Hufflepuff is definitely the most underrated Harry Potter Hogwarts house. While Gryffindor gets all the love and Slytherin gets a lot of attention, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff don’t get enough love. While both of these houses represent admirable traits, it’s Hufflepuff in particular that isn’t respected for their contribution. This is likely because Hufflepuff is a more unassuming house. However, traits such as loyalty, fairness, and equality are extremely important.
While Hufflepuff students might not get talked about too much in the series, there are some that have been pretty iconic. We’ve put together a list of the best students in the house based on their grades. While Hufflepuffs might not be known for being the smartest house, many of their students did well in school and grew up to be important in the wizarding community.
ZACHARIAS SMITH
Zacharias Smith is one of the Hogwarts students that was there the same time as Harry Potter. He was also a member of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team as a chaser. While Zacharias was a member of Dumbledore’s Army, he wasn’t super loyal to the cause and was rather snarky about Harry and the organization.
While not much is known about the grades he achieved during his time at the school, he seems like he was pretty average as far as performance at Hogwarts is concerned.
HELGA HUFFLEPUFF
Since there aren’t all that many Hufflepuffs that are mentioned in the series, Helga Hufflepuff has been included on this list. While she was likely extremely smart, she wasn’t technically a student, which is why she isn’t higher up on this list.
As a fair-minded individual, she recognized the importance of a house that was centered around loyalty and friendship. She must also have been an extremely talented witch in order to be one of the founders of Hogwarts.
JUSTIN FINCH-FLETCHLEY
Justin Finch-Fletchely is another student who was at Hogwarts during Harry’s time at the school. He was in Harry’s year and also joined Dumbledore’s Army. While in Harry’s second year, he believed Harry to be the Heir of Slytherin, but recognized the error of his ways and made peace with him later.
While not much is known about his time at Hogwarts, he seemed to be a fairly competent student overall, as there is no evidence to the contrary.
ERNIE MACMILLAN
Ernie Macmillan is one of the few Hufflepuffs that gets a little limelight throughout the series, as Harry attended classes with him. Ernie was definitely a good student, seeing as he was a prefect for Hufflepuff house.
This means he would have been at least near the top of his class. He was also one of the Hufflepuff students who was a member of Dumbledore’s Army during the time the illicit organization was active.
SUSAN BONES
Susan Bones was another Hufflepuff who joined Dumbledore’s Army. It’s no surprise given her tragic background. Her aunt was the Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement before she was murdered by Voldemort.
According to Pottermore, Susan Bones was good at defensive spells and learned many of them during her time in Dumbledore’s Army. She also fought in the Battle of Hogwarts.
HANNAH ABBOTT
Hannah Abbot is another Hufflepuff who doesn’t get the appreciation she deserves. Abbott’s mother was murdered by Death Eaters during Voldemort's second rise to power, so she definitely went through a lot.
She was a prefect, which shows she must have been near the top of her class. She also grew up to be a healer, which means she must have prodigious magical skill in this area too.
NEWT SCAMANDER
Newt Scamander is probably one of the most well-known Hufflepuffs in the Harry Potter universe. He is definitely an extremely talented wizard in many ways. He is clearly especially skilled in magic related to magical creatures and their care.
In the Fantastic Beasts films, it’s clear that Newt was talented while at school. He also was a favorite of Albus Dumbledore. While his grades aren’t known, he must have excelled in various subjects.
CEDRIC DIGGORY
Cedric Diggory was probably the most prominent Hufflepuff student in the whole series. He was clearly an extremely talented student in many ways. He was the Hufflepuff seeker and Captain of the team. He was also a prefect.
Plus, he was chosen as the Hogwarts champion for the Triwizard Tournament. It’s clear that Cedric was one of the most talented and intelligent Hogwarts students, at the time of his tragic death at Voldemort's hands (or rather, Wormtail's).
POMONA SPROUT
Pomona Sprout, in many ways, exemplifies the best qualities of a Hufflepuff. As Head of Hufflepuff House while Harry was at Hogwarts, that's just to be expected! She was known for excelling at Herbology during her time as a student, but not much else is known about her time at Hogwarts.
However, given the fact that she became a professor at the school, she likely had excellent grades in order to warrant that position. Her O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. performances were surely impressive.
NYMPHADORA TONKS
While it seems that most of the members of the Order of the Phoenix and the Aurors in the Harry Potter universe were in Gryffindor house, it’s nice to see Hufflepuff represented a little bit. Tonks was an extremely talented Auror and even trained under Mad-Eye Moody.
While she might have been clumsy, this doesn’t mean she wasn't an extremely talented witch. To become an Auror, Tonks would have had to be skilled in Defense Against the Dark Arts as well as other branches of magic. She was also known for being a very bright and smart witch. Sadly, she perished alongside her husband Remus Lupin during the catastrophic Battle of Hogwarts, but their young son Teddy Lupin survived the upheaval of this period.