J.K. Rowling Says Scottish Labour Party Leader Worthy of Gryffindor

The Scottish Labour Party suffered a dreadful night of defeats in the U.K. election Thursday — but there’s a slim silver lining for leader Jim Murphy, who received a unique tribute from Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.

Although Murphy lost his parliamentary seat and his party was swept out of power in all but one seat in Scotland, Rowling tweeted that she would place the deposed MP in the Gryffindor House at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry alongside Harry Potter and Hermione Granger for his bravery.

Of course the Sorting Hat is the only magical object that can determine which house a wizard belongs in. But perhaps because she invented the hat, Rowling gets first say.

Though Rowling was born in England she currently resides north of the border and is a long-time Labour Party donor. She also reportedly donated one million pounds ($1.5 million) to the campaign against Scottish independence last year — a cause favored by the Scottish National Party, whose candidate took Murphy’s seat.

Harry Potter Illustrated Edition Illustrations