Harry Potter Challenge: Day 6

What house would you want to be in?

Well, that seems obvious. Griffindor, right? Everyone wants to be in Griffindor.

Which house would you think you would get?

However, I'm realist, and I've always known that I've been sorted into Ravenclaw. When people talk about me, the first quality that comes to their minds is 'intelligent'.

This changed the day I took the Pottermore sorting quiz: it sorted me in Hufflepuff. This could not be! No one wants to be a Hufflepuff! What the hell is a Hufflepuff? I was a Ravenclaw! I took several different tests, and only one sorted me into Ravenclaw. Nonetheless, the tests worked just fine; I tested it by answering like a Slytherin would, and it sorted me in Slytherin.

Prepare for a tl;dr.

So why was I not sorted in Ravenclaw? Well, I noticed a pattern. At  the end of each test, it showed the percentage of each house I had. While the percentage of Griffindor was always 10% higher than Slytherin and about 15% lower than Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, the difference between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff was of 1%. So do I have Hufflepuff traits? Let's see... loyal and hardworking... Maybe...

But what is Hufflepuff's biggest trait? I propose an experiment: think of Cedric Diggory. Do you have in your mind the picture of pre-gay-sparkling-vampire Robert Pattinson? Okay, try to describe him with one word.

I bet it's nice.

Yes, indeed, Hufflepuffs are nice. Cedric is an antagonist for Harry: he beats him in quidditch, he's dating his crush... always someone better. And yet, he is so nice,  you can't feel nothing but affection for him. He offers Harry a rematch; he helps him whenever he can. Cedric is nice, and so is Tonks, and Hannah Abbott, and Ernie McMillan.

Of course, you can object to this by saying that Zacharias Smith isn't nice; of course, but let me explain it. You see, people are never completely square. Unlike the flat characters from most fanfics, real people are full of contradictions. That is why sometimes it takes longer for the students to get sorted. For example, Draco Malfoy was sorted in Slytherin as soon as he put on the hat, because he had the mind of a Slytherin. Neville, Hermione and Harry, on the other hand, took almost five minutes each. Neville had the traits of a Hufflepuff - nice, humble, loyal and hardworking - but he was also very brave, which tipped the scales towards Griffindor. Hermione was witty like a Ravenclaw, but, in the end, she thought bravery was more valuable, and thus was sent to Griffindor. My point? What the hat really takes into account in the event of a hatstall is what you value the most. This was the question I think made the difference:

What would you like to be remembered for?

• Being wise (Ravenclaw). 

•  Being good (Hufflepuff). 

•  Being great (Slytherin). 

•  Being bold (Griffindor).

I chose being good, because I am aware of my intelligence and I want to use it to do something good in life, something that makes others happy. In the end, I prefer being nice rather than being clever, and that's what made the difference for me. I'm a proud Ravenpuff.

For the record, I do not think that Hufflepuffs are 'the rest'. If this was true, Peter Pettigrew would have been sorted in Hufflepuff, but he was the opposite of loyal, so he wasn't. I think Helga taking 'the rest' of the students is a hint of Hufflepuff's kindness.