Ravenclaw is thought of as the house of bright wizards who are more intelligent than anyone else at Hogwarts. They tend to be quick-witted, academic, ambitious, and hardcore about their studies. Ravenclaws are also known for being hyper-competitive.
Just because they tend to brilliant doesn’t always mean they are generous and kind. Some Ravenclaws are prone to manipulation, betrayal, and backstabbing when it comes to getting an edge over their competition. We’re taking a look at some of the most notable Ravenclaws in the series and some of the dumb mistakes they’ve made.
Cho Chang is jealous of Hermione Granger
When Harry and Cho finally go on a date to Hogsmeade in the fifth book, it doesn’t go nearly as well as Harry had hoped. For starters, the place Cho chooses is cringe-worthy. She brings him to a place she went with a previous date, which sours the experience for Harry and makes it awkward.
But worst of all, Cho crumbles at the prospect of Harry leaving early to meet Hermione. She becomes instantly jealous. It’s childish, especially because it becomes clear she’s been reading the Rita Skeeter tabloids. Someone as smart as Cho should have the emotional maturity to know better.
Cho tries to justify what Marietta did
Not to sound like we’re ragging on Cho, but she did make some dumb mistakes in the books for a Ravenclaw. Her worst offense, far worse than any petty romantic squabble, was trying to defend Marietta Edgecombe after he betrayed the entire DA to Dolores Umbridge.
Cho tries to explain that it was only because of Marietta’s mother and her attempt to protect her job at the Ministry but regardless, what Marietta did was pretty unforgivable. Cho even adds that Hermione’s “SNEAK” charm was a nasty trick, despite what Marietta does being is far worse.
Michael Corner was an incredibly sore loser
Ginny Weasley briefly dated a Ravenclaw boy named Michael Corner. We don’t know all that much about Michael except he was an extremely sore loser. Michael and Ginny broke up after Gryffindor beat Ravenclaw in a Quidditch match.
Clearly, Ginny was better off. Ultimately, Michael winds up trying to impress Cho. Considering Cho’s mental health wasn’t in the best place, it proves he wasn’t the smartest guy around and was pretty immature.
Marcus Belby has eyes bigger than his stomach
In one amusing little scene in the sixth book, we meet Marcus Belby. he’s a member of Professor Slughorn’s elite group of students known as the S.L.U.G. Club.
Belby attempts to eat some pheasant on the train and nearly chokes on it as he takes immense bites. This is a trend with him as a background character. He constantly eats way more than his mouth can hold.
Helena Ravenclaw stealing her mother’s diadem
Helena Ravenclaw was the daughter of Ravenclaw’s founder, Rowena Ravenclaw. Rowena had a treasured gift, the diadem. She charmed it so that whoever wore the diadem would be made wiser. Helena grew jealous of the amount of attention and ardor her mother attracted.
She stole the diadem from her in an effort to both knock her down a peg and gain some of that glory for herself. In reality, all she did was make it available to Voldemort (though she didn’t know that at the time) and get herself tangled in a mess with the Bloody Baron.
Many of them believed Harry cheated his way into the Triwizard Tournament
During the fourth book, many of the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned against Harry despite their general alliance against Slytherin in the past. You would think the Ravenclaws would be smart enough to understand that an average fourth-year wouldn’t have the skill to jinx a magical object as powerful as the goblet of fire.
Plus, Harry had very little to gain from doing it. Obviously, he would be despised by most for cheating. So why would he do it? It made some sense for Hufflepuff to be upset, given they had their own champion to think about in the form of Cedric, but Ravenclaw could have been less opinionated.
Disguising their common room with a riddle instead of a password
All the house common rooms are hidden with passwords so that only the members of the corresponding house get into their room. The only exception is Ravenclaw. Instead of using a password to keep their common room safe, they use a riddle.
But the problem is, anyone who is clever enough can solve a riddle. Professor McGonagall proves that when she gains access to the room without much trouble despite being a Gryffindor.
Helena Ravenclaw allowed herself to be charmed by Tom Riddle
As if it wasn’t bad enough that Helena Ravenclaw stole the diadem and hid it in a random tree hollow in Albania, she allows herself to be charmed by Tom Riddle.
This doesn’t happen until she is a ghost (the Grey Lady at Hogwarts). It’s not like Tom could have tortured her, she was already dead. So Helena let herself be charmed purely by Tom’s flirtation and faux-kindness. She gave him the clues he needed to hunt down the diadem and make yet another Horcrux.
Marietta rats out Dumbledore’s Army to Umbridge
Perhaps the worst thing a Ravenclaw ever did was betray everyone to Dolores Umbridge, of all people. Cho Chang’s best friend, Marietta Edgecombe, did just that when she snitched on Dumbledore’s Army.
In the films, Cho does this but to be fair, Cho is put under truth serum. Marietta acted of her own free will. She wound up with a monstrous configuration of zits across her face in the shape of the word ‘SNEAK.’ She definitely deserved it.
Luna Lovegood is a hardcore conspiracy theorist
Luna Lovegood is everyone’s favorite Ravenclaw. She’s loopy and a little out there but she’s still talented, smart, and a skilled witch in her own right. However, that doesn’t change the fact she is something of a conspiracy theorist. She and her father both are obsessed with things in the magical world that have no basis in fact.
Her father is the editor of the Quibbler, a magazine somewhat similar to Muggle tabloids. It publishes fantastical theories about everyone in the wizarding world, sort of like when people in real life talk about lizards in the government or alien invasions. That said, it makes Luna endearing more so than dumb or annoying.
Next: Harry Potter: 10 Slytherin VS Ravenclaw Memes That Are Absolutely Hilarious
