Dumbledore the Hufflepuff

[lupinlore]

No: HPFGUIDX 126051


There have been many, many, MANY threads over the years about
Dumbledore's possible house affiliation.  This IS NOT another one.

Rather, I would point out that in comparing DD to the founders as they
have been presented, I find it most interesting that he seems most
similar to the founder of the least respected of the houses - that is,
Helga Hufflepuff.  Hufflepuff, at least as presented in the later
series, was the one who wanted to "take them all and teach them all
the same."  This seems to describe DD's policies perfectly, as they
were explained in PS/SS.  As an educator, he seems to be
philosophically much closer to Helga than to Godric or Rowena or Salazar.

I find this rather refreshing.  Helga seems to have been by far the
sanest and most level-headed of all the founders, and assuredly the
most pragmatic.  It is interesting and encouraging that it is she who
in the end managed to have the most influence on Hogwarts' overall
philosophy (i.e. that Hogwarts, as an overall institution, is a place
for all wizards, not just the smart or brave or ambitious or
pureblooded).  I wouldn't be surprised if, in fact, it was Helga who
dominated the other founders through persistance, pragmatism, and
reasoned arguments, rather than Slytherin through cunning, Ravenclaw
through brilliance, or Godric through bravery.

Of course, DD represents in many ways a meld of the founders.  He is
brave like Godric, intelligent like Rowena, sly like Slytherin, and
pragmatic like Helga.  Perhaps JKR intended for this to be so.  On the
other hand, as has been pointed out time and again, all that may mean
is that DD is a "real" person, whereas the founders, with the partial
exception of Helga Hufflepuff, are presented as archetypes.  All of
the HP characters embody traits of multiple houses, so DD's eclectic
nature may well not "mean" anything from JKR's POV at all.

In any case, to get back to the point of the post,  I suspect that if
DD were to use a time-turner to go back a thousand years, he would be
far more comfortable discussing the practical problems of educating
young wizards with Helga than he would be in conversation with any of
the other founders, although he could hold his own with all of them.


Lupinlore