“Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,
And taught them all she knew.”
In founding Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Helga Hufflepuff showed her devotion to all students by taking all students that perhaps didn’t conform to Gryffindor, Slytherin or Ravenclaw. Hufflepuff has become known as the most inclusive house to belong to, preferring those who show dedication, loyalty, patience, and hard work. The house emblem is the badger, known for its persistence, determination, and endurance in animal spirituality. This mirrors the important positive Hufflepuff traits. As with the other three houses, Hufflepuff has its share of bad qualities too…
Let’s take a closer look at the good and bad personality traits of Hufflepuff House.
Good Hufflepuff Traits:
Loyal:
One of our favourite Hufflepuff characters in the Harry Potter series, Nymphadora Tonks, most commonly known as “Tonks”, shows us the depth of loyalty to expect from a Hufflepuff.
Tonks is a dedicated member of The Order of the Phoenix and is frequently risking her life to sacrifice in the war against Lord Voldemort. A poignant feature in Tonks’s life is her spiral into sadness following the death of Sirius Black and her frantic visits to Hogwarts to see Albus Dumbledore. Although Harry believes this may be her way of mourning Sirius, we later discover it is because of her deep love for Remus Lupin, resident werewolf and former Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts.
Despite believing himself to be “unlovable” due to his lycanthropy condition, Tonks commits herself wholly to Lupin and shows how true love and loyalty to people can overcome all.
Selfless:
Selflessness is a trait to be admired. This is something we see very little of from the other houses.
In founding her house, Helga Hufflepuff refused to discriminate based on blood purity, bravery, or intelligence. She committed herself to be willing to teach all who wanted to learn and to treat them all as equals.
This has arguably made Hufflepuff the least notable house, with an argument to be made that they show the least house pride.
In removing the desire for notoriety, grandness, or fame, Hufflepuff displayed the characteristics she would ultimately value most; the ability to put the greater good above oneself.
Kind:
Hufflepuffs are kind and welcoming to everyone they come across. They display no signs of house rivalry or personal feuds.
Cedric Diggory is among the most well-liked and celebrated wizards in Hogwarts, throughout all four houses and amongst teachers.
During The Triwizard Tournament in “Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire”, the students of Hogwarts chose to rally for Cedric as their school champion rather than Harry. When they made a badge that interchanged between the phrases “Support Cedric Diggory” and “Potter Stinks”, Cedric requested that everyone stop wearing them to defend Harry.
More than this, he showed genuine kindness by telling Harry how he could open and properly listen to the golden egg from the first Task (I’m not 100% sure Harry would have ever got there without his help!).
Humble:
Many Hufflepuffs have achieved incredible things without being truly noticed or boastful!
For example, Cedric Diggory was chosen by The Goblet of Fire to be the Hogwarts school champion, which is remarkable considering the number of students who must have applied.
Nymphadora Tonks went on to become a successful Auror, as well as being a metamorphmagus.
Isn’t Hogsmeade a great idea? An entire wizarding town where witches and wizards can genuinely be themselves without worrying about hiding from muggles. Who came up with this? A Hufflepuff! Hengist of Woodcroft founded Hogsmeade after being persecuted and banished from his hometown by muggles.
Theseus Scamander was head Auror during the war against Gellert Grindelwald.
Newt Scamander was the most notable Magizoologist in the world, publishing his book “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” and helping defeat Gellert Grindelwald.
The list really does go on; go check it out!
Empathetic:
One of the biggest shows of empathy comes from Newt Scamander. When a wizard can show compassion towards a creature seen as “less than” them, it reveals their actual character.
Newt serves and protects all creatures in the magical world. He often puts himself in peril to ensure the safety of all living animals.
Hard-Working:
Hufflepuffs are incredibly hard-working and for no tangible rewards. They are often overlooked or upstaged by Ravenclaw’s academic performance.
Professor Sprout worked tirelessly in “Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets” to create a Mandrake antidote for the petrified victims of the Basilisk. This is so rarely talked about, with the focus on Gryffindor’s bravery in finding the Chamber and Slytherin’s cunning and ambitious heir.
It seems there’s nothing bad to say about Hufflepuffs, but of course, they have some negative talking points…
Bad Hufflepuff Traits:
Naïve:
Hufflepuff members can tend to be too willing to trust and too inexperienced to create independent opinions. They can often be a little naïve about who deserves support and kindness.
Cedric relentlessly defends Harry, despite his being entered into the Goblet of Fire illegally. He suggests he and Harry take the Triwizard Cup together to win as a pair, despite Harry being close to leaving him to the vines in the maze only seconds before.
Rigid:
Sometimes, in the battle to be kind and selfless, Hufflepuffs find themselves unable to be creative or opinionated.
Gryffindor house knew that Hufflepuff members would sign up for Dumbledore’s Army because they are most known for going with the flow!
Self-Conscious:
Hufflepuffs can often doubt their abilities, and this leads to always putting the interests of others above themselves.
They can be quickly taken advantage of if not careful, which we see snippets of in Newt Scamander’s constant seeing the good in everyone. Being overly modest can lead to a failure to see the good that lives inside themselves instead of always aiming to see it in others.
Fearsome:
There is a deep-rooted hate for conflict in Hufflepuff House. They love a sense of harmony amongst all houses, so we rarely see them going against the grain on anything!
After Sirius is murdered by Bellatrix, Tonks chooses to stay on board with the plan the Order of the Phoenix has to destroy Voldemort, despite wanting revenge for her family.
We must mention Zacharias Smith, who pushed first-year students out of the way in his attempts to rush out before the Battle of Hogwarts. He was part of Dumbledore’s Army; but couldn’t bring himself to fight when the time came.
Reserved:
Hufflepuffs can be incredibly introverted! Newt Scamander spends most of his time with magical creatures rather than other humans.
Cedric Diggory, Pomona Sprout and Ernie Macmillan are all Hufflepuff characters throughout the series. Despite this, it is difficult to pinpoint any meaningful relationships/friendships they create along the way – they all have small circles that they rarely sway from.
Indecisive:
Fundamentally, The Sorting Hat stated that Hufflepuff would “take the rest”. No part of Hufflepuff shows decision-making; even the founder didn’t want to choose certain students to take!
Hufflepuffs value justness and treat everyone fairly; this means they rarely act passionately. Unfortunately, this can lead to either a rigid form of decision-making or no decision-making at all.
So, what does it mean to have Hufflepuff energy?
If you know someone who is polite, kind, thoughtful, fair, and loyal, they might well be a Hufflepuff. To distinguish them from Gryffindor, who are also dedicated and honest, you may see them shy from conflict and be a little more introverted!
Hufflepuff energy is faultlessly patient and caring, which is rarely seen in any other Hogwarts House.
Personally, when I think of my favourite Hufflepuff friend, I imagine sunflowers and light as bright as the sun. There’s a reason their house colour is yellow!
What are stand-out Hufflepuff weaknesses?
Unfortunately, Hufflepuffs can be notorious pushovers. Whilst they are fair and just, they rarely apply this to themselves. Sometimes it can be easy to convince Hufflepuffs to go along with the latest trend, as we see in Justin Finch-Fletchley’s all too eager attitude to believe Harry is the heir of Slytherin.
They may worry about being rude or hurting someone’s feelings, which can be a positive trait when it’s not compromising personal beliefs.
Finally,
Hufflepuffs are great friends to have. They are loyal, dedicated, selfless, and empathetic. They will always give you great advice, be there when you need a cry, and pass you the tub of ice cream when you’ve had a bad day.
If you don’t ask them to make any decisions, fight someone for you or offer an opinion on your latest questionable life choice, you’ll be a very happy friend of a Hufflepuff!
