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  • Hufflepuff!”

  • If we got to choose our Hogwarts house, how many of us would pick Hufflepuff?

  • “I was sorted by the Sorting Hat on Pottermore.

  • I'm 100% Hufflepuff.”

  • “I'm so sorry” [laughs]

  • To quote Mindy Kaling: “Nobody wants to be Hufflepuff.”

  • In the first Harry Potter book, Malfoy says,

  • Imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?”

  • In our Slytherin video,

  • we talked about the story's anti-Slytherin bias.

  • but at least that house has a certain coolness and prestige.

  • The story pretty much dismisses Hufflepuff as

  • essentially, insignificant and boring.

  • It's got the silliest sounding name and the least badass mascot.

  • People write off Hufflepuff as the place

  • where you sort those leftover students who don't have something special about them.

  • We play our game, Hufflepuff doesn't stand a chance.

  • We're stronger, quicker and smarter.”

  • Yet if you look at the facts,

  • this perception of Hufflepuff is completely off-base.

  • Hufflepuffs aren't the riff-raff of Hogwarts-

  • if anything, they're aspirational.

  • Hufflepuff represents decency and goodness that doesn't seek to be recognized.

  • It embodies fairness, justice and loyalty for their own sake-

  • even when no one is looking.

  • In short, what the world needs now, is more Hufflepuffs.

  • So maybe it's time that more of us started stepping up

  • and claiming the Hufflepuff identity with Pride.

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  • You know what I see in Hufflepuff?

  • I see loyalty, I see fierce friendship.

  • So we are hardworking, we are compassionate,

  • and at the end of the day, we are going to do the right thing

  • and not because of the glory, not because of the glory,

  • but for the greater good”.

  • The philosophy of Hufflepuff is this: always do the right thing,

  • just because.

  • In the first book, the Sorting Hat tells us:

  • You might belong in Hufflepuff, Where they are just and loyal,

  • Those patient Hufflepuffs are true And unafraid of toil.”

  • Just take a second to think about how long this list is.

  • Hufflepuffs are,

  • one, fair,

  • two, loyal,

  • three, patient

  • four, honest

  • and five, hardworking.

  • Put another way,

  • is there anything wrong with Hufflepuffs?

  • They're almost morally perfect- deeply virtuous people.

  • You saved me!

  • Take it!”

  • If you had to use one word to sum up Hufflepuff's superpower,

  • it would be integrity.

  • And this is precisely what we hope for from the people

  • we'd like to make up the world around us.

  • Loyalty, friendship, a good work ethic and honesty,

  • that's everything we'd want in a friend or a colleague.

  • Yet, at the same time

  • most of us would like to think of ourselves as

  • successful Slytherins, or daring Gryffindors,

  • or genius Ravenclaws.

  • Rowling speaks of her love for Hufflepuff,

  • In many, many ways, Hufflepuff is my favorite house.”

  • But, of course, the author herself is partly responsible

  • for this dismissiveness towards the house.

  • Listen to this anecdote:

  • My daughter Jessica said something very profound to me,

  • not many days ago actually, she said to me

  • and she, by the way, was not sorted into Hufflepuff house

  • she said to me,

  • 'I think we should all want to be Hufflepuffs.'”

  • Did you notice how even as she's praising Hufflepuffs,

  • in the same breath, she feels the need to clarify

  • that her daughter is definitely not one?

  • So why is it that few of us like to identify as Hufflepuffs,

  • when it's clear that Hufflepuffs make the world a better place?

  • Part of the problem is that Hufflepuff strengths

  • are devalued in our society -

  • patience, honesty, and loyalty are far less rewarded

  • than smarts or bold moves.

  • The biggest reason Hufflepuffs don't get appreciation, though,

  • is probably that they're not out there bragging about their achievements.

  • Rowling explained her respect for Hufflepuff

  • by referring to their behavior during the Battle of Hogwarts:

  • The Hufflepuffs virtually to a person stay, as do the Gryffindors.

  • Now, the Gryffindors comprise a lot of foolhardy and show-offy people...

  • You know, there's bravery and there's also showboating.

  • Now the Hufflepuffs stayed for a different reason --

  • they weren't trying to show-off, they weren't being reckless.

  • That's the essence of Hufflepuff house”.

  • Hufflepuffs do good without expecting anyone to see it.

  • And that's a rare and special person, who embodies both courage and humility.

  • How many of us can really sustain virtuous behavior

  • without getting back some kind of validation or gratitude,

  • even just a simple acknowledgement?

  • Sorry to burst that bubble, Pheebs.

  • But selfless, good deeds don't exist.”

  • “I'm going to find a selfless, good deed.

  • I'm going to beat you, you evil genius.”

  • Only a Hufflepuff can pull off a selfless good deed.

  • "Please take these Occamy eggshells as collateral for your bakery."

  • The main Hufflepuff we get to know in the story, Cedric Diggory,

  • embodies the qualities of the house.

  • Cedric Diggory was, as you all know,

  • exceptionally hard-working, infinitely fair-minded,

  • and, most importantly, a fierce, fierce friend.”

  • Harry envies Cedric,

  • because he's essentially a better looking, more popular, version of him.

  • Just wondering if, maybe, you wanted to go to the ball with me?”

  • “I'm sorry, but someone's already asked me.”

  • Cedric is hardly the person you want to be competing against,

  • either in the TriWizard Tournament, or in romance.

  • The other boy.

  • The handsome one.

  • Cedric

  • Meanwhile, mature Cedric seems to be above Harry's petty feelings

  • of competition and jealousy.

  • Look, I realized I never really thanked you

  • properly for tipping me off about those dragons.”

  • Forget about it.

  • I'm sure you would've done the same for me.”

  • Exactly.”

  • In a way it's hard to imagine this perfect Hufflepuff

  • being the hero of our story

  • because it's hard to relate to someone who's so lacking in flaws.

  • And this strapping young lad must be Cedric, am l right?”

  • Yes, sir”.

  • So while we tend to look down on Hufflepuffs in the abstract,

  • it's really the Hufflepuffs who have plenty of reasons

  • to look down on everybody else.

  • Cedric Diggory is the one who earns his spot in the Triwizard Tournament

  • -

  • which means that, objectively speaking, he's the best all-around student at Hogwarts.

  • The Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory!.”

  • Meanwhile, Harry just gets entered in due to his special connection with Voldemort,

  • and Cedric ends up being the casualty of that situation.

  • So this plot is a perfect example of the way

  • that a Hufflepuff excels and outperforms,

  • only to get overshadowed and even martyred in a cruel, unfair world.

  • We'll celebrate a boy who was kind and honest, and brave and true.”

  • Likewise, in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,

  • Hufflepuff Newt Scamander is too good for this world

  • You're too good, Newt.

  • You never met a monster you couldn't love.”

  • Newt embodies an empathetic humanity,

  • his selfless concern for animals represents an alternative

  • to the human cruelty that's dominating his world.

  • They're currently in alien terrain,

  • surrounded by millions of the most vicious creatures on the planet

  • Humans”.

  • To further make the case for why the world needs Hufflepuffs,

  • let's look at some pretty great ones outside of Harry Potter.

  • This Is Us patriarch, Jack Pearson, would be a Hufflepuff.

  • “I will encourage you, trust and respect you.”

  • He's endlessly giving, loving, humble and brave,

  • never seeking glory,

  • and always putting his family first, over his own pride.

  • You aresomething else.”

  • “I try.”

  • In real life, “The Rock,” Dwayne Johnson is a Hufflepuff

  • The world's highest paid actor this year exudes down-to-earth friendliness and kindness,

  • essential Hufflepuff qualities that are no doubt a big part of

  • why he's such a universally likeable box office draw.

  • And despite his buff, macho appearance,

  • he's also been open about his struggles with depression -

  • “I fell into a deep depression, and I remember at that time,

  • the only thing I wanted to do was clean the walls.”

  • So this shows the Hufflepuff way of doing the right thing,

  • over curating a self-aggrandizing image.

  • The deeply good Mr. Rogers would be another Hufflepuff.

  • [singing] “Would you be mine?

  • Could you be mine?”

  • Instead of trying to act macho or cool,

  • he's given boys a model for masculinity that's about gentleness and decency.

  • We could actually group Jack, Johnson, and Mr Rogers together because -

  • while each represents a very different image of masculinity -

  • all three can be nurturing and vulnerable,

  • and that's important in male role models.

  • Some of the best friend characters from literature and movies

  • would certainly be Hufflepuffs -

  • like Sam from Lord of the Rings.

  • He's loyal and hardworking,

  • and there's no way Frodo would have got to his destination without

  • Sam.

  • “I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you.”

  • Samwell Tarly from Game of Thrones, too.

  • “I always wanted to be a wizard.”

  • Yes, he has a Ravenclaw-like bookish nature, but he clashes with the Maesters

  • because they value knowledge over doing the right thing,

  • These Maesters, they set me to the task of preserving that man's

  • wind-accounting, and enrollments, and bowel movements, for all of eternity.

  • While the secret to defeating the Night King

  • is probably sitting on a dusty shelf somewhere

  • completely ignored.”

  • and Sam puts helping his friends, and saving humanity, first.

  • “I made a promise to defend the wall, and I have to keep it.

  • Because that's what men do.”

  • More Hufflepuffs in Game of Thrones would be the incomparably faithful knight

  • Brienne,

  • Nothing's more hateful than failing to protect the one you love.”

  • The morally steadfast Ser Davos,

  • [Shouting] “You burned a little girl alive!”

  • “I only do what my lord commands.”

  • He commands you to burn children, your lord is evil!”

  • and Jorah Moramont, who, despite a dark past, is now defined by his loyalty

  • to Daenerys and her cause.

  • All I've ever wanted was to serve you.”

  • Ned Stark some might call a Gryffindor, because of his bravery,

  • but he's a Hufflepuff,

  • because he does the just thing for its own sake,

  • without expecting any credit -

  • “I hope I serve you well.”

  • Just look at the way he let everyone falsely believe he had a bastard son

  • in order to protect Jon Snow.

  • Looking at some beloved literary figures, Jane Eyre could certainly be a Hufflepuff.

  • She's humble, modest,

  • and doesn't think a lot of herself, or chase glory.

  • “I must respect myself.”

  • Beth from Little Women would be Hufflepuff -

  • she's almost unbelievably kind and virtuous -

  • Perhaps you could send the Hummels our bread.”

  • that's why it breaks everyone's heart when she gets.

  • God wants me with him, there is none who will stop him.”

  • “I never saw myself as anything much.”

  • Unfortunately, because Hufflepuffs are so morally pure,

  • they make great martyrs and victims,

  • and they get killed off by writers who want to manipulate our emotions.

  • George Bailey fromIt's a Wonderful Life

  • is someone who struggles with his Hufflepuff identity -

  • he'd like a more exciting life

  • “I'm shaking the dust of this crummy little town off my feet,

  • and I'm gonna see the world!”

  • but in the end, his Hufflepuff integrity forces him to put his personal dreams aside

  • “I got two-thousand dollars, here's two-thousand dollars,

  • this'll tide us over until the bakery opens.”

  • so that he can help all the regular folks from his home town who need him.

  • To my big brother George, the richest man in town.”

  • Looking at some of our animated favorites -

  • Dory and her mantra

  • [singing] “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming,

  • just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.”

  • remind us of that Hufflepuff optimism and friendship.

  • Come on, trust me on this!”

  • Trust you?”

  • Yes trust.

  • It's what friends do.”

  • Baloo from The Jungle Book is likewise a great friend,

  • and values the simple things of life.

  • [singing] “Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities.”

  • And you could say that the Disney princesses across the board embody Hufflepuff virtues,

  • especially the originals.

  • Their defining characteristic is kindness,

  • followed by patience, honesty, loyalty, fairness, and optimism.

  • Giselle from Enchanted,

  • who's kind of a summary of the Disney princesses,

  • shows how bringing this Hufflepuff good-heartedness

  • into our cynical modern society

  • You are very lucky.

  • I mean just look at how her eyes sparkle.

  • It's no wonder you're in love.”

  • makes the world a far better place.

  • But dreams do come true, and maybe something wonderful will happen.”

  • Hufflepuff's colors are yellow and black.

  • Yellowis associated with warmth and the sun.

  • It makes us think of a positive outlook.

  • Studies show that people connect yellow to words

  • likecheer,” “happiness,” andplayfulness.”

  • There's also The Wizard of Oz's “yellow brick road,”

  • [singing] “Follow the yellow brick road!”

  • which symbolizes that - if we want to succeed-

  • we just have to stick to a steady path with our friends by our side.

  • Black makes us think of seeing things asblack and white” --

  • this color doesn't have different shades, so it represents a fixed moral code.

  • While Hufflepuffs have sunny, optimisticyellownatures in daily life,

  • the black represents their intense, fighting serious spirit

  • that comes out when it's needed.

  • And Hufflepuff's the only Hogwarts house that doesn't have one metallic color,

  • just as Hufflepuffs don't feel the need to shine and show off.

  • The house is linked to the element earth.

  • Hufflepuffs feeldown to earthandof the earth.”

  • In astrology, earth signs are seen as hardworking and practical.

  • And of course, earth is where plants grow --

  • Today we're going to re-crop Mandrakes.”

  • And more broadly, there's something inherently nurturing and life-giving about Hufflepuffs.

  • Rescue, nurture, and protect them.”

  • Hufflepuff's house animal is the badger.

  • The mascot might seem like a tame choice

  • compared to the other three houses's animals of prey.

  • But in real life, badgers actually are fierce carnivores,

  • Likewise, Hufflepuffs are often underestimated or perceived as milder than they are.

  • Just look at cool, edgy Hufflepuff, Tonks.

  • [sternly] “Don't call me Nymphadora.”

  • The badger also brings to mind the expressionto badger someone” --

  • which makes us think of persistence.

  • Badgers dig in the earth -- Hufflepuff's element --

  • and this symbolizes how Hufflepuffs aren't superficial;

  • they understand it's the deeper things that really matter --

  • think of how Newt can see beyon

  • the freaky, frightening appearances of magical creatures.

  • In pop culture we meet a number of badger characters with good hearts

  • who make the most loyal of friends.

  • These badger characters might like to be homebodies -

  • and Hufflepuffs like a cozy home space, too.

  • Although he almost never went in search of society,

  • he was always at home to his friends.”

  • Real badgers border on antisocial.

  • A Hufflepuff, like Newt, has trouble connecting to other people

  • “I'm writing a book about magical creatures.”

  • Like... an extermination guide?”

  • No.

  • A guide to help people understand why we should be protecting these creatures

  • instead of killing them”.

  • but once he does,

  • he's the most faithful friend you could ask for.

  • Are you going somewhere?”

  • No, WE'RE going somewhere

  • On Pottermore, Rowling describes the Hufflepuff common room

  • as, quote, “a cosy, round, low-ceilinged room

  • reminiscent of a badger's sett.”

  • In the books, Hufflepuff's common room is near the Hogwarts kitchens.

  • We know that Hufflepuff's namesake, Helga Hufflepuff,

  • was associated with food charms and created many classic Hogwarts recipes.

  • So this house clearly enjoys eating,

  • and by extension, creating a comfortable home life,

  • enjoying life's fundamental pleasures.

  • Rowling has said, quote,

  • The complexity or otherwise of the entrance to the common rooms

  • might be said to give a very rough idea of the intellectual reputation of each house.”

  • Hufflepuff has the simplest common room entrance of the houses --

  • it just requires someone to tap out the rhythm ofHelga Hufflepuff.”

  • So we might take from this that the rest of Hogwarts

  • perceives Hufflepuffs as the lowest on the intelligence ladder,

  • but Rowling makes a point of noting that we shouldn't conclude from this that quote,

  • Hufflepuffs are dimwits or duffers.”

  • While they may not all be cerebral,

  • the Hufflepuffs we meet seem to be perfectly intelligent, good students.

  • The simplicity of their entrance routine reinforces instead

  • that they value a stable home life without unnecessary complications.

  • Hufflepuff's ghost is the jolly Fat Friar.

  • As a religious figure,

  • the Fat Friar reflects Hufflepuff's humility and moral goodness.

  • He was executed after people in the church started distrusting him

  • because he was able to cure the pox.

  • So this fits that Hufflepuff pattern of not getting rewarded,

  • and even being punished for their good deeds.

  • Helga Hufflepuff, one of the four founders of Hogwarts,

  • embodied fair-mindedness.

  • In the Order of the Phoenix book, the Sorting Hat tells us:

  • Said Slytherin, 'We'll teach just those Whose ancestry is purest.'

  • Said Ravenclaw, 'We'll teach those whose Intelligence is surest.

  • Said Gryffindor, 'We'll teach all those With brave deeds to their name.'

  • Said Hufflepuff, 'I'll teach the lot And treat them just the same'”.

  • So fundamental to the Hufflepuff philosophy is the democratic belief

  • that all people should be treated equally.

  • We see Helga's legacy continue in the Fantastic Beasts sequel --

  • Newt teams up with Dumbledore to try to defeat the fascist Grindelwald,

  • who believes wizards are entitled to rule over muggles.

  • So to sum up,

  • it's about time we started giving this house

  • the respect it deserves.

  • We should think of Hufflepuff, the way we think of Cedric:

  • as somebody better than most of us,

  • as a moral role model we can aspire to be like,

  • Cedric did know this stuff.

  • He was really good.”

  • The world needs Hufflepuffs,

  • so let's all try to be a little more Hufflepuff ourselves.

  • “I can only say to you,

  • that I would not at all be disappointed to be

  • sorted into Hufflepuff house.”

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Hufflepuff!”

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