Chapter 16
After Dumbledore, Professor Sprout and the gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid also arrived in the main hall and then took his seat while greeting the kids on the gryffindor's table.
Professor snape hasn't come back yet, so he was probably still searching for Harry and Ron; and soon enough in the midst of increasing chatter on the four tables, the door of the Great hall opened, and Professor McGongall taking the lead walked in followed by a group of nervous looking little bunch in the Great hall.
Seeing Professor McGongall, the chatter stopped immediately, and the first years were asked to stand in file, and then come forward when their name was called.
Professor McGongall walking on the podium brought a four legged stool over with a wave of her wand and then placed the sorting hat on the stool, which grabbed everyone's attention next moment.
The sorting hat after a moment of acting as a normal hat, suddenly began to twist and then opened a wide gap in middle, almost identical to a mouth and then began to sing loudly.
"You may think i'm not pretty~"
"But never judge a book by its appearance~"
listing to the sorting hat signing in a crappy tone, Alan once again lost his focus and was on the verge of falling asleep, but thankfully with the audience bursting into applause as the Sorting hat had finally stopped its crappy song, Alan woke up from his half-asleep state.
With the Sorting hat returning back to its lifeless state, Professor McGongall pulled out a parchment and then began to read the name on the list, calling out a very thin boy with grey hair first, and then continued to call out names as the old hat sorted them out in either of the four houses.
At the same time Alan on the other hand, continue to observe between the Great hall's entrance then to McGongall, as he had hoped that when Snape will call her, he can take advantage of that situation and help the sorting process at the same time conversing with sorting hat if he could about his desire.
Though he knew that the sorting hat was nothing but a puppet of current hogwarts' headmaster at this point; and Alan didn't think that without Dumbledore's permission he could get help from the sorting hat at all, so he was waiting for the situation to unfold so he can take advantage of it.
On the other hand looking at Alan, Professor Trelawney felt a little strange as all of sudden he looked a little concerned, 'Is he feeling scared thinking that he has to teach so many students.' Trelawney's mind began to wonder on his own, while Alan has no idea what the person sitting next to him was thinking about.
Few seconds later, Trelawney getting bored turned to look at the group of First year and began to do her divination on which new student was going to graduate from hogwarts safely and who would be getting expelled.
Just then professor Snape suddenly strode over from the faculty passage and said a few words in Dumbledore's ears, making the old man stunned for a moment at the same time the smile on his face fading in the background, having achieved his objective snape with a smile turned to Professor McGongall and then whispered a few words to her as well.
Unlike Dumbledore, hearing whatever snape had said brought out serious expression on McGongall face, her lips pursing tightly making her look a little angry, which caused not only the first years but even students sitting on the four long tables tremble a little, while wondering, 'What did professor snape said that professor McGongall look so angry.'
While everyone was puzzled a small smile appeared on Alan's face, as snape had finally caught Harry and Ron, and had come to bring the old man and woman with him to decide their punishment.
"Professor snape, please wait a few minutes, i'll follow you after completing the sorting ceremony." McGongall said, lifting the sorting hat from the young boy's head with one hand, after it had shouted "Slytherin".
"Professor McGongall..." Snape couldn't help but frown, as he didn't want to wait to see those two little devile getting expelled from the Hogwarts; and just as he was about to pursue her, he was interrupted by Alan, "Professor McGongall, Professor Snape, if there's any important matter that needs your attention, i'm willing to complete the sorting ceremony in your stead.
"Are you sure?" McGongall asked looking at Alan ; however, as Alan just nodded his head, McGongall just sighed and gave the sorting Hat to Alan, since now dealing with Harry and Ron comes first and then looking back to Alan she said, "I'm counting on you, Professor Alan."
"Leave it to me." Alan muttered watching the two of them leave and then took the list from the teacher's desk.
Lockhart who was watching all this from his seat had a strange expression on his face, muttering that he should have taken the initiative to take on this responsibility.
"Alright, professor Snape, let's go." McGongall pursed her lips and followed professor Snape out of the great hall.
Dumbledore who was still seated on his chair looked at professor Sprout sitting next to him and said, "professor Sprout, could please go to the shrieking shack and take a look at whomping willow? the precious tree seemed to have suffered some damage."
Professor Sprout hearing this got stunned for a moment, as the tree Dumbledore was talking about was whomping willow, but she still left the great hall with doubts and went to check on the tree.
"Professor Alan, you can go ahead now." Dumbledore looked at Alan and said with a smile.
"Alright professor." Alan resisted the urge to talk to the sorting hat and looked at the new student list, and called out the name of student, once again starting to sorting ceremony.