Being Sorted and Discovering the Meaning of Understanding Tolerance

The doors to the great hall opened, revealing five sets of tables. Four of them had students that were decorated in four distinct color schemes, and the fifth was at the front, sitting all of the professors. Looking up at the ceiling, the first years were enamored by the way it looked like the night sky. Hermione explained how it was bewitched to look like that.

The first years were all gathered at the front of the tables and see a chair with what looked to be a rinky-dink hat sitting in it. As Dumbledore gave a lecture about the hat to the first years, it started to sing.

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

Upon it finishing, Professor McGonagall stepped forward. "Now when I call your name, you shall come forth, I shall place the sorting hat on your head and you'll be sorted into your houses. Hermione Granger."

Upon hearing her name, Hermione got nervous and told herself to relax. Meanwhile Ron whispers to Harry. "Mental that one. I'm tellin' ya."

Harry shrugs and Angel shakes your head. "Like either of you two wouldn't be nervous if you were called up first. Respect your classmates, especially if you end up in a house with them. They will make or break your experience here…"

During that relatively short yet long enough where the sorting hat almost took five minutes figuring out where Hermione should go, it sent her to Gryffindor. Getting off the chair, Hermione looked so relieved to be going to the house where bravery is most beloved.

Angel nods and thought to herself. 'Hmmm… I would've thought she would have ended up in Ravenclaw with her intellect, but maybe she has it and has yet to show.' Giving a shrug, she looks at Lee. 'If I had to guess Lee would be Gryffindor. He was never afraid to fight in the academy… Even if he got beaten to a pulp.'

McGonagall called up the next person, which happened to be Malfoy. She barely got the hat on him when it called out, "Slytherin!"

` Ron got a relatively pale look on his face. "There's no witch or wizard that didn't go bad that wasn't in Slytherin."

Angel shook her head. "Just because most dark wizards came from Slytherin doesn't mean that all houses hadn't produced one. There were some bad seeds that came out of Gryffindor as well as Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Rumor has it that Hufflepuff has produced the least number of dark witches or wizards."

Ron got offended by that, thinking that Angel was no better than Hermione in the department of showing off. "How would you know Angel?"

Lee shook his head. "I'm going to front this saying that we come from a place where information and knowledge is highly coveted, sometimes unyouthful means are used to obtain it, but nonetheless we did our research."

"Lee is correct about that Ron and we need to pay attention." Angel looked to the front at this point

During that conversation, a girl named Susan Bones was called up and Harry's forehead started burning. "Ah!"

"You alright Harry?"

"It's nothing Ron. I'm fine."

Angel and Lee knew it wasn't due to how quick Harry was to reply and because they sensed a foul emotion in the air.

"I don't like what I'm feeling Lee. It feels like Killing Intent."

"You sure Angel?"

"Yeah. If either one of us ends up with Harry, we need to keep an eye on him."

Lee gives a nod in response to hear Susan get sorted into Hufflepuff.

Professor McGonagall then calls up Ron, who has a horrified look on his face. He gets up there for the hat to exclaim so loudly that even McGonagall had to step away.

"Ah! Another Weasley, I know just what to do with you… Gryffindor!"

With a relieved expression on his face, Ron went and joined the Gryffindors while McGonagall called up Harry. In that moment, Dumbledore got invested, and Lee and Angel got serious.

Upon the hat being set on his head the Sorting hat was quick to start deliberating. "Mmmm… difficult very difficult, plenty of courage I see, not a bad mind either. There's talent, and a thirst to prove yourself, but where to put you…"

"Not Slytherin. Not Slytherin…"

"Not Slytherin eh? Are you sure? You could be great you know. It's all here in your head, and Slytherin would help you on the way to greatness there's no doubt about that, No?!"

Harry keeps pleading with it for the hat to say, "Well if you're sure, better be, Gryffindor!" Everyone started clapping and Harry made his way to the table to sit with Ron and Hermione.

McGonagall then calls Rock Lee up for his sorting. He gives off the same nervousness everyone else did before Angel gave him a squeeze and smile before saying something like Guy sensei. "Go for it, it's your springtime of youth." Lee didn't say anything and ran up there mentally telling himself 'Youth! Youth! Youth!'

When the sorting hat was placed on Lee's head, it had to think of the qualities that was just displayed. "Youth… hahaha. I like you kid. To be able to be brave enough to do what you do you have the remarkable aptitudes of a Gryffindor."

"You can hear my thoughts?"

"Of course, I'm not an enchanted hat for nothing. Most students don't bother to communicate with me, unlike Harry. I wouldn't do you justice if I didn't place you in… Gryffindor!"

Everyone clapped for yet another addition to the house of Godric Gryffindor, just to be quieted down by Professor McGonagall calling another name. "Angel Parker."

Angel walked up there, head tall, thinking of what Kakashi told her before her graduation. 'Don't be afraid. The world of a shinobi has no place for it. Cowardice will cause the death of someone near.'

Sitting in the chair and having the hat put on, Angel immediately heard him. "You like to show how independent you can be, yet still fear losing those close to you… You try to liken yourself to be like your father and yet are more like your mother than you know."

"You knew my mom?"

"Of course, she went to this school as well, but rumor had it she disappeared not long after graduating."

"I see… So, you read our innermost thoughts and determine what house is good based on them."

"I see you are highly observant and process information efficiently… Definitely a good trait that highlights a Ravenclaw, but you seem ambitious in showing that you are capable…"

"Let me guess, likening myself to my dad?"

"You're good at guessing what people can say next, you'd definitely have potential in Slytherin."

"Anywhere but that snake house… All of the first years would be dead in a week…"

"You weren't afraid to voice how you were feeling about that house. It's best I don't put you there. I notice you care a lot for those that are close to you and whether you realize it or not you've become fond of the three Gryffindors and liken them to be friends. You were spot on in your thoughts about that Granger girl, and your friend Rock Lee."

Everyone was astonished about how long the hat was taking to deliberate. It seemed to take longer than when McGonagall was being sorted. All the professors were having the same thought. "Could this girl become a complete hat-stall?"

"As much as I'd like to continue discussing other students, we need to get you sorted… Hatake."

"Of course, you'd know my actual name… Personally I'm fine with any house that isn't Slytherin. If I could be with my friends, that's great. If not, it's not the end of the world."

"You really care about those close to you and you'd die for them… I think I know where to put you…"

Everyone looked up as the hat started to respond. "Better be… Hufflepuff!"

Angel got off the chair, straight-faced, as if nothing happened. When she got to the Hufflepuff table, a third year started introducing himself.

"That was amazing. I don't think anyone aside from Dumbledore and McGonagall would live long enough to see another hat-stall. I'm Cedric Diggory. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you Cedric. I'm Angel."

"I can see that you're going to get along fine in our house. From the looks of your hands, you definitely work hard huh?"

Angel looked at her hands to jump and immediately hide them. 'Crap… I completely forgot to bandage them…' She pulls out a roll of bandages and wraps them up. "To be honest I forgot to bandage them when I changed into my uniform. I trained quite a bit before I left home…"

"You had magical training before you started?"

"Oh no. At home, I have a strict regiment for practicing martial arts. It keeps me centered." Angel half-lied due to not knowing how to explain what things were like in the Hidden Leaf without going into bloody details.

"That's cool. If you need it, I tutor the first years in their classes and assist on their homework."

"That sounds wonderful. I look forward to it."

As they wrapped up their conversation and listened to the rest of the sorting's, the Gryffindor table was alight with whispers. Ron, Hermione and Harry looked at Rock Lee as if he was a key to an enigma.

"Uh, why are you guys staring at me?"

"No offense, Lee was it?"

"Yes. Hermione, no?"

"Yes, do you have any reason why it took so long for the hat to deliberate on Angels sorting?"

"To be honest, Angel has been an enigma since we met. She's strong, intelligent, kind…"

"In other words, qualities that fit every house?"

Ron intervened at this point, wanting in on the conversation. "How is that possible? I thought students had a predisposition for a certain house."

"If that's the case, why isn't Hermione in Ravenclaw, or Harry in Slytherin?"

Harry then said, "I asked not to be put in that house."

"Exactly. There are other things that the hat considers, and it had to consider a lot with Einjer—Angel."

Harry heard that tongue bite again and decided to rip the bandage off. "Aren't you two from Japan?"

"Somewhat, but I think it's best to leave it there. If it becomes necessary to say something about our homeland then we will."

Ron gave what Lee could only interpret as a scowl. "Why not. I think we have a right to know since we're going to be classmates."

Hermione shook her head. "Not really Ron. We only have to know how he's going to meld with us, and from the way he answered, I mean honestly, I think he will meld well."

Harry agreed. "I only asked that because Angel did that same tongue bite when we first met."

"Sorry, that was just us slipping into our native tongue. Her name in Japanese is the literal translation for Angel, so it's easy for us to slip with that."

Hermione nods as does Harry. Yet Ron decides its not good enough. "Come on seriously? You act like your homeland would come under attack from the magical realm."

Lee at this point got uncomfortable. "I see this is going to turn into an unyouthful conversation… May we talk about something else please?"

At this point, everyone else had been sorted, and Dumbledore steps up to the podium. "Let the feast… Begin."

The food appeared before everyone, and Lee and Angel became overwhelmed. It was immediately noticed by their peers.

"What's wrong Angel/Lee?"

"It's… overwhelming/youthful, but it's nothing like what we eat at home."

"Try the chicken. I think you'll like it.

Angel and Lee reach for the chicken to taste and get a smile on their face. "Sore wa oishīdesu!" "It's delicious!"

The Japanese speak made everyone go quiet and the two of them go red in the face. 'Oh dear…'

Even Ron who had two chicken wings in his hands looked up. Cedric looked and gave an encouraging smile.

"I'm going to assume you speak a second language?"

"Yes Cedric, but we weren't supposed to speak it in front of others… For fear of people not being able to understand..."

Lee, at the Gryffindor table, set his chicken down to explain as everyone else silently went about their dinner. "We come from a place where you wouldn't understand a word… We try to avoid speaking it in front of other nations…"

They spoke at the same time, not realizing it. "It would put our way of life in jeopardy, but there are times when we get excited and have a burst." They left that subject, and the hall all together to figure out what to do.