Hufflepuff House

''"You might belong in Hufflepuff, where they are just and loyal. Those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil." -- The Sorting Hat''

Hufflepuff is one of the Four Houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Its founder was the witch Helga Hufflepuff. Hufflepuff is the most inclusive among the four houses; valuing hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty and fair play rather than a particular aptitude in its members. The emblematic animal is a badger and yellow and black are its colors. The Head of Hufflepuff is Splendora Speckle and the Fat Friar is the House's patron ghost.

Hufflepuff corresponds to the element of Earth and it is for that reason that the House colors were chosen: yellow represents wheat while black is emblematic of soil.

Traits
Students belonging to this House are known to be hard-working, friendly, loyal, honest and rather impartial. It ma be that due to their values, Hufflepuffs are not as competitive as the other Houses and are more modest about their accomplishments. Hufflepuff is the most inclusive among the four Houses, valuing hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty and fair play rather than a particular aptitude in its students.

Hufflepuff appears to have the least rivalry with the other Houses, except where Quidditch is concerned.

Reputation
Contrary to what many say, Hufflepuff has produced many exceptional witches and wizards in their time. Indeed, one of the Triwizard Champions of 1994 was a Hufflepuff and many Ministers of Magic were from Hufflepuff House. However, due to Helga Hufflepuff's policy of accepting any student and its usually poor performance in the House Cup, Hufflepuff is often thought to be the house of less talented wizards and witches. However, this is merely a misunderstanding of the Sorting Hat's poem. The Hufflepuff house has produced a great many successful and influential members of the wizarding world, such as the renowned magizoologist Newton Scamander, Arithmancer Bridget Wenlock and former Minister of Magic Artemisia Lufkin, among many others.

Hufflepuff has produced the fewest number of dark wizards than any other House at Hogwarts. Their cheerful and friendly demeanor can probably account for this property of the House. Hufflepuff firmly demonstrate its loyalty during the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998, when they were second only to Gryffindor in the number of students willing to stay and fight against Voldemort and his forces in defense of the school.

Gryffindors tend to be the most friendly to Hufflepuff, though it's in a big brother capacity; many Gryffindors view Hufflepuff as unable to defend themselves.

Ravenclaws are the closest thing Hufflepuff has to a real rival and the two Houses have a friendly rivalry going. Ravenclaws see the Hufflepuffs as duffers and they think their house is too lenient and unable of the intellectual depths of their own House.

Slytherin, however, tends to unfairly regard Hufflepuff as an absolute joke.

Common Room
The Hufflepuff dormitories and common room are the only House with repelling devices in case of intruders. They are accessed through a pile of large barrels, found stacked in a shadowy recess on a right-hand side corridor near the kitchens. The barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row, will open if tapped in the rhythm of "Hel-ga Huff-le-puff".

As a security device to repel non-Hufflepuff students, tapping on the wrong barrel or tapping incorrectly, results in one of the other lids bursting off, drenching the impostor in vinegar.

However, once you make it through the tunnel entryway, the Hufflepuff dormitory is quite cozy and welcoming; it always feels sunny. The common room is a large, earthy, round room with low ceilings. The view from the round windows is of dandelions and rippling grass.

The decor is bright and welcoming, with some hanging plants and cute, colorful flowers. Burnished copper touchings with plush, cozy yellow and black patterned sofas and chairs welcoming a Hufflepuff student to relax and enjoy each others' company. Board games are kept on a shelf. A Hufflepuff student retires through big, round doors in the walls of the comon room to their dormitory.

Head of House
The Head of House is a position of great authority and respect, and is always given to an acting Professor that was sorted into that House during their education at Hogwarts. The position of Head of Hufflepuff is a particularly beloved position, as they are seen to epitomize the traits Hufflepuff is supposed to represent.

The current Head of Hufflepuff House is Professor Splendora Speckle, Hogwarts' Charms teacher. This optimistic, welcoming, gentle, kind and loving teacher is generally well-liked and beloved by the student body. She has held the position since 2012.

The Head of House before Speckle was Pomona Sprout, who held the position from 1955 to 2012.

House Relic
The relic of Hufflepuff House was Hufflepuff's Chalic, which was a shining, golden goblet with two finely-wrought handles and a badger engraved on its surface. The cup was said to possess regenerative properties. The Chalice was eventually turned into a Horcrux by Voldemort, where it was subsequently destroyed by Hermione Granger-Weasley in 1998.

Class of 2024

 * Alison Appleby
 * Logan Barrowman
 * Bethany Bishop
 * Stephan Brimble
 * Millicent Cattish
 * Umi Chou
 * Hamish Clemont
 * Janika Fenwick
 * Cassie Foley
 * Neil Mayhew
 * Fletcher Mosby
 * Norma Nickle
 * Olive Oakridge
 * Veronica Outerman
 * Scotland Russell
 * Cecil Shan
 * Ilya Socorro
 * Norville Tubbs
 * Shawn Turner
 * Conner Utterson
 * Meridian Watton

Notable Alumni

 * Teddy Lupin
 * Justin Finch-Fletchley
 * Zacharias Smith
 * Ernie Macmillan
 * Hannah Longbottom (nee Abbott)
 * Susan Bones
 * Cedric Diggory
 * Nymphadora Tonks
 * Pomona Sprout
 * Newton "Newt" Scamander