The Sociology of Harry Potter: 22 Enchanting Essays on the Wizarding World

by Unknown

  By contrast, although Hufflepuffs are described as hardworking, “just and loyal,” these are traits they share with Gryffindor and Ravenclaw; loyalty to one’s friends, family and cause is something common to all but the darkest of wizards. Furthermore, memorable students from Hufflepuff are few and far between and the House as a whole “very rarely got any glory” (GOF 293). The most notable Hufflepuff of Harry’s generation is Cedric Diggory; he is handsome, a skilled Quidditch player, and, had Barty Crouch Jr. not interfered, would have been Hogwarts’ sole Triwizard Champion. This suggests that Cedric was also a very able wizard, which would have made him a valuable asset in the Second Wizarding War – had he not been killed before it began. Cedric’s example suggests that it is far rarer for a Hufflepuff than for a student of any other House to stand out from the crowd.

  The second significant Hufflepuff, who, unlike Cedric, survives long enough to become a key figure in the Second Wizarding War, is Nymphadora Tonks. As an Auror, a dangerous career that demands great skill, Tonks seems to prove that Hufflepuffs can achieve things that would pose a great challenge even to their Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw counterparts. However, as Harry soon learns, Tonks’ success is not just down to hard work. She explains:

  I’m a Metamorphmagus…It means I can change my appearance at will...I was born one. I got top marks in Concealment and Disguise during Auror training without any study at all, it was great. (OOTP 52)

  This natural advantage makes up for the natural disadvantage of Tonks’ clumsiness, something she freely admits: “I only qualified a year ago. Nearly failed on Stealth and Tracking. I’m dead clumsy, did you hear me break that plate when we arrived downstairs?” (OOTP 52). The implication is that, had she not been a Metamorphmagus, Tonks may not have made it as an Auror; her greatest asset derives from a fortunate accident of birth. Furthermore, although she is a prominent figure in the early stages of the Second Wizarding War, she is pushed into the background once her pregnancy is announced – although admittedly, this is more because of Lupin’s horror of how anti-werewolf prejudice will affect his new family. Tonks returns to Hogwarts for the final battle against Voldemort, but out of Hufflepuff loyalty rather than Gryffindor bravery – it is clear that her priority is not to fight with the Order, but to find Lupin because she was “anguished” and “couldn’t stand not knowing” if he was okay (DH 624).

  Many of the deaths of Harry’s allies are moments of great drama and significance, from the self-sacrifices of Dumbledore and Snape to the shocking, senseless killing of Cedric and Fred. Tonks’ death is not dramatic; Harry does not even see her die. Instead, her death is one of the many that occurs at Hogwarts in the final battle, part of a tally that increases with the carnage of that night. Tonks’ death is tragic because it is simply one among many, an example of the horrors of war more than anything else.

  Nature’s Hufflepuffs

  Although Tonks and Cedric make significant achievements, it is implied that students in Hufflepuff generally have less magical, sporting or academic ability than their peers – for example, there is no record of Hufflepuff having won the House or Quidditch Cups – and can expect futures that reflect this. Professor Sprout is an expert Herbologist, but she is the only apparent Hufflepuff who leads in her field and holds a position of authority. It may be that the perception of Hufflepuffs as quiet and hardworking leads others to assume that they lack the go-getting traits more commonly associated with the other Houses, and so may face the wizarding equivalent of the glass ceiling.

  The most obvious example of prejudice against Hufflepuff comes from Draco Malfoy, who, during his first conversation with Harry, comments “Imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I’d leave, wouldn’t you?” (SS 77). If opinions like these only came from unpleasant, bigoted witches and wizards such as Malfoy, it would suggest that prejudice based on magical ability is a negative character trait, in much the same way as prejudice against Muggle-born witches and wizards. However, it is not only the Malfoys of this world who are prejudiced against those of little magical ability, as we see from the early treatment of one of the Second Wizarding War’s most heroic figures, Neville Longbottom.

  Neville Longbottom is a complex wizard. As a child, he is a gawky, awkward student who struggles to fit in with his peers. In many ways, he is even more of a fish out of water than Harry; although he has insider knowledge of the wizarding world, he is clumsy, forgetful, and struggles with almost every subject taught at Hogwarts, excelling only at Herbology. Neville is bullied for his lack of magical ability, not only by students like Draco, but by teachers, particularly Snape. Draco’s bullying is, of course, an indication of his unpleasant character; however, his attitudes do not only reflect his family’s prejudices, but also biases that permeate the wizarding world – in this case, the criteria for Sorting. During their first year at Hogwarts, Draco tells Neville that he is “not brave enough to be in Gryffindor” (SS 218) and later says “Longbottom, if brains were gold you’d be poorer than Weasley, and that’s saying something” (SS 223). By implication, Neville is not brave enough for Gryffindor, not clever enough for Ravenclaw, and certainly not ambitious or ruthless enough for Slytherin. This suggests that, according to the biases of the wizarding world, Neville – at least, the young Neville – is one of nature’s Hufflepuffs. Like Tonks, one of his most pronounced character traits is his clumsiness. While most flying-related injuries take place during Quidditch matches, which are renowned for being dangerous, Neville injures himself during an ordinary flying lesson – it is unsurprising that he never even tries out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Indeed, Neville has recently revealed that he asked the Sorting Hat to place him in Hufflepuff, as he himself believed he wasn’t brave enough to live up to the Gryffindor standard (Pottermore 2011).

  During his time at school, Neville grows tremendously in confidence and ability. His potential for courage emerges at the end of his first year, when he attempts to prevent Harry, Ron and Hermione from getting into further trouble by leaving the Gryffindor common room at night; as Dumbledore notes, “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends” (SS 306). Throughout his time at Hogwarts, Neville’s successes often surprise his peers. For example, during a meeting of Dumbledore’s Army, there is a moment where Neville successfully disarms the Death Eater mannequin, causing the entire group to stop what there are doing and stare. Two years later, when real Death Eaters search for Harry on the Hogwarts Express, the other students cower in fear, but Neville stands up and says “Hey, losers – he’s not here” (HP7 part I). By the end of the Second Wizarding War, Neville has made the transition from timid observer to brave sidekick to hero in his own right. We learn that Neville led the student resistance movement when Hogwarts is being run by Voldemort’s followers, a role that would undoubtedly have been Harry’s had he been attending the school at that time. Furthermore, Neville is the only person to continue fighting when all appears lost and Harry is pretending to be dead. As a result of this act of bravery, he is able to perform a feat that “only a true Gryffindor” could manage: “He drew from [the Sorting Hat’s] depths something silver, with a glittering, rubied handle…With a single stroke, Neville sliced off the great snake’s head” (DH 733).

  The powerful, defiant Neville we see in this final battle is a far cry from the tearful boy on the train who had lost his toad; however, it is his latent Gryffindor qualities that helped him reach his full potential. Even a Gryffindor who struggles with magic can rise to become a hero who not only challenges the greatest force of evil in his world, but impresses Voldemort so much with his courage and tenacity that he offers him a place by his side – unlike the talented Cedric Diggory, who is killed in a perfunctory manner within moments of encountering Voldemort.

  Harry’s most prominent allies are from Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and, albeit secretly, Slytherin; the Hufflepuffs mainly keep to the background. Although Harry and his companions defeat Voldemort using a combination
of the traits assigned to each House – courage, intelligence, loyalty, and cunning – the necessity of Sorting is rarely questioned, and even then, not directly. At one point, Dumbledore muses to Snape, “Sometimes I think we sort too soon…” (DH 680); however, he does not suggest that Hogwarts could be stronger if the students were not Sorted at all. Neville may have become a hero in an attempt to live up to the Gryffindor stereotype, which suggests that Sorting is beneficial; but this also implies that, had Neville been placed in Hufflepuff, he would have had no incentive to develop in this way.

  Perhaps, in an unsorted Hogwarts, students would be inspired to emulate the best attributes of all four founding members. After all, the school was founded as a result of their cooperation, and, as the Sorting Hat reveals in one of its songs, it was the competition between the Houses that caused the rift between Slytherin and the other founders (OOTP 206). Although the Sorting Hat states “Though condemned I am to split you/Still I worry that it’s wrong” (ibid), no witch or wizard seems to share this view. Therefore, at least for the time being, future generations of witches and wizards, like Albus Potter, must face the nerve-racking ordeal of being studied, judged and Sorted.

  Squibs

  While Hufflepuffs and people of lesser magical ability such as Neville are often overlooked in the wizarding world, any negative treatment they suffer pales in comparison to the treatment of Squibs. Prejudice against Squibs – non-magical people born into wizarding families – is another complex issue. Ron’s 107 year old Auntie Muriel suggests that Squibs are treated much more fairly than in the past:

  In our day Squibs were often hushed up…[they] were usually shipped off to Muggle schools and encouraged to integrate into the Muggle community…much kinder than trying to find them a place in the wizarding world, where they must always be second class… (DH 155)

  This is clearly what has happened to Harry’s neighbour in Little Whinging, Mrs. Figg. At first, Mrs. Figg seems to be nothing more than “a mad old lady…[whose] whole house smelled of cabbage and…[who] made [Harry] look at photographs of all the cats she’d ever owned” (SS 22). However, her true identity is revealed after the Dementor attack on Harry and Dudley: “I’m a Squib, as Mundungus knows full well, so how on earth was I supposed to help you fight off dementors?” (OOTP 20).

  Harry soon learns that Mrs. Figg has done everything within her limited power to help in the fight against Voldemort. She has watched over Harry ever since he arrived at the Dursleys’; this is incredibly brave, particularly after Voldemort’s return. Voldemort and his followers have proved on many occasions that they have no qualms about killing people who attempt to protect Harry, and Mrs. Figg has no way to defend herself against such powerful wizards and witches – she could not even escape by Disapparating.

  Not only does Mrs. Figg watch over Harry, but she defends him publicly when he is tried by the Wizengamot. This is a different, but equally significant, kind of bravery; the Ministry of Magic represents the official stance of the wizarding world, and therefore the opinions that have led to Mrs. Figg living a rather drab existence amongst Muggles. By giving evidence for Harry, she exposes herself to the prejudices she has arranged her life to avoid; there is a strong implication that certain members of the Wizengamot do not hold the word of a Squib equal to that of a witch or wizard. Fudge, “eyeing her closely,” remarks, “A Squib, eh?... We’ll be checking that. You’ll leave details of your parentage with my assistant Weasley. Incidentally, can Squibs see dementors?” (OOTP 143). Of course, Fudge is attempting to downplay the significance of Mrs. Figg’s evidence because he hopes to find Harry guilty – after she has spoken, he comments “Not a very convincing witness” (OOTP 145). However, he cannot discredit a true wizard – Dumbledore – in the same way. While this may be because Dumbledore commands such respect in the wizarding world, the fact remains that the word of a wizard is valued over the word of a Squib.

  More disturbingly, Mrs. Figg seems to have internalised this idea of inferiority. Following the dementor attack, she snaps at Harry “Don’t put your wand away, boy, don’t I keep telling you I’m no use?” (OOTP 21). This is far from true; not only has she protected Harry for fifteen years without blowing her cover, but she is not entirely helpless, as Mundungus Fletcher learns to his cost when she “raised the arm from which her string bag dangled and whacked [him] around the face and neck with it; judging by the clanking noise it made it was full of cat food” (OOTP 23). However, the issue is that she believes herself to be useless in comparison to those with magical ability.

  Mrs. Figg is one example of how a Squib may turn out, but she spends most of her time in the background; there is a much more prominent example in the Hogwarts caretaker, Argus Filch. Filch is not a person with whom one can empathise. While Mrs. Figg protects Harry, Filch is ranked firmly among Harry’s enemies, as we see in his slavish devotion to Dolores Umbridge and his dedication to stopping Dumbledore’s Army. His life seems to be a constant battle to impose draconian limits on the students’ power and agency. Not only does he try to confiscate the majority of jokes and toys bought by the children, he is an ardent supporter of Dolores Umbridge, whose methods of punishment are no less than torture. All students are aware that Filch would leap at the opportunity to carry out torture himself.

  However, as Ron notes, Filch’s hatred of students is a result of his bitterness at being a Squib (COS 145); and considering his position in the school, this bitterness is understandable. He spends most of his working life cleaning up after the students, a job he clearly does not enjoy. Additionally, Filch is given what seems to be the most uncomfortable accommodation Hogwarts has to offer. Harry noted his room was “dingy and windowless, lit by a single oil-lamp dangling from the low ceiling” and that “[a] faint smell of fried fish lingered about the place” (COS 125).

  It is clear from the attitudes of many people in the wizarding world – not only Ron’s Auntie Muriel – that having a Squib in the family is considered shameful. The fact that everyone who knew the Dumbledore family assumed that his sister Ariana was confined to the house because she was a Squib, rather than a traumatised girl who could not control her magic, suggests that this was another common way of dealing with a non-magical child. As a young girl in the late 19th century, her incarceration for what was assumed to be an absence of magical ability mirrors the way children with physical and mental disabilities were often dealt with in the Muggle world at that time – they were isolated from a society that found their condition disturbing.

  Although the treatment of Squibs has improved since that time, there are many indications that having a Squib in the family is still considered shameful – most strikingly evidenced by the actions of Neville’s family before his magic manifested. He remembers:

  [T]he family thought I was all Muggle for ages. My great-uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me – he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned – but nothing happened until I was eight. Great-uncle Algie came round for tea and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my great-aunt Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced – all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased. Gran was crying, she was so happy. (SS 125)

  The fact that families are willing to risk their children’s lives and safety in order to “force” any latent magic to expose itself, rather than simply accepting them as non-magical, shows that prejudice against Squibs is still rife.

  Conclusion

  Although violent prejudice and totalitarian politics are the prerogative of dark wizards and Death Eaters, it is clear that even without Voldemort the wizarding world is far from an inclusive place. As in the Muggle world, there is a spectrum of bigotry and bias throughout wizarding society, from the Malfoy family’s generalised racism and classism to Snape’s deeply personal loathing of Harry because he is a reminder that Lily chose James. For Harry, joining the wizarding world is an escape from persecution
for being different; however, for people who are “different” by wizarding standards, the wizarding world is not always such a welcoming place.

  Fortunately, there is hope for the future. In her career at the Ministry of Magic, Hermione revises exclusionary policies with the same dedication to fairness and equality that inspired her to advocate for house-elves’ rights, (Rowling 2007). Perhaps most significantly, Neville becomes a teacher at Hogwarts, where, we can imagine, he will encourage and support the next generation of students who, like him, struggled with magic.

  References

  Rowling, J.K. 2007. US Book Tour. (http://bibliophilists.wordpress.com/2007/10/22/highlights-of-jk-rowlings-us-book-tour/).

  —. 2011. “Hatstall.” Pottermore.com (screen shot available here: http://lady-slytherin-forever.tumblr.com/post/8982434761/hatstall-very-interesting-post-if-you-take-more).