Like Hogwarts, Durmstrang has four Houses into which students are sorted according to temperament and capabilities. However, these Houses were not all founded at the same time - and they've changed over the centuries. This will give you an idea of what the Houses and your Housemates are like now.

Atticus House
Atticus is the oldest of the current Durmstrang Houses, the only one that dates back to the founding of the school. Its members exemplify what the rest of the world perceives Durmstrang graduates to be: cunning, brave, skilled in Dark Arts, and perhaps having more nerve than sense. If you're on an outdoors backpacking trip or journey through strange lands, Atticus members are your Fearless Leaders - they will rush into danger without overanalyzing the situation first (as your Liberalises would). But unlike Terpsichoreans, they don't take chances for the sake of taking chances. They'll always have your back in battle.

A high proportion of Lord Voldemort's Durmstrang followers are Atticus students and graduates. This number formerly included Igor Karkaroff, who now leads the Durmstrang Damned.

The Atticus house mascot is a Thestral, and the house colors are green and black. It roughly corresponds to Slytherin with a dash of Gryffindor thrown in for good measure.


Concinne House
Concinne House dates back to the late Renaissance period. It was founded by wizarding's equivalent of nobility, and is perceived as the most exclusive of Houses. Of course, the Sorting Hat knows best, and now sorts people here based on inner beauty and charm as well as the purity of their bloodlines and finances. Members of this House aren't immortal, of course, but if and when they die, they'll look good doing it. Because many of the students here come from wealthy pureblood families, they tend to think they're better than everyone else. But because of their innate charm, they tend to be excellent diplomats later in life.

Its colors are crimson and white, and its mascot is a white tiger. It doesn't really have a Hogwarts equivalent.


Liberalis House
Liberalis House is nearly as old as Atticus House, and was founded by a wizard who felt that a student's time at school was better filled with scholarly pursuits of esoteric subjects than duelling. These students know every corner of the Library and can probably recite the index to Dark Forest Magic: A History of Durmstrang Institute. Their minds are sharp, their grades are excellent, and they sleep with books tucked under their pillows. Sure, many of them are attractive people - but they would rather be curious and interesting people. They do have a tendency to sound like know-it-alls, though.

Many of them go on to become Healers, scholars, librarians, and intelligence agency operatives.

Their colors are purple and grey, and their mascot is the chimpanzee. Yes, we know there are no chimpanzees in Bulgaria. They're equivalent to Ravenclaw.


Terpsichora House
Terpsichora is the newest of the Houses, being only two centuries old. Its founder was a stunningly talented artist who was best known for also being slightly dotty. Artists, poets, musicians, and the insane tend to flock together here. The best description of the House and its members is...well, colorful. These people tend to be extremely unreliable, but if you're completely stuck on a problem, they'll come up with an incredibly creative (and probably wildly impractical) solution. They're pranksters and entertainers and throw great parties. They'll welcome anyone - as long as you've got something fun to contribute to the community.

The House colors are sunshine yellow and periwinkle. The mascot is a magical platypus, because it's too much to ask for them to have a normal mascot. They're probably closest to Hufflepuff because they're the most tolerant of oddities, but there isn't really a good comparison to Hogwarts houses.