Sorry, I have given up on writing the chapters in a chronological order, so I'll just post them as I like them or as inspiration hits me. I hope you'll still enjoy them.
Eiji looked around uncertainly, wondering if he should really do that. He had been an outstanding quidditch player and had been so successful that his Japanese School of Magic had allowed him to attend Hogwarts in Great Britain for one year. Eiji had been excited since Hogwarts had one of the best Quidditch teams, so he'd immediately said yes and had even taken some extracurricular English classes with a tutor since he was weak at English.
When he had arrived, the school's headmaster Albus Dumbledore had greeted him personally and had led him into his office. He had a calm and confident aura but greeted him in such a kind way, giving him a warm welcome that Eiji forgot all his fear and intimidation that this famed school had triggered in him. He explained the function of the sorting hat to him and which values each house represented, then asked him to put it on his head.
Gryffindor stood for bravery, daring, nerve and chivalry; Hufflepuff valued hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty and fair play. Ravenclaw's values were intelligence, knowledge, curiosity, creativity and wit. And Slytherin represented values like ambition, leadership, self-preservation, cunning and resourcefulness.
Eiji had been a bit scared of the sorting because he had heard rumors that most magicians in Hogwarts's history had become evil and belonged to Slytherin. Lord Voldemort or you-know-who or he-who-shall-not-be-named, as most people called him, too afraid to pronounce his name, still remained alive in the memories of many people and feared he'd come back.
He had also heard of a Slytherin student called Ash Lynx with close ties to Voldemort. He was rumored to be a Death Eater and reigned with his followers over Hogwarts. Most people feared him and stayed away from him. Many students believed he was a spy for the Death Eaters or Voldemort himself if he was still alive. He had heard so many dark rumors circulating about him in just one day that his head had started spinning.
Even so, Ash stood under the headmaster's protection, and his word was absolute. Dumbledore was one of the greatest magicians of all time and was highly respected by the magical world.
Eiji didn't believe in rumors, but he didn't want to be thrown into the snake's den called Slytherin, either. The mere thought made him tremble. He squeezed his eyes shut and nervously waited for the hat's answer while his trembling hands held onto the chair he sat on so forcefully his knuckles turned white.
The sorting hat on his head started to mutter something.
"Mmh, that's difficult. I see so much potential. You have many great values from various houses—intelligence, hard-working, loyalty and fair play. But there's also a stubborn side that is daring and brave.
Huh? What had the hat just said? Brave? Daring? That was news to him. He was just a good athlete, but he was average in everything else. He was a scaredy-cat who was afraid of rats and the dark, so how could he ever be brave...?
"I see that you don't believe me. But I think if you meet the other students, you'll discover all of these talents inside of you. I'll choose Gryffindor for you."
Relief rushed through Eiji's body, and he immediately relaxed. He had expected to be sorted into Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw because he didn't think he was brave.
"Then, it's decided. The sorting hat is never wrong, Eiji. If he sees bravery in you, then that's a talent inside of you. Maybe it's still lying dormant for now and has to be awakened. I hope that this year will bring all of your talents to the surface. And I look forward to your Quidditch matches. Gryffindor has a great Quidditch team. I hope you'll add new spirit to our team. What's your position?"
