harry potter - Which House Was Gilderoy Lockhart In?

. . . And don't automatically say Slytherin just because he was a huge ponce. ;)

Seriously, though, using canon as a guide, what house would Gilderoy Lockhart have been Sorted into? He certainly had ambition, which Slytherin prized. It took a lot of nerve to pull off taking credit for other people's accomplishments for as many years as he did, and nerve and courage are Gryffindor traits. He worked hard at maintaining his façade for years; hard work is a Hufflepuff trait. While the accomplishments he claimed in his books were not his own, he did write a solid number of books (assuming he didn't have a ghost writer) and to effectively write for an audience takes intelligence, the main Ravenclaw trait.

We also know his magic wasn't very good. Perhaps this doesn't mean much, for Neville's magic wasn't strong and he was Sorted to Gryffindor. Anyhow . . .

Keeping this info -- and whatever else you know from canon -- in mind, which Hogwarts house would Gilderoy Lockhart have been Sorted to?

Answer

Lockhart was in Ravenclaw.

In Chamber of Secrets special edition, on disc 2 of the DVD or on the Ultimate Edition Bluray, there is a special feature called "Lockhart's Classroom." In that feature, we see a photo of Lockhart during his school days in Ravenclaw's Quidditch uniform, as he played Seeker. I realize the movies aren't as canon as other canon, but it seems highly unlikely that they'd make that up without input from JKR.

As to why he was sorted into Ravenclaw, I suspect that much like Harry, it's because he wanted to be. Lockhart, for all his bluff and buffoonery, fancied himself as an intelligent individual. Indeed, faking his way through life like he did, required as much wit and intellect as actually learning the things to be genuinely successful would have, if not more.

We also have to consider that when he was sorted, he may have not developed his cheating side yet. The thing with those who are really academically smart, is that sometimes it doesn't carry over into day to day life. I suspect Lockhart was a good student who never actually had to use magic in reality, never got good at it, and decided to bluff his way through life rather than admit he was unskilled.