Some Spiffy Stuff
November is here, and the smell of Quidditch starts to fill the air. Every year, the four houses of Hogwarts stage the Inter-House Quidditch Cup where they battle to hold the Quidditch Cup and a place in the podium. Many people are involved in this competitive game and had been active for the love of it — taking inspiration from the game Harry Potter loved himself when he was at Hogwarts.
In Hufflepuff House, we have the Hufflepuff Quidditch Team, or the Spiffies as they are called. Maybe the most notable member of the Spiffies was Cedric Diggory, a seeker of the team in the 1993-1994 season, twenty years ago. He became a champion for Hogwarts the next year in the Triwizard Tournament, where he died at the hands of Lord Voldemort.
The team would move forward as the crowd would cheer, "Hufflepuff, do your stuff!" Their canary yellow robes would still fly in the air amidst the losses, the failures, and some bits of successes. Whatever the situation, everyone expects that the Spiffies will play the game in line with the house's virtues of loyalty and justice.
Here in HOL, the Hufflepuff Quidditch Team had a long history of unforgettable wins and tough losses. The Spiffies has not yet won the Quidditch Cup in the past twelve seasons. The closest times were when the HQT won second place in the 2001-2002, 2002-2003, and 2004-2005 seasons. Those were the early times of the game when the Spiffies enjoyed the memberships of awesome players such as Ron Diggory, Gwen Owens, Emily Johnson, Peter Aldridge, Cosmo Brown, Mark Mandrake, and Blix Von Darkmoor.
As the years passed by, so did the evolution of the game. The teams also changed. People came and went. But Quidditch was still there. The love for the game still managed for it to survive for twelve years, now on its thirteenth year. HQT would strive for third place, as it did in the 2003-2004, 2006-2007, 2009-2010 and the most recent one, last year, 2012-2013 season. Numbers are good, for sure, but there is more to the game than numbers.
There is the company of team members who you know you can trust. There are the experiences of thrill, of dodging, of crazy typos, of exhilarating timeouts and so much more. There are friendships formed, botting channels being called home, lots of LOL or maybe LOLOL or HAHAHAHAHA, and so much more.
Of course, there are disappointments such as the losses, but it's nothing compared to lessons learned, 'up' being the only way when you're in the bottom, and the principles saved and preserved throughout the years. These were the same principles played by the past members of the team, connecting all of them, past to present Spiffies. And that would be enough to keep the team going, winning or losing. I've asked HQT about their favourite Spiffy moments, and here is one of their answers.
What is your favorite Spiffy moment ever?
Well, Sirius, I think it was way back in my 2nd Year when Kelsey Willow (Captain) asked me to be a member of HQT. It happened like this, HQT had been holding a 1 v 1 open Quidditch tournament for everyone, and I had been botting a little bit, so I decided to enter. Sirius, I was so nervous when I realised I would be playing Professor Olivia, who was really good. After it was over I was very pleased I had managed to block one of her shots, even though I lost.
After it had finished to my surprise Kelsey asked me into the Firebolt Lounge, she had been watching us and that's when she asked me to join HQT. Well Sirius, as you can imagine I was really surprised but very proud too.
— Askeron Kyle
For this year, the Spiffies, with the leadership of the captains Askeron (Asky) Kyle and Marcie Hobber, will play again and fly the Badger colors. I asked them what they like the most about being in the team.
What do you like the most being in HQT?
Where to start! If I have to pick just one thing, it would be that despite being the underdogs of the last few seasons, the team is still eager before every game and we all do our very best!
— Marcie Hobber
It only exemplifies the values Hufflepuff strongly upholds such that when asked what HQT is to the team members, they answered a nice one.
What is HQT to you?
A dream of possibilities, some of which have been realized.
— Prof. Tarma Amelia Black
Win or lose, Hufflepuff will continue to play the game the Badger way as reflected by the chants of the crowd, "Hufflepuff, do your stuff!"