Storytelling

How did I end up in Slytherin?

Wasn't the Sorting Hat supposed to let me negotiate?

Did I go about it the wrong way?

Damn you, Sorting Hat! You can't treat me differently just because I'm not the main character!

The food at Hogwarts was excellent. Though the school was in Britain, it seemed to have a menu of its own.

At least Eli hadn't spotted Stargazy Pie, that notoriously dreadful British dish from his previous life, anywhere on the long tables.

The young wizards tucked in, especially the newly arrived first-years, who couldn't stop praising the food.

Only Eli sat there furiously stabbing a chicken leg with his fork.

Beside him, Malfoy and his two followers watched in terror, as though every thrust of Eli's fork landed on them.

They couldn't understand why this strange fellow was so angry.

But ever since entering the Great Hall, Malfoy had realized one thing: this fellow was trouble and absolutely not someone to provoke.

For a while, a gloomy hush settled over the area around Eli.

He still couldn't understand it. His birth parents, the Potters, and his older brother Harry Potter had all been in Gryffindor.

So why had he ended up in Slytherin?

Could it be...

He shook his head hard. "No, that's ridiculous. Ridiculous..."

He let out a long breath and even began to suspect the Sorting Hat had made a mistake.

Slytherin had always taken ambitious wizards, but apart from protecting his brother and family, Eli only wanted a quiet, easy life!

What? The Potions business? Come on, that was just a little side venture!

Oh well. He was here now, so he might as well make the best of it.

He glanced across at Harry and Ron at the Gryffindor table. They seemed to be looking his way too, with little appetite for the food.

Eli gave them a reassuring smile.

Then he looked at the feast before him. No sense letting it go to waste, right? He promptly began wolfing it down.

Malfoy, sitting beside him, looked even more terrified.

Is he having some kind of episode? One moment he's miserable, and the next he's stuffing his face. He won't bite me, will he?

As Malfoy grumbled inwardly, he prayed he wouldn't be assigned to the same dormitory as this menace.

If I have to share a room with him, I'll have the worst luck in the world!

Eli paid no attention to Malfoy, whose face kept changing color like a chameleon's. Nor did he know what Malfoy was thinking.

Instead, he remembered Dumbledore's earlier warning.

"Don't go into the Forbidden Forest. Don't go to the Third Floor Corridor."

Eli knew exactly how dangerous the Forbidden Forest was. It was full of Acromantulas that could swallow a child in one bite!

Going in there would be suicide.

He swore that if he ever went in there of his own accord, he was a dog.

Still, who would believe that Hagrid had once raised a man-eating monster like that?

Though perhaps it wasn't so surprising once you learned that the three-headed dog was Hagrid's pet too.

Speaking of the three-headed dog, it was one reason Dumbledore had forbidden students from entering the Third Floor Corridor.

Beneath a Trapdoor there lay a treasure of the wizarding world: the Philosopher's Stone!

It was also called the Sorcerer's Stone.

It could turn stone into gold, held immensely powerful magic, and could even be used to make the Elixir of Life!

For Voldemort, who desperately wanted to return to life and craved immortality, it was an irresistible lure.

In the story Eli knew from his previous life, Dumbledore had exploited Voldemort's desire for the Philosopher's Stone.

He had set up several obstacles to protect it.

The whole thing was a trap for Voldemort.

It was also a trial for Harry Potter and his friends.

Those so-called obstacles were nothing more than a challenge Dumbledore had arranged for Harry and the others.

Otherwise, he would never have drawn attention to the place by making such a point of forbidding everyone from going to the corridor.

He had practically given Voldemort and Harry directions!

At the thought, Eli shivered.

He drew in a sharp breath.

"That scheming old man is terrifying!"

Dinner was nearly over, and Eli had cleared every dish within his reach.

Poor Malfoy had barely eaten a thing.

Looking thoroughly aggrieved, Malfoy stole a resentful glance at Eli, who was patting his stomach in satisfaction.

Dumbledore waved a hand, and everything on the tables vanished in an instant.

Eli's eyes sharpened at the display. The greatest white wizard indeed.

Even from his seat below, he could sense the terrifying power contained within Dumbledore.

The Prefects led the students of their respective Houses back to their common rooms.

Along the way, Prefect Gemma Farley kept telling them about Slytherin House.

She sounded just like the motivational speakers Eli had encountered in his previous life.

Let's hear some applause!

"Welcome to Slytherin House, and congratulations on joining the best House at Hogwarts!"

"You may have heard rumors about us—that we produce dark wizards or only accept Pure-blood wizards."

"I think I ought to clear that up. Other Houses have dark wizards too; they simply refuse to admit it. We do favor Pure-blood wizards, but many of our students have at least one Muggle parent."

"We are aristocrats in spirit! Our emblem is the snake, the cleverest of creatures. Like us, it is shrewd and ambitious. Here, you can meet partners who share your ideals. Here, you can fulfill your ambitions!"

Eli pursed his lips as he listened. Clearly, she took great pride in her House.

Slytherin's fixation on Pure-blood status was one reason he disliked it.

In China, in his previous life, only cats and dogs had been judged by pedigree.

Still, the fixation seemed to have faded quite a bit in recent years. He wondered if Voldemort's downfall had anything to do with it.

But now that he was in Slytherin, Eli wasn't going to hold it against the House.

He had always believed there was no single best House. They were all equally worthwhile.

So even if the result wasn't what he had hoped for, he would accept it gladly.

The Slytherin Common Room was unusual: it was underground.

It sat beneath the Black Lake, with an entire wall of glass that made the room seem submerged in its waters.

Shimmering light rippled across the common-room walls, giving the place a charm of its own.

Eli smacked his lips. He had to admit Slytherin had good taste.

Though the damp might give everyone rheumatism.

He even wondered whether all of Slytherin would be wiped out if that glass wall broke.

He smiled and shook off the absurd thought.

Though it really could happen.

Malfoy edged farther away from Eli.

He isn't saying anything. First he purses his lips, then he smiles. He's not going to suddenly attack me, is he?

It was getting late, and the Prefect finally finished her impassioned speech.

The young wizards below her looked thrilled, as though they had already inherited all of Slytherin's greatness.

Eli had to admit she had a gift for public speaking.

As it was getting late, everyone gradually made their way to their dormitories.

On his way to his room, Eli wondered who he would be sharing it with for the next seven years.

He opened the door.

"You?"

"You!!"

The moment the door opened, he saw Malfoy's pale little face, along with Goyle and Crabbe looking terrified. They were Malfoy's two followers.

Right now, Malfoy wanted nothing more than to run.

My luck really is the worst! I'm sharing a dormitory with this menace. He's a madman! A brute!

He could already picture the misery of the next seven years.

No. I'm telling Father! I'm leaving this room! No, I'm leaving Slytherin. I'm leaving Hogwarts!

The looks on their faces made Eli laugh.

He walked up and gave each of them a friendly pat on the shoulder.

They were so startled that they fell back onto their beds.

Eli couldn't help laughing. These unlucky kids were hilarious!

"Hey, why are you so nervous? We had a little run-in earlier, sure, but we're roommates now. We'll be sleeping in the same room for seven years! Let's just forget it happened."

Why would he hold a grudge against a few unruly kids?

He held out a hand to Malfoy. "Let's start over. I'm Eli Hall. Nice to meet you."

Malfoy stared in surprise at the polite Eli. He looked nothing like the terrifying child-eater from earlier.

Malfoy's misgivings eased a little.

But who wants to share a room with you for seven years?

Perhaps Eli's initiative helped, along with Malfoy's aristocratic upbringing.

Malfoy stood and shook Eli's hand solemnly. "Nice to meet you. I'm Draco Malfoy."

His determinedly serious manner made Eli laugh again.

Draco Malfoy's face darkened. What's he laughing at now?

Eli shook hands with Goyle and Crabbe in turn.

The two of them looked even more nervous.

"I'm Vincent Crabbe."

"I... I'm Gregory Goyle."

After they had introduced themselves properly, the mood improved considerably. It was still quiet, but no longer so tense.

Eli put Dogdan in a specially made reptile enclosure by his bed.

That seemed to catch Draco Malfoy's attention. "Is that your pet?"

Eli glanced at him in surprise. He hadn't expected Draco Malfoy to speak first.

"Yeah. A little black snake. I don't know what kind he is, but you can call him Dogdan!"

"Dogdan?"

Draco Malfoy had trouble getting his tongue around the Eastern-style name.

He seemed intrigued by the idea of keeping a little snake as a pet.

Now that the conversation had started, Eli chatted with him about this and that.

Goyle and Crabbe joined in too.

The atmosphere warmed at once.

Eli kept it going by telling them stories from Chinese mythology.

As it turned out, children everywhere loved stories like those.

Just look at how enthralled Draco Malfoy and the others were.

"What happened to the monkey after he got trapped?"

"That Buddha Tathagata was incredible!"

"Exactly!"

They had even picked up a few Eastern expressions Eli had taught them.

Eli put on an air of mystery. "If you want to know what happened next, you'll have to wait for another time."

The three boys looked indignant.

Realizing they would never let him sleep unless he told them a little more, Eli said, "All right, then. I'll tell you the story of Laozi heading west through Hangu Pass."

Draco Malfoy was thoroughly hooked on the Eastern stories and eagerly settled in to listen.

"Several thousand years ago..."

Several thousand words later.

Eli finished the story, rather pleased with himself. Then he looked at the others and found them all wearing puzzled expressions.

"Why did Laozi go out to teach other people?"

"Wasn't it dangerous for him to travel?"

"Yeah. He didn't even bring any guards."

The barrage of questions left Eli dumbfounded.

What kind of questions are these?

Why would an old man bring an army with him? Was he going out to conquer new territory?

Annoying kids. I hate annoying kids!

But judging by their expressions, they weren't going to let it go without an answer.

Eli gathered his thoughts and tried again.

"Laozi was actually an extremely powerful wizard, and he was a formidable fighter too. Anyone who stood in his way was cut down, mortal or god. With a cleaver in hand, he fought all the way from Hangu Pass to the Thames River. Slash after slash, without so much as blinking. By the end, his blade was chipped and his Wand was smoking."

After rattling all that off, Eli looked at the three unlucky boys again.

Understanding dawned on Draco Malfoy and the others.

So that was it. The old man had been a mighty warrior.

Suddenly, Draco Malfoy spoke up again, "But without even blinking, won't his eyes get dry?"

Aahhhhhhh!

Eli instantly went mad, I'm telling you about Laozi spreading his teachings, and you ask why he didn't bring an army. I'm telling you he fought his way all the way across, and you actually ask me if his eyes get dry? You're good for nothing, go to sleep!

The sudden outburst from Eli startled the others.

Seeing that Eli was ignoring them, Draco Malfoy aggrievedly hid under the covers.

"I was just asking..."

From then on, the story circulated around Hogwarts of Laozi heading west out of Hangu Pass and hacking his way all the way to the Thames River.