Netflix's Never Have I Ever is a fun look into Indian-American teenager Devi's ups and downs following the death of her father. Her struggles throughout the show hinge on her friends, classmates, and family members holding very different outlooks and valuing different things in life. Devi, Eleanor's mom, and Ben, for instance, are very ambitious, even when it means hurting those around them. On the other hand, Devi's cousin Kamala faces conflict because she values learning and independence over familial obligations.
One of the most well know and lasting things to come out of Harry Potter is, of course, the Hogwarts houses and the different personalities they represent. With such widely varying personality traits, Netflix's Never Have I Ever characters are perfect candidates for the sorting hat!
Updated on August 22nd, 2022 by Amanda Bruce: While Devi and her friends love a good pop culture reference, they tend to stick with celebrity gossip rather than meta-commentary on where they would fit into other properties. Despite that, fans will have a lot of fun dissecting where they would have fit in at Hogwarts if given the chance to attend Harry Potter’s magical school. New character additions in the second and third seasons mean there are even more characters to examine.
Warning: The following contains minor spoilers for Season 3 of Never Have I Ever.
Aneesa: Gryffindor
Aneesa is someone who is very up front with how she feels, and she doesn’t use her own feelings to manipulate others. Instead, Aneesa does what she wants to do, and if that doesn’t sit well with other people, she confronts them to find out why.
Her headstrong attitude and her trust in her own instincts is all very Gryffindor of her. Though Gryffindors are often seen as heroes thanks to Harry Potter, they’re people who trust their hearts more than their heads.
Des: Hufflepuff
Des works as hard as Ben and Devi do, but he doesn’t quite have their same ambitions or their knack for manipulating the system in their favor. In the short time that the audience gets to know Des, what they do learn about him is his immense loyalty to those he cares about.
Though he wants to hang out with Devi, he’s immediately willing to leave her game night when his friend is having a rough time because of his parents’ divorce. Likewise, as much as he likes Devi, when his mother asks him to stop seeing her, he’s ready to do as she asks. Des attempts to avoid hurting Devi by not telling her the truth, but that doesn’t work out for him.
Rhya: Slytherin
Rhya seems like a well-meaning Ravenclaw when she and Nalini first meet. She’s very knowledgeable about natural remedies and is always ready to learn about new ways to help people. Rhya, however, isn’t necessarily just looking to help people. As Nalini points out to her later, she sees the people around her as projects to work on.
Rhya is also very adept at manipulating situations to her advantage, placing herself in a leadership role and making sure that others see her as someone they can look to for guidance. She might not really be ambitious for herself, but she is for her son, which is where most of her Slytherin tendencies truly emerge as she pushes him toward her idea of a successful future and away from Devi.
Haley: Gryffindor
Introduced as one of Paxton’s old friends in the third season, Haley comes into the story just wanting to warn Devi that Paxton might not be as great as she thinks. Haley means well. She has no intention of causing difficulties in Paxton and Devi’s relationship; she’s simply doing what she thinks is the right thing to do.
Haley’s desire to do the right thing, and her tendency to follow her heart, puts her in Gryffindor with the likes of Harry Potter himself. She might not stand up to Voldemort, but she does stand up to Paxton when finally decides to apologize to her for ghosting her, and her willingness to be open about her experience means that other young women in her class are also willing to confront Paxton.
Trent: Hufflepuff
Trent is the ultimate best friend. He is always there for Paxton, even when the two aren’t getting along. When he connects with someone, he’s all in, despite him confusing Eleanor with just where he stands when he decides to pursue a relationship with her.
Trent is a true Hufflepuff. He might not seem like the hardest working character, but just because he isn’t interested in working hard in class doesn’t mean he doesn’t give something like planning a party or helping out his best friend, his all. Trent also has some surprisingly insightful advice.
Rebecca: Gryffindor
Paxton's sister only appears in a handful of episodes, but she has a memorable personality. She's outgoing and strikes up friendly banter with Devi, only seconds after meeting her. When Devi helps with Rebecca's photo shoot, the audience learns that she's an aspiring fashion designer.
Showing off her designs to the world and pursuing such a career as a teenager both indicate that she's full of determination and courage. Finally, when Paxton admits that he doesn't think Devi is cool enough for him, Becca doesn't hesitate in telling him off for being a jerk, a move that is both chivalrous and brave.
Joyce: Slytherin
Eleanor's mom Joyce doesn't have much screen time, but when she does show up, she's a complex, memorable character. Although she clearly loves Eleanor, she lets her shame at having a less-than-glamorous career get in the way of a relationship with her own daughter.
Even after reuniting with Eleanor, she again prioritizes her lofty goals of acting on Broadway above being there for her family, leaving for New York with hardly any warning. This laser focus on her personal ambition combined with a disregard for honesty and personal relationships makes her a classic Slytherin.
Eleanor: Hufflepuff
Hogwarts' Hufflepuffs are defined by being loyal and kind friends who are inclusive and hard working. Eleanor accepts Jonah and Eve as friends before Devi is able to, and is the first person Fabiola feels comfortable coming out to. In this way, she exemplifies the welcoming attitude of the Hufflepuff house.
She's also loyal to a fault: While Devi can sometimes be a good friend, she also betrays and hurts Eleanor multiple times before Eleanor finally places boundaries and demands some space (and eventually forgives Devi, nonetheless).
Kamala: Ravenclaw
Ravenclaws are known for valuing learning and knowledge, and Kamala is no exception. The reason that she's living with Devi and her mom (studying for her Ph.D.) is one clue that the pursuit of knowledge is important to Kamala. Academic strength alone doesn't mean someone belongs in Ravenclaw, though.
When faced with her family's wishes for an arranged marriage, Kamala specifically prioritizes her education and ends up gushing about her research, even when meeting her prospective husband's parents. She continues a relationship with her classmate until the last minute and only warms to the potential match with Prashant when she discovers he is equally enthusiastic about her studies.
Devi: Slytherin
Devi is defined by her ambition, both in academics and her social life. Her rivalry with Ben for academic superiority goes back years, and one of the first plot points of the series is her scheme to climb the social ladder with her friends by finding appropriately impressive boyfriends.
She's able to pursue these ambitions because she's appropriately cunning and intelligent, and like many Slytherins, she will forgo basic kindness when she has an opportunity to get ahead. She similarly takes an exclusive, selective approach to her friend group, reacting badly when Eleanor and Fabiola start welcoming new friends into the fold.
Fabiola: Ravenclaw
There's no question that Fabiola is intelligent (she's arguably the smartest character on Never Have I Ever). While this alone doesn't place her in Ravenclaw, her motivations are different compared to others: Devi studies hard in order to be the best at something, a typical Slytherin trait.
When Fabiola practices coming out as gay to the robot she's built, however, she demonstrates that she feels most at home discovering and creating technology. She doesn't use her skill and passion for science to bolster a good reputation, and is similarly uninterested in Devi's boyfriend scheme: not just because she's gay, but because she doesn't place the same value on social status. She places more value on knowledge and using that knowledge.
Paxton: Hufflepuff
Paxton Hall-Yoshida is tough to categorize. He's popular, but through no particular effort of his own, it seems, and isn't particularly strategic: so, he doesn't quite fit as a Slytherin. On the other hand, he's occasionally embarrassed to associate with Devi, at least before the coyote incident, so the bravery of Gryffindor might be beyond his reach.
The audience also never sees him display a particular affinity for learning. As someone who is sometimes kind and inclusive, but not strongly aligned with the other houses, Paxton is probably a Hufflepuff. He even shows that he can put in the hard work of a Hufflepuff in the third season as he buckles down to get into college and stays by Ben's side when he's ill.
Nalini: Slytherin
Devi's mom Nalini seems to be where Devi gets her ambition from in the first place. Nalini has Devi's textbook blessed by a Hindu priest and places it on a shrine, a comedic exaggeration of Hindu culture. She also only allows Devi out late when she claims that she'll be studying. It's tempting to place her in Ravenclaw due to this focus on her daughter's education.
However, it's clear she does these things out of ambition for Devi to do well in life. She similarly pushes Kamala to consider an arranged marriage, even encouraging her to downplay her academic passion, because she sees the marriage as a more promising future. While Never Have I Ever doesn't focus much on Nalini's personal goals and motivations, the way she treats the family members she's responsible for places her squarely in Slytherin.
Mohan: Hufflepuff
Devi's dad Mohan Vishwakumar is mostly portrayed through Devi's memories and is therefore idealized quite a bit. He mostly stands in contrast to Devi's mother, who has a stricter approach to parenting leading to frequents fights with Devi.
In the flashbacks, Mohan is a warm and playful presence who encourages Devi to pursue music and tennis. When she imagines conversations with him after his death, he is usually comforting her or offering advice. While this is only a limited perspective of him, his idealism and loyalty to his family's happiness make him at home in Hufflepuff.
Ben: Slytherin
Ben Gross is Devi's rival-turned-friend and also the most similar to her in terms of personality. Like Devi, he is smart both academically and socially, and just as competitive. He makes use of his parents' wealth to cultivate an impressive image, and like Devi, he can be kind of a jerk in the pursuit of superiority and status.
Although his and Devi's rivalry cools down when they become friends in later episodes, providing hope that Slytherin may not be the worst house, Ben Gross fits best in Slytherin.