Hufflepuff

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The Hufflepuff blazon.

Hufflepuff is one of the four Hogwarts houses (PS5). It is named after Helga Hufflepuff, one of the four school founders (CS9). Hufflepuff prizes loyalty, justice, patience, and hard work (PS7, GF37). The Hufflepuff colours are yellow and black, its corresponding element is earth, and its mascot is the badger (GF15, IME). The house's ghost is the Fat Friar (PS7).

The Hufflepuff common room is located in the basement near the kitchens. It can be accessed through a still life painting. It is decorated with yellow hangings and furnished with fat, comfortable armchairs. Underground tunnels lead to the dormitories (BLC).

Hufflepuff's current Head of House is Pomona Sprout, the Herbology teacher (GF18).

Hufflepuff has a reputation of being the house for the "rest"—those of the students who are not clever, brave, or cunning enough for one of the other houses. As the Sorting Hat says:

Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,

and taught them all she knew. (OP11)

Students from other houses tend to look down on Hufflepuffs, and first-years are sometimes afraid of being Sorted into this house (PS5). Hufflepuff seldom wins the House Cup or gains credit by other means. An important exception is the nomination of Cedric Diggory as the Hogwarts champion for the Triwizard Tournament in 1994 (GF18). Under more favourable circumstances, Cedric's victory in the Tournament would have been a greater glory than the house has had in centuries (GF31).

The Hufflepuff students unanimously decide to side with Harry Potter in the Battle of Hogwarts. Hufflepuff Ernie Macmillan is the one who stands up and demands to join the fight when Professor McGonagall announces the evacuation of the student body before the battle, and many Hufflepuffs stay (DH31).