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 are…something 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