Summary
Hufflepuff and its house space present something of a mystery forHarry Potterfans. While all the Hogwarts houses are beloved by fans of theHarry Potterseries andHogwarts Legacy, Hufflepuff is perhaps the least explored in both the novels and the films. No characters central to the story are affiliated with the house, save for Cedric Diggory. In universe, the house is often mocked by members of the student body and is even sometimes dismissed by some of the school’s faculty. Because it is the most dismissed house, it is also the one that Avalanche had the most freedom in crafting a common space for inHogwarts Legacy.
AllHogwarts housesare associated with certain traits, and students are sorted into them based on which traits they most strongly embody. While the other three houses are associated with strengths, such as Ravenclaws being smart or Gryffindors being brave, Hufflepuff is different. In spite of Hufflepuffs being seen as weak, they are hardworking. Hufflepuff, rather than being associated with a strength, is associated with one’s work ethic, and its students are patient, loyal, and resilient. Much of the house’s imagery is engrained in nature, and its founder believed that given time and space, anyone could blossom into something worth being proud of.
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Hufflepuff Is The Most Ignored and Belittled House
Hufflepuff is the only house that is never visited by Harry and his friends during the events of the movies. While Ravenclaw and Slytherin both receive scenes set within their house walls during the events of the series, Hufflepuff was never given the same treatment. Furthermore, this neglect extends past the confines of the cinematic adaptation.Ravenclaw’s housewas visited in the books and the movies reduced the scene to taking place in a stairwell, but Hufflepuff never even received this. Because of this, the creators ofHogwarts Legacyhad little to go on in terms of visual cues.
This lack of information extends to the novels as well. While Rowling has gone on to describe the house in extended material online beyond the books, Hufflepuff is never visited in the actual text of the novels. Because descriptions of Hufflepuff are scattered and vague, Avalanche was given an interesting opportunity. For all but the most dedicated of fans, Hufflepuff was a total unknown. UnlikeGryffindor’s common roomwhich carried expectations from movie viewers, the developer ofHogwarts Legacyhad a massive amount of freedom in developing and presenting Hufflepuff house and its common spaces.
How Hogwarts Legacy Depicts Hufflepuff
Hufflepuff’s common room, likeSlytherin’s, is located underground. The entrance resembles a wine cellar of sorts, and players enter through a large wooden hole that resembles a wine cask or even a hobbit hole. The common room has brick walls and is warmly lit. There are plants everywhere, which is fitting given the house’s connection with nature. Large wood arches provide support and give the house the feeling of that of a lodge. Further within, dorm rooms are hidden behind more circular doors sharing even more resemblance with the hobbit dwellings inThe Lord of the Rings.Like Gryffindor’s house, it is cozy, yet its underground setting allows for it to be more spacious.
The warm lighting and cozy, nature-filled interior of Hufflepuff’s common room are fitting for the house. While other parts of the franchise have neglected Hufflepuff,Hogwarts Legacyhas taken that as an opportunity to finally give Hufflepuffs the home they deserve. Pulling from the traits associated with the house and the qualities attributed to its students, Avalanche has created a common room that feels faithful to theHarry Potteruniverse. While the movies gave nothing for the game to pull inspiration from for the common room, it would not be surprising to seeMax’sHarry Potteradaptationpull on this conception of the space should they choose to expand the story in a way that would visit Hufflepuff’s living quarters.
Hogwarts Legacyis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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