Peeves woke the next morning, sunlight streaming pleasantly through the window. He sat up, yawning and rubbing his eyes, feeling oddly refreshed. Glancing around him, he found the other bunks empty. Peeves slipped out of the sheets and softly padded across the supple, carpeted floor to the door. Opening the door a bit, he heard mixed talk and laughter drifting through the halls. Quickly pulling on his clothes and stuffing his feet in shoes, Peeves walked out of the room and along a sunlit corridor to a pleasantly warm sunroom to the right. He looked around at all of his friends who were seated in big overstuffed sofas, sipping tea and tasting odd appetizers.
"Well, good morning, sleepy head!" Sherman said cheerfully. Peeves sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he sat down next to his friend. He leaned over and, feeling rather daring, grabbed a small green lump of what looked like some sort of vegetable off of an offered tray. The chatter continued as he bit into the strange food, and immediately spit it back into his hand.
"What was that?" he sputtered. Sherman grinned.
"Rich places like this have rich food, although I've observed that rich food is most of the time rather disgusting."
"What was that?" Peeves repeated through clenched teeth.
"Oh, just a little hors d'oeuvre called escargot," Sherman beamed elfishly. Peeves quickly grabbed the nearest cup of steaming tea and drained it.
"Bluck! Why didn't you say something?" he demanded.
"Well, I figured it would be interesting to see your reaction." Peeves was just about to deal his friend a not-so-playful punch, when Professor Sourdine bustled into the room followed by several young people dressed in shining silk robes of a periwinkle blue, the Beauxbaton robes. The Hogwarts headmistress stopped and bellowed for attention, breaking the cheery mood of the room.
"Students!" she hollered. "The Beauxbatons Headmaster has selected these students to lead each of you around today on a personal tour!" Both sets of students looked shyly at each other. "So just buddy up, then." Peeves stood up with the rest of his classmates, looking sheepishly at the Beauxbatons. A tall girl with long blond hair stepped up to Emmeline Everway and smiled.
"I'm Belle," she said, grabbing Emmeline's wrist and beginning a soft conversation with her as she led Emmeline out of the room.
Peeves thought for a moment, considering what kinds of destruction he could place on this school. It was too perfect to be perfect. He felt the urge to do something to the peace. He didn't notice when a medium height, thin, light haired boy stepped up in front of him.
"Bonjour," he said brightly. "My name iz Rene. I'll show you around today." The boy flashed a dazzling smile. Peeves was barely able to mutter his own name before the boy Rene led him out of the sunroom. Practically running down a hallway, Rene turned to Peeves and said, "Parlez-vous francais?"
"What?" Peeves panted. Rene shook his head.
"Oh, I just asked you if you speak much French. I suppose not then." He entered a portion of the building Peeves hadn't been through yet.
"Zeze are ze student's dormitories," Rene said, pointing up a bunch of stairs leading up. "I don't know if anyone 'az told you, but Beauxbatons iz broken down into two parts, similar in a vay to ze 'Ogvart's houses." The two began to walk down a corridor covered with moving pictures. "Ve students are separated by gender. The girls' dormitories are in ze Frau Wing, and ze boys in ze Herr Wing. Zat iz pretty eazy to remember."
"Yoo ho! Rene, darling!" called a voice to the boys' left. Peeves looked at the wall, the only thing in that direction and saw a picture of a pretty maiden with rich skirts and jewelry, waving at them. Rene smiled and waved back.
"How are you, Madame Riche?" he asked politely, stopping in front of the active image. The young woman smiled.
"Doing very vell for my age," she replied dramatically. "'Oo iz zis friend of yours?" Rene motioned for Peeves to come closer.
"Madame Riche, zis iz Peeves Radley. He iz staying vith us for ze Triwizard Tournament." The lady batted her eyelashes enchantingly.
"Velcome to zis school, my dear," she said sweetly. "I 'ope you 'ave enjoyed your stay so far." Peeves nodded, grinning cordially.
"I am very much, Madame Riche," he said, bowing with a flourish. The picture giggled slightly.
"Vell, we must be moving on," Rene cut in. "It vas nice to see you, Madame."
"Tootals, Rene! Nice to meet you, Peeves!" she called as they began to walk away.
"You're friends with portraits?" Peeves said in disbelief when they turned a corner.
"Vell, yes. Aren't you?" Rene asked, a puzzled expression on his face. Peeves shook his head and chuckled softly, thinking of all the pranks he had loved to play on the portraits at Hogwarts.
"Nope, not really. All the paintings at my school aren'tâermâvery fond of me." Rene looked at him.
"Vhy not? I've become friends with zem by talking to zem and being nice," he said. Peeves smiled.
"That's exactly why they don't like me," he answered softly. Rene shook his head in disbelief.
"You go to a very strange school, Peeves."
"Tell me about it," Peeves mumbled to himself.
"Vut was zat?" Rene asked.
"Oh! I was...uh...wondering where the kitchens are." Peeves said hurriedly.
"Ve aren't allowed in ze kitchens," Rene replied, looking baffled. "But if you're hungry we can go back to your common room and get somezing." Peeves shook his head, remembering the escargot.
"No, I'm fine," he said meekly.
Rene continued to lead the way through the grand fortress. Finally they ended up in the entrance hall after being through five portrait galleries, sixteen hallways, twenty-seven classrooms, all through the Herr Wing (the boy's dormitories), and past seventeen bathrooms. Along the way they had met various creatures and people. Peeves had counted stopping to talk with thirty-five portraits, six ghosts, three house-elves, twenty-one of Rene's friends, and one rather nasty professor, a Professor Foncé.
The two boys stopped and sat on the steps of the grand staircase in the entrance hall to rest for a bit. They both laughed when Peeves' stomach gurgled loudly.
"Let's head back to ze common room, grab a bite to eat, and zen I vill show you around ze grounds," Rene suggested. Peeves agreed and they headed back to the sunroom. It was there they grabbed a couple of sandwiches and headed for the short cut to the entrance hall. Peeves was relieved to find there was a shorter way of getting to the entrance other than the long way they had taken earlier. They opened the heavy doors and sprinted down the stairs, lifting their faces to the warm sun.
"At my school, it's much colder at this time of year," Peeves commented, rolling up his long sleeves.
Rene chuckled and started walking away from the castle and out into the open meadows that surrounded the school. They trudged through the life filled grass for several minutes before Rene said, "Come on, I 'ave something I vant to show you." He led Peeves around the fortress and to the edge of the cliff the school was planted on. They looked out into the Mediterranean Sea, smelling the spicy salt air, listening to the gulls, and feeling the warm wind sweeping softly against their faces.
Rene grabbed Peeves arm and pulled him, running, towards a path leading down to the beach below. There, they kicked off their shoes, rolled up their pants to the knee and sprinted across the soft hot sand to the inviting water. They waddled through it for hours, basking in the sun, and talking about school and friends. They hunted for sea fish in the sand and found strange colored rocks to skip across the waves.
Finally, as the sun began to descend from it's peak in the sky, Rene dragged Peeves back up the cliff and back into the meadows. He took Peeves to another side of the fortress and Peeves gasped in awe at what was ahead. The biggest and most beautiful Quidditch field Peeves had ever seen with gleaming stands and waving banners was positioned up close to the fortress. They ran through the endless yielding grass up to the luminous and majestic sports ground.
"Come on!" Rene said, sprinting up to a small building off to the side of the large field. He swung the door open and dodged inside, Peeves right behind. He squinted in the sudden darkness inside, trying to adjust his eyes to the inky blackness. Suddenly Rene's voice called from inside, "I'll be right there, Peeves." Within seconds, Rene was standing by Peeves' side, two broomsticks in his arms as he led them out of the shack. Rene handed Peeves one of the brooms.
"They're both the same," he said. Peeves almost cried out in surprise when he saw the model.
"A Comet One-Forty?! But...but...those are so expensive!" he stammered. Rene grinned and ran over to the field, Peeves, like always, right behind.
Rene stopped in the locker room momentarily and came back out to the waiting Peeves.
"I play Quidditch for ze team," he said, a small emerald ball in his hand. "Let's play catch." He climbed into the broom and whizzed into the sky. Peeves hopped onto his and came up after Rene.
It was wonderful! The air whipped at Peeves face as he rode the fastest broom ever, zipping though the goal posts and the field with delicate easiness and grace. Rene sped after him, shouting with joy and grinning hard. Peeves was beaming also.
"I love this school!" he hollered, the wind carrying away his words. Rene tossed the green ball to Peeves, who caught it and rocketed across the field, throwing it back to his new friend. With time, Peeves was entirely comfortable on the new broom and began to get daring. The two had contests on who could go fastest. They showed off by doing loops and twirls, making themselves dizzy, but having so much fun.
"Hey, Rene!" Peeves shouted, looking over his shoulder as he whooshed in the opposite direction. "Watch this!" Without looking ahead he prepared to do a summersault in air when he heard a shout from Rene and looked in front of him—just as he smashed through one of the Great Hall's many windows. Glass hurled in Peeves' face, streaming around him as he soared into the Great Hall and to the surprise of the hundreds of gathered students inside. Apparently the evening feast had just begun. Peeves flew across the room, cold realization sinking in. The room was quiet, deadly quiet. He didn't want to land. He wanted to stay up in the air forever and not come down and face what he knew was below him.
"Peeves Radley!" shrieked an all too familiar voice. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" Professor Sourdine screamed, her voice echoing through the large Great Hall. Peeves swooped around the room, still on his broom. He felt a small stream of blood trickle down the side of his face.
"Er, Ma'am..." he said weakly, stopping and hovering in front of the head table where a long line of stern teachers, a livid headmistress, and a grave headmaster sat. Professor Sourdine was on her feet.
"Peeves Radley! I want you off that broom this instant!" Her face was red with fury and embarrassment. Suddenly footsteps sounded through the large room as Rene ran through the doors, puffing and out of breath.
"Headmistress..." he panted. "I vas my fault! Really! Ve vere playing and—,"
"Silence!" Everyone jumped at this new voice. Headmaster Influencia was on his feet, his face cold and hard. Again the room was still. Peeves noiselessly lowered the broom and stepped onto the hard, stone floor in front of the teachers. Professor Sourdine walked briskly around the table, fists clenched and eyes wild. The skirts under her robes swished noisily as she walked rapidly up to Peeves. When she reached him, she snatched the broom out of his hands and grabbed his ear, tugging his head to the side.
"Ouch!" Peeves hollered.
"Headmaster Influencia! I demand that my student be taken immediately from the contestants for the Triwizard Tournament!" The headmaster stared blankly ahead, then sighed.
"That, Headmistress Sourdine, I cannot do," he said hoarsely. The headmistress almost exploded.
"Whatever the reason not?" she said angrily. "Don't you agree that he is not worthy enough?" Influencia nodded and cleared his throat.
"But my dear Harriet, I fully agree, but...zis request iz impossible. There iz not enough time to make another Dice of Decision. You may take young Peeves out of ze Tournament, but zen you vould 'ave to resign your whole class." The headmistress turned pale.
"Very well," she said very quietly. "Let us continue." Peeves was dragged to a seat, and Rene took his.
The students were still silent as the headmaster lifted the lid of the box that had already been carried up to his table.
Peeves looked around, very conscience of people starring at him in disgust and at the shattered window. Glass was sprawled all over the floor below it, but no one was doing anything about it at the moment.
"I vill roll ze die one at a time," Influencia declared, his voice wavering just a bit. He held up the ruby Durmstrang die for all to see and stepped around the head table and to the carpet running up the aisle. "Once ze dice 'as been rolled, ze winner is permanent." With a little toss he rolled the die. It hit the setting sun, light shining from it, blinding all who looked directly at it. There was a burst of red smoke that cleared slowly to reveal the headmaster peering down at it, hands on his knees. Straitening himself out, the headmaster declared, "Amy Giotisa!" The students clapped politely as a tall girl with long jet-black hair and sunken eyes was pushed to her feet by her colleagues.
After Amy was seated again, Influencia lifted the die with his wand. Once in the air, it exploded with a blinding light, sprinkling the closest people with a crimson dust. He then magiced the next die over to himself. Tossing the die again, the Beauxbatons' die rolled amid a shimmering blue smoke. Influencia checked the winner and then affirmed, "Marshall Piendre!" All of the many Beauxbaton students burst into screams and cheering as a handsome, light brown haired boy leaped to his feet. Influencia clapped politely, a pleased look on his face as he watched his student beam around at his peers.
After the Beauxbatons had settled down and their die destroyed, the Hogwarts die was lifted from the case. The students became hushed as the die was rolled. It rotated along the carpet, everyone watching it with baited breath. It swayed to a stop amid an explosion of colorful smoke; red, green, blue, and yellow. Headmaster Influencia solemnly walked through the smoke and stooped down. His face darkened and then he stood back up. Professor Sourdine leaned forward in her chair, her eyes intent on the headmaster.
"Peeves Radley."