Helga Huffelpuff
Origin: Harry Potter
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Species: Human
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Residence: Castle (4-8-1)
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Talent: Magic
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Import Date: 5 (+)
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Helga Hufflepuff (fl. c. 993) was a Welsh[2] witch and was one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. While the other founders chose to have special students, she accepted them all without preference, although she did want them to be loyal and hard-working. Helga's portrait remained at Hogwarts by at least the 1980s.
Helga Hufflepuff was born in the 10th century and came from the broad valleys of Wales.[2] She was either born or married into the Hufflepuff family. Helga's greatest friend was Rowena Ravenclaw from the Scottish glens.
United by the common goal of creating the world's best magic school,[9] Helga Hufflepuff and her good friends Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, and Salazar Slytherin built Hogwarts Castle together and established Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry sometime around 993. She brought people from different backgrounds together to help in the building of the school.[10]
While the other founders took students based on either ambition, bravery, or intelligence, Helga took the loyal, hard-working, patient, and tolerant and treated them all equally.[9] She had a gift for food-related charms, and her recipes were still used as the basis for many Hogwarts feasts.[7] She 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.[11]
After a time in which the school enjoyed great prosperity, Helga's fellow founder Salazar Slytherin proposed a controversial action in which Muggle-born students should not be admitted to Hogwarts based on their heritage. Hufflepuff and the rest of the founders refused this, however, and the problem escalated to such degrees that Salazar ultimately left the school permanently.[5]
Post-mortem
A relic of Hufflepuff, a small golden cup, had been passed down to her distant descendant Hepzibah Smith. Smith said the cup should have had some magical powers, many of which she hadn't tested.
The cup was stolen from Smith by Tom Riddle, a distant descendant of Helga's former friend Salazar Slytherin. Riddle corrupted and befouled Hufflepuff's legacy by turning it into a Horcrux. However, the cup was destroyed by Hermione Granger with a Basilisk fang in the Chamber of Secrets during the Battle of Hogwarts on 2 May 1998.[12]
Physical description
Helga was a round, plump woman with brown hair and blue eyes.[7] She often sported a wide smile. Helga usually wore a brown or yellow dress.[6]
Personality and traits
Helga favoured loyalty, honesty, fair play, and hard work, but was known to accept all students regardless of whether or not they possessed these traits. Members of her House usually display at least one of these traits in varying degrees, however. Given that all of her portraits show her with a wide smile, it can be inferred that Helga was a very jolly woman. Her affinity for food-related charms and plump shape might also indicate that she had a large appetite.
Helga was renowned for her compassionate nature and charming ways. She took in the house-elves to work in Hogwarts Kitchen, where they could work in peace and safety. This was considered to be the best option at the time for house-elves. When the other founders were careful in selection of students, Hufflepuff took in those who did not fit the standards of other houses.[13]
She was also a woman of tolerance, willing to accept Muggle-born students and disagreed with Slytherin's pure-blood exclusiveness,[5] as well as bringing together people of varying backgrounds to construct the school and ensuring a decent working environment for house-elves, who were generally treated with indifference if not outright cruelty by most wizards.
Magical abilities and skills
Hufflepuff was described as being one of the four greatest witches and wizards of her age.
Charms: Helga was highly talented in food-related charms and many of her recipes are still used in Hogwarts today, testifying to her unique talent as a magical cook.[7] With the help and abilities of her fellow founders, she bewitched the Sorting Hat into a sentient magical artefact with personality in order to sort students well after their lifetimes. Furthermore, Helga was capable of conjuring a non-corporeal Patronus,[8] which was a highly advanced piece of magic as well as a mark of superior magical skill.
Magical manufacturing: Helga created a cup with special magical powers, which was eventually passed down to her descendant, Hepzibah Smith.
Possessions
Wand: Hufflepuff owned a wand made of an unknown wood, length, core and flexibility.
Hufflepuff's Cup: Hufflepuff owned a cup that was reputed to have special magical powers, though these were never revealed. It was eventually passed down through the Hufflepuff family to Hepzibah Smith. The cup was stolen by Tom Riddle and made into one of his horcruxes.