What if Draco had ended up in Gryffindor? Or even Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw - but not Slytherin? What would have happened then?

Would Draco still have followed in his father's footsteps, or would he have befriended the trio? How much influence does being sorted into a specific house have on the development of one's character and personality? Discuss!

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I think the house you are sorted into generallly has a lot of influence on how you behave and if Draco had been sorted into one of the other houses then he might have acted a lot different. For example, he would have studied a lot harder in Ravenclaw, been a better team player in Hufflepuff and would have been a lot braver in Gryffindor. This is just the way I think it is. He could have very well been great friends with the Trio had he been sorted into Gryffindor, but who knows? You have to keep in mind the fact that he is Lucius' son, too. He wouldn't have wanted to disgrace the family, and I'm sure it would have created a huge embarassment and possible disgrace if he had been sorted any house other than Slytherin. He might even have come to be removed from the family tree in much the same way that Sirius was removed from the Black family tree, who knows? So I think the chances of Draco being sorted anywhere but Slytherin realistically were probably slim to none. Just my opinion!

Ooh, I have to agree with Linda, you're sorted based on your way of thinking, and the sorting hat takes into mind your choice too.

I'd say, if Draco hadn't been spoiled and brought up to hate muggleborns and be proud of his blood status, there would be a chance he would be sorted into another house. He's bright, so I'd say, he would've been a Ravenclaw. He's definitely not brave, I remember him crying when he couldn't perform the task the Dark Lord wanted him to. He doesn't have a bad mind to end up in Slytherin either, he couldn't kill Dumbledore.

But, he is the way he is, and at his sorting he probably begged to be in Slyhterin. He knew how important that was to his family. Being a Slytherin was an honor for him/his family.

Yep, I totally agree with Linda here. I'd say the chances are pretty low that he would have been sorted into any house but Slytherin. But lets just pretend he really has been sorted into lets say Gryffindor, I don't think he would have been friends with the trio, since he would be so embarrassed because of him not being sorted into Slytherin that he would act even more arrogantly towards other students. Okay...can't think of anything else right now sooo...that's it.

So true, but he could have been an asset to Dumbledore's Army if he had wanted, too. Imagine him being a DE and knowing all the Dark Lord's plans and conveying them to the DA. Draco's very intelligent, if only that intelligence was put to use.

I think Draco was in Slytheirn, because both of his parents were. So, if his parents weren't Slytherin, niether would he .. possibly.
He would have had a different way of living at Hogwarts if he wasn't a Slythie. He'd have different friends, different attitiude. It's what happens when your'e in different houses.

I agree with Hollister. It probably wouldn't mean much if his parents were in a different house and Draco was sorted in the same one. But if he was the only one in the family to get sorted into Gryffindor...well, things would be a whole lot different. There wouldn't be a Half Blood Prince, for one.

I definetly think Draco would have likely been ostracised from his family had he been sorted into a house other than Slytherin.
The Malfoy's seem to have very strong 'family values' and if Draco threatened that I don't supposed it would have gone down too well.
I think it was inevitable he was always going to continue the Slytherin tradition his family had begun - that was just the way he was brought up.
Had his parents been different, that would have been another story all together.

Shudder the thought! Draco, not in Slytherin??
That wouldn't have sat well with his parents or Lord Voldemort...
The way I see it, if he had been sorted into a different house, it would have said volumes about his own beliefs and ways to deal with others. It would have called into question his willingness to follow into his father's footsteps. Would he have believed the whole Pureblood/Muggle hate ideology? We would have seen a whole other type of personality in another House. How could he be the conniving, manipulative boy that everyone (outside of Slytherin) loved to hate? Without the shield of protection and camaraderie that Slytherins purportedly gave to one another, I doubt he could have been such a bully in the first place. And would Snape have turned his attention elsewhere to avoid giving him detention whenever he acted up inside the Potions classroom? I doubt it somehow.

I think that Draco would be alot less bossy and would be so bad as he would have any reason to be, plus he wouldnt have learned half the evil stuff that he learned while in the dungeons with his goons..

He might have been a totally different person. I see him as a person getting influenced by his dad a lot, and he just wanted to bring pride to the family. I think he wouldn't have received the love and care his parents had given him when he was in Slytherin. I think the chances of his family going against his is greater than the chance of his family supporting him no matter what. I know he took a task for Voldemort in HBP, but he was scared then. Lucius wouldn't hesitate to turn on Draco if he was in another house. Maybe Narcissa would stand by Draco's house though. But if he were in another house, he would have different influences, and there's always that possibility he would have been nicer. Being sorted into a house has a large amount of influence on a person, and Draco chose Slytherin, so he had the influences Voldemort and his father would have, looking down on muggle-borns and relying on blood status.

I think if Draco had been sorted into another house, especially Gryffindor or Huffelpuff, then Lucius would have taken Draco out of hogwarts and into Durmstrang, with a warning not to do anything like that again. Lucius maybe wouldn't have minded Ravenclaw, he wouldn't have liked it but he may not have gone against it. Afterall there can't be that much shame in having a son in the clever house.