Dedicated to my darling sister Kim...who, although she doesn't share any blood with me, is my sister in every way that matters. This is based on a conversation we had (though the idea was originally brought up by Cherry. Love you too!), and she'll know the other hidden meaning behind it. And, as always, I don't own the Hogwarts Founders...this is just my idea of them based on what limited information J.K. has given us.
True Hufflepuff
Helga forced a smile to her face as the others laughed at the latest joke made at her expense. At least to her it felt forced, but she had no doubt that to her friends it looked completely relaxed and amiable, all in good humor as always.
There is Godric...average at magic but skilled at strategy and capable of making surprisingly astute observations from time to time. For example, it had been his idea to found a school. Godric's natural charisma made people look to him as a leader...but he was a poor judge of character. That was what Helga was for, always smoothing over Godric's tactless and unrealized offenses so that concealed anger at Godric didn't explode into big problems.
There is Salazar...so power hungry he trips himself up. More people look to the friendly charisma of a person like Godric than a narrow-minded goal that leaves room for only one at the top. Salazar's biases often kept him from valuable resources because he often dismissed very intelligent people as beneath his notice.
Rowena...a dear, but lost in her books and a little anti-social. She could have a decent conversation about anything except emotions and feelings...the very things that make people tick, even if they do try to deny and repress it. All knowledge and no wisdom.
Then Helga...always perceived to love everyone. Just because she works well with people doesn't mean she has no temper. She has a facade that could put Salazar's to shame because she is the power behind the power, working behind the scenes to keep everyone and everything running smoothly so that people followed the leader, Godric, without hesitation.
She is perceived as "fair" because she always seems to give everyone a chance, but in reality it's just because she can see what people are good at and know where they'll be useful. She utilizes every resource and overlooks nothing. She may not know everything, but she uses what she knows. Instead of calling attention to herself, she works quietly and hard...and she expects the same work ethic from others. Failure to follow through causes her concealed temper to flare.
She's lonely...she soothes everyone but has no one to soothe her. She wants a man she can rage at without him gasping and saying it's not like her. She wants someone she can be passionate and opinionated with instead of calm and open-minded. She wants someone who doesn't care if she doesn't always really know the best advice. She wants someone who doesn't carelessly make a mess and expect her to clean up just because she will. She wants someone she can talk to about smart AND stupid things. She wants to not have to pretend anymore; she wants someone who sees that the her that will go down in history isn't real. Just one...and then the history books can have at her, as long as she doesn't live a life that constantly feels like a sham.
And after her friends looked at her and made sure she was smiling, they failed to notice that the smile disappeared as soon as they stopped looking, or that she was quiet while everyone else laughed and laughed and laughed. Because she's not going to snap...she has too much self-restraint for that.