Why are Hogwarts students so worried about being sorted into Slytherin or Hufflepuff?
The first thing to happen when any new student arrives at Hogwarts is that they discover which house they belong to. They pop the Sorting Hat on their head and are told that they belong to either Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. Each house looks for something different in their students and are known for different things. While no house is better than any other, sometimes students worry about being told they are a Hufflepuff or Slytherin.
For Slytherin it is because it is known for being the house which has produced the most Dark wizards. After all, it is the house that Voldemort came from as well as many of his followers. It also has a reputation for preferring pure-blooded witches or wizards (those who have two magical parents) to Muggle-borns (those with non-magical parents). In fact, even before Harry joined Hogwarts, he had a twisted idea of Slytherin thanks to Hagrid and Ron. Hagrid told him that ‘There’s not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn’t in Slytherin’. And on the Hogwarts Express, Ron made it clear he would not like to be a member of that house.
However, there is so much more to Slytherin, and despite Ron and Hagrid’s doubts, it is misunderstood. There are plenty of excellent people who belonged to it, including one of the most famous wizards, Merlin! If you were to be placed in Slytherin you are probably someone who is destined for greatness as it looks for people with lots of ambition and drive!
Hufflepuff is the other house that is rather misjudged. Many wrongly believe that this house is where the least clever students are placed. When Harry first met Draco Malfoy, he made his thoughts on this house quite clear when he said, ‘imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I’d leave, wouldn’t you?’. Even Hagrid claimed that people thought that ‘Hufflepuff are a lot o’ duffers’.
Yet this view of Hufflepuff is neither true nor fair. They can be just as brainy anyone else, they happen to be the most humble. Unlike Gryffindor, they don’t feel the need to show off or boast. Hufflepuff is a house which has produced the least number of Dark witches or wizards. It is full of students who have strong morals, are kind and are unafraid of hard work. Out of all the houses, you could definitely trust a Hufflepuff.
Unfortunately, there are many wrong ideas about Slytherin and Hufflepuff that plenty of witches or wizards hold on to. In reality, they are just as brilliant as Gryffindor or Ravenclaw and have just as many strengths.
