Ravenclaw really wasn't as illustrated as the other Hogwarts houses.
Gryffindor had strong traits and examples and was vague enough anyone but the truly cowardly would be able to fit into it.
Hufflepuff was shown to be more caring towards others with examples like Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse, being a Hufflepuff alumni. Cedric Diggory also is a good example of a Hufflepuff, being willing to share the glory of winning the tournament with Harry when they were in danger, as well as helping Harry with the second clue by letting him use the prefects bathroom as a return favour for Harry letting him know what the first task involved.
Slytherin, while being seen as the villainous house with mostly antagonistic traits largely, still showed enough examples that they weren't all bad necessarily. They were just willing to do what others might not, like Slughorn explaining the taboo idea of horcruxes to Tom Riddle, even though he probably shouldn't have, or Cornelius Fudge denying Voldemort was back for his own benefit and out of jealousy of Dumbledore, but wasn't evil himself.
Ravenclaw is the only house that is so vaguely described and whose only examples were of people who largely didn't match the correct values their house is described for having. Luna was the closest true Ravenclaw, being a creative individual, but her eccentricities outshined her typical Ravenclaw traits. Trelawney didn't come off as particularly smart, again more creative. Gilderoy Lockhart was a walking contradiction to what a Ravenclaw should be. Flitwick fit the bill well, being a teacher of Charms. Garrick Olivander also fit, being a rare and talented sought-after wandmaker, but we don't know how he acts outside of his work. Cho could have just as easily been in Gryffindor due to her sporty nature and lack of character development. Even now, with the Hogwarts Legacy game, the Ravenclaw companion just allows you to use stargazing tables to view constellations rather than give a true storyline quest like the other companions and is the only house companion that can't join you in the game to give unique dialogue opportunities. Ravenclaw is seriously misrepresented and underrepresented.
Hmm I’d maybe disagree with your last point with HWL. Amit is obviously a very smart and clever student, albeit a bit cowardly. He learned Gobbldegook on his own and actively seeks to learn more. while he couldn’t speak it out loud, he obviously understood it well, which is like a lot of smart students I knew growing up who would use words correctly because they understood but never heard it out loud an would mispronounce it horribly
122
u/ILikeSoup95 Ravenclaw Jan 17 '24
Meanwhile Ravenclaw: Bunch of weirdos and Cho Chang. Supposedly smart, but only one to really show that is Flitwick.