The Wizarding Times
Hufflepuff: Stronger Than Math
Everyone knows that 2+2=4, right? Wrong. Sometimes, two and two gives you five; sometimes, a thing is greater than the sum of its parts.
If you've ever sung in a choir or played in a band, you know first-hand that the individual parts aren't always that great. Some harmonic lines are rather dull and boring when heard on their own. But, when combined with all the other parts, you get more than just individual melody and harmony lines; you get music, full of colors and layers that aren't there when examined separately. Each part plays its role and serves the entire piece, and the whole would be sorely lacking if missing even one part.
This past year I had the opportunity to participate in the HOL Challenge. It was great fun, and it was made even more fun for me by my partner, the talented and reliable Tarma Black. That we were partners probably wasn't surprising to anyone; we're often joined at the proverbial hip.
Going into the Challenge, Tarma and I agreed that she'd do the writing-oriented tasks, and I'd take care of the graphical or technical ones. Of course, we'd talk about each task and share ideas and such, but that's how the work divided itself. Why? As much as Tarma would like to try her hand at graphics, she has Daphne. Daphne is her computer. Daphne's getting along in years, and she doesn't like to do much more than email, web browsing, and IRC. That's enough to keep our intrepid Quidditch captain captaining, though, so there are no few complaints.
Overall, Tarma and I did well in the Challenge. The Order of the Tilted Halos placed in the top ten, after all. But, our finest moment, as it were, was our first-place entry in the headmaster application task.
Why is this particular task so noteworthy for us? It was the only creative task in which we truly collaborated. Sure, we discussed ideas on all of the tasks, but there was no other where we worked so hard, together, going back and forth, through a couple revisions, tweaking this phrase, changing that verb. It's funny; there are things there that I know were definitely Tarma's contributions or my contributions, but as a whole, it was a real team effort. I can say with 100% certainty that neither one of us could have produced that on our own, without the other's help.
This is what makes Hufflepuff so special. We have students who are more visibly active than others, certainly, and they make a big impact on where we go as a House, but it's how we all work together as a team, almost like puzzle pieces fitting together, that makes Hufflepuff and our Sett tick.
We are stronger when we stand and work together. Individually, we may be talented and hard-working and dedicated. Together, though, we are better than logic dictates we should be. Together, we transcend our limits and have the capacity to conquer even the power of mathematics.
In Hufflepuff, two plus two equals five.