I just watched Captain America and it reminded me of an article I came across the other day on Facebook about Harry Potter where Cap was used as their example of a Hufflepuff. As a Hufflepuff and a lover of Captain America, I was elated by this example. So often we're represented as the left-overs, the ones who aren't brave or witty or ambitious, but Cap is such a great example of what a Hufflepuff is.
Steve Rogers doesn't want to kill people, but he desperately wants to go to war because he "doesn't like bullies." He wants justice for those who are oppressed. He doesn't want to fight for glory or fame or for any reasons that have to do with himself: he wants to defeat inhumanity. He knows what it's like to be bullied and to be treated like less than a complex, extraordinary human, and he doesn't want to sit back and watch that happen to others.
I know bravery is seen as an inherently Gryffindor quality, but I would argue that Hufflepuffs are just as brave, but like Jo said, they're less showy about it. Steven Rogers threw himself on what he thought was a live grenade in order to save other people. He didn't do it because he wanted to be a hero, he did it because he didn't have a thought for himself and wanted to protect the people around him. It was a completely selfless act that very few people would perform, and I don't think anyone could argue about how much courage that would take. Hufflepuffs aren't always brave for themselves, but they can be hugely brave for other people.
My friend said to me that I love fiercely and that is my superpower. I would have to say that is what Hufflepuff is about. I think we're all fierce lovers of humanity. And that love is brave. I asked people on Twitter to describe me awhile ago because I was thinking about a future blog post about houses and such, and the only person who described me said I was loyal, brave, and honest. While I have been sorted into Gryffindor before, but now I think those are completely Hufflepuff adjectives, including the bravery as I have been discussing. Where bravery in Gryffindors is often routed in ego, for Hufflepuffs, bravery is doing what you know to be right even when you fully expect to fail. Honesty is routed in that sense of justice Hufflepuffs have, and I would also argue that it takes a lot of courage to be honest, to not pander to what others would want to hear but to speak the truth in love because it is right.
Loyalty is probably the trait that Hufflepuffs are best known for. It comes from that fierce love. We like to do the things we say we're going to do and stick by people through everything. We're excellent friends and allies because of this. But this can also be our downfall. We have a tendency to take lies and injustice very personally when they have little to do with us, and it's really hard to have a strong sense of loyalty and also be able to cut toxic people out of our lives. And so I would take this time to let Hufflepuffs know that not everyone deserves your loyalty, no matter how freely you may wish to give it. Sometimes there are people we need to let go because they're not good for us, or we're not good for them. And that's okay. People come in and out of our lives. All we can do is try to do right by them while they're with us. But also be mindful that every "betrayal" is not necessarily an attack on you. People make mistakes. Figuring out who is worth your loyalty and who isn't is something you have to consciously work at.
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