Special Sorting Ceremony

The pouring rain outside Hogwarts Castle formed an extremely sharp contrast with the warmth and peace inside the Great Hall.

The Great Hall's decorations had been refreshed, and the Magical Starry Sky above the vaulted ceiling was even more dazzling than in previous years;

Thousands upon thousands of candles floated beneath the ceiling, and compared with past years, their swaying flames looked brighter too;

Under the glow of the bright candlelight, the gold plates and Goblets set on the House Tables also turned gleaming gold.

Besides the changes to the Great Hall's decorations, the Great Hall had also become more spacious, and the House Tables had been lengthened by a great deal. The students noticed all the changes in the Great Hall, and the rising waves of discussion made it incredibly lively.

After Vizet finished greeting his enthusiastic classmates, he heard Anthony's surprised voice. "I really didn't expect... the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor... would actually be him..."

A man with a cane walked into the Great Hall, a black Traveling Cloak draped over him;

He walked toward the Teachers' Table step by step, his feet making a "tok, tok, tok" sound as wood struck the floor;

Such distinctive footsteps could easily draw the students' attention even in the lively Great Hall.

Perhaps sensing the students' gazes, the man tilted his head toward the House Tables. At that exact moment, another bolt of lightning lit up the windows, illuminating the man's face as well.

Under the hood was a face that looked as though it had been "cut by knives and hewn by axes"—and that was meant in the literal sense;

Probably only a carpenter who had just learned to hold a blade steady, and had no idea how to carve a human face, could have hacked out