Hufflepuff House: The Most Underrated House at Hogwarts

Hufflepuff is the house everybody jokes about. Until you check the numbers. According to Rowling, it has produced the fewest dark wizards in the entire history of Hogwarts. The house of "the ones who are left over" turned out to be the hardest to corrupt.

One honest note before we go on: Rowling gave that fact outside the books. It doesn't appear in any of the seven volumes. What we can show from the books is how Hufflepuffs behave when the story forces them to choose.

Where the Joke Comes From

The mocking starts in the first book. In Philosopher's Stone (Sorcerer's Stone in the US), ch. 5, Hagrid tells Harry that everyone says Hufflepuffs are a lot of duffers. Draco, in the robe shop, says that if he were put in Hufflepuff he'd leave the school.

And the Sorting Hat's song doesn't help much: just, loyal, patient, unafraid of toil. In a world that applauds whoever shines, "hardworking and loyal" sounds like a consolation prize.

But the other three houses reward things you can see: courage, cunning, intelligence. Hufflepuff rewards what you do when nobody is watching.

What Helga Said

In Order of the Phoenix (ch. 11), the Sorting Hat sings about how the founders chose their students. Gryffindor wanted the brave. Ravenclaw, the cleverest. Slytherin, the pure-blooded. And Helga Hufflepuff said she'd teach them all and treat them all the same.

It sounds soft. It's the most radical thing said at the founding of Hogwarts. In a story where the obsession with pure blood causes two wars, the house that took anyone in was the counterweight to the whole castle.

Cedric Diggory

The most famous Hufflepuff is Cedric. In Goblet of Fire he's Hogwarts's champion: handsome, popular, good at everything. And he plays fair, for real.

Harry warns him that the first task is dragons (ch. 20). Cedric doesn't forget it. Weeks later he gives Harry the clue for decoding the golden egg: open it underwater, in the prefects' bathroom (ch. 23). In the third task, when they reach the center of the maze together (ch. 31), Cedric tells Harry to take the cup, because Harry saved him twice. Harry suggests they take it together, as a Hogwarts tie.

That generous decision sends them to the graveyard, where Voldemort returns and Wormtail kills Cedric (ch. 32).

What almost nobody remembers is how badly Cedric wanted to win. He was truly competitive. And when victory was right in front of him, he chose to be fair.

Tonks

According to Rowling, Nymphadora Tonks was also a Hufflepuff, even though the books never say so. Her story is in them, though: young Auror, Metamorphmagus, always with bubble-gum pink hair (Order of the Phoenix, ch. 3). She fought at the Ministry and on the Astronomy tower. She married Lupin and had Teddy.

At the Battle of Hogwarts, Teddy was a few weeks old. Tonks left him with her mother and went to fight because she couldn't stand not knowing what was happening to Remus. They both died.

Hufflepuff Isn't Perfect

It would be a lie to paint the house as a choir of saints. In Chamber of Secrets (ch. 11), Ernie Macmillan and the other Hufflepuffs are convinced that Harry is the heir of Slytherin and that he's after Justin. In Goblet of Fire (ch. 18), half the house turns its back on Harry because they think he stole Cedric's glory. Sometimes their loyalty keeps them from seeing the truth.

But when the crisis comes, they change. Ernie, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Justin and Zacharias Smith join Dumbledore's Army (Order of the Phoenix, ch. 16). And in the Battle of Hogwarts (Deathly Hallows, ch. 31), many Hufflepuffs stay to defend the castle even though they could have left.

Book vs. Movie

• In the movies, Hufflepuff is Cedric and almost nobody else. Ernie, Hannah, Susan and Justin barely get any lines.
• The egg clue is simpler in the movie. In the book, Cedric repays Harry with exactly the same help Harry gave him.
• Tonks has almost no story in the movies, and her death is only glimpsed.

What Almost Nobody Notices

• Hufflepuff's cup was a Horcrux. Voldemort wanted objects from all four founders, and the least showy house gave him one of its treasures. The story is in Hufflepuff's Cup and the Gringotts Heist: The Fourth Horcrux.
• Its common room is next to the kitchens. Rowling said so outside the books. For the house that looks after everybody, it makes sense that its door is next to the food.
• Loyalty doesn't look good on a poster. No spell makes it spectacular. It shows up in everyday things, and everyday things almost never make it into the movies.

Are You a Hufflepuff Without Knowing It?

Lions want glory, snakes want power, eagles want answers. Badgers do the right thing without asking for a receipt. If that sounds like you, maybe this is your house. Find out with the house quiz.

The previous part of the series is Ravenclaw House: Helena's Wound and Luna's Freedom. If you want to start from the beginning, go to Gryffindor House Explained: What Nobody Tells You.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the most famous Hufflepuffs?

Cedric Diggory, Nymphadora Tonks (according to Rowling), Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Professor Sprout, the head of the house.

What are Hufflepuff's values?

Loyalty, hard work, patience and fairness. Its colors are yellow and black, its animal is the badger and its ghost is the Fat Friar.

Is it true that Hufflepuff produced fewer dark wizards?

That's what Rowling said outside the books. The seven volumes don't contain a count, but they do show a house that resists the temptation to do harm very well.

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