Curious glances were cast toward the faculty seats at the front, searching for the new professor, but all the familiar faces were already there.
"Although that gentleman hasn't arrived yet," Dumbledore paused, "I want to introduce you to the new professor of tactical training for this school year..."
Just then, the auditorium door at the back suddenly swung open.
Everyone turned to see a handsome young man in a dark formal suit enter.
While most of the students were curious about his identity, some of the older students' expressions shifted dramatically to disbelief.
These were sixth and seventh years, many of whom had seen Alex's name in the newspapers or had witnessed him leading Slytherin House during his own time at Hogwarts.
Though it had been a while since he graduated, Alex's presence still commanded respect, and fear.
The senior Slytherin students, initially chatting and laughing, suddenly grew tense when they recognized him.
They straightened up, their faces serious, some nervously adjusting their robes and wiping sweat from their brows.
Since Alex left Hogwarts, Slytherin had lost a leader who could keep the house in line.
Joey Farley, the chief loyal fan, had tried to maintain order, but as seniors graduated, the house's discipline gradually slipped.
Still, many traditions remained, like evening study sessions and the annual House Cup.
The younger students at nearby tables noticed their seniors' exaggerated reactions and exchanged puzzled looks.
After all, it was just a wizard walking in, not some terrifying demon.
Yet, their curiosity only grew stronger, eager to learn more about this unexpected visitor.
Alex walked into the auditorium and first cast a cool glance at the Dean's table in front of him.
He then scanned the young wizards around the room before finally settling his eyes on the freshmen gathered near the podium.
He recognized Ron with his bright red hair and distinct features, Neville, whom he had met just a week earlier, and Harry, who looked slim among the crowd.
Surprised, Alex furrowed his brows for a moment before looking away and heading straight toward the faculty dining table.
He nodded politely to several professors on the stage before taking a seat next to Snape.
Dumbledore noticed Alex's arrival and smiled faintly before continuing, "As you all can see, the professor in charge of Hogwarts' new tactical training course this year is Mr. Alex Wilson."
The announcement caused an immediate stir.
Most of the young witches and wizards had never seen Alex before, but his name was well-known, and hearing it from Dumbledore made everyone buzz with excitement.
"Wait, Mr. Wilson is actually teaching our new class?"
"Wow, the boss of Wilson's Arcane Alchemica is a professor here? Hogwarts really is something else!"
"I'm going to write home about this. Do you think Mr. Wilson might give us discounts on his products? Maybe on those mystery boxes?"
The whispers spread not only among the current students but also among the freshmen waiting to be sorted.
Harry looked at Alex with wide eyes and turned to Ron, curious.
"Is this the famous Mr. Wilson?"
"Yeah, that's Uncle Wilson! But why is he here? He's a good guy and now our professor!"
Ron was just as shocked but quickly grinned with excitement.
"I'm definitely going to-"
"Ace his class!"
Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron's excitement.
"Come on, Ron, it's a huge honor that the founder of this new course is teaching us personally. You shouldn't be thinking about stuff like discounts."
"No one thinks you're smart if you just keep quiet," he shot back with a glare.
Meanwhile, the commotion caused by Alex's silent entrance caught McGonagall's attention.
She turned toward him, gave him a blank stare, and then sternly called out, "Silence!"
Once everyone had settled down, Mag resumed the sorting ceremony.
"The person whose name was called, please come forward. I will place the Sorting Hat on your head to confirm which house you will join."
"Hannah Abbott!"
McGonagall took charge of the ceremony with practiced ease, while Alex greeted the professors standing nearby one after another.
"Long time no see, Senior Quirrell. I heard you're leaving your position in Muggle Studies this year to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts instead? That's a tough class. When I graduated, the headmaster wanted me to take it on, but I refused," Alex said, looking over at Quirrell, who stood a little ways off wearing his purple hood.
Although Alex wasn't very close with the former senior, they had spent at least three years together in the Spell Club.
Alex had even learned the Amplifying Spell from Quirrell and then developed the Echo Spell based on it, combined with the Infrasonic Curse.
"Good morning, Alex. I'm just... giving it a try for a year. I'm sure the headmaster will find someone better suited next year," Quirrell replied hesitantly, his eyes darting nervously.
"Quirrell's not a coward like you!"
Snape shot Alex a disapproving look.
"I've heard about your antics outside, sailing a boat right past the school like you owned the place."
"Don't blame me," Alex replied with a grin. "That ship is my base; I can't just leave it anywhere. And Leona isn't usually like that, I still can't control her temper sometimes. When she's calm, she's not so scary."
"Hmph. You always have an excuse ready. I don't believe you can't steer a broken ship with your skills," Snape sneered.
"Don't say I didn't warn you. If Leona hears you badmouthing her, you'll be the one in trouble," Alex teased with a smile.
As their conversation continued, the sorting ceremony for the new school year wrapped up.
Malfoy was sorted into Slytherin without any surprises.
Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, Neville, and Hermione were all placed in Gryffindor.
The Gryffindor common room buzzed with excitement when they learned Harry Potter was joining them, and everyone cheered enthusiastically.
After watching the freshmen settle their belongings, Dumbledore stood up with a smile and announced, "Now, the feast begins!"
Almost instantly, a vast array of delicious dishes appeared on the long tables in the Great Hall.
Everyone eagerly dug in, with many of the younger students even eating with surprising enthusiasm.
However, the senior witches and wizards of Slytherin House remained unusually cautious.
They sat in complete silence, barely daring to breathe as they ate.
This strange behavior caught the attention of the other students at Hogwarts, especially those from different houses, who kept glancing over in confusion.
What was going on? Had the Slytherins suddenly changed?
"Look at you, you really scare them a lot," Snape remarked with a sideways glance at Alex.
"I never expected that even after all these years, your presence would still weigh so heavily on them. So, what's the plan when you come back? Do you want to keep an eye on them?"
Alex smiled calmly as he placed a piece of sheep on his own plate.
"There's an old saying from the East: 'If you're not in the position, you can't see the whole path.' I'm no longer a Slytherin prefect, and I don't have the time to keep tabs on the Slytherin."
Snape sneered but couldn't help feeling a twinge of regret.
With Alex in their ranks, Slytherin was practically unbeatable.
He had hoped that Alex would continue to bring honor to the house upon his return, but it seemed that was just wishful thinking.
While everyone eagerly enjoyed the delicious food, a few faces in the auditorium, mostly younger students, were furrowed with worry.
"It's the dark spirit himself... and it's the elder brother who's come to teach us. We're in for it now," Fred muttered, resting his face in his hands, his appetite gone.
"This is bad. Why did he have to come to Hogwarts? I was hoping our new professor would be some kind of Auror," George grumbled, nearly smashing his steak into a mess.
Harry, who was happily munching on a few chicken legs, looked at the twins with mild surprise.
"What's wrong with Mr. Wilson coming to be our professor?" he asked.
Ron scratched his head, puzzled.
"Yeah, isn't Uncle Wilson usually pretty nice to us? Why are you two acting like you've seen a ghost?"
Percy, the youngest Weasley, chuckled and explained, "You were too young back then and didn't live with Brother Alex. The two of them got scolded a lot by the elder brother.
You better watch out, when he means business, he doesn't care about how close you are to him."
"Huh?"
Ron was still lost in thought about the idea of being looked after by Alex in the future.
"But why haven't I heard you talk about this before?"
George chuckled and replied, "Who would admit to something so embarrassing? Being tossed around like that isn't exactly something to brag about.
I don't think even someone like Percy, a top student, would enjoy it. If you don't believe me, just wait and see."