I would like to introduce a farfetched theory that Hufflepuffs will be a big part of Voldemort’s downfall. Now, most of you probably clicked on this out of morbid curiosity, and you probably think I’m some giddy fan trying to bring meaning to this seemingly ignored group of people. Well, I’m not (most of the time). This is just a theory, and I really have no idea if it will actually happen in the books, but all I ask is that you hear me out.

Voldemort’s Dilemma

Where did Voldemort go wrong?

Okay, let’s review for a moment. When Tom Riddle decided he hated all Muggles and Muggleborns and wanted to go on a reign of ultimate power, he came across numerous questions, one of which was: Who shall I target to follow me?

“Easy!” he said to himself. “I’ll just tell all my Slytherin buddies about my plan, and they’ll all love it ‘cause they’re just as pure as me! And we’re all sneaky and cunning, and we can all group together, get a cool insignia, and rule the wizarding world! MUA HA HA HA HA!”

Now, if I ask you where he went wrong, you might say, “Well, duh! He didn’t expect Harry, Lily, James, the prophecy, or anything else to foil his plans.” Yes, that’s part of it, but there’s another reason. His followers were mostly Slytherins.

Voldemort rules over his Death Eaters by promising them power. What would happen if he couldn’t keep that promise, though? The Death Eaters all look out for themselves, not their Lord. If they don’t get what they want, they would probably turn against him.

Let’s look at it another way, shall we? Imagine that you are a Dark Lord. Go ahead; give yourself a cool evil name! Okay, you are in exactly the same position as Voldemort, EXCEPT you aren’t biased against ANY of the houses residing in Hogwarts. Here is your list:

• A group who is brave and will go into any fight – Gryffindor
• A group who is sneaky and cunning – Slytherin
• A group who is extremely intelligent – Ravenclaw
• A group who is loyal and hardworking – Hufflepuff

As much as the sneakiness and cunning might enhance the evil mindset, I would feel much more comfortable with someone I know is loyal and will work their butt off for me than someone who might sneak around behind my back. (Snape’s a good example of this.) You may argue, “Well, yeah, I see your point, but why not say this about the other houses?” True, he could have done just as well with bravery or intelligence. However, most brave hearts usually tend to head towards what is ultimately good, and they usually don’t kill except for immensely good reason, which could become tiresome when it comes time for your monthly murder spree. And, well, if all your followers are too smart, they realize how much of an idiot you are and overthrow you. So Hufflepuffs would be your best bet.

Harry Potter and the Hufflepuffs

So what does this mean?

We determined that Voldemort could have made a much better choice while gathering his groupies, but how will this affect the book? Let’s look at the other point of view. Who’s on Harry’s side? Look at the list of Dumbledore’s Army. Hufflepuffs. I’ll be the first to admit that out of the twenty-five or so that showed up for the DA meeting, only six were Hufflepuffs. This being said, it’s no surprise that most of the group would be Gryffindors, and that Cho and her friends are pretty “iffy” when it comes to loyalty to the DA.

What about Zacharias? Isn’t he as “iffy” as the Ravenclaws? Not exactly, one thing I have learned about Hufflepuffs is that they are not only hardworking and loyal, but they can also be very cautious (the reason why they’re so susceptible to the rumors about Harry in Chamber of Secrets). Tons of rumors about Harry have been floating about in the last four books, and if I’m going to be loyal to someone the last thing I’d want to do is rush into something. Zacharias doesn’t dislike Harry (as Cho and her friends do now). He just wants to get everything straight before he jumps into something.

How will this help Harry? I might suggest reading More than Just a Name by Casey Renee. I’m not demanding that you agree with her (though you can if you like), but she did bring up something that has a very high probability of happening. Susan Bones will become VERY important in the books. Her past is just brewing with reasons for her to go against Voldemort.

Hogwarts: Split or United

We all remember the long speech the Sorting Hat recited in Order of the Phoenix, after which everyone sarcastically muttered, “Unity, ha! Yeah, that’ll happen...” Most of us assumed this advice wouldn’t be heeded because Slytherins will never help Gryffindors in any way. So what’s going to happen? Obviously there’s going to be a split, but SOME people are joining together, as seen in OotP. This will work one of two ways.

Gryffindor / Hufflepuff / Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin
It makes sense. “Hey, let’s all gang up on the evil guys!” If it takes this route, each house will have designated leaders: Harry, Susan, and Luna (though this could be adapted with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but who knows).

Gryffindor / Hufflepuff vs. Ravenclaw / Slytherin
I don’t expect Luna to join the Dark Side, but let’s think about it. Harry and Hermione haven’t done much good with keeping Cho on their good side, and she seems quite popular. This could seriously affect the Ravenclaws’ views on Gryffindors and start a small rift between them. Think about it. The brave and loyal against the smart and cunning. It makes sense.

The point is that I have no doubt that the Hufflepuffs will be on Harry’s side when the Final Battle rolls around.

The Final Battle

Okay, so the Hufflepuffs won’t be on Voldie’s side, but what’s the big deal? It’s not like they can kill Voldemort. Only Harry can do that. Yes, I know. I didn’t ignore that fact, but when that time does roll around, I don’t expect Voldemort to schedule a meeting at three o’clock on Sunday to have a final showdown in front of a Muggle teashop. They’re going to meet somewhere, go through a plethora of challenges, and then fight each other. And NEITHER is going to be alone. One thing I think Harry will learn (hey, maybe by a Hufflepuff!) is that you can’t do everything alone. You need to accept help when it’s available. So who’s going to take care of the Death Eaters while Harry is fighting it out with Voldie? Look, here come the Huffle— er, I mean Dumbledore’s Army! In other words, the Hufflepuffs will be the part of the army that sticks with Harry no matter what. Like I said before, Susan has a lot of reason to kick some Death Eater butt, and I don’t think she’s the only one.

Now, I’m only telling you what could be set up for the books. Whether JK will use this to her advantage, I don’t know. You can think what you like. You can even contemplate why Voldemort didn’t take advantage of this resource. Was it his hatred towards Muggles and Muggleborns? Maybe he tried, but it failed. Or maybe a snake just looked better in a human skull than a badger would. I can’t tell you, but I think it’s a house we should keep an eye on.

“Never underestimate the Hufflepuff!”

5/2/05

Posted by: Rachael