Hufflepuff should be disbanded

Introduction Thank youfor having me as your opponent in this debate. I wish you luck. This is a debate I am very excited to do. I am a very big fan of Hufflepuff and have always thought that this house is very underappreciated. I hope to change that through the arguments I present. Hufflepuff: The Grounding of Morality "You might belong in Hufflepuff Where they are just and loyal, Those patient Hufflepuffs are true, And unafraid of toil" – Sorting Hat [1] Hufflepuff is without a doubt the greatest of the four wizarding houses due to the traits its members’ exhibit. It is not great in that it is ambitious, or powerful, or exceptionally intelligent; those are the traits that belong to the other houses. Hufflepuff is great in that the members of the house exhibit a standard of moral greatness that not just all students at Hogwarts ought to strive to achieve, but that all people alike throughout the world ought to strive to achieve. Hufflepuffs are loyal, kind, fair, accepting, courageous, honest, and hardworking. [1] It is no wonder that this house has produced less dark wizards than any other house in Hogwarts history. [2] What is particularly great about Hufflepuffs is that they do not act morally good as a means to achieve an end. They act good as an end in of itself, for the sake of goodness. You could say that all houses can do that, but that would miss the point. Hufflepuffs can act courageous, and Gryffindors can be highly intelligent (Hermione), and Slytherins can act altruistically (Sirius Black). However, the houses do not focus on what a student has the potentiality to do, for then all houses would be mingled with each other for all students can exhibit traits from each house to at least some degree. Hufflepuff is for those who have a disposition towards caring for others, for improving their community, and being loyal to goodness, just as Gryffindor has a disposition towards being courageous, adventurous, and ambitious. To disband Hufflepuff would be a failure to appreciate those who have a disposition towards the traits Hufflepuff exhibits in the same way that by disbanding Ravenclaw there would be a failure to appreciate those who exhibit particularly great intelligence. Hufflepuff is often depicted as dull, producing unexceptional wizards. This may be due to Hagrid’s description as them being “a lot o’ duffers” and Minerva’s explanation that Hufflepuff has not produced exceptional wizards due to Hufflepuff’s policy of accepting all people. However, this is apparently a misunderstanding for Hufflepuff has produced a large amount of great wizards such as Hengist of Woodcroft, Bridget Wenlock, Artemisia Lufkin, Grogan Stump, Newton Scamander, and Nymphadora Tonks. [1] In addition, Minerva’s explanation only emphasizes how morally great Hufflepuff is. Minerva makes it clear that Hufflepuff would sacrifice their own success in order to lift up underdogs. Hufflepuff is the example that all other houses ought to follow in order to create not only a great Hogwarts, but to also spread moral goodness through the wizarding world. If everyone acted as a Hufflepuff did: hard working, loyal, kind, patient, the world would be in a much greater place. For these reasons, Hufflepuff is a very important house and if anything should be promoted more, not be disbanded. Hufflepuff’s Role in the Series Throughout Harry Potter, Hufflepuff is shown as a force of good and a strong ally of Gryffindor. Hufflepuff is in a sense, the background supporter of Gryffindor. In nearly all of the series, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are shown to be great friends with other Hufflepuffs and often join together against Slytherin, whether it be in the classroom or on the Quidditch field. This is crucial when considering the conclusion of the series, The Second Wizarding War, where good goes against evil in the form of Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. The houses were forced to choose whether to fight against Voldemort, with Voldemort, or not at all. Slytherin, being corrupted, power hungry, and often times descendents of death eaters, almost unanimously fought with Voledmort. Ravenclaw, lacking loyalty but supporting the good, for the most part decided not to get involved at all. Most Gryffindors fought in order to defeat Voldemort, however they did so out of passion, showmanship and honor, backed up by a courageous heart. Hufflepuff unanimously supported the fight against Voldemort, however they fought for a different reason. They fought not just out of loyalty, but out of support for the ultimate good of everyone. J.K. Rowling supports this notion when speaking of Hufflepuff and its role in the final battle. She states that Gryffindors are full hearty and brave, and that these traits truly pushed Gryfindors to fight against Voldemort. What was exceptional about Hufflepuffs is that they fought not out of passion, or for honor, but for the sake of good. “The Hufflepuffs weren’t showing off, they weren’t being reckless,” [3] they fought because to not fight would betray the essence of what every Hufflepuff is, an exceptional, morally good person. J.K. Rowling says it well, “We should all want to be Hufflepuffs.” [3] I therefore stand that Hufflepuff is a fantastic house that holds great values, and thus should not be disbanded. Sources [1] http://harrypotter.wikia.com... [2] http://pottermore.wikia.com... [3]