We Are All Part of the Same House – A Poem
While I was
getting my coffee
this morning, I
noticed the barista
was wearing a
locket. Looking closer,
I read the
word “Slytherin” in
a flowing script.
Underneath, the serpent
that represented the
house was curled,
as if lying
in wait. I
pointed to it.
“Where did you get that?”
She looked at
me with shrewd
eyes as if
taking stock of
my worth. She
nodded, assessing me
as one who
was completely worthy.
“I got it at Comicon, but I’m sure there is an Etsy shop.”
I held up
my right wrist
and showed her
the scar that
was tattooed there.
She reached out
to touch it.
“Is it a real tattoo?”
I nodded, smiling.
Like recognizes like.
“What house are you in? Did you get sorted on Pottermore?”
I nodded, smiling.
“I was one of the first million people allowed to access the site.”
“So what house?”
“I got sorted into Ravenclaw, but I think I belong in Gryffindor.”
“Oh, no, you have to trust the Sorting Hat. It knows.”
“But I have the scar…”
She gave it
another hungry look.
“That’s a symbol for the whole series. It’s Harry’s story, right? But if the Sorting Hat and JK Rowling put you in Ravenclaw, that’s where you belong.”
I must have
looked put out
so she sang:
“Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you’ve a ready mind, where those of wit and learning, will always find their kind.”
I recognized the
song. It’s what
the Sorting Hat
first sung when
Harry was sorted.
She looked at
me with a
strong, searching look.
“Are you wise? Do you crave knowledge? Are you drawn to air? That’s the element associated with Ravenclaw, you know.”
Something occurred to
me and I
pointed to the
necklace she wore.
“Were you sorted into Slytherin?”
I asked her.
She nodded, a
spark lighting up
her eyes. They
looked as if
they were filled
with glitter magic.
“Yes, I was. I wasn’t happy about it at first, I wanted Gryffindor, everyone does. But we’re all parts of the same house, you know. However, it’s our differences that make us strong.”
I wasn’t sure
if she was
referring to Harry
Potter, or something
deeper than that.
I took my
coffee and bade
her a nice
day. She put
her hand out,
catching my wrist.
“Trust in the Sorting Hat. It knows where you belong. We all have to belong somewhere.”
I nodded and
made my way
to work. I
looked online for
a Ravenclaw necklace.
My acceptance of
my house within
the world of
Harry Potter was
a small thing,
but at the
thought of stretching
my wings like
an eagle, and
soaring into the
air, my heart
soared with it
and I knew
where I belonged.
