Hufflepuff

"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 Medieval witch Helga Hufflepuff. The Head of Hufflepuff is Pomona Sprout. The Fat Friar is the House's patron ghost. Hufflepuff is the most inclusive among the four houses, valuing hard work, patience, friendship and fair play rather than a particular aptitude in its members. Its emblematic animal is the badger, and yellow and black are its colours.

Hufflepuff corresponds roughly to the element of earth.

Traits
Students belonging to this house are known to be hard-working, friendly, loyal, and non-judgmental. However, due to Helga Hufflepuff's policy of accepting any student and its usually poor performance in the House Cup, Hufflepuff is often thought of as the place where students are sorted when they don't have any of the qualities of the other three houses, which have more defined attributes. Perhaps as a consequence of the broad principles of acceptance upon which it is founded, Hufflepuff has been stereotyped as the house of the unexceptional (or, more unkindly, as "a lot o' duffers"). This also corresponds with The Sorting Hat's song where he states:
 * Dear Hufflepuff, she took the rest and taught them all she knew.

However, according to Minerva McGonagall, all four of the houses have produced exceptional witches and wizards in their time, so, though the House is said to have forgone glory for centuries, it is not without its share of exceptional individuals. For example, Hufflepuff Cedric Diggory brought his house rare glory as its Quidditch captain and later as Hogwarts' champion in the Triwizard Tournament in 1994.

It may be that due to their values, Hufflepuffs are not as competitive as the other houses, or are more modest about their accomplishments. Gryffindor and Slytherin share an enomous rivalry, and thus are extremely competitive with one another, whereas Ravenclaw is defined by the intelligence and academic accomplishments of its members. Hufflepuff appears to have the least rivalry with the other houses, except in Quidditch.

Common Room
The Hufflepuff Dormitories and Common room are accessed through a painting near the kitchens. It is a quite cozy and welcoming place; not at all like a dungeon. The room is filled with yellow hangings and fat armchairs, with little underground tunnels that lead up to the dormitories, which have round barrel-top like doors.

Behind the scenes

 * While from Prisioner of Azkaban onward the color of Hufflepuff was Yellow, in the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's stone and Chamber of secrets videogame the colour of the House was Purple.

Notes and references
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