I often wonder about the fourth house at Hogwarts: Hufflepuff. With the Far Friar as its ghost and the non-descript Professor Sprout as its head, it often seems to me to be the forgotten house.
Certainly, Hufflepuff never seems to compete seriously for the House Cup (in The Philosopher's Stone, for example, Hufflepuff falls to fourth place when Dumbledore awards his year-end points to the hero trio and Neville) nor for the Quidditch Cup. In fact, when loyalties are tested, Hufflepuff members are less likely to support Harry than are Gryffindors and Ravenclaws.
In that first novel, the Sorting Hat describes the qualities valued by Hufflepuff as being loyalty, a sense of justice and a willingness to work hard. Very laudable characteristics, to be sure, but hardly up to the same calibre as Gryffindor (bravery, daring and nerve), Ravenclaw (a ready mind, wit and learning) or even Slytherin (cunning).
Now turn to The Order of the Phoenix and the Sorting Hat is almost dismissive of Hufflepuff. In describing the students each school founder wanted to accept into his or her house, the Hat says Slytherin wanted those of purest blood, Ravenclaw sought those who were the most intelligent and Gryffindor recruited those with brave deeds to their name. Hufflepuff? Well, she'll take what's left and "treat them all the same".
Wow. That's not a stirring recommendation for Hufflepuff, is it?
Few of Hufflepuff's members play prominent roles in the novels and even the Cup of Helga Hufflepuff, which is one of the Horcruxes, garners the least attention of all the Horcruxes in both the books and the films.
Being placed in Hufflepuff appears to be an assessment that there's nothing special about you. I find it odd that J.K. quite purposely creates this sort of magical netherworld of the mediocre. Other than Cedric Diggory, I had a hard time naming one of its members.
Basically, Hufflepuff includes a list of minor characters like Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley and the detested Zacharias Smith. It turns out, of course, that Nymphadora Tonks was also a Hufflepuff, perhaps that House's most distinguished graduate. She and Cedric tend to carry the torch for this undervalued house, I guess.
I wonder if J.K. ever considered having just three houses at Hogwarts?
I don't think the Sorting Hat is insulting Hufflepuff at all in book 5. In fact, IMO it's the other way around. The other three are the ones, who get critisized, because they are elitist in only teaching the students they want. Helga Hufflepuff wanted to teach everybody. The Sorting Hat asked for House Unity and Helga basically was the one practising it from the very beginning.
ReplyDeleteI'm also not sure, that they are less loyal than the Ravenclaws or even Gryffindors. Peter Pettigrew was a Gryffindor and Marietta Edgecombe was a Ravenclaw. When did we ever see a Hufflepuff betraying someone. Even the unlikeable Zacharias Smith never betrayed the DA. And at the Battle of Hogwarts, more Hufflepuffs than Ravenclaws remained at the school to fight.