By CATHERINE FLORES
STAFF WRITER

For you Harry Potter fans out there, you may already know that J. K Rowling revamped the official Harry Potter fansite, Pottermore, a few months ago. While the updated webpage is now loaded with articles about the highly anticipated releases of the November 2016 film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and the May 2016 play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, some fans have criticized the updated website.
A major critique was that Rowling had left out the very popular Sorting Hat Ceremony, which decides where in the four Hogwarts houses each wizard belongs. Gryffindors are known for their bravery and Type A personalities, and are popularized by main characters Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger; Ravenclaws are witty and outspoken like Luna Lovegood; Hufflepuffs are kind and loyal like Cedric Diggory; and Slytherins are passionate and strong-willed like Draco Malfoy.

My childhood Pottermore account confirmed that I was a Ravenclaw, and it always felt like a perfect fit. I am quick to make jokes, I speak my mind, I love to study and learn, and I will probably turn into a clone of Professor Flitwick when I grow up. I never once doubted the Sorting Hat, even when my Gryffindor friends paraded their pride (they are so self righteous, are they not?) and I could always get a crowd laughing when I sorted a mudblood into Hufflepuff as the butt of my joke. The evil-yet-powerful Draco Malfoy once snarked, “Imagine being in Hufflepuff. I think I’d leave, wouldn’t you?” and I am certainly guilty of making similar remarks to rile up some laughs.

When I first heard that Rowling had released a new Sorting Hat quiz, I was intrigued. Would I be the same Ravenclaw I have always been, or had my cynicism and senioritis turned me into a full-blown Slytherin? I have always felt like a borderline Ravenclaw, along with something else, but depending on my mood, I really could go any way.

Out of curiosity, I retook the test and dropped my jaw when my result was presented: “Welcome to House Hufflepuff.”
I panicked and tried to retake the quiz, but realized my fate and stared at my yellow screen with a framed badger, which represented Hufflepuff’s house color and mascot.

Afterward, my feelings of disappointment soon became anger. I scrolled down the list of famous Hufflepuff characters, which included handsome Quidditch star Cedric Diggory, quirky Herbology teacher Professor Sprout, and Order of the Phoenix member Nymphadora Tonks. “Okay,” I thought, “These characters aren’t so bad after all,” and I continued to explore my updated Pottermore page. After exploring some Hufflepuff articles, I realized that I really was a good fit for this house. Although I spent the last decade making fun of my Hufflepuff friends for being “wet blankets,” “pushovers,” and as Hagrid once stated, “a lot o’ duffers”, I never recognized Hufflepuffs for what they were; very in touch with their surroundings, accepting, and encouraging (which I would like to think I am too).
The infamous and anonymous Pottermore author him/herself even argues that Hufflepuff has the best house message and are the most kind and accepting house, and I would also like to encourage everyone to skim “Why you should fall in love with a Hufflepuff.” We are not as boring as you think!

While change can be scary, it should certainly be accepted, if not embraced. Maybe that is just the newfound Hufflepuff in me speaking, but to all Potter fans out there, retake the Sorting Hat quiz and see how you have grown since you first made your Pottermore account. Your result could surprise you, and help you realize a new and improved version of yourself.