all the arguments for that character going to another house are invalid. Indeed, I think most characters could readily fit into more than one house, and many could find a home in any of them.
(This was, of course, the whole point of Hogwarts Houses Divided.)
So, the following isn't even "pseudo-canon," not only because none of my characters are ever going to go to Hogwarts, but because speaking hypothetically about which character would be sorted into which house really has no meaning except as a discussion point, unless I really did write a story in which it happened.
That said, if you enjoy my authorial rambling and how I see my characters, read on.
Alexandra
Troublesome's reckless, ruthless, and bold,
Troublesome never minds, nor does as told.
Troublesome's stubborn, but brave as can be,
Troublesome stays when others would flee.
Can there really be any doubt?
Well, most of you voted "Gryffindor," but over a third voted "Slytherin." And that's certainly understandable. Alexandra is ambitious, and cunning, and she has a chip on her shoulder, and she wants to prove herself. She's certainly shown a willingness to be manipulative and sneaky. So like Harry, she'd probably do well in Slytherin (though she'd get in even more fights). However, ambition and cunning aren't really her defining personality traits. Her defining personality traits are stubborn, reckless courage and a determination to do whatever she thinks is right.
While she's smart enough, possesses a healthy amount of curiosity, and she's willing to read and study when it suits her, Alexandra isn't primarily motivated by a thirst for knowledge, and if there's one thing she lacks it's wisdom. So while Ravenclaw would have been a possibility had she grown up a little differently, it's really not a good fit for her.
Hufflepuff is pretty much out. Sure, she's loyal and she can be hard-working when it suits her, but come on.
Alexandra is a Gryffindor.
Anna
I predicted most people would vote "Ravenclaw" and I was right.
Sorry, but no.
Yes, Anna does fit the "studious Asian" stereotype rather neatly, doesn't she? But consider: does she really love studying? Is she motivated by burning curiosity, a desire to learn? Is she really a Hermione? (Who I would still vote to put in Ravenclaw.) No, she studies hard because she wants to please her father. Oh, sure, she's very smart, and she'd probably be a good student even if she didn't have such pressure from home, but Anna's never shown herself to be the sort who learns things just for the sake of learning them. If anything, Alexandra is more Ravenclaw-ish than Anna in that respect.
It's true that if Anna were asked to choose a house for herself, she would almost certainly choose Ravenclaw. And she'd do fine there. But we're talking about which house most suits a character's natural temperament.
swissmarg made a good argument for Anna being more like Neville than Hermione, and it's certainly true that Anna has hidden reserves of courage, and she has the potential to step up and be the hero she can be. Maybe, like Hermione, her true calling is as a Gryffindor despite outward appearances.
But my view: Anna is hard-working. She toils endlessly to please other people (mostly, her father and Alexandra). She's a devoted, loyal friend. She thinks about other people, and doing what's right.
Anna is a Hufflepuff.
David
Most of you voted Gryffindor, with a small minority voting Hufflepuff.
I suspect that putting him in Hufflepuff was a "Scrappy Doo" vote in that David has been a bit of a fifth wheel at times and he doesn't clearly fit into Alexandra's adventures or the wizarding world, and he senses that. He very much wants to prove himself: in the wizarding world, he's surrounded by friends who are generally more impressive and accomplished than him, and in the Muggle world, he's got a football player father to live up to. No wonder the poor kid is a bit insecure. But he's never let that defeat him, he's done his best to step up whenever his friends needed him, and he answers any challenge that comes his way (not always very wisely). Remember, it was David who was first to pick a fight with Larry Albo and the Rashes. He's got heart, and he's also got a temper.
He may or may not live up to his potential, but David is a Gryffindor.
(There were also a couple of votes for Ravenclaw. Yup, David's nerdishness has been on display at times, and if he weren't so determined to prove himself, he probably could be happy indulging his inner bookworm. But with the path he's obviously chosen for himself, Ravenclaw just wouldn't suit him.)
Constance and Forbearance
See what I did there? Yes, I know, they haven't been strongly differentiated thus far, so I don't blame folks who assume they both would go to the same house. But they really are not the same character. I think there have been hints of that in the first three books, at least, and the differences between them become more evident in book four.
Most of you voted Hufflepuff for both, which seems like the natural assumption. The Pritchard twins are just so nice and pleasant and hard-working. And they'd both be perfectly happy in Hufflepuff.
Several of you also put them in Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. True enough, they both have a lively curiosity and academic inclinations, and they are both courageous (especially in the way they stand up to their family and other Ozarkers, as well as telling Alexandra when she hain't behavin'). The twins could fit anywhere except maybe Slytherin, and even if they were sorted there, they'd make do.
My judgment, in fairness, is based on things I know but haven't really shown yet. So I'm not giving you an answer at this time, except to say that I would not put them both in the same house (much to their dismay...at least right now).
Innocence
Another character where I will have to disagree with the majority.
Most of you want her to be a Gryffindor, while a smaller number voted Slytherin. Well, she's brave, brash, and headstrong. The girl is fearless enough to be a Gryffindor, and she would probably choose Gryffindor for herself.
I think the Slytherin votes were because she's also proven herself to be rebellious, a little on the selfish side and vulnerable to vanity (hence her being taken in by Darla), and of course she did blackmail the Rashes. She's not above being manipulative and sneaky. So yeah, a few pushes in the right places and she probably could be quite a charming little Slytherin.
But what are her defining personality traits? Why does everyone like Innocence so much? Because she's likeable. She's friendly to everyone except those who are determined not to be friendly to her. She's unfailingly fair-minded (look how quickly she befriended William, the picked-on Muggle-born boy), and she's doggedly loyal to her friends.
She's brave, she's smart, and she's just a little bit sneaky, but Innocence is a Hufflepuff.
Darla
Well, she seems to be one of the more obvious ones, though I am actually surprised she didn't get more Gryffindor votes. (What she did, while evil, was also brave as hell and at least partially motivated by selflessness. If Peter Pettigrew could be a Gryffindor, then why not Darla Dearborn?)
With a little less selfishness and a bit more in the way of morals, Darla probably would have been happy as a Hufflepuff.
But yes, whenever Darla had a choice, she took the one that looked like the most direct path to getting what she wanted. She was willing to shed all her scruples and sacrifice her friends. She may have felt bad about it, she may have justified it in her own mind, but she did it, and she'd probably do it again.
Darla was a Slytherin.
Angelique
Okay, Angelique is probably the most minor character in the poll, and she hasn't really showed much in the way of hidden depths. So being mostly known for being Darla's giggly sidekick, I'm not surprised most people voted Hufflepuff.
I don't know if Angelique has ever done anything particularly Slytherin. I guess being a pureblood from a family that obviously values pure blood (and is rumored to dabble in Dark Arts) is enough to make her suspect?
So I'm just going to tell you: Angelique is a Ravenclaw. If that surprises you, well, be patient and maybe you'll agree with me eventually.
Lilith Grimm
Everyone wants to make the Grimm sisters Slytherins. Well, not everyone. They both got a scattering of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw votes.
Obviously, Dean Grimm is a severe, not always very nice woman. And she keeps secrets. But has she really shown herself to be a Slytherin? Does she seem particularly ambitious? Does she use any means to achieve her ends? If anything, she's tried to rein in Alexandra's Slytherin tendencies.
Sure, she could be a Slytherin. Lilith Grimm is tough and smart and ruthless enough to hold her own as a Slytherin. But down deep, cunning and ambition isn't really what drives her.
Is she brave? Yes. She could hold her own with Gryffindors too.
But Dean Grimm went into academia for a reason. She knows shit. She likes her job (distractions by wayward, aggravating students named Alexandra Quick notwithstanding).
Lilith Grimm is a Ravenclaw. A scary, at times mean Ravenclaw, but a Ravenclaw.
Diana Grimm
Not a lot of love for poor Diana Grimm. The argument for putting her in Slytherin may be stronger. She must have some ambition, to be a Special Inquisitor hunting Abraham Thorn. And she's definitely sneaky and manipulative. She's jerked Alexandra around, used her as a pawn, lied to her, and generally been kind of a ruthless bitch. So yeah, I can see the Slytherin argument.
Like Lilith, I think Diana's personality will be a bit clearer to readers after you read book four. This is a woman who joined the Office of Special Inquisitions to hunt the most dangerous Dark Wizard in the Confederation.
So, while she's as smart as her sister, and maybe even more ruthless, Diana is a Gryffindor. A slithery Gryffindor, perhaps, but a Gryffindor.
Abraham Thorn
Quite a division of opinions about Alexandra's father, though there's a clear preference for Slytherin. Probably people voted Gryffindor or Slytherin largely based on how sympathetic they find his goals, even if they don't approve of his methods.
Abraham Thorn is brave to be taking on the Confederation, and arguably his cause is just.
But he was a powerful Congressman before he became the Enemy of the Confederation, and even before that he was a pretty ambitious fellow, known for being a powerful wizard not unafraid to meddle with powerful magics at a young age. He's repeatedly proven a willingness to achieve his goals by any means necessary, including sending his own children into harm's way. And the fact that he's left a trail of ex-wives and neglected children in his wake indicates that, while he may have some finer feelings, Abraham Thorn is a man who primarily puts himself first.
Thorn is a Slytherin.
Once again, these are all my opinions. Feel free to disagree. The Sorting Hat might, too, for all I know!