“Riddikulus with Elise & Sydney” is a column about the Harry Potter series. A new column is posted every other Wednesday. Some columns may contain spoilers.

?What the heck is a Hufflepuff?? Anyone who has not read the Harry Potter series would consider ?Hufflepuff? to be a ridiculous word ? and with good reason.

Hufflepuff is one of the four houses that make up the wizarding school, Hogwarts. Before we continue on about Hufflepuffs and such, Hogwarts is the school that wizard children attend for seven years ? starting at age 11 ? to learn about and master their abilities.

As the school year begins, students are sorted according to their traits and personalities into one of four houses: Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Each house is characterized by a set of dominating values and characteristics that all members hold. For example, loyalty, ambition, intelligence and bravery, respectively.

This entry will be the start of a four-part series that covers all four houses of Hogwarts, starting with Hufflepuff.

Hufflepuff: The facts

Founder: Helga Hufflepuff
House mascot: Badger
House colors: Yellow and black
Sorting Hat’s Song: “… You might belong in Hufflepuff, where they are just and loyal. Those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil ….”

Hufflepuff is probably the most-liked and least-remembered house at Hogwarts. The latter trait is probably due to the fact that there are very few noted Hufflepuffs in the books: Cedric Diggory, Hannah Abbot, Zacharias Smith and Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin, to name a few.

In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the Sorting Hat describes Hufflepuffs as being just, loyal, true and hardworking. Most likely, it is this overall nature of humble traits that leaves them without much recognition. While the other houses typically concern themselves with their more self-glorifying traits, Hufflepuffs are content to do their part “behind the scenes.”

Rather than be the one to discover the cure for cancer (even though wizards do not get cancer), a Hufflepuff is more likely to be the friendly person who goes out of his or her way to hold the door open, or the dedicated volunteer who works solely for the cause and takes no personal credit.

Hufflepuffs tend to have a reputation for being stupid. In fact, Ron Weasley refers to them as “a bunch of duffers.” This is a misconception. Hufflepuffs are no more likely to be stupid than the members of any other house. In fact, one could argue that Gryffindor’s recklessness makes it the dumbest house, but that’s for another entry.

While they do not often draw unnecessary attention to themselves, a few Hufflepuffs set themselves apart. Cedric Diggory, for example, was the original Hogwarts champion in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, despite the fact that the competition was rigged for him to lose. He was an exceptional wizard and far more humble than his fellow competitors.

Even though this house is seemingly unrecognized in the series, Hufflepuff is hardly the least of the houses. They cannot be ranked, for they each possess distinct traits that render them incomparable. Because members value the traits of their own house above all others, they will always consider themselves dominant.

Some Fresno Christian students that would fall into the Hufflepuff house include juniors Mary Hierholzer and Julianne King. Their willingness to help others, friendly personalities and determination to always give 100-percent never fails to be admired by their peers.

For the previous installment, read the Sept. 1 column, Riddikulus with Elise & Sydney: ‘The Blood Bath.’

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