I had been considering Hufflepuff for quite some time, but didn't know exactly how to phrase it. It started from the badger thing, because, well, I know badgers. Tough, tenacious, dangerous to any dog unfortunate enough to be sent down their setts; I seem to remember that badger hides were used in the making of shields by the ancient Celts, although I don't know for sure if that's so. Take that and add in the Hufflepuff reputations for hard work and loyalty, and, well... it seemed to fit.

I didn't want to presume too far, though; as I've said before, I'm still learning about John. Gryffindor for bravery would've been the obvious choice, because let's face it, he's got cojones. Slytherin could be seen to fit (though, as I pointed out, I was not properly aware of his earlier motives), but didn't quite feel right- though it was more right than Ravenclaw, which simply didn't work at all, to my way of thinking. Hufflepuff, though... he's got those qualities in spades despite sometimes hiding them awfully well. And it's a less blatantly obvious choice than Gryffindor.

I did not know about the incident with Morpheus. That's something to definitely keep in mind.