Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Harry Potter as I am not J.K. Rowling. Just to let you know I don't have an upload schedule, so I just upload whenever I have finished the chapter. Also, quick note: any writing in italics is French because they speak French at Beauxbatons.

Chapter 2

Hermione braced herself. This was a new start. Professor Dumbledore had tried to convince Hermione otherwise, but McGonagall had convinced him that although she was the top student in her year group, and it would benefit Hogwart's reputation, but this would benefit Hermione. They had to think of their students as more than just a grade on a piece of paper. Her parents had been more than happy with the transfer as they wanted what was best for their girl.

Over the summer, Madame Maxime, the headmistress of Beauxbatons, had come to tell Hermione that she had been accepted and to tell her all about the school. She was very relieved once she realised Hermione could speak fluent French and didn't need any language lessons. She gave Hermione her supply list and also a map of the school she could memorise so she wouldn't get as lost on the first day. She told Hermione about their houses: Bellefeuille, Ombrelune and Papillonlisse.

Bellefeuille was for students that not only showed bravery and loyalty but also had a huge love for nature. Ombrelune was for students that were cunning and ambitious but also curious and logical. Papillonlisse students were well known for their kindness, artistic ability and maturity. Hermione wasn't sure which house she'd end up in but would be happy to end up any. She also wouldn't be alone as students were only sorted at the start of second year to encourage interhouse friendships and also to make first years more comfortable around one another without house rivalries.

Madame Maxime had also told her about the uniform requirements and a bit about the school in general. Beauxbatons prided itself on being one of the top 11 wizarding schools in the world. They made sure that their students were excelling academically as well as in their social life. It was encouraged for every student to try new things and step out of their comfort zone without pushing them to do things they really didn't want to do. Beauxbatons had produced many amazing witches and wizards, most notably Nicholas Flamel; the only known maker of the philosopher's stone. The majority of the students are French, however there are quite a few students from Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Belgium. Hermione would be the only British student there but that didn't bother her.

So here she was about to get on the train from Paris to the South of France. She had to say that she was very excited. She walked through the entrance to the underground wizarding train station. She headed to Platform 5 where the train to Beauxbatons would be departing. As soon as she reached the platform and saw lots of teenagers and their families. She had finally found some hair products over the summer that managed to tame her hair. Her hair was no longer a frizzy bushy mess but now smooth and wavy.

She saw the train before and was in awe. It was nothing like the faded red of the Hogwarts Express. It was white and pale blue. She saw the writing on the side of the train 'Lingue de train Beauxbatons' (Beauxbatons train line). She felt like things would finally change. She couldn't describe it, but she felt hope. Hermione didn't want to be disappointed yet again. This was her chance to make things great. She took a deep breath and gave her parents a hug before boarding the train. She asked one of the older students where she could put her bags and they told them to place them in the back of the train. The girl even showed Hermione where it was.

"By the way my name is Fleur Delacour. I'm one of the fifth-year prefects. If you ever need anything you can come to me, okay. You don't need to be scared" The older girl told Hermione. Hermione smiled and nodded her head in understanding. This was a good start. People were actually being nice to her. She started to walk down the train and realised how luxurious it was. Instead of dark blue and brown, the Beauxbatons train line had a colour theme of white and pale blue.

Hermione didn't really know where to go. She didn't know anybody, and she wasn't exactly a first year. She saw a compartment with 3 girls sat in it that looked about her age. She may as well try and make friends, even if they end up abandoning her, like Neville.

"Hi, do you mind if I sit here? I'm new and I don't really know anybody" Hermione asked nervously. The worst that could happen was rejection, which was likely.

"Sure, we don't mind. By the way I am Helene. This is Madeliene and Lydia. We're all going into our second year," One of the girls (Helene) said. Hermione smiled and sat down. That went better than she had expected. They were from her year as well, maybe she would finally make friends that she could keep.

"I'm Hermione. Nice to meet you. I'm really nervous; I'm going into second year as well. I went to Hogwarts last year, but it didn't really work out, so I came here instead" Hermione replied.

"That's so cool. My mum went to Hogwarts, but she moved to France soon after she finished there. She said that the British wizarding community is a bit rubbish in her opinion; that's why she moved to France" Lydia said to Hermione "I've never been to Britain what is it like?"

"Sorry I don't really know how to answer that question. I mean I grew up in Britain so of course it has that nostalgic feel but, from what I've seen, France is really beautiful and so interesting and different. Hogwarts was an okay school, but I don't think it lives up to the hype. Sure, at first everything was new and exciting at first because I grew up in the muggle world but after the novelty wore off it wasn't really anything special. Compare it to prestigious muggle schools and Hogwarts is practically nothing. The teachers are either amazing or terrible, there is a huge divide and the only people you're likely to become friends with are people from your house. It probably didn't help that everyone hated me, but I just didn't really enjoy the whole atmosphere of it if you get what I mean. Sorry, I've started rambling again" Hermione said. Everyone at Hogwarts hated her for that. She needed to stop comparing this to Hogwarts. She should just leave Hogwarts behind her.

"To say that Hogwarts is consistently ranked No. 1 wizarding school in the world, that's a bit disappointing. Beauxbatons is nothing like that. You'll make friends with everyone; we are like one big family and the houses are just there for a bit of friendly competitiveness," Madeliene told Hermione.

"On the note of houses, we get to get sorted. I really hope I'm in Papillonlisse personally, but I'd be happy in any house" Lydia said.

The rest of the ride went really well. Hermione had learnt a lot about the girl in front of her. They seemed so genuine, but she couldn't get her hopes up yet in case they left her like everyone else seems to do. Helene had told Hermione that people weren't really prejudice against muggleborns, there were still some but most of the time teachers dealt with it very well. All of the teachers were incredibly nice and not many showed favouritism. Madeline told her about all of the extracurricular clubs. They had everything: Muggle sports, book clubs, homework clubs, music, art, Quidditch, Drama, and much more. Lydia also added that they did French, and Maths in case anybody wanted to go and live in the muggle world, so they still had their needed qualifications. Lydia also mentioned that if any of the 6th and 7th years wanted to do any other muggle subjects that Beauxbatons would try and make it work.

Soon enough, they found themselves stood in front of the most beautiful castle Hermione had ever seen. It was a lot bigger than Hogwarts and the grounds were just gorgeous. As they walked into the school, Hermione was in awe. The halls were white, and they had pale blue trimmings. As they walked into the great hall, Hermione could see ice sculptures and there were 4 tables. Three longer than the other. She could see a professor calling over the first years to sit at the smallest of the four tables. Another teacher was calling over the second years that Madeline, Lydia, Helene and Hermione walked towards.

"This is Professor Carlier, he is the charms professor. He also helps students with social issues. He basically is there to go to if you have any problems, obviously you can go to the other teachers as well, but he is the most experienced along with Professor Boulet, the astronomy professor" Madeline explained.

"Yes, what she said. But basically, what you do is they call your name and then you pick up that bow and arrow, you shoot the arrow and then it lights that board up in the colour of your new house. Don't worry it's really easy to shoot you can't mess up, I think" Helene added. Hermione nodded her head in understanding, these girls were genuinely going to help her, and she was relieved. Hermione just hoped they weren't all sorted into a different house.

After everyone was settled, Madame Maxime walked through the hall, and everyone stood up and then sat back down again once she had sat down. Helene told Hermione it was due to respect. Then, Professor Carlier spoke to the students "Before we start eating, we must sort our second years into their houses. Now, your house is like your family, and I am sure you will all be a great asset to whatever house becomes your own. Now when I say your name, please come forward and shoot the arrow towards that board and the board should show up in the colour of your new house, good luck," he said before shouting out the first name "Estella Alameda."

A small, Spanish girl with long brown hair walked up towards the arrow. She shot it and the board turned purple. The table underneath the Papillonlisse banner erupted into applause and Estella walked towards them and sat in the gap at the middle of the table. Hermione was getting more and more nervous as more names were being called. Soon enough Madeline walked up towards the arrow as the Professor called out "Madeline Beauvau." She became a member of Ombrelune. Helene was called up not long after and was sorted into Bellefeuille. When "Eva Chauveau" was called up, Lydia told Hermione that she was the top of their year group and was likely to get full marks on every exam. Eva was sorted in Ombrelune.

Too quickly, Lydia was called up when Professor Carlier called out "Lydia Dupount" and she proceeded to the stage. Lydia was sorted into Papillonlisse. Good, at least she would have a friend in whatever house she was in. Hermione zoned out until she heard "Hermione Granger" and slowly, taking deep breaths, walked to the stage. She could feel everybody staring at her and thought the worst until she realised that it was because she the new kid. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the arrow. This was it. This would decide her future at Beauxbatons. As she released the arrow she sucked in a breath. Time for her new life to begin.

Authors note: Hi, so this took me longer to write than I had originally thought but I had to sort out the houses and all the students in Hermione's year and everything. Hope you are enjoying reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you to the people who left a review as it really motivated me to continue writing. Please review this story and give me any ideas you may have. Bear with me with my writing schedule as school is taking up the majority of my time right now but I will try and update as often as possible. That's all for now, bye till next time.