Helga Hufflepuff

Helga Hufflepuff was a witch of Medieval times and was one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She is described by the Sorting Hat as "good Hufflepuff", or "sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad."

Biography
Helga Hufflepuff was one of the four Founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was a friend of Rowena Ravenclaw. Hufflepuff helped to build the school, and admitted students into her House that were unafraid of hard work. While the other Founders took students based on either ambition, bravery, or intelligence, Helga Hufflepuff took the rest, treating them all equally and teaching them all she knew. She brought people from different backgrounds together to help in the building of the school, and was known for her charming ways.

Helga Hufflepuff had a gift for food-related Charms, and her recipes are still used as the basis for many Hogwarts feasts. Helga Hufflepuff also arranged for the House-elf contingent to work in the kitchens, giving them somewhere safe to work where they would not be mistreated or abused.

Legacy
Helga Hufflepuff lent her name to one of the four Houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hufflepuff. She does not appear to have applied particularly strict standards of selection to her house, which sets her apart from the other Founders by making her an egalitarian.

One relic of Hufflepuff's, a small golden cup and spoon, had been passed down to her distant descendant Hepzibah Smith. Smith said the cup was supposed to have some magical powers, many of which she had not tested. The Cup was stolen from Smith by Tom Marvolo Riddle, who changed it into a Horcrux. The Cup was destroyed by Hermione Granger with a Basilisk fang during the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998.

Personality and traits
Hufflepuff favoured loyalty, honesty, fair play, and hard work. Members of her Hogwarts House usually display at least one of these traits in varying degrees. Cedric Diggory, the deceased Triwizard Tournament Champion, was one of the students who appeared to embody all four.

Etymology
The name Helga is of Scandinavian origin, meaning "holy". Hufflepuff could mean "huff and puff", or blustery. "Huff" also means to breathe; "Puff" is a Medieval term for pastry. Combined, it could mean to exude sacred sweetness.

Behind the scenes

 * Helga Hufflepuff was the May 2007 "Wizard of the Month" on J.K. Rowling's website. Both the famous wizard card and the illustration on Rowling's website depict her as a plump woman with red hair.
 * Fans theorize that Zacharias Smith is related to Hepzibah Smith and thus is a descendant of Helga Hufflepuff. Although Smith is obviously a very common last name, both Zacharias and Hepzibah are uncommon names of Hebrew origin.  It seems unlikely that the two first names are a coincidence.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Wizard of the Month

Notes and references
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