Harry Potter joins Gryffindor House in J.K. Rowling’s first novel.
During the Sorting ceremony in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the Sorting Hat places Harry in Gryffindor. He joins Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger there, creating the friendship group that drives much of the series. Gryffindor is traditionally associated with bravery, nerve, and chivalry.
Harry’s sorting is not entirely automatic. The Sorting Hat considers his qualities and appears to recognize that he might fit Slytherin, but Harry strongly rejects that possibility. His choice and the Hat’s final decision help establish one of the series’ major themes: character is shaped by choices as well as talent or ancestry.
Gryffindor is one of four Hogwarts houses, alongside Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. The house’s founder was Godric Gryffindor, and its emblem is a lion. The house’s colors are scarlet and gold.