Everyone Should Want To Be A Hufflepuff

For both casual frequenters and avid fans of the Harry Potter series, the Hogwarts Houses are a subject of much debate. Countless quizzes have surfaced online to determine whether you are in Gryffindor (like the heroes of the series), Slytherin (where the evil ones go), Ravenclaw (the smart house), or Hufflepuff… the extras and the losers.

Gryffindors and Slytherins receive much of the limelight throughout the series, with only a few important characters originating from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff house. Despite being almost equally out of the spotlight, there seems to be overwhelming disregard and contempt against Hufflepuff particularly.

In almost every instance that I’ve seen a person discover that they’re in Hufflepuff, the reaction has been one of great denial and indignance. This attitude seems to be prevalent worldwide, as waves of people took to social media when Pottermore was released, lamenting that they were placed in Hufflepuff house. I, as a Ravenclaw with strong Slytherin tendencies, must admit that I did once share this disregard for Hufflepuffs. Like many, I regarded them as a bit of a joke, not to be taken seriously.

How is it that Hufflepuffs have gotten this reputation? After all, this is a house known for kindness, justice, and loyalty — the house of great wizards such as Newt Scamander, Nymphadora Tonks, Cedric Diggory, Ernie Macmillan, and many more. As we first discover during the sorting hat’s song in Philosopher’s Stone:

You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil.

Fair, loyal, honest, and hardworking. All of these attributes are extremely positive. This is exemplified again and again by the admirable Hufflepuff characters in the Harry Potter series. In Prisoner of Azkaban, when Harry fell off his broom playing Quidditch against Hufflepuff, Cedric called for a rematch, even though Hufflepuff had won that game fairly. In Chamber of Secrets, when the school suspected Harry of being Slytherin’s heir, Ernie was the only one to issue a public apology to him at the end. He also openly declared support for Harry when the entire Wizarding World was against him in Order of the Phoenix. These great qualities of Hufflepuff house are reinforced throughout the series, such as in the sorting hat’s song in fourth year:

For Hufflepuff, hard workers were
Most worthy of admission

And also in Dumbledore’s speech following Cedric’s death:

Cedric was a person who exemplified many of the qualities which distinguish Hufflepuff house. He was a good and loyal friend, a hard worker, he valued fair play.

So which parts of Hufflepuff house are not as appealing? Even in the Wizarding World, Draco Malfoy says right off the bat in Philosopher’s Stone:

Imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I’d leave, wouldn’t you?

His sentiment has been echoed by many, many people and really establishes Hufflepuff as a joke house. As I’ve heard one person say, “I always picture Hannah Abbott having a meltdown during her OWLS when I think of Hufflepuff.” Furthermore, throughout the series, it is typically Slytherin and Gryffindor neck and neck for the House Cup and Quidditch cups. Ravenclaw occasionally rises up, winning the Quidditch cup in Harry’s first year, but Hufflepuff settles resolutely in last place.

Is it these losses then, that turn people off from the house? If so, what does that say about our values as a society? Why isn’t kindness considered as admirable and heroic as bravery, strength, or wisdom, and is winning really more important to us than being loyal, honest, and kind?

Since kindergarten, awards and praise are given primarily for achievement — honour roll, athlete of the year, champions for one win or another. No one gets a medal for being nice. In fact, being nice is often equated to being weak. This mindset has indeed programmed us to prioritize very specific values. People want to be known as intelligent, brave, or strong. They don’t want to be known as kind, and yet, true kindness is the most difficult quality to embrace.

In Order of the Phoenix, the sorting hat’s song says the following about Hufflepuff house:

Said Hufflepuff, “I’ll teach the lot
And treat them just the same.”

While Slytherin, Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw were all selective about their students, Hufflepuff embraced everyone equally. This does not mean, however, that Hufflepuffs are not intelligent, brave, or ambitious. It merely means that they do not feel the need to boast about it. Those are not the traits that define them. They do not act in the hopes of being recognized or praised, but merely because it is the right thing to do. Nowhere more is this exemplified than in the final battle of Hogwarts, when almost all of the eligible Hufflepuffs chose to fight, as J.K. Rowling herself states.

“In many, many ways, Hufflepuff is my favourite house. There comes a point in the final book where each house has the choice whether or not to rise to a certain challenge. The Slytherins, for reasons that are understandable, decide they’d rather not play. The Ravenclaws, some decide they will and some decide they won’t. The Hufflepuffs, virtually to a person, stay, as do the Gryffindors. Now the Gryffindors comprise a lot of foolhardy and show-offy people. The Hufflepuffs stayed for a different reason. They weren’t trying to show off. They weren’t being reckless. That’s the essence of Hufflepuff house.”

As I’ve matured, I’ve not only grown to respect Hufflepuff above all other houses, but have also made every effort to be more like them in every aspect of my life. However, the fact that so many people have said they would rather die than be in Hufflepuff is a very disappointing indicator of the priorities of our world. Even more disturbingly, so many have expressed that they would rather be in Slytherin than in Hufflepuff. Slytherin house is defined by strength, ambition, and cunning, and Slytherins tend to act out of their own self-interest or the interests of loved ones. Although by no means inherently bad either, it is responsible for producing the most dark wizards as a consequence. Hufflepuff has produced the least. Yet, I’ve almost never heard anyone complain about being sorted into Slytherin.

J.K. Rowling once said that everyone should want to be a Hufflepuff. Imagine how much better off we’d be if our world was run by Hufflepuffs — people who made decisions based on kindness, patience, and honesty. Unfortunately, it is usually the Slytherins, Ravenclaws, and Gryffindors who rise to the top, because we often act in our own self-interest, and all possess a great deal of pride and faith in our own abilities. We live in a world that rewards those characteristics. Since grade school, awards are given, not for kindness, but for excellency, all while disregarding that the real traits we should all try to embody cannot be measured.