Harry Potter Guide

Houses

Gryffindor was founded by Godric Gryffindor and is where the brave dwell at heart.  The house crest is maroon and gold, the house colors, with a lion.  The lion is the house mascot, symbolizing courage and bravery.  Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, also known as Nearly Headless Nick, is the ghost of Gryffindor tower.  The tower is decorated with comfortable armchairs and couches and tables for studying and an ever-burning fireplace.  The Fat Lady is a portrait gaurding the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room, a place where only Gryffindors are allowed.  A password is needed to access the tower.

Ravenclaw was founded by Rowena Ravenclaw, her belief was "Wit beyond meassure is a man's greatest treassure", meaning that you had to believe that the traits of a great wizard where their wit and logic.  The house crest is blue and bronze with an eagle because eagles are known for taking in their entire surroundings before making a move, just like those of Ravenclaw house.  The Gray Lady, or Helena, is the ghost of Ravenclaw, she is the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw and lover to The Bloody Baron, ghost of Slytherin house.  In order to enter the Ravenclaw Common Room, you must knock once on the eagle knocker and answer the given question.

Hufflepuff was founded by Helga Hufflepuff and is for the kind, loyal and patient.  Hufflepuff as a reputation as the worst house of as cowards, but Hufflepuffs are true to their promises and friends.  The crest is black and yellow with a badger.  The Fat Friar is the ghost, not much is said about him.  The Common Room is located near the kitchens, most likely protected by a portrait and a password.

Slytherin is where the cunning and ambitious are placed, founded by Salazar Slytherin.  The crest is silver and green with a serpent.  The serpent is the house mascot because Salazar had been a parslemouth, someone who speaks to snakes.  Parseltounge is a rare gift, barely anyone in Slytherin is able to communicate with snakes.  The ghost of S;lytherin is known as The Bloody Baron, a sullen and terrifying spirit.  The Baron is the only one who has any power over Peeves, the poltergeist.  The Common Room is located in the dungeons, protected by the portrait of Salazar Slytherin himself.  The passwords are usually something along the lines of "pureblood", or "mudblood".  The Common Room is full of very expensive looking furniture made of leather and the walls have a greenish tint, due to the fact that they are so far down in the dungeons that they are under the Black Lake.

(A/N: Not much has been said about the Hufflepuff Common Room, due to the fact that Harry had never been in it before, so that is the shortest passage.  Please feel free to leave any comments if I missed anything, or I spelled something wrong or made a grammatical mistake.  Or if you just feel like commenting.)