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In HP "Harry Potter" books, Harry pulled the Godric Gryffindor's sword out of the Sorting hat to fight Tom Riddle. It is also said that the sword was said to appear whenever a true Gryffindor was in need of it, like Ron Weasley could pull it out from the frozen pond. That suggests, one needs to be a true Gryffindor to hold and use the sword.

I was wondering if there was any way to prove that one is a true Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff or a Slytherin.

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    For Ravenclaw students: looking fabulous while wearing Rowena Ravenclaw's tiara.
    – Mor Zamir
    Aug 22, 2019 at 8:10

2 Answers 2

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There is no "pure canon" equivalents of pulling the sword from a hat, however...

Slytherin - be able to control a Basilisk.

The qualities which Slytherin prized in his "handpicked students" included resourcefulness, determination, and a certain disregard for the rules, along with the ability to speak Parseltongue. He also selected his students according to cunning, ambition, and Blood purity

Ravenclaw - pass an IQ test with a minimum score of X. Or at least answer a difficult riddle.

Ravenclaw is described by the Sorting Hat as having selected students according to intelligence and wisdom.

Hufflepuff - either fail to be accepted in any other houses :); For specific high level task, achieve something high level with a lot of hard work without having significant abilities for the task (e.g. manage to grow Mandrakes to un-stone people).

Hufflepuff admitted students into her House that were unafraid of hard work. While the other Founders took students based on either ambition, bravery, or intelligence, Helga Hufflepuff took the rest, treating them all equally and teaching them all she knew

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    Hufflepuffs key trait is loyalty, and hard work. I always think of Neville as embodying Hufflepuff, even if he was in Gryffindor. See members.cox.net/gisara/hbyh.html
    – PearsonArtPhoto
    May 23, 2011 at 16:42
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    Is this an answer from canon, or a suggestion based on the attributes of the Houses?
    – jprete
    May 23, 2011 at 18:35
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    @jprete - it is logic based on canon facts. There is no "pure canon" equivalents of pulling the sword from a hat.
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    May 23, 2011 at 19:24
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    I disagree with this answer. As Dumbledore said, "it is our choices, far more than our abilities, that define who we are." Hermione would certainly have passed the Ravenclaw test, but she is not a true Ravenclaw because she does not ascribe to "wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure." Likewise, a true Slytherin would not have been defined by being able to control a Basilisk, but rather by choosing to employ their resourcefulness and determination to achieve greatness, as Slytherin accepts the "seeds of greatness."
    – commando
    Dec 6, 2012 at 17:50
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    I disagree with Slytherins being able to control a Basilisk; wasn't it Slytherin's true heir who could do it? Also, not all Slytherins were Parseltongues (which is inherently a requirement of controlling or even conversing with a Basilisk - or any snake).
    – Möoz
    Apr 14, 2014 at 3:54
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Technically, from my sources (my eldest sister), Gryffindor is for people who are bold and daring, Slytherin is for ambitious people who aren't afraid to cheat, Ravenclaw is for individuals who are very clever, and Hufflepuffs are people who are kind and are misfits. This means that if you have the traits of a house and you were put into that exact house, then you are a true Gryffindor, or whatever you are. But then again, the Golden Trio are all in Gryffindor, but each resemble the other houses. You know, Hermione is Ravenclaw, Ron is Hufflepuff, and Harry is Slytherin.

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    Welcome to SFF:SE! Thanks for your contribution. We prefer, however, answers based on published sources, in particular primary sources wherever possible.
    – Praxis
    Feb 17, 2016 at 4:43

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