The Threads That Bind Us

Prologue

The Sorting Hat barely touched Fidelity Gardner's head before it declared, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

This came as no surprise to Fidelity, despite her father being a Gryffindor who comes from a family of Slytherins (aside from his father and brother who are also Gryffindors) and her mother who is and comes from a family of Ravenclaws. Fidelity has a brother and sister who are Gryffindors and a brother and sister who are Ravenclaws.

It had been apparent to Fidelity's parents that she would be a Hufflepuff since she was young, as well as to others who knew her.

Fidelity is very good with animals; she has loved animals since a very young age, and animals love her; they are drawn to each other. Fidelity is also very successful at tending to plants, which was a shock to her mother who cannot keep a single plant alive. These are characteristics that are commonly found in Hufflepuffs, but they are not necessarily characteristics of a Hufflepuff as they are not found in every Hufflepuff and can be found in any Hogwarts house.

Fidelity is very loyal. She is such a loyal friend, even from the age of six years old. There were multiple occasions from the time Fidelity was six years old to the time that she was fourteen years old that she had been greatly mistreated by her closest friends repeatedly, but she stuck around because she was loyal—to a fault. Around the age of fourteen, Fidelity learned what kind of people were worth being loyal to and what kind of friends were worth letting go of.

Her patience is notable. Though she has learned not to let others take advantage of her, she remains reasonable. While she does have moments of anger, she generally manages to control it unless she feels it is justified. Her kindness is a defining trait; she is caring, thoughtful, and always looks for the good in people, though she struggles to understand others' meanness.

Fidelity believes that success can always be accomplished through hard work. When she is set to a task, she always does it to the very best of her abilities. She also strongly believes in fairness. Learning that life isn't always fair was a hard lesson for her to grasp, but she makes an effort for things to be as fair as possible when she can.

Fidelity's parents knew she would be a Hufflepuff, but not because of her affinity with plants and animals. They knew because she is loyal, patient, kind, hardworking, and fair. They thought she belonged in Hufflepuff, but not because she isn't brave, intelligent, or ambitious, but because she is all those things.