Once Upon A Time concluded with its own happily ever after, but many fans are still obsessing over the series. It was a genuinely fun show that modernized classic fairy tales, putting a new and refreshing spin on stories fans knew.
In order to celebrate and analyze their favorite characters, fans often like to sort them into the Hogwarts House from Harry Potter. While Once Upon A Time is an entirely different magical universe, its characters can still be sorted by the defining traits of each Hogwarts House. Gryffindor values bravery, daring, nerve, and chivalry; Slytherin values ambition, cunning, and resourcefulness; Hufflepuff values hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty, and fairness; Ravenclaw values intelligence, knowledge, creativity, and wit.
Rumplestiltskin: Slytherin
A conniving master of deception, always making deals to get what he wanted, Rumplestiltskin was a pure Slytherin. His ambition to reunite with his son Baelfire superseded everything as he spent years taking every action he could to successfully cast a Dark Curse that would allow him to reach Baelfire in the Land Without Magic.
Even after reuniting with his son and despite all the support and love he received from Belle, Rumple struggled to turn off his calculating personality. Not until his Up-inspired montage with Belle and reuniting with her in the afterlife was Rumple able to find acceptance and stop wanting more.
Emma Swan: Gryffindor
Even before she came to Storybrooke, Once Upon A Time showed Emma Swan was a Gryffindor with her work as a bail bondsperson. In her first scene, she pretended to go on a date with a fugitive, confronted him about his crimes, and then prevented him from getting away. She didn’t believe what Henry told her about everyone in Storybrooke being a fairy tale character trapped by a Dark Curse, but she still chose to stay because she felt that Gryffindor need to protect him.
From fighting Maleficent in dragon form and slaying the villain with Prince Charming’s sword, to letting the Darkness consume her so Regina wouldn’t have to be the Dark One, there are countless other examples of Emma rushing into action with classic Gryffindor courage to be the Savior.
Henry Mills: Ravenclaw
In a family largely made up of Gryffindors, Henry struggled to find his own way to be a hero. By becoming the Author, though, Henry found his own niche, one that wasn’t about rushing into battle with weapons drawn, but about making the smartest choice with his knowledge and wisdom. Henry certainly had the creativity of a Ravenclaw, pursuing innovative solutions like how he undid the alternate reality former Author Isaac created in his Heroes and Villains book.
Henry was a Ravenclaw even before becoming the Author, though. His belief in magic, bringing Emma to Storybrooke, and convincing her of her identity wasn’t just based on faith. It was steeped in logically piecing together the evidence he had from the storybook and his observations of life in Storybrooke.
Belle: Hufflepuff
Belle’s love of books and learning makes her a candidate for Ravenclaw, yet ultimately she is more for a Hufflepuff. For better or worse, she ended up dedicating more of her life to her relationship with Rumplestiltskin than pursuing truth or knowledge. This is best embodied by the fact that instead of focusing on searching for a way to rid Rumplestiltskin of being the Dark One without passing the Darkness onto another, she chose a life where she and Rumple could build a true home and just live happily together.
Though he was sometimes a challenging person to be in a relationship with, Belle was remarkably loyal to and patient with her husband, making Rumple the best version of himself.
Regina Mills: Slytherin
In order to get her revenge, Regina killed her own father–the only person who still unconditionally loved and supported her as the Evil Queen–so she could successfully cast the Dark Curse. Regina found cunning ways to make her enemies suffer and conceal the truth of their situation from them, like killing Graham and framing Snow White for a murder she didn’t commit.
Regina eventually dropped her villainous streak and worked hard to become a better person, where her Slytherin traits were a valuable asset. Things like tricking Zelena into using the Apprentice’s wand so they could travel to Camelot and help Emma, or casting one last “curse” that would unite all the people of all the realms together, are things that only a clever and ambitious Slytherin like Regina could pull off.
Prince Charming: Gryffindor
The pilot episode of Once Upon A Time firmly established that Prince Charming was a complete Gryffindor. The very first shot in the series was him on horseback, urging his steed to gallop across a beach, solely focused on reaching his beloved Snow White and saving her with true love’s kiss.
In that same episode he dueled the Evil Queen’s soldiers with one hand while holding his newborn daughter Emma in the other hand, doing whatever it took to make sure she reached the wardrobe that would bring her to safety. His Gryffindor nature didn’t stop there, as he went on to do things like literally give up his own heart to save his family in season 3.
August Booth: Ravenclaw
August/Pinocchio periodically intervened in Emma’s life in order to push her to one day learn the truth of her being the Savior (and the child of Snow White and Prince Charming). August also sought to learn as much as he could about the storybook and the role of the Author. His knowledge was pivotal to stopping the villains and aiding the heroes in season 4.
The whole notion of being Pinocchio–a character whose nose grows when lying–is a very Ravenclaw thing, manifesting in a physical consequence when not telling the truth, with Ravenclaws holding the pursuit of truth in the highest regard.
Snow White: Hufflepuff
Snow could be just as brave and daring as Charming or Emma, though in true Hufflepuff fashion she’s more driven by her loyalty to others, and she’s more humble and patient than a Gryffindor. Key supporting characters like the dwarves, Ruby, and Ariel all came into the story as invaluable allies because of the friendships Snow forged with them. She proved her loyalty to them and they were forever loyal to Snow and her family in return.
Despite everything Regina did to Snow, she was patient with Regina, and was one of the staunchest champions in supporting Regina’s journey toward becoming a better person. As a school teacher, wife, mother, friend, leader, and hero, Snow had that strong Hufflepuff work ethic, dedication, and commitment to fairness.
Zelena: Slytherin
Abandoned by her mother and raised by an adoptive father who hated her, Zelena grew up with an enormous chip on her shoulder and everything to prove. She had the ambition to take Regina’s place and become Rumplestiltskin’s apprentice powerful enough to cast the Dark Curse. When that plan eventually failed, she took control of Oz.
That wasn’t enough to quench her Slytherin ambition, cunning, and resourcefulness, as she took over Regina’s castle in the Enchanted Forest and hatched a plan to control Rumplestiltskin through the Dark One dagger. She manipulated Belle and Rumple’s son Baelfire/Neal into making this plan a reality, which ultimately killed Neal and allowed her to take control of Rumple. From erasing her enemies’ memories, to time-travel spells, and tricking Regina’s love Robin Hood, there was no end to Zelena’s calculated, clever moves to get what she wanted.
Hook: Gryffindor
Hook first entered the story with some old-fashioned Gryffindor chivalry, saving Milah from a drunk and charming her. Centuries later, Hook was also chivalrous with Emma, courting her with his trademark charm, and making sacrifices like giving up his beloved ship the Jolly Roger in order to get back to Emma to help her and her family. In the season 5 mid-season finale, Hook had the nerve to choose absorbing all the Darkness and being killed in order to save Emma and everyone he loved.
