Just and Loyal Does Not Mean Pushover
by Ally

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“Imagine being in Hufflepuff. I think I’d leave, wouldn’t you”
-Draco Malfoy. SS/PS

The pity of the Hufflepuffs is that they are described as the outcasts that cannot be placed anywhere else.

“Said Hufflepuff I’ll take the lot
And teach them just the same”
-The Sorting Hat. OotP

“Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest
And taught them all she knew”
-The Sorting hat. OotP

Based on these lines sung by the Sorting hat, Hufflepuff, it would seem, is the mediocre house. The Hufflepuffs are viewed as the kind of kids that would get beaten up in normal Muggle schools, picked last for games. A true Hufflepuff is quite different from this popular view.

“You might belong in Hufflepuff
Where they are just and loyal
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil”
-The Sorting Hat. SS/PP

“For Hufflepuff the Hardest Workers were
Most Worthy of admission”
-The Sorting Hat. GoF

Sometimes, the hardest thing anyone could attempt is to stay loyal and patient until the end. Hard word is named because it is Hard. You have to be brave to stand up for someone else, which is exactly what a Hufflepuff would do. In Book Two: The Chamber of Secrets, Ernie Macmillan, though completely afraid of Harry Potter, stood against him.

‘Hello’ Said Harry. ‘I’m looking for Justin Finch-Fletchley’
The Hufflepuffs’ worst fears had clearly been confirmed. They all looked fearfully at Ernie.
‘What do you want with him?’ Said Ernie, in a quavering voice.
‘I wanted to tell him what really happened at the dulling Club,’ Said Harry
Ernie bit his white lips and then, taking a deep breath, said, ‘We were all there. We saw what happened’
‘Then you noticed that, after I spoke to it, the snake backed off?’ Said Harry
‘All I saw’ said Ernie stubbornly, though he was trembling as he spoke ‘was you speaking Parseltounge and chasing the snake towards Justin.’
-CoS

The Hufflepuff mascot is The Badger. “Shy and sly, the badger becomes a vicious formidable fighter if surprised away from its den and given no chance to dig. Blows that would kill most animals seem not to affect him, probably because of his heavy fur, tough skin, and compact muscular build”

A Badger doesn’t lie down and be defeated. A Badger fights. Based upon the fact that the Badger represents the house, Hufflepuffs are a mix of the other three houses with more traits mixed in, exclusive only to the Hufflepuffs. Hufflepuffs are not afraid of having to work hard for what they need. In reality, a Hufflepuff is what everyone wants and needs to be in order to survive. You cannot get along only on Bravery, Cunning or Brains. You need a mix of all three. Which, of course is what a Hufflepuff is.

You have to earn the trust and loyalty of a Hufflepuff. Once you abuse that Loyalty that you have been given the honour and the privilege of achieving you may never get a second chance. A Hufflepuff is a desired person to have on your side, as they would make a formidable enemy.

Hufflepuffs are the ones who roll up their sleeves and get things done while the other three Houses are poncing around snarking at each other over their respective images. Hufflepuffs come through, strong and true to the end. It doesn’t matter how long it would take the, they keep going with everlasting patience and strength. The unsung heroes of the Wizarding world. The ones who fought to the end, the ones who never gave up in the face of diversity, the ones who would never betray the friendships they had bonded.

A Hufflepuff is Just and Loyal. Not a pushover.

Many people just assume that the Hufflepuffs are scared little weaklings, which could not be further from the truth. In Book 5, The Order of the Phoenix, we are introduced to a new Hufflepuff character, Zacharias Smith.

Zacharias Smith questioned Harry straight off in thee first meeting of the DA in the Hogs Head. He was met with hostility from all the…surprise, surprise…Gryffindors. All that he did was ask what must have been on everyone’s mind “Where is the proof You-Know-Who’s back?” He continued to ask questions but had none of them answered properly without some snide remark or anger showing through. Zacharias is on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, which suggests that he would be pretty close with Cedric Diggory seeing that Cedric was the captain of the team and he just wants to know what happened and maybe seek revenge, as anyone in his place would.

Zacharias Smith gives more contrast to the Hufflepuff characters. He makes the 6th Hufflepuff that we are given more information than looks and a name. So far we know a little about Justin Finch-Fletchley, Ernie Macmillan, Cedric Diggory and Zacharias Smith. Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot are also two other Hufflepuffs who get a small mention.

While only partaking in a small section of the books, the Hufflepuffs show character beyond most of what we see in everyday life.

Earn a badgers respect, you have their loyalty for life. Throw it away and you will never get it back. A Hufflepuff is Just and Loyal, not a Pushover.



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