HUFFLEPUFF
It is fairly late at night in the Ravenclaw Tower. A few dedicated knitters are sat on their sky chairs by the fire. Foxy, Ember, Oscar and Tallulah, are all nestled together round a cushion, watching fascinatedly as Peck pulls on a loose thread and the entire cushion cover unravels.
There is a small click as one of the dormitory doors is quietly closed. I pad softly down the spiral stairs and peek round the stairwell into the common room. Seeing that everyone is pretty busy with various projects and not likely to notice anything strange, I pull out my wand and transfigure my blonde hair to a dark brown colour. I also pull on a pair of glasses and change the colour of the hood of my robes from blue to yellow.
Humming inconspicuously, I casually stroll out the common room and head down towards the dungeons.
On my way down I bump into a couple of NQFY’s who happen to be heading down to the Hufflepuff common room as well. Giving a small smile and a wave I joined them on their journey.
RiverCameron is happy to answer a couple of my questions!
What are the qualities you believe make a good Hufflepuff? What makes a Hufflepuff a hard worker? Why do you want to be a Hufflepuff?
I’m actually torn between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, but I can answer as to why I’m drawn to Hufflepuff.
I think the House Cup Hufflepuffs and the canon Hufflepuffs aren’t that different. In both the values of hard work and friendship reign supreme. The Hufflepuffs are a close group and enjoy each other’s company very much. They also work very hard not just on homework for the Cup but in their real lives as well.
What many don’t seem to understand about the Puffs is that the work itself is the best reward for a Hufflepuff, they don’t constantly strive to first place or to be better than others, they only strive to be better than themselves. It’s a very nurturing environment for someone just learning double needle magic, like myself, to grow and be challenged in without worrying they’d let the team down if they don’t out do others.
The three of us stop beside the huge Hogwarts crest which hangs beside the Great Hall. SarahLouise looks up at it with a small smile on her face, eyes sparkling.
Why do you think the badger is used in the Hufflepuff crest? How does it represent a Hufflepuff in your opinion? We all know Puffs are some of the most creative of the 4 houses. If you had the chance to redesign the Hogwarts crest, how would you do so?
What a clever question! Are you a Ravenclaw or something?
I blanched slightly at this statement but tried to look innocent!
Anyway, down to business. Like badgers, Puffs reside underground, in dormitories and tunnels that make it super easy to spread that Hufflepuff-y support and encouragement all over the castle! In particular, Puffs are known for tunneling over to the Hogwarts kitchens and crafting all kinds of fun treats for the House Elves. Like Badgers, Puffs are hardworking, friendly, and cuddly, to boot! Hufflepuff’s house colors are yellow and black, a (erm) unique combination. But it wouldn’t be in the Hufflepuff spirit to change them! Helga Hufflepuff accepted all interested students into her house, and HPKCHC Puffs likewise accept the yellow-and-black, crafting some truly lovely Puff-Pride items. After all, we wouldn’t want the colors to feel left out!
When we finally arrived down at the Hufflepuff common room, we find it to be surprisingly empty!
“Baking evening.” One of the Puffs who remain explains to me. I give a nod of my head and settle down on one of the squishy beanbags, pull out my trusty pad of parchment and quill and ask a few of the Hufflepuffs around me some questions.
What made you want to be in Hufflepuff?
pixieaep: When I looked over the house descriptions, Hufflepuff really stood out as being one of the friendliest, kindest groups I’d ever come across. Not to disparage the other houses, of course; I’m sure they’re all wonderful. But Hufflepuff seemed to be the most, well, for lack of a better word, loyal to the other players. I thought this would be a place to meet and become friends with truly caring people. And guess what … I was right! While I appreciate all the fellow crafters competing in the House Cup and believe I would be welcome in any of the houses, I just can’t imagine not being a part of this great group of Badgers.
How have you developed as a crafter through the House Cup? Did you start off a crocheter and find your now a knitter? And how much did Hufflepuff and all the students in it, help you get to where you are now?
curiouskate: I… was pretty experienced before, both in crochet and knitting. But still. I did my first doubleknitting for the cup as well as my first FI. And that’s all leesy’s fault, because she invented the Badgers of the day, so we all are constantly in awe and inspired by our fellow Puff’s work!
Tell me about your favourite in between term Hufflepuff activity, or indeed during term time! What kinds of stuff do you get up to in Hufflepuff!?
Knittermittent: BAKING. Where do you think all the cake in this Common Room and the occasional muffins come from? We now have two House Elf Liaisons, Vilkasie and LadyPinky. (That being said, other ‘Puffs may have other opinions about what their favourite ‘Puff activity is. I hear that movies nights are also popular, and then there are Chocolate Frog cards, Quidditch, HECK …)
It might be hard to believe but you’ve been playing HPKCHP for nearly two years of your life now! Would you tell us a little about your journey? What do you remember of First Year? Have you always been in Hufflepuff?:
CJCary: I can’t believe it’s been two years already - I still remember how excited I was to get the message telling me I’d been accepted! I joined in mid-term when they were trying to even out some numbers, so didn’t spend much time at all as a NQFY.
I’ve met some really great people here, and it’s been a lot of fun. I love the challenges of learning new techniques, and trying to finish whichever projects I’ve chosen by the end of the month. I know I’ve completed more projects since being here than ever before - I used to frequently start and then abandon items I was working on. I especially love trying to fit projects I want to make into homework assigments - sometimes it can take quite a bit of creativity to do that, and I enjoy the push to do that.
I haven’t always been in Hufflepuff, but I love it here and am so glad that this is my House now. It really feels like home. :)
At this point Leesy Hufflepuff Head of House, dashes through the common room, flour all over her robes and her wand in her hand. Curiouskate waves her over and she holds her hand up in a ‘two minutes’ gesture, before heading into her office.
True to her word, she reappears only moments later and pops over and reads what I have written over my shoulder.
“Be sure to add that I would describe Hufflepuff and its students as….
The greatest team of crafters, friends, supporters, and contributors ever in the history of magic. Oh and Ali dear? The next time you want to come down here, please just do so in your own robes. We love visitors!”
Giving a slightly pointed look towards my robes, Leesy gives a laugh before leaving to head back to the baking night.
I glance down and realise that my Ravenclaw crest on my robes is still proudly on display. The other students in our little circle notice this to and soon we are all gripped by a fit of uncontrollable giggles!
Hufflepuff is certainly a house which lives up to its wonderful reputation of being filled with many kind and wonderful people.
I’ll be back to visit soon I’m sure. Besides, they have cake. LOTS of cake!
Ali123 Signing off!
