"You flatter me." Snape couldn't help but show a rare hint of pride upon hearing Professor Flitwick continuously praise a student from his own house. It slightly increased Alan's standing in Snape's heart; perhaps the little rascal who had attacked him wasn't entirely useless after all.
While Snape was lost in thought, Headmaster Dumbledore appeared in the Great Hall, wearing his usual benevolent expression. After greeting the staff, he took his seat at the center of the high table. Accompanying Dumbledore was an unfamiliar wizard who looked to be in his late twenties. He had a deeply troubled expression as he sat down.
"Is that this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor? Why does he look so constipated?" Alan muttered to himself.
Before Alan could observe him for long, the Great Hall doors swung open. The second through seventh-year students streamed into the hall, immediately filling the room with a chaotic clamor of voices.
"Alan!" Vivian quickly made her way over to where he was already seated at the long table.
"Long time no see, Vivian. How was your summer?" Alan asked with a smile.
"It was alright. Did you do your summer homework? Lend it to me to copy later. I spent the whole summer playing mahjong at home and only remembered the assignments on the train back." As soon as Vivian sat down, she began chattering away.
Alan listened and rubbed his forehead. How had he ended up friends with such an unreliable girl?
Just as he was reaching into his bag, the pure-blood faction entered the Great Hall. As they walked in, almost all of them pointedly glanced at Alan, their eyes filled with unconcealed malice. Vivian instinctively shrank back as they passed, then tilted her head and whispered, "You wouldn't believe how arrogant these guys have been. Last year, they only bullied students who didn't want to take sides. This year, they were insufferable the moment they got on the train."
She leaned in closer. "They went to every compartment with Slytherins, warning them that they must obey Yaxley's orders this year. They said no one is allowed to talk to you or have any contact with you, claiming that being near you leads to 'contamination.'"
Alan listened, unconcerned, but played along. "The Dark Lord is gone, isn't he? How do they have the nerve to be so bold?"
"Hmph, this year Yaxley became the Head Boy, and Wilkes was elected Prefect. It's like the Dark Lord never left; they're even worse than before! Higgs, the Seeker who was kicked off the team last year, got slapped twice by Wilkes just for talking back a bit on the train. They're completely lawless!" Vivian animatedly recounted the scenes she had witnessed.
Meanwhile, Yaxley and the others walked to the front of the table. They patted the shoulders of several younger students who were already seated, physically shoving them aside or driving them to the back of the table before sitting down together, laughing loudly.
Alan nodded with satisfaction. It seemed Rozier had followed his instructions perfectly.
Vivian frowned, and just as she was about to continue, Alan interjected, "Since they warned everyone, do you still dare to talk to me?"
"Hmph!" Vivian looked indignant. "I'm not afraid of them. Let them try me if they dare! Our mahjong club isn't to be trifled with either."
Seeing her so confident, Alan smiled and turned his attention away from the group.
Soon, Professor McGonagall led the new first years into the Great Hall. Most looked anxious, clearly intimidated by the prospect of the Sorting ceremony. From across the room, Alan spotted Bill Weasley in the crowd; his fiery red hair made him impossible to miss. After a year, Bill had grown taller but otherwise looked much the same.
Bill, who had been scanning the room, noticed Alan at the Slytherin table. Seeing him in such different, yet strangely familiar attire, Bill wasn't entirely sure it was the same person until Alan gave him a small nod. Bill immediately broke into a cheerful smile.
As they exchanged looks, Professor McGonagall began calling names.
"Evan Ganber."
A bewildered boy stepped out from the crowd and sat on the stool.
"Slytherin!" the Sorting Hat shouted after only a brief moment.
"Bill Weasley."
A short while later, it was Bill's turn. He straightened his clothes nervously and sat down.
"Gryffindor!" the Hat called out without hesitation.
"As expected," Alan chuckled to himself.
The ceremony continued, with each house welcoming their new members with applause. The first boy sorted, Evan Ganber, found himself sitting directly across from Alan. This was unavoidable; due to the threats from Yaxley's group, no one wanted to be near Alan. Vivian sat on one side of him, but the seats surrounding them were noticeably empty.
"H-hello, I'm Evan Ganber," the shy boy mustered his courage to greet the elegant student across from him.
"Hello, I'm Alan Wilson. You can call me Alan," he responded with a friendly smile.
"And I'm Vivian Bulstrode," Vivian added, smiling at the boy.
"Y-yes, you can call me Evan. I know the Bulstrode name; my grandmother's maiden name was Bulstrode." Evan seemed relieved to find a connection, and his stutter vanished.
"Ha, then we're practically relatives! Though, to be fair, it's not hard to find a relative in Slytherin," Vivian teased.
"My father says that holding a banquet in Slytherin is like a family dinner; everyone is connected somehow," Evan laughed.
"Actually, the Ganber name sounds familiar. Let me think," Vivian said, scratching her head. "Ah, I remember! Didn't your family have a Minister for Magic? Otaline Ganber? He served in the last century and had a very good reputation."