Hogwarts, I fear we face dark times once again.. The threat of a werewolf looms over us, its shadow casting over almost every aspect of life in the castle. Whispers at lunch orbit current events, calls to educate us about such ‘beasts’ ring out in almost every class, the Owl Post has published a wave of articles in a bid to keep us safe and aware. We can’t ignore it. However, I wish to speak to you all about something deeply more important.
It is easy in times like these for us to become divided. It is easy to focus on our differences, to defend what we are against what we are not, but it is crucial, especially with a threat such as a werewolf, to focus not on what makes us different but what makes us the same. It might be difficult, of course, given the way we’re all divided the second we enter Hogwarts; we’re all placed under one of four umbrellas and told, more or less, that this is who we are or who we’ll be.
What if I told you, though, that there is no such thing as a brave Gryffindor, or a wise Ravenclaw, or a loyal Hufflepuff, or a cunning Slytherin? What if I told you that no house has one trait, one quality, that brings your house together? Few people realise that, I think. Yes, bravery is heavily associated with Gryffindor house, but so is nerve, chivalry, courage and daring, but they are not the only qualities that students in that house possess.
We do not have to be one type of student. A Ravenclaw does not have to be a dedicated bookworm, nor does a Slytherin have to be a cunning villain. We shouldn’t be, in fact- if you only possess a small pot of qualities then you’re not of much quality. I think, really, we possess every quality from every house, or at least we have the potential to. What makes us a Gryffindor, or a Ravenclaw, or a Hufflepuff, or a Slytherin, is how we exert those qualities. You can be wise in a cunning way, you can be brave because of your loyalty, you can be whatever you like in however way you wish.
So what’s my point? Why am I waffling on about house values and quality of character? Because I think we all hold too much stock in what makes us Gryffindor or Slytherin or whatever, we focus too heavily on what sets us all apart from others, when we should be focusing on what brings us together. We’re not Gryffindors, Slytherins, Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs. We’re Hogwarts students. And sometimes, those threats that loom over us, those so-called beasts, they might just be Hogwarts students too.
Accept each other. We’re all in the same castle. Let’s not fight amongst ourselves. Let’s focus on the real dangers outside these walls and face them together.
Adam Fletcher
Head Boy
