The Healthy Relationship of
Hufflepuff and Herbology
What's with Hufflepuff and Herbology? The two seemed to be aligned together, that they were somehow connected somewhere. In this article, we'll discover more about this relationship between a Hogwarts house and a wizarding discipline of knowledge.
The first evident connection is the subject taught by the Head of House Pomona Sprout is Herbology. The same as Professors Snape and Slughorn teaching Potions, Heads of House of Slytherin seemed to be excellent in Potions, establishing a connection between Potions and Slytherin. Students taught in the subjects of their Heads of House tend to excel in those subjects. This might due to the comfort that their Head of House brings to them as the subject is being taught, that they will be all right in that subject since it is their Head of House that is teaching it.
Other evidence is the rough connection of Hufflepuff to the element earth. For one, Hufflepuff's emblematic animal is the badger, which lives in tunnels under the earth. This is reflected in the house's common room, located in the basement, under the earth. Its implication is the natural tendency of the house to lean on things related to earth like vegetation, plants, flowers and herbs. The Sett itself, as the coziest common room of all, has a great collection of decorative plants and flowers, some singing to the badgers that are present.
But this has not been always the case. It is true that Hufflepuffs Hannah Abbott and Ernie MacMillan got OWLs in Herbology, but there were also individuals from other houses who excelled in the subject. Neville Longbottom was one. He became a Herbology professor in Hogwarts in his later life. But then again, the connection between him and Hufflepuff was cemented when he married Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff.
Also, Hufflepuffs did not only excel in Herbology but in other areas as well. There was Bridget Wenlock, who discovered the magical properties of the number seven and is a great arithmancer. One would think that she was a Ravenclaw. But she was a Hufflepuff, and that is enough evidence to prove that generalizing things does not make it true.
Herbology has been there for Hufflepuffs through its Heads of House and the Sett's wonderful vegetative decoration. At some point, it became a normal part of a day in the life of a badger. But it is up to the individual what he believes, he will pursue and live. It is well-known that Herbology is just there to support the individual, just like the house that it has the most amazing connection with.