Chapter 7 – Beauxbatons Academy of Magic
Harry was quick to rise the following morning. He had to wake up far earlier than he was accustomed with, however, he was far too excited about his first day at Beauxbatons for it to bother him. The portkey enclosed within the envelope his examiner had provided him was expected to activate at first light. Having checked his room one last time to make sure he had not missed anything, Harry proceeded to the lobby to checkout. The receptionist although drowsy breezed him through a swift checkout and having thanked her with a generous tip, Harry headed for the exit when his eyes fell upon a familiar girl that stood waiting by the doors. The very same one that had interrupted his dinner the previous night.
"You've kept me waiting," She drawled, as he approached her.
"You've kept me waiting." Harry corrected. "You said you'd seek me out."
"At first light." She reminded, with a nefarious smile. There was still some time to sunrise, and they were both fairly ahead of schedule.
Harry shook his head with amusement. Everything about the girl screamed trouble, it would be wise to keep his distance.
"What about your little soft toy?" She asked curiously.
"My familiar, the wolf, is already at Beauxbatons. She's still too young for portkey travel, so another means of transport had been arranged for her last night." Harry answered.
The young vampire smiled.
"Alright then, make sure you're prepared to leave. Our portkeys should activate soon." Alice warned as she looked out towards the night sky.
Scene Break
No literature on Beauxbatons if it did exist, could possibly have prepared Harry for the sight that lay before his eyes.
The portkey had transported him with around another thirty or so students right onto a garden balcony of what seemed to be a castle of a sort. He was finding it difficult to believe really. To Harry, it looked like they had carved out the stone edifice into the mountain itself. It was nothing short of a fortress. The front of the mountain had been carved out into balconies and gardens, the rooms behind them hidden within the mountain. Most of the balconies were not connected at all, not on the outside, and neither were most of the gardens. The parts of the structure that stuck out from the mountainside were made of columns and archways, carved out of obsidian rock. Spread out before them, far below was a massive valley. The school Harry realised, was situated deep within the epicentre of the valley. Surrounded by those enormous white-topped mountains, the school possessed a natural defence in the form of those mountain ranges at the far end of the valley.
Harry's observation of the serene valley that lay below him was interrupted by the opening of the doors that connected the garden to the interiors of the castle. Nine individuals, his examiner from the previous day being one of them walked out. Dressed in black ceremonial robes with silver trim, each of them had a distinctive badge of symbols on their chest and shoulders; an identification of rank or mastery in a certain field of magic perhaps. The woman leading them walked out in front and addressed the students.
"I am Astraea Nightshade, Headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. All of you will report to the resident healer for the purpose of registering your medical records. You will then be escorted to your rooms, there you will find a book cataloguing the wide range of subjects taught at this school along with an in-depth description, duration and the necessary requirements for each course. You will then spend the rest of your day picking out classes. Assessment for placements within each class will be held until sundown and your classes shall start the following day." With those parting words, the headmistress walked back into the school along with the rest of her entourage. Only one adult remained.
"You may refer to me as Madam Prince, I am the doyenne to the healing ward of this institution. Come now, let us proceed to the medical wing." The students followed her silently into the school.
Through his early childhood, Harry had a fair share of experiences visiting various ancestral manors and castles, attending events held by members of pureblood society. As a result, he was hardly fazed by them anymore. This time, however, he was left completely in awe of the fortress that was to be his home for the foreseeable future. This school was massive. The corridors and archways within the mountain were enormous and well-lit by torches, crystals and orbs of light. Light brought in through tiny slits was concentrated in crystals and then sent out in beams across the ceilings. The towers, rooms and halls the school boasted were simply enormous. Harry couldn't even begin to fathom what ancient magic must have been invoked to fashion the castle into a very mountain itself.
"Beauxbatons does not indulge its students. Apprentices of age fifteen and above, are expected to nurse their own wounds. Our healers, however, will address grievous wounds or injuries that may prove to be fatal." The matron elucidated as the students followed her into the medical wing.
The students were then assembled into four groups, each being led by a healer and were made to undergo full-body scans one after the other. Just as they were all done, another member of the staff had arrived at the medical wing to collect them and take them to their accommodations.
The rooms to which they were each assigned would remain theirs until they finally graduated. Having remembered that his father had to share a dormitory with several other students for seven years, Harry was rather pleased with the prospect of having his own room at Beauxbatons. He knew he would have been able to make do without it, but he could certainly see the advantages of having a room of his own. It allowed students their own privacy and enabled them to study and practice all forms of magic without interference.
Harry was quite delighted by the sheer size of his room. He had expected it to be small, simple, perhaps even spartan in its features, but he had been very wrong. For starters, it was a very spacious room. It even had its own bathroom and a set of floor-ceiling windows which led to his own personal garden. The room was well furnished, comprising of a queen size bed, a large study table, nicely situated bookshelves, wall shelves, wardrobes and very cosy sofa set. To his utter surprise that wasn't the end of it. To the north-east corner of the room, there was a small staircase that led down to another room resembling a dungeon the very same size of his room. Examining the shelves, cupboards and the sturdy tables that came along with the splendid ventilation system installed, Harry assumed that this room had been specially designed with the intention of allowing students to have a small potions lab of their own. It seemed that this school gave substantial importance to self-study and Harry couldn't have been happier with the room he had been allotted.
He found his familiar soundly asleep on his bed. Selene was nowhere in sight, but he could feel her presence nearby. Deciding quickly upon his next course of action, Harry took his trunk out of his pocket and enlarging it with a muttered spell, proceeded to unpack. It didn't take him too long, within an hour he had most of his belongings nicely arranged; his clothes in the wardrobe, various tomes he'd brought with him on the shelves beside his study table and all of his assortment of potions and ingredients nicely departmentalized in the cabinets of his potion's room. He had found a nice spot for the ancient bonsai tree as well, placing it in a vacant corner of the room right beside the large window which led to the garden. He had even managed to enlarge it a fair bit to a decent size in a way that would complement his room. Selene would later enchant it into a nice little tree house for herself once she found the time.
Harry realised that he was already starting to grow fond of his little garden which came with the room. Besides a breath-taking view of the valley below, it came with a soft lawn, and he knew that Selene would love it. It wasn't particularly large, but it would be rather useful for herbology and could serve as a steady source of ingredients if he really put some effort into it. He'd leave that to Selene. He idly wondered if she could conjure a nice little cave to one corner of the garden for his familiar. Perhaps she could enchant it to be larger on the inside as well, like one of those camping tents his father had. He would bring it up with her once she returned from her excursions of the valley.
His thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on his door.
"You may enter, the door's unlocked," Harry answered, wondering whom it might be.
Alice opened the door and gracefully stalked in, her eyes scrutinizing every detail of the room.
"I was aware, but the wards necessitate you give me permission to access your room." She casually stated.
Harry raised an eyebrow at that. He had yet to read the book left to him residing on his study table. Besides his course material, it surmised all the do's and don'ts among other important matters.
"Well, that's…convenient."
"Don't get too comfortable. They only last until you turn fifteen. You'll have to erect your own wards once you do." She stated as she made herself comfortable on one of his couches.
"It seems acceptable, I'm confident that I'll have learnt enough within the next four years to be able to ward my own room."
"I'd be careful with who I'd permit access to my room. Permission once granted may not be revoked." Alice drawled, eyeing him with a sultry smile. Razor-sharp fangs glistening in the light.
That smile of hers sent shivers down his spine.
"Right…" Harry muttered, inwardly cursing himself. He definitely needed to read that book before he did anything else.
"So, what brings you to my humble abode?" He asked, barely masking his sarcasm.
"Why, I've come to get to know my neighbour better of course!" She declared.
"Neighbour?" Harry asked weakly, a sense of dread slowly filling him as her words began to sink in.
"Neighbour." She confirmed. "My room is right next door." She supplied, with a winning smile.
Author's Note –
It's been a while…I'm sorry I've disappeared for so long. I wasn't sure how to proceed with the story, lacked the motivation for it and well…life has kept me busy. However, I am back now. I hope the next update won't take as long as this one did. Thanks,
Ineffably Serene
