In Defense of Hufflepuff House

Thank you to @themysteriousphoenix on Tumblr for the beta :)

They say we are the leftovers. The unwanted ones. The castoffs. But we are so much more than that. We are dedicated and loyal. We are tolerant, patient, kind. These are the traits that people take for granted. They think these are the traits that make us weak, and they couldn't be more wrong. Hard work is what pushes us up the rungs of the ladder to the very top. When we walk by our friends' sides through not just the brightly lit, sunny day, but all through the darkest night as well, that's loyalty at work. Tolerance allows us to see beyond the facades of people to the good within them, because belief that there is good in every single person matters. Patience lets us listen intently to others' struggles and kindness helps us understand them as if they were our own.

Hufflepuffs are the ground beneath your feet, the very earth that you tread on. Everyone else so used to the sturdiness that they don't even realize it's there anymore. Hufflepuffs are the ones who will always do what is right; not for the glory, nor the power, but simply because it's the right thing to do. And because we do it quietly without clamoring for fame, we are overlooked. Others would fume over this, but we don't mind because we know it's not about us. The world is much, much bigger than that, and someone has to be the land on which we stand.

We understand that there has to be someone who forms the stairs and handrails of a castle. After all, without stairs, you'd never be able to ascend, and without handrails, you'd fall off. If being the stairs and handrails means we can't leave and see the rest of the castle for ourselves lest someone else be unable to, so be it. That is the essence of a Hufflepuff.

Hufflepuff will be ridiculed, undermined and laughed at. Hufflepuff will be underestimated and ignored. Though if they ever treat our loved ones how they treat us, let them hear the rumbling, bone-deep roar of a badger and let them find out just how ferocious those little black-and-white striped creatures can be.

We are looked down upon and called average for being loyal, dedicated, and true. Being the underdog might make a Slytherin bitter, a Gryffindor angry, or a Ravenclaw envious. A Hufflepuff will take it in their stride and continue to smile at the stranger they pass on the road even if it takes all their strength to do so.

A Hufflepuff is someone who will give you the raincoat off their back amidst a raging storm. A Hufflepuff is someone who will tell you to stop when daggers are flying out of your mouth and wrap their arms around whoever your sharp blades have cut. A Hufflepuff is someone who will shed your tears for you while rubbing soothing circles on your back. A Hufflepuff is someone who will lay down their life for you without hesitation.

So tell me that Hufflepuff is useless. Tell me that we don't matter. See if you can. Because at the end of the day, when the battle has been lost, when your wounds are stinging and the earth is streaked with blood, it will be a Hufflepuff who is still standing by your side. They will be the comforting hand on your shoulder and the ground on which you stand.