Disclaimer: I don’t own them, but I wish I did. Then, I could live in Scotland.
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Loyalty Brings its own Rewards


It shouldn’t have been a surprise.

After all, Hufflepuff was universally acknowledged for its loyalty, just as Gryffindor was known for its bravery, Slytherin for its cunning and Ravenclaw for its cleverness.

What three quarters of Hogwarts should have realised is that, as every other House, Hufflepuff has its own internal politics. While not as infamous as the Roman Senate inspired Slytherin, as blatant as Gryffindor hero-worship or as meritocratic as Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff politics exist and are considered, among Hufflepuff historians, to be the very model of a working egalitarian utopia. The rest of the British magical community has unfortunately, never acknowledged this. After all, isn’t Hufflepuff where the duffers end up?

When one considers it, that reputation has served Hufflepuff well. Hufflepuff is where one goes to be safe and cherished. When there is trouble up ahead, one would rather have a loyal Hufflepuff at one’s back rather than a glory seeking Gryffindor or a Slytherin with a rather uncommon sense of self-preservation. Being overlooked by the rest of the Hogwarts population has given Hufflepuffs a rather important advantage: the capability to observe unnoticed.

Therefore, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that when the engagement between Hogwarts’ Potions Master and Hogwart’s Head Girl was announced, that Justin Finch-Fletchly was the one to effectively bind a rather irate Mr. Harry Potter and a rather apoplectic Mr. Ronald Weasley.

Being an egalitarian society, the atmosphere in the Hufflepuff commons has always been one of open discussion where every point of view is given due consideration of its merits. It would shock every non-Hufflepuff to the bones and especially the Potions Master himself, to discover that Professor Severus Snape was accorded the greatest amount of respect, after Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Ermengarde Sprout. While, all first year inhabitants of the castle, as well as some upper classmen universally feared him, Hufflepuff as a whole held him in very high regard. He was after all the only professor who treated them all abysmally. He expected nothing from any student of Hufflepuff house and never singled out a particular one for a scathing reprimand. He gave every single student of his the same utter disregard. He was therefore, more highly valued by his Hufflepuff students, than other professors who singled out the high and low achievers, and as such, was the beneficiary of their loyalty, their tendency to hard work and their common protective interest.

Miss Hermione Granger, on the other hand, had been admired since day one for her very Hufflepuff qualities, even though she had a rather unfortunate Gryffindor edge to them. Her unfailing loyalty to Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley and her single-minded determination and hard work towards the attainment of knowledge were inspiring to younger members of Hufflepuff house. For her Hufflepuff classmates, she only had kind words and she never hesitated to offer her help when needed. It had often been discussed before the hearth in the Hufflepuff common room that it was a pity indeed that Hermione Granger had been sorted into Gryffindor. Severus Snape and Hermione Granger were therefore two of the most discussed and dissected figures in the Badger’s Den.


It had been nearly unanimously decided that those two personages deserved to be happy as a reward for the good that they inspired. Consequently, one of the most bizarre matchmaking schemes in Hogwarts: A History was set into motion. The plan was perfect and would go totally unnoticed. After all, weren’t Slytherins supposed to be the schemers in Hogwarts?

It started off with a plea to the Head Girl for potions tutoring in preparation of the N.E.W.T.’s. This was followed by the wholly reasonable expectation that said tutoring would include practicals. As Moaning Myrtle would not be a reasonable host to the whole of the Hufflepuff seventh years, alternate accommodations would have to be made regarding location. The only other room that made sense would be Professor Snape’s classroom. Professor Snape’s initial response had been perfectly anticipated by the Badgers, as well as the Head Girl’s dedicated supplications to the Headmaster. The result of both Mr. Lemon Twinkle and the Headmaster, bearing down on Professor Snape was that not only must he give up his classroom for three days a week, two hours a day, Snape was obligated to help Miss Granger prepare her lesson plans as well as supervise the proceedings. It’s quite useful indeed to have a Hufflepuff Graduate on the Board of Governors.

As such, during the Easter term, Hermione Granger spent more time in the company of Severus Snape than she did with her two best friends. In the beginning, as was expected; the atmosphere between the two was very highly charged with almost overt hostility and animosity which eventually mellowed into acute annoyance. It was only with the well-timed comment made by a musically disinclined Susan Bones, that the ice was effectively shattered between the two, following a spirited debate on the merits of Beethoven versus Chopin. This same Hufflepuff had twice been caught by Filch in Slytherin territory whilst listening to Snape practice, what she could only describe as a piano. The result of that debate between Professor Snape and Hermione had been the inclusion of music during their planning sessions, followed by discussion on music, the arts, potions, books and whatever new topic that they could think up.

The members of Hufflepuff house monitored the progression of their plan continuously. Every stolen glance between the two was noted, every accidental and not so accidental touch was catalogued and, if, at the Valentine’s Ball, the Headmaster insisted that Professor Snape dance the traditional dance with the Head Girl, it was because a notoriously shy Hufflepuff first year, with the support of her house behind her, screwed up the courage to ask the Headmaster to dance with her. It therefore, did not go unnoticed by Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott, that when Professor Snape and Hermione Granger were paired up on the battlefield, the Professor’s protestations were half-hearted at best and Hermione’s were practically non-existent. It was later witnessed by twelve Hufflepuff sixth years that when Ron Weasley was found unconscious on the battlefield near the remains of Antonin Dolohov, Professor Snape held Hermione Granger for nearly twenty minutes while she cried.

It shouldn’t have been a surprise that when Professor Severus Snape and Hermione Granger announced their engagement at the Leaving Feast, the whole of Hufflepuff House rose to their feet in a standing ovation of congratulations and best wishes.