Chapter Seven: A French Folly

In front of their very eyes stood an immense carriage and the biggest horses pulling it that Harry had ever seen. But the horses were not normal. Out of their backs sprouted humongous, powerful white wings from the silky skin. The carriage must have been three times the size of the Hogwarts Express, seven times the size of Hagrid's hut, and five-hundred times the size of the cupboard under the stairs. The carriage, which had a thick purple and yellow coat of paint, had a large logo painted across the side of it in red which read:

Beauxbatons Academy of Magic: A Learning Adventure

Ron snorted. The last time he had seen A Learning Adventure was on his Hooked on Magic books when he was four.

"I wonder what that motto means," said Mrs. Weasley. She pointed to the gold writing below the giant logo. Harry saw it as a bunch of words that he couldn't pronounce.

"What does it mean?" asked Ginny.

"I think its German." said Fred.

"No, it must be Chinese!" yelled Ron.

"It looks like Mongolian." piped up Harry.

"It's French," whispered George suddenly, very timidly. To everyone's surprise, George was right. They turned towards him and glared at him. "What?……WHAT!?"

"How did you know that?" asked Ron suspiciously.

"It's something I read in-" He quickly stopped himself and put a hand over his mouth.

"Read?" interjected Mrs. Weasley. "You've been reading?"

"What? It's not like it's illegal!" he yelled.

"Woah," said Fred. Following, there was a small period of utter silence, which was broken by Mrs. Weasley.

"You'd better be getting on the carriage!" she said suddenly. "You don't want to miss your ride!" With a kiss on their cheeks, Fred, George, Ron, Harry, and Ginny walked on the carriage.

Inside was more beautiful than they ever could have imagined. There was a long gold line of paint running through the main room, seeming to be chasing a little pink star. To the right was a window to look out at the horses, and to the left was a long winding staircase upwards.

"Floors?" exclaimed Ron. "That's even better than compartments!" Saying goodbye to Fred, George, and Ginny (who had decided to look out the window at the horses), Harry and Ron darted up the staircase and soon found themselves in a long, twisting hallway with variously colored doors on either side.

"Let's find a big one!" said Harry, rushing into the nearest one, a green door. A moment later, Harry walked out and said to the look of puzzlement on Ron's face, "It's taken."

"Obviously!" said Ron, pointing at the door. Hanging from the elegant doorknob was a sign that said, in fancy writing, OCCUPIED. "We have to look for another one."

For what seemed like hours, Ron and Harry went up and down the hallway searching for a door without a sign on it.

"I didn't think we were THAT late!" yelped Ron as the carriage shook and he was thrown forward.

"Look!" said Harry suddenly. He rushed forward towards a blue door that had been flung open. Peeking inside, he beckoned Ron (who was holding his stomach) inside and shut the door.

"Wow," squeaked Ron. The room was the size of the boys dormitory at Hogwarts, maybe even bigger. "These Chinese people really know how to live."

"I think they're French," said Harry, holding up a book from which he had picked up from a nearby table.

"So You're Going To France," read Ron off the cover of the book. "I thought it was China!"

"I guess its France after all, and George was right!" said Harry, skimming through the book's pages. "So," he said, tossing it aside. "When do you reckon we're leaving?"

As if predicting the future, a moment later, the carriage lurched forward and began to rise.

"Hold on tight," said Harry, grinning. Ron had an expression that was a mix between sickness and anger. His eyes were wide and eyebrows down, while his cheeks were all puffed up. Suddenly, the carriage lurched forward again, and they were speeding ahead, not going up any more.

"Excuze mee," said a voice suddenly from the door. The door was pushed open to reveal a tall, French girl with silvery blond hair and a beautiful face. "Eez theez room emtee?"

"Fleur!" yelled Harry.

"'Arry Potter? Eez eet yoo agen?" She walked forward and gave him a gigantic hug and a peck on a cheek. "'Ow long as it been?"

"A few months," said a dreamy voice from behind Harry. Ron was standing up now, his eyes rolled back. "Hi, Fleur."

"Yoo are Ron, no?" she asked, giving him a peck on the cheek, too. Suddenly, Ron fell to the floor, apparently having fainted.

"What are you doing here?" Harry smiled. "I thought you graduated last year."

"I deed," responded Fleur. "But I decided too get a job at thee school as vell. Seence 'Ogwarts eez coming too Beauxbatons, I vought I might as vell get ze job at my old school."

"Are you a teacher?"

"Yes, actoolee. I am teeching weeth thee 'Ogwarts teacher at Defense Against thee Dark Arts."

"With the Hogwarts teacher?" Harry asked, puzzled.

"Oh, you 'aven't 'erd?" Harry shook his head. "Seence classes are merged toogetter, 'Ogwarts teachers and Beauxbatons teachers vill be teeching toogetter."

"Do you know who the Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher will be?" asked Harry, hoping it would be Lupin again.

"Yes, I think so," replied Fleur. "Meesez Feeg. She duz not like to bee called Provessor, but onlee Meesez."

"Mrs. Figg!?" Harry yelped. No, he thought, it couldn't be. It was impossible that Mrs. Figg, the old, cabbage-smelling woman who took care of Harry when the Dursleys went on vacation, was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. No, he reminded himself. There's got to be plenty of Figgs in this world.

Just then, the carriage came to a sudden halt, and Harry could hear the rest of the doors opening and people coming out of the carriage.

"Vell, I must go prepare vore thee sorting! Goodbye, 'Arry!" She glided out of the room and down the hallway. Suddenly, inside the room came Hermione Granger.

"Harry, have you seen Beauxbatons yet?" she exclaimed.

"No," he replied. "I'll meet you downstairs and we can look together!" She nodded her head and left.

"Hey, Ron, wake up!" said Harry, picking up his friend from the floor and slapping his face. With a few more slaps, Ron came to and straightened himself up.

"Did SHE leave yet?" he said dreamily again. He obviously was talking about Fleur Delacour.

"Yeah," Harry responded. "C'mon! We're there." They walked out of the room, down the hallway, down the stairs (where they met Hermione), and out of the carriage onto a big, black platform.

"It's night already?" said Ron, looking up at the sky.

"No!" said Hermione. "It's a shadow!" She pointed to the top of a giant hill in front of them. There, right before their eyes, in all its splendor, stood Beauxbatons.