harry potter - Was it required at Hogwarts that a Head of House have been a student in that House?

Was it a requirement at Hogwarts that a teacher could only head the very same house which was their house when they were a student?

As we know from this answer, Minerva McGonagall was a Gryffindor herself and Filius Flitwick was a Ravenclaw himself. And of course we all know that Severus Snape was a Slytherin.

So this raises the question, was this a prerequisite for the position, or just a preference or coincidence?

Answer

J. K. Rowling has a relevant quote in the FAQ on her old website:

If a teacher is head of a house, can we assume that they were sorted into those houses when they were students at Hogwarts? Is that also true for the house ghosts? So was Snape a Slytherin?

Yes, if the teacher is Head of House you can indeed assume that they were pupils within that house. So Snape was very definitely a Slytherin and yes, the same is true of the house ghosts.

This doesn't completely answer the question, because it might only apply to the heads of house we meet in the book.

See also the relevant question What's the breakdown of Hogwart's Professor in Houses?

Comments

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