Ravenclaw is one of the two houses in Harry Potter totally overshadowed by the prominence of Gryffindor and Slytherin. We all know that Gryffindor is typically associated with good and Slytherin with bad, but where does that leave Ravenclaw? The underrated house prides itself on academic excellence, with its members typically being devoted to their studies and excelling in intelligence, rather than ending up in dangerous situations.
There are many things that could suggest that Ravenclaw is the best of all the houses in Harry Potter, and five reasons are listed here. But this is balanced with five reasons why it might also be the worst ...
BEST: They’re The Most Intelligent
One of the prime traits required to be sorted into Ravenclaw house is intelligence. Ravenclaw wants its students to excel at their studies, and to be honest since schooling plays a big part in the success of all the houses, this makes a lot of sense.
The house had many very clever students, meaning they were able to think their way out of a lot of situations.
WORST: But Intelligence Isn’t Everything
Despite intelligence obviously being something very important to Ravenclaws, particularly when it comes to success at school, it isn’t everything.
Ron never did well in his exams, but he certainly wasn’t a failure. This suggests that intelligence isn't the only thing a house should be looking for. Also, if intelligence was so important to the house, why wasn’t Hermione a Ravenclaw?
BEST: Luna Lovegood Is A Ravenclaw
There are a lot of very divisive characters in the Harry Potter universe. Snape, for example, is stuck in a position where some love him for his heroism and commitment, while others still hate him for being such an unpleasant person.
One of the few universally loved characters, though, was Luna Lovegood, and she was a Ravenclaw. Luna is brave, intelligent and thinks outside the box, even if she is a little quirky. If Luna is a Ravenclaw, it must be a pretty great house.
WORST: But Both Lockheart & Quirrell Were Ravenclaws
Despite the various impressive members of the house, the first two Defence Against The Dark Arts teachers we ever met were also members of the house.
Quirrell had a very alarming connection to Voldemort (despite not being a Slytherin) and Lockheart was a liar and a fraud. He seemed intelligent but was actually just passing off the work of others as his own.
BEST: Various Other Impressive Wizards Were In The House
There were, however, some great wizards lurking around the rooms of the Ravenclaw common room over the course of Hogwarts' history.
Filius Flitwick, for example, was a notable Ravenclaw and was the head of the house throughout Harry’s time at Hogwarts. Olivander, the man with the most knowledge of wands in the world, also came from the house.
WORST: They Had One Of The Least Interesting Founders
Rowena Ravenclaw was obviously a very impressive witch with the ability to co-found the most impressive school of witchcraft and wizardry of all time.
Despite this, she just wasn’t all that interesting. Godric Gryffindor had his impressive sword and Salazar Slytherin had his evil streak to keep him interesting, but Rowena just didn’t do a whole lot.
BEST: They Have The Best Colours
There is a very small discrepancy between the books and the films regarding this: in the books, Ravenclaw is blue and bronze, but they are blue and silver in the films. Despite this, many fans feel they still win in the war of the colors.
Their muted tones are much more pleasant than the jealous green of Slytherin, the arrogant golds of the Gryffindor uniform, and the hideously ugly yellow of Hufflepuff.
WORST: Rowena’s Diadem Was Too Easy To Find
As the final Harry Potter books came to a close, it was clear that JK Rowling simply didn’t have the time to make all of the Horcruxes as important as the rest.
Rowena Ravenclaw’s diadem, for example, was attained after about five quick minutes of conversation with her ghostly daughter. It just lacks the impact and importance of things like the locket, which they had been trying to destroy for about a year.
BEST: Their Common Room Requires A Riddle To Get In
We see a lot of the Gryffindor common room. Dawn French presides over it, demanding a password to get through each time, which forces the members of the house to remember an ever-changing word.
The entry into the Ravenclaw common room is much more interesting, with their painting demanding that the student answer a riddle each time. This forces them to show off the intellect that landed them in the house in the first place, although it probably gets quite time consuming eventually.
WORST: They Don’t Have Much Screen Time
Along with Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw is sort of ignored by JK Rowling. We are introduced to a few relevant characters who were sorted into the house, but the simple "good vs evil" struggle is contained to Gryffindor versus Slytherin.
Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are just on-lookers. This means we don’t know enough about them and their nuances in personality and actions to make any kind of definitive conclusions as to what their best and worst traits.