Chapter 29 – Beauxbatons
When I arrived at the school it was after hours and most of the students were in their beds. Madame Maxime quickly led me into her office. When I walked in the room I was overwhelmed with the smell of a strong floral perfume. After getting past the smell I looked around and was caught off guard. The room looked more like a powder room than an actual office. The walls were a deep maroon color and there was soft lighting all around that was provided by the luxurious wall sconces that were mounted on the walls. Also on the walls were beautiful Victorian paintings on the walls. In one painting there was a couple sitting in a meadow kissing each other gently. The other painting was a woman sitting on a bed playing with her hair. I looked up towards the ceiling and I saw white crown molding. The part of the room that awed me the most was the huge crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the ceiling. It was the kind of thing that you would see in an opera house and not in an office. The only thing that was remotely like an office was the large white desk in the middle of the room.
I closed the door behind me and sat down in a white chaise lounge that was against the wall. I took off my hat and set it on my lap. Madame Maxime took off her coat and then went to her desk. She picked up a few pieces of papers and handed them to me.
"'eer we are! 'eer is your schedule for the remainder of ze term. Professor Dumbly-dorr and I arranged for you to 'ave zee same classes as you did at 'Ogwarts," said Madame Maxime in a deep voice. "And ze Ministry advises that you go by a different name 'eer. Ze school knows you as Clarice Dumont. Zey 'ave been very excited about your arrival."
I took the papers into my hand and looked them over. She was right. I have the same classes as I did at Hogwarts. The other papers were a map of the school and a map of the dormitory. I still could not believe that I was here. Also I would not be known as Ava Johnson anymore. I completely lost my identity. If I have to change my name what else did I have to give up? Did I really make the right choice?
"Iz zer somezing wrong?" Madame Maxime walked towards me and sat down at the edge of the chaise. "It iz still not too late to go back."
I shook my head. "No I… I am fine. I am just taking all this in actually." I looked up at her and smiled slightly. "I will be fine. I think I am just tired and should head to bed."
Madame Maxime nodded and stood. "Good! I 'ave arranged for you to be taken to you room by your roommate." She walked over to her desk and picked up a bell. She shook it three times and then set it back down. Almost immediately after the third ring the door opened and a girl walked in. "Clarice… this iz your roommate Mademoiselle Moreau."
Isabella smiled and curtsied. I smiled and bowed my head to her. She was of an olive complexion and her hair fell down in waves all the way down to her mid back. She was very beautiful and different than many of the girls at Hogwarts. She carried herself with a different grace and elegance that many of the Hogwarts students did not possess.
"Bonjour Mademoiselle… je m'appelle Isabella et je suis très heureux de vous avoir ici!" I looked at her in confusion and she laughed lightly. "I am sorry… I 'ave forgotten you are not from 'eer. My name iz Isabella and I am 'appy to 'ave you as my roommate!"
"Umm… Merci beaucoup." I turned towards Madame Maxime and lowered my head and curtsied to her. I followed Isabella out of the room and down the hall towards the dormitory.
" 'Ow do you like ze Palace?" said Isabella as she walked down the hall. Correction… she did not walk but she floated across the floor.
"Palace?" I asked in confusion.
She giggled and ran her fingers through her hair. "Oui ze Palace of Beauxbatons! Zis iz your first time here no?" I nodded as I continued to look around the halls. "'Ow come you no go to 'Ogwarts? Aren't you from England?"
I nodded again. "My umm… my father decided that it would be best for me to come here instead of there. He is a teacher there." She smiled and continued to float down the hall.
"You will find zat it iz very different zan 'Ogwarts! I 'ave been zer once. We 'ave none of zat ugly armor and no poltergeists floating through ze 'alls! At dinner we 'ave choirs of wood nymphs zat serenade us as we eat. And at Christmas… très jolie!"
I smiled as I listened to Isabella go on and on about the school and about how beautiful it is and about all my teachers that I have this year. I tried my hardest to keep up with her but he heavy accent prevented me from completely following. I think I should ask for a French Dictionary for my birthday. My birthday? My birthday was coming up and it suddenly hit me. I had no family at all to spend it with. I still cannot believe that Anthony is gone. So much has changed this year. If my mother had not died none of this would have happened. Maybe I would have been happier and not in a foreign country. Maybe my father should have saved my mother instead of me…
"'Eer we are! Welcome 'ome!" Isabella opened the door to my new bedroom for the remainder of the term.
"Ava! Ava stop!" Fred ran towards the carriage as he saw it take off into the air. Shit…shit...shit! Please let me not be too late! Fred ran into the clearing and waved his hands frantically into the air. "AVA!"
Angelina ran towards Fred and pulled him back by his shoulders. "She's gone."
Fred fell to the ground and put his hands on his head. He looked up into the sky and screamed. "Fuck!" Angelina knelt on the ground beside him and ran her hand down his back. Dumbledore and Professor Lupin turned and left the two of them alone. Fred tugged on his hair as he breathed heavily. "I didn't get to say goodbye…I was a totally asshole to her. It's my fault…"
Angelina shook her head. "No it isn't Fred. It's not your fault that Ava left. She left all of us and abandoned us all. You're not the only one who is upset."
"I lost her Angel…"
Angelina sighed and wrapped her arms around him. "If she cares… and I know she does… she will come back."
Fred lowered his head and looked at the ground. He watched as a single tear fell from his cheek and down to the ground.
The rest of the term went by quickly and before I had realized it was the end of the term. At Beauxbatons I was like a ghost in passing. I went to all my classes and paid more attention to my studies than the other students at school.
My potions class was very different than at Hogwarts. Instead of Professor Snape we had the complete opposite. Madame Beauchamp was a tall woman who was part Veela. She had long blonde hair and if it were not for the fine wrinkles on the corners of her eyes I would have thought her to be a student. The boys in the class I found were unable to not be captivated by her beauty.
There was however one boy who seemed to have not taken a liking to her. His name was Marcell. He was from northern France and he and I became pretty close friends in class. He was my partner for most of the lab exercises. Although I found myself staying away from many of the boys at the school I enjoyed spending time with Marcell. He was very different than Fred and Oliver. I got the impression that he enjoyed spending time with me and not because he was interested in anything more. He looked completely different than them. He was only a little bit taller than me and very slender. His hair was brown and fell just below his ears. He was very handsome and I had always caught many of the girls gawking over him in my classes.
"Can you pass me za belladonna?" said Marcell as he was putting wormwood into the pot.
"Here you go." I handed him the plant and then looked at the potions book. "After you add that the potion should turn a florescent purple."
Marcell nodded and added the last of the ingredients and stirred the potion. After he stirred the potion for a minute the potion started to turn a very bright purple. I smiled at Marcell and he grinned widely. "We make a great team!"
Madame Beauchamp walked over to our table. She looked down at out potion and smiled. "Brilliant!" She turned and spoke to the class. "Zee 'ere everyone! Monsieur Delauer and Mademoiselle Dumont 'ave perfected zee beautifying potion! C'est magnifique!" She turned towards us and clapped her hands.
I blushed as Marcell patted me on the back in delight. As the class finished I packed up my things and walked to the dining hall with Marcell. "You are a wonderful partner! I 'ave yet to get a potion wrong since you came 'ere."
I smiled. "Well you're pretty good yourself." As we walked by a group of girls they stopped talking and smiled towards Marcell and as always Marcell did not acknowledge their presence. I never understood why he never went for any of the other girls at the school. "Mariella just winked at you."
Marcell back at her and shook his head. "She iz not my type…" He looked at me and smiled and led me to our table. I saw that Isabella was already there waiting for us.
"There you are! I 'ave been waiting for you!" I sat down next to her as Marcell sat on the other side of me. As dinner progressed the three of us began talking about our summer plans. Isabella, as always, was talking up a storm about her plans. "Well I am going to za Riviera with my family an' zen we are going to ze Opera in ze Americas. 'Ow about you Marcell?" I did not miss Isabella batting her eyes slightly as she turned towards Marcell.
"Well actually my family iz going to ze World Cup. We 'ave box seats." I looked at Marcell and scoffed.
"Really? I am so jealous!" I remember Fred and George talking about the cup a while ago and how they hoped Ireland would be in it. As I thought of Fred I sighed. I have not talked to him since that day on the cliff. Lupin sent me a letter saying that he sent me a few letters but I told Lupin to get rid of them. I did not want to read about Fred hating me for leaving. As well as not talking to Fred I have not talked to Angelina either. I do not know why I have been avoiding talking to her. I just cannot bring myself up to talk to her. I regret leaving but there is nothing I can do about it now. I looked up at Marcell and he frowned.
"You look sad. I deedn't know zat you wanted to go to the cup so much. But don't worry. I was going to invite you and your family to come! I asked my father last week and he said zat he did not mind if I bring someone with me."
I smiled widely. "Really? You would like me to go?" Out of the corner of my eye I saw Isabella flinch slightly but she kept her smile on her face. I knew she would have wanted to go with Marcell to the Quidditch world cup. "Can Isabella come too?" Isabella smiled widely as she looked at Marcell.
Marcell looked to her and then back at me. He smiled and then nodded. "But of course! So will you come Clarice?" He took my hand in his and made a sad face. I laughed and put my hand on his.
"I would love to. I just have to ask my uhh… I have to ask Lupin if I can come. I pretty sure he'll say yes." I still was not sure want to call him. I just was not ready to call him father. When I wrote him letters I found that I would not address him but instead I would just start the letter. I did enjoy the letters I received from him though. Every week he would put in a new picture of my mother and I with a small fact that he loved about my mother. I kept all the pictures he gave me in a photo album that I kept under my pillow. Every night before I went to bed I would look through the pictures and imagine a world where my mother was around.
"Zis Lupin… 'e is your father no?" said Isabella as she took a sip of her tea.
"Yeah he is." I looked down at my plate. Isabella had always been curious about why I came to school here instead of going to Hogwarts. No matter what I had told her she had always gotten the impression that I had not been telling the complete truth.
"'Ow are ze boys in England? I 'ere zey are very different zan ze boys 'ere."
I nodded. "Yes… they are very different." I stared into my soup and my shoulders fell slightly.
Marcell moved closer to me. "Oui but ze boys 'ere aren't zat bad." He looked around the hall. "'Ave none of ze boys caught your attention? Or 'ave you someone?"
I shook my head. "No… and… no. I do not have anyone." The wood nymphs stopped singing and a few students clapped lightly. I stood up from my seat. "I must stop by the library before I head back to bed. I will see you all at finals." Before they could say anything I quickly walked out of the hall and into the library. I walked to the far corner of the library and sat down at a desk that was unoccupied. I sat down and put my bad on the table. I opened it and looked for the letter I had received from Lupin earlier that morning.
Ava,
Thank you for your last letter. I am glad that you enjoyed that last picture I had sent you. It thrills me that they make you happy. Things are going well at Hogwarts. Everything has calmed down at Hogwarts. Sirius Black is no longer a threat here at Hogwarts. In fact he never was. It is a long story but Hogwarts is a lot safer now.
Angelina asked about you again in class today. She really misses you and says she would like to speak with you. I told her that I would pass on her message. I am not going to tell you that you need to write to her. I feel that you are grown enough to make your own decisions. Just remember that the longer you wait the harder it is to keep your relationships.
Lastly I wanted to let you know that I resigned as Defense Against the Dark Arts position today. I think it would be best to tell you why when you return for the summer. As for the summer I have enclosed a new address that I will be at. I will explain all when I come to pick you up from your last day of schooling.
Enclosed, if you have not already guessed, I put another picture of you and your mother.
Lupin
I picked up the photo that was enclosed in the letter. My eyes watered slightly. The picture was a photo of my mother and I in the hospital I was born at. I was a newborn baby and my mother was sleeping soundly with me lying in the bed next to her. I turned the picture over and read the message on the back.
I was there since the beginning and I will always be. Do not forget that.
I looked back at the picture and tears formed in my eyes. I wonder if my mother knew he was there?
Last day of school…. I stood outside Beauxbatons as I watched the numerous students embrace their parents as they went off to their vacations. I looked at my watch. It was five after and I could not see Lupin anywhere. As I sat and waited for Lupin to pick me up I thought about the first day of the semester. I was standing in the station waiting for Anthony to say goodbye to me. He never came that day. My father never bid me goodbye at all since I went to Hogwarts. He was never there to pick me up either. I had always gone to and from Kings Cross with my aunt and uncle. I felt numb inside. I hoped they were not upset with me for leaving Hogwarts. I really did miss them… "Clarice!"
I looked up in the distance and saw Lupin running towards me with a smile on his face. He walked up to me and gave me a kiss on my cheek. "Sorry I was late. I thought you had gotten out of school at a later time. Have you got everything?"
I looked down at my suitcase and then back up at Lupin. "I think so."
He smiled and picked up my bag. "Good… let's go." I smiled as I followed Lupin away from Beauxbatons. I saw Isabella and Marcell talking a few feet away. They smiled and waved at me as I walked past them. I was excited about going to the Quidditch world cup in a couple months.
After a quick train ride we eventually got to the northern port in France. The whole train ride Lupin listened to me speak about Beauxbatons and Marcell and Isabella. I had asked Lupin if it was all right if I went to the Quidditch world cup and of course he agreed. When we exited the train Lupin and I walked onto the ship that was to take us from France to Great Britain. We walked on board and made our way into our small cabin. After we had gotten comfortable and relaxed Lupin cleared his throat.
"Ava… there is something that I have been meaning to tell you for some time now."
I looked up at him. "What is it? Is it about why you quit?"
He nodded and then looked out the window. I looked out the window and saw that we were pulling away from the dock and heading out towards England. "I do not know how to really say this… I have been meaning to tell you this for some time."
"What is it?" I began to worry. I saw the pained expression on his face.
"Remember when you and Mr. Weasley found me in the woods that day?"
I nodded. "Yes I remember…" How could I forget? That was the day where I had found out that he was my father. "What happened to you? Did you get attacked? Are you leaving because you are in danger?"
He shook his head. "I am not in danger… everyone else is."
I looked at him in confusion. "What are you saying? I thought you said Sirius Black is not a threat anymore…"
"He isn't… I am the threat…"
I sat back in my seat. "What do you mean…"
"Do you remember that lecture Professor Snape gave the class after I had left?"
I looked at him and searched through my memory. I tried desperately to remember that day. Proessor Snape walked into the room… he closed all the windows… he presented a presentation… I looked up at Lupin in horror. "You're… you're not…"
He nodded. "I am… I am a werewolf."
Dear Readers,
Oh yeah... who is awesome?... two chapters in two days?? Who would have guessed?! Anyways... I know some of you may be wondering why there are guys at Beauxbatons. If you read the books it says that there are boys at Beauxbatons. The movies made the school an all girls school. Hee hee I can't wait for the next chapters!!
x.o.x.o
Tinkie
