For One Tree Hill, all of the Tree Hill residents were Ravens. After all, the Ravens were the mascots of the local high school. If the residents of the small North Carolina town had been a bit more magical, they could have been associated with a completely different animal, depending on their Hogwarts house.
Despite its small town status, plenty of exciting things happened in Tree Hill, allowing the residents to demonstrate their true natures. They could have been brave, saving others from certain danger or striking out on their own, like a Gryffindor. Some Tree Hill residents preferred to lose themselves in learning and creativity, like a Ravenclaw. Other residents were never fully satisfied with their lot in life, always scheming for more and upending the balance in town, like a Slytherin. Then there are those who just wanted to help, who were loyal above all else: the Hufflepuffs.
Our sorting hat found places for 10 One Tree Hill characters in the four Hogwarts houses.
Brooke Davis: Gryffindor
Fans can agree that Brooke initially presented herself as a Slytherin. The most popular girl at Tree Hill High, Brooke was also a bit of a mean girl - or was she?
Brooke welcomed “outsiders” like Haley, Lucas, and Mouth into her friend group. She even maintained those friendships a decade after high school ended. Brooke struck out on her own, deg her own clothes and attempting to create her own label while still in high school. She faced multiple assaults and attacks while living in Tree Hill, and she always came out the other side. Brooke even saved several people from dire situations, like a car accident in a massive storm. She couldn’t really fit into any Hogwarts house other than Gryffindor.
Julian Baker: Hufflepuff
A producer who came to Tree Hill initially to turn Lucas’ book into a movie, Julian revealed himself pretty early on to have a thing for helping young women in need. His need to help, and his dogged approach to getting things done, definitely made him a Hufflepuff.
Julian only began dating Peyton after trying to help her feel better when she broke up with Lucas. Likewise, his relationship with Brooke began after helping her track down her missing foster daughter. He also became a bit of a mentor to said foster daughter Sam. Julian even became friends with the troubled actress Alex while trying to help her turn her life around. Julian liked to be needed. With all of that going on in his personal life, Julian still managed to continue attempting to find a way to make movies on his without the help of his controlling father. Truly, he's a Hufflepuff.
Peyton Sawyer: Ravenclaw
Peyton wasn’t a book smart character, but her quest to learn everything focused on two very specific subjects: music and art. Every time Peyton needed a change, she redesigned her living space, sketched out comic strips, and drowned herself in creativity.
Peyton had a deep love for music. Records lined her walls. In fact, it’s Peyton’s taste in music that provided One Tree Hill with its soundtrack and its reputation for discovering new bands. Peyton transitioned from simply loving music as a teenager to running her own independent record label as an adult. She took her love and knowledge and parlayed it into a career, like a true Ravenclaw.
Lucas Scott: Slytherin
Though Lucas became an acclaimed writer and published a novel about his life in Tree Hill, he doesn’t really fit in Ravenclaw. Not all writers have that same thirst for knowledge. Lucas certainly didn’t.
Instead, Lucas belongs in the house of the ambitious and cunning. Throughout the course of the series, his primary goal was to get his basketball team a championship win. He finally helped do that in season four. Likewise, he constantly manipulated those around him to make sure things went his way. When they didn’t, that’s where the drama of his storylines came from. While he often appeared upfront and honest, his actions toward Brooke and Peyton repeatedly ended up pitting the two best friends against one another.
Mia Catalano: Ravenclaw
Some might classify Mia as a Gryffindor because of the way she left a band to go solo, or the way she stood up to Brooke’s mother. Both of those moments were born out of the friendship she developed with Peyton and Haley though, leaning more towards loyalty as a motivation than bravery. She’s not quite a Hufflepuff though. Instead, we’d mark her as a Ravenclaw.
The difference between Mia and the more “traditional” idea of a Ravenclaw is that Mia’s intelligence is in her music. She didn’t spend her time on Tree Hill studying textbooks, but in writing songs based on her own experiences. During her few seasons on the show, Mia wrote two full-length albums, mostly on her own, and even helped other artists develop their sound. She was a gifted musician.
Mouth McFadden: Slytherin
Fan of One Tree Hill will likely be surprised that Mouth, the perennial nice guy, was sorted into Slytherin. Mouth, however, had a lot of Slytherin traits.
He always seemed to fall for the pretty and popular girls that high school social politics dictated were just out of his league. That didn’t stop him from repeated attempts to get close to them. In the case of Brooke and Rachel, he became genuine friends with them. When it came to Shelly, he manipulated her into dating him and sleeping with him, and then they broke up immediately after.
Mouth also had lofty goals. In addition to wanting the popularity in high school, he wanted success as an on camera sports announcer as an adult. He tried on a lot of hats until he got to create his own morning show.
Millie Huxtable: Hufflepuff
Millie had a lot of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor in her, but ultimately, Hufflepuff is her best fit. Her loyalty to Brooke, and her slowly expanding circle of friends, is where Millie drew most of her motivation.
In fact, a lot of the drama in Millie’s life never would have found her if she didn’t do such a good job while working for Brooke. She rose through the ranks of Brooke’s clothing company, even dabbling in modeling for a while. It’s her one act of disloyalty - helping Brooke’s mother forge documents - that nearly cost her all of the people she was closest to. Luckily for Millie, her hardworking Hufflepuff attitude helped her keep her friends and find a new career path.
Rachel Gatina: Slytherin
If fans looked for a stereotypical Slytherin, they found Rachel Gatina. Rachel was never exactly one of the gang, but she was an important addition to the show.
Frenemy to Brooke, Rachel always had a snarky retort ready. Her snark masked her insecurity, as did her scheming and social climbing. Rachel really just wanted to be happy, but she went about it by looking out for herself, blackmailing the people she tried to be friends with, and ultimately making really poor choices where her ambitions were concerned.
Nathan Scott: Gryffindor
Gryffindors are primarily known for their bravery, but with that can come a lot of other traits that leave them wanting to be the center of attention. They boast about their achievements, showboating in ways that give them a following. Gryffindors can also be arrogant. These can all be negative, but they can also lead to great character arcs, like Nathan’s on One Tree Hill.
Arrogant and used to getting what he wanted, Nathan met his match in both his brother Lucas and Lucas’ best friend Haley. Nathan ultimately showed a lot of courage when he tried to fix so many of the mistakes he made, and when he took the leap to marry Haley. Haley made him a better person, but Nathan had to be willing to make the change.
Haley James: Ravenclaw
When the audience first met Haley, she was the bubbly best friend to Lucas Scott who spoke with no filter and loved peace and quiet away from her large family. She also happened to be top of her class and tutoring what seemed like half the student body. Could she be anything other than a Ravenclaw?
Haley demonstrated her intelligence by graduating as Tree Hill’s valedictorian all while getting married, carrying a baby, and planning for the future. Not only did she have the book smarts down, but she also pursued a career in music and could run Karen’s Cafe if she needed to. A master multi-tasker and quick learner, Haley couldn’t belong in any other house.