Team: Kenmare Kestrels
Position: Beater 1
Prompt: (setting) Beauxbatons
Optional Prompts:
5. (word) coffee
7. (occasion) Sorting Ceremony
15. (word) shatter
Sharp gray eyes took in the office of the Headmistress. It was the complete opposite of Headmaster Dumbledore's office when he was in charge of Hogwarts. Draco's hands curled around the steaming mug in front of him and he smiled. "Thank you for inviting me to be a Professor here, Madame. I am grateful for the opportunity."
Madame Maxime beamed down at the blond. "I couldn't let Hogwarts get you."
Draco snorted. "That's why?" He took a sip of the coffee warming his hands. His grip threatened to shatter the mug in his hands.
Madame Maxime shrugged and turned to face him, "We needed a new Transfiguration Professor."
Draco gave a noncommittal grunt, "Uh-huh." Draco glared down at the coffee in front of him and worked to relax his grip and bring up his Occlumency shields.
"You were the most qualified person for the position. Miss Granger decided to do further study to try to gain a dual Mastery in Transfiguration and Charms, but she wasn't as good at Transfiguration as you were. Besides, your Master recommended you to me," Madame Maxime laughed.
"I guess I can accept that. I would have done a Potions Mastery, but with the death of my Godfather… Well, I put that dream behind me." Draco set his coffee mug down on the table next to the chair he had been seated in. It disappeared as his fingers left the handle and he looked at the spot in confusion before turning back to the Headmistress. He dismissed it and refocussed on the Headmistress. "Madame Maxime, I've never seen a Sorting like this one before," Draco murmured, glancing down at the Golden Wand on the Headmistress' desk before him.
Madame Maxime smiled and wrapped the Golden Wand in a soft cloth before showing Draco the way to the Great Hall. They stayed around the corner where the older students could not see them and waited for the gathered crowd to go in before them. "Did Fleur and Gabrielle not tell you what to expect? I thought that you got along with my students during the Tri-Wizard Tournament," Madame Maxime spoke quietly to avoid detection.
Draco shook his head and eyed the Wand with curiosity. "I didn't really talk with them. I spoke with a few of your male students. The females were a bit..too much to handle for a fourteen-year-old hormone-ridden boy. They told me that it was tradition, much like the Sorting Hat at Hogwarts, but not why it was so important to the Académie. The Sorting Hat was created by the Four Founders and uses its knowledge of the Founders and their preferred qualities to place the children. However, it has been thwarted in its duties in the past."
Madame Maxime arched an eyebrow at her companion. "Is that so?"
Draco shrugged. "Harry Potter was supposed to be in Slytherin, according to the Hat," he added darkly, under his breath, "And it wanted to put me in Gryffindor. Barmy piece of cloth thinks it knows what's best."
Madame Maxime chuckled. "I suppose it is a bit different to see our version of Sorting then. The Wand has the cores of the three original Founders of Académie de Magie Beauxbâtons embedded in it. Similar to the Founders of Hogwarts imbuing the Sorting Hat with its own being."
The doors swung open and the older students filed in, quietly moving to their House tables, denoted with colored table runners. The doors closed behind the students.
Once the older years reached their assigned tables all of the Professors and the Headmistress gathered before the closed doors in the hallway. "Good evening, staff. Are you all ready for another year of enriching the minds of the young?"
The Professors smiled and shook their heads at the Headmistress, one Professor piping up and saying, "Only if they actually listen when I say to not agitate the Hippogryphs this year."
Madame Maxime grinned, "Fourth Years gave you trouble last year, Professor LeRocca?"
The Professor returned her grin with a rueful look, "If only it was just the Fourth Years messing with my poor Creatures."
Madame Maxime frowned. "I will come to the first lesson for each of your classes and reiterate Creature and Student Safety Guidelines with you and the students. We don't want any accidents to happen this year."
"Thank you, Headmistress."
Madame Maxime squared her shoulders. "Let's line up. Time to greet the returning students and bring in the new First Years."
The Professors lined up in their seating order, and Madame Maxime used magic to open the doors before them. The students stood at their tables and bowed to the procession of Professors. When they reached the Head Table and took their seats, the Upper Years took their seats to await the new First Year Students.
"When does the Sorting begin?" Draco asked softly from his seat beside Madame Maxime.
Madame Maxime sat up straight. "Now." She watched as the only Professor missing from the feast, Gabrielle Delacour, brought in the new First Year students. The children were trying to emulate the graceful steps of the part-Veela woman with varying degrees of success.
The students huddled together in front of the Head Table as Madame Maxime stood. "Welcome, to our new students. Welcome back, to our returning students. It is a time-honored tradition to have each new student wield the Golden Wand to determine placement in Académie de Magie Beauxbâtons. You could be placed in any of the three Houses: Bellefeuille, Ombrelune, or Papillonlisse. There is no such thing as a 'bad House'. We work together. Yes, there is the House Point System. We want you to strive to win in this, but do not sacrifice your compassion to the goal. If you see someone struggling, we want you to help them- even if they are in a different House. That being said, the Sorting Ceremony is straightforward. We will call you up alphabetically and you will pick up the Golden Wand. The wand will shoot out a trail of sparks telling you which House you will be a part of. Enjoy your years here. The students in your House will be your family away from home. Don't let petty differences divide you. Let the Sorting begin." With that, Madame Maxime retook her seat and the new First Years filed into line alphabetically to determine which House they would be part of.
At the end of the Sorting, there were twelve new students in Ombrelune, sixteen in Papillonlisse, and only ten new students were sorted into Bellefeuille.
The Heads of each House stood and introduced themselves and their classes, then each of the other Professors stood and informed the students of their courses.
Madame Maxime stood again. "Enjoy this meal." She sat and cast a fond look over her pupils. The tables became laden with food.
Draco only took light food from the trays in front of him and kept an eye on the students.
"Why are you watching the students so closely?" Madame Maxime asked.
"I'm used to there being some not-so-nice things happen during the first meal at Hogwarts every year. I'm just paranoid, I guess," Draco gave a slight shrug and returned to eating.
"You don't have to worry about that here," Madame Maxime said, "The students have been given warnings before they enter the school to not cause any disturbances or they will start the year off with negative points."
Draco nodded and pushed his plate away, appetite gone.
Once everyone was finished eating, Madame Maxime stood for the last time before releasing the students to their dorms. "Keep up the excellent work in your studies, Upper Years. Good luck, First Years. Stay sharp!"