Similar to the books, the Harry Potter movies failed to fix one significant mistake regarding one of the Hogwarts' houses: Hufflepuff. Due to this house’s somewhat vague description and few named characters, it is often overshadowed by the other houses in J.K. Rowling's books. This has led to the misconception that Hufflepuff is an undesirable or even unimportant house despite it having some major effects on the storyline.
Among Harry Potter's four Hogwarts houses that students can be sorted into, Hufflepuff is the least easily defined. The other three houses, Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw, can all be described with one or two words. For example, students in Gryffindor are brave and noble while students in Slytherin are ambitious and manipulative and Ravenclaws are known for their intelligence and creativity. In contrast, Hufflepuff students cannot be summarized with a single word and are often simply labeled as “nice.” This has led to the common belief that Hufflepuff is the house for students who don't particularly stand out or excel in any way.
Sadly, the Harry Potter movies did little to challenge this idea or fix J.K. Rowling's oversight from the books barely including the Hufflepuff house and its characters. Based on this representation, or lack thereof, viewers who Hufflepuff have had to research and add importance to the house on their own. The movies could have made this easier for viewers by placing a greater emphasis on Hufflepuff characters’ lives and impacts, but they often shortened or cut out these stories instead to reduce runtimes. However, it's a mistake, as Hufflepuff should be valued due to not only its positive traits but also for the significant characters who were of the house.
Although Hufflepuff cannot be described as easily as the other houses, its still possess many irable traits. They are known for being kind, fair, loyal, and hardworking. Due to this, Hufflepuff has produced the fewest Dark wizards compared to the other Hogwarts houses, which is notable. In addition, Hufflepuff had the second-highest turnout of students for the Battle of Hogwarts (after Gryffindor), and none of them abandoned the fight.
Hufflepuff has also featured several prominent who have had significant impacts on the Wizarding World. For example, Cedric Diggory was a skilled Hufflepuff student, prefect, and Quidditch captain who was chosen by the Goblet of Fire to represent Hogwarts in the Triwizard Tournament. Although he was ultimately killed by Peter Pettigrew at the end of the tournament, his spirit still helped save Harry by distracting Voldemort long enough for Harry to escape. In addition, Nymphadora Tonks was an Auror, a member of the second Order of the Phoenix, and a Metamorphmagus, meaning that she could change her appearance at will. Just after giving birth to her son, Teddy Remus Lupin, she fought and died in the Battle of Hogwarts.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them also continued this thread of inspiring Hufflepuffs, revealing that Newt Scamander was a simple Magizoologist who became a major part in helping the side of good win the global wizarding war. Throughout this time, he fought against Gellert Grindelwald, one of the Wizarding World’s most dangerous Dark wizards, multiple times. While the Fantastic Beasts movies by necessity will include his Hufflepuff main character, Newt is already being sidelined in favor of focusing on a younger Albus Dumbledore. Both Fantastic Beasts and the Harry Potter movies could have explored Hufflepuff characters and their house far more.
