Despite making billions of dollars off of the books alone, J.K. Rowling took the extra step and made the world of Harry Potter interactive. I’m not complaining, I stay up most nights thinking about what house my best friend and worst enemy would be in. Besides being a geek, the idea of sorting people into a range of four different personality types is an interesting psychological experiment.

After taking the famous quiz on Pottermore.com back in middle school, I was disappointed to find out that I had been placed in Hufflepuff, far from the lion blood that I had originally wanted. But looking back years later, I couldn’t be more proud to wear the emblem of the badger.

Puffs are kind, loving, they value living things, hold the comfort of their homes close to their hearts, and enjoy the company of others. They are less confrontational than the other houses, however, still daring and fight for their families and friends.

J.K. Rowling even admitted that Hufflepuff is her favorite house because of their kindness and lack of care about house points. They were the only house that unanimously chose to stand with Harry at the final battle against Voldemort. That being said, I am proud to be a Puff (and to all other Puffs out there, hello).

Placing friends into each of the four houses requires an understanding of who they are as a person, what they stand for, and how their psychology matches with the parameters of the house. To each their own, however, both evil and heroic can come out of every Hogwarts house.

Do not be deceived, Slytherin’s can be good guys too. Slyth’s value the mysterious, and enjoy taking risks to find out about those mysteries. Although Slyth’s are very individually motivated, they value their group members and look out for them more than Gryffindors. Although Slyth’s are associated so strongly with the Dark Arts, they have produced great wizards such as Snape. (And it isn’t unheard of for a Puff to fall for a Slyth.)

Ravenclaw’s are dependent on knowledge, whereas the famous Gryffindors are more interested in saving people for the validation of others. Each house has its good and bad traits, the traits that would save them or get them killed, but at the end of the day, the house system has proved to be even more accurate than horoscopes in explaining one’s personality.

J.K. Rowling was able to not only create a marketable franchise, but create a whole new world in which fans could participate even from the comfort of their beds. Embracing your house is as simple as buying a scarf with the house colors, and the knowledge of the significance of that scarf is so impressively universal.

In my experience the past couple of weeks, I have been able to go up to most anyone and ask them what their hogwarts house is and they could answer me immediately. The understanding spans generations, and makes for a wonderful game to continue playing 24/7.

Don’t be disappointed if you get placed into Hufflepuff and think they are lame, they aren’t. And don’t be disappointed if you get placed into Slytherin because you think they are evil, they aren’t. Don’t be disappointed if you get placed into Ravenclaw and think they are nerds, they aren’t.

Hogwarts is more than just about Gryffindor, and sorting people into houses is more than just a fan fiction game. I’ve learned a lot about my friends and family just by thinking more about who they are and how they would survive in the world of Harry Potter. I encourage you to embrace who you are, just as though you would embrace your house.