AN:
Hey Everyone!
I hope you are excited for the second installment?
Aurelius ran his fingers over the thick parchment envelop in his hand. He traced the fine calligraphic address that indicated the letter was for him to read. Turning over the envelope, Aurelius brushed the wax seal that showed a small crest featuring two crossed wands, six stars, a large 'B', and a host of other intricate images that Aurelius would have previously thought impossible to create so small. His pale figures separated the sealed parchment, sliding underneath the wax without distorting the image of the crest.
Aurelius pulled out a letter on gold-trimmed parchment. It read:
Beauxbatons Academy of Magic
Headmaster: Mme Olympe Maxime
Dear Mr. Blanchard,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary supplies and equipment, as well as a parental consent form and fee payment form. We await your owl by no later than August 12th.
Yours Sincerely,
Charles Rousseau
Deputy Headmaster
Aurelius walked into the dining room of his mother's cottage and sat down on a simple wooden chair. He put the envelope on the dining room table in front of him and disregarded the parent consent form along with it.
"Hey mom, I got my letter from Beauxbatons!" Aurelius called to his mother before turning his attention to the equipment and supplies list.
Beauxbatons Academy of Magic
Mandatory Equipment and Supplies List
First-year students will require the following:
Uniform -
sets of plain robes (blue) for formal occasions
2. One plain pointed cap (blue) for formal occasions
pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
winter cloak (blue, with silver fastenings)
Compulsory Course Books –
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)
by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
by Quentin Trimble
Other Equipment -
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring and owl OR a cat OR a toad.
Parents are reminded that no illegal or illicit substances are allowed on the premises of the Academy. Also, students who have not completed their second year are not permitted to bring their own broomsticks.
"Ahhhhh!" Colette hollered , grabbing her son around the waist and easily pulling him off the chair. She twirled him around in the air before setting him down on the chair he previously occupied. "You must be very excited!" Aurelius had not heard her approach.
"Yes! But it is annoying that I have to wait for another month before school starts!" Aurelius pouted at his mother, placing the equipment list with the other papers from Beauxbatons. "And, I will get to see even less of you than I do now. I won't get to see Uncle Albus at all!"
"Oh Aurelien, you worry too much. You will be so busy with your friends and with learning, I am sure that you will forget about your old mother and crackpot uncle. And you can write me whenever you need. As for Albus, well, it's probably good that you won't be seeing as much of him. I am not convinced that he is a good influence!" Colette gently wrapped an arm around her son as she pulled up a chair next to him.
"I don't know. What if I don't make any friends? What if I don't do well with my schoolwork? What if everyone hates me?"
"Aurel, if they hate you then they do not know you. And if you need help with your studies I am sure that older students and your professors will be more than eager to help you."
"What if I am way behind all the other students? I don't know any magic at all!"
"Oh Aurel, none of the first years will know any magic. Once you get to school you will see that. And, if you want, I know a book we can pick up in Paris that has a lot of useful spells that are easy to learn. You can learn them and show them off at school if you really need to."
"Thanks mom," Aurelius sighed, leaning into his mom's shoulder.
"Anyways, I am going to sign these forms right now and owl them to Beauxbatons from work. Your uncle Albus should be here any minute now." Colette sat up and kissed the top of her son's head before grabbing the letter, forms, and envelope. Walking into the kitchen, she charmed the envelope and equipment list to stick to the icebox door before going to the front door to place the parent consent form and fee payment form in her briefcase.
"What time will you be home tonight, mom?" Aurelius called to his mother.
"Not too late, I hope. The Belgium Minister of Magic is coming in today though, so there is no telling what may happen…. But I heard that your uncle Albus has a surprise for you today!" Colette added when she saw the pout starting to form on her son's lips.
"Really?" Aurelius questioned, his voice distant as he thought about what surprise the crazy old man could come up with.
"Oh yes, it had something to do with ice cream and Diagon Alley and shopping for school," Colette called back to her son as she walked down the hallway at the other end of their home.
"Hey Uncle Albus," Aurelius asked, looking up at the old wizard, "Do you know anything about Beauxbatons? Mother told me a lot about Hogwarts, but she says she doesn't know much about Beauxbatons."
"Well, I know little about the school," Albus said looking down the country road the pair was walking down, "What do you want to know?"
"It's history, well, the interesting parts of it anyway."
"Aha, of course. Well, If I remember correctly, Beauxbatons was built about 700 years ago. Two incredible magic users founded it. They had been rival duelists, but eventually teamed up to become the premiere duelist team of their time, and then of course, they fell in love."
"Ew, uncle! I said the interesting parts!" Aurelius laughed as he made a disgusting face."
"Hehe. Well, the pair founded the school to make sure that all young witches and wizards could get a formidable education in magic. Other than that, I do not know much of the history of the school. French magic users are very secretive about their Academy, and they have a right to those secrets. The school has brought them much glory."
"Glory?"
"It consistently ranks as the top school of magic in the world."
"But I thought you and my mom said that Hogwarts was the best school of magic?"
"Yes well, we are a bit biased," Dumbledore smiled at the young boy "Hogwarts does formidably well and often ties with Beauxbatons for top academic rankings, but there were many years Hogwarts' academic scores were inferior to Beauxbatons and there have been many Triwizard tournaments that Hogwarts' students have lost to Beaxbatons' students."
"Oh," Aurelius commented with a blank look on his face. "Why am I going to Beauxbatons if my mother went to Hogwarts? Shouldn't I go to Hogwarts?"
" There are many complicated magical laws at work, but nonetheless you and your mother are French citizens, and since you are currently living in France, you are entitled to a place at Beauxbatons. Besides, your mother is a very important person." Albus' eyes twinkled madly.
"What does that have to do with it?"
"Prestige, you will learn quickly, is a very powerful weapon," Albus smiled at the boy, "Now Aurelius! You must promise me one thing when you leave for Beauxbatons!"
"What?"
"First, you must promise to be a good boy and obey your headmaster and reek all sorts of havoc. And second, you must divulge all of Beauxbatons' infamous secrets to this very curious, competitive, and slightly deranged old man."
"Well, I counted two things there, but I suppose it can't hurt to make too many promises to old men who are too senile to be able count."
They shook hands before Aurelius took hold of his uncle's arm.
Pop
Aurelius strolled down Diagon Alley with his uncle Albus. His chest puffed up just an inch, and his step was just a bit sharper while walking beside such a prominent figure in wizarding society. Often, when his uncle would stop to talk to other important people, he would stand stiffly and pretend to understand their rapid English blabbering. Of course, they never seemed to notice him.
"Hm…. It seems we have everything then, Aurelius. All the necessities, that is. Perhaps, though, you wouldn't mind an old man indulging you in some ice cream?"
"I guess I could humor you this one time, old man" Aurelius beamed at the old man.
"Have you enjoyed your time here at Diagon Alley?"
"Yes, it is quite interesting. Very different from the Champs Elysees. I am glad that the book store carried the French versions of all my books."
"Oh yes, I have fond memories of the Champs Elysees. In the sun, in the rain, at noon, at midnight, I spent a time there as a young man."
"Well, I think I prefer it," Albus gave Aurelius a disapproving look, so the boy added: "Just because I understand what the shop keepers are saying more."
"But you speak fine English!"
"Well, yes, but everyone here speaks so fast!"
"Oh yes, well, people here are usually in a rush as well," Albus said as the pair walked up to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, people bustling by them.
The pair walked up to a long glass counter that showed many different times of ice cream. Aurelius' hand touched the glass and found it shockingly cold. A tall, thin man wearing an apron approached them from the other side of the counter.
"What can I get you two?" The kind looking man asked.
"I will have a mint-chocolate ice cream cone please," Aurelius replied.
"And I would like the lemon kiwi ice cream, please" Dumbledore smiled, handing the man 7 knuts.
"What subjects did my mother like the most in school, uncle Albus?"
"Well, I dare say she liked them all," the old man laughed, "Though she excelled most at charms and potions."
"What about my dad?" Aurelius asked a little more quietly.
"Oops," Dumbledore jumped as a large drop of lemon kiwi ice cream dripped onto his florescent orange and yellow robes. The smiling old man's wand appeared in his hand and with a wave, his robes were spot-free.
"Oh my goodness uncle Albus! We almost forgot! I haven't gotten a wand!" Aurelius jumped, reminded of the essential magical item by his uncle's use of magic.
"Hm? Oh quite right. You will be getting it in Paris with your mother." Albus mentally thanked young children's innate ability to distract themselves.
"Why not get it here?"
"Wands are incredibly important instruments, Aurelius. A person's first wand is almost always found in their country of birth."
"Why is that?"
"Complex and archaic magic."
"Isn't that the same explanation you gave for how broomsticks fly? Aren't you supposed to be a teacher?"
"Oh yes, but magic works in mysterious ways."
Aurelius beamed at the crazy old man.
Aurelius stood beside his mother, coughing in the dusty shop. In front of them was a faded wooden counter, it looked as if the sunlight from the large windows at the front of the shop had stripped it of colour. Colette nudged Aurelius forward towards the counter. Cautiously, he walked towards it, pressing down on a small bell labeled "ring for assistance". It gave a curiously damp ring, despite the dry air.
"Hello? Hello?" A rough looking woman jumped up from behind the counter. She looked as if she had been woken from a restful sleep. "Ah, nice to meet you. I am Esmeralda, the wand maker extraordinaire! How can I help you?" Instead of offering her hand she rubbed her eyes and then turned her attention to her hair.
"I am looking for a wand." Aurelius smiled shakily, just a bit intimidated by the crazed looking woman as her hands tore through her curly, tangled hair.
Esmeralda looked at Colette, "Are you the kids mom?"
"Yes," Colette smiled.
"May I?" Esmeralda's eyebrow twitched upwards.
Colette slipped her wand from her sleeve into her hand and raised her arm, turning the point of the wand toward the dusty floor. Esmeralda circled Colette, her eyes gleaming as they carefully examined the wand.
"And do you mind casting?"
Colette flicked her wand towards the bell on the front counter and it flew into the air, stopping a few feet up. It floated straight back to its spot as Colette slowly lowered the tip of her want again.
"Core?"
"Unicorn hair."
"And the boy's father? Was his wand…?" Esmeralda asked quietly.
"11 inches, mahogany, pliable, phoenix wing feather"
With a glance at Colette, and not another word, Esmeralda turned away from her customers and walked behind a curtain into the back of her shop. Aurelius and his mother stood in the front of the shop awkwardly for a few minutes before she returned with a book the size of a small crate. From the sound the book made as it slapped on the counter, Aurelius guessed that Esmeralda was quite a bit stronger than she looked.
Esmeralda flipped open the cover of the book and ran her finger down the first page. Her eyes gleamed as they ran down the page with lightening speed. Finding what she was looking for, the dark haired woman leafed through a few pages before grabbing a large handful and turning them over. Her eyes gleaming again, she flipped a few more pages before stopping.
Before Aurelius could question her, her pale frame had slipped into the back area of her shop again. Returning seconds later, a little out of breath, the witch opened a long, narrow box and handed it to Aurelius. Glancing up at the shopkeeper, who look even more dusty and ruffled that she had when she had woken up, Aurelius grabbed the wand.
"Oh yes, that will definitely do." A devilish smile spread across the Esmeralda's haunting features.
"I dare say Mr. Blanchard, that the only limits of that wand are the limits you set for it," Esmeralda smiled fondly at the boy, "That will be 7 galleons please."
Colette handed the woman 7 galleons before rushing her child out the door and onto Paris' streets. It wasn't until Aurelius left the shop that he realized he had never given the crazy old woman his name.
Aurelius waited by the front door of his house. In just a few minutes, a carriage would be arriving to take him to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. He sat on his trunk, which was stuffed to the brim with books and clothes and equipment for the next year he would be spending at the boarding school in southern France.
"Well Aurelius, I believe it's here," Albus said with a sad smile as he looked from the living room window to his figurative nephew at the door, "Excited?"
"Anxious."
"I am sure you are." Colette said as she walked in from the kitchen to the living room. She walked over to her son with her arms open for an embrace.
Aurelius wrapped his arms around his mother. Letting go, Colette drew her wand and, with a flick, brought a book zooming towards her. Grabbing it, she handed it to her son. It was a normal looking leather bound book.
"Remember that book I told you about? It will really help you become a great wizard. You never know when the most obscure charm can save your life," Colette said kissing her son's forehead.
Dumbledore came over to Aurelius and placed a hand on his shoulder. Drawing his wand from his sleeve, he waved it at the door, opening it, and sent Aurelius' trunk out the door and into the awaiting carriage. He looked back at Aurelius, his blue eyes twinkling.
"Remember what we discussed? Yes? Good," the old coot didn't give Aurelius time to respond.
" 'Bye Aurel. Have a good semester! Write often! See you at Christmas break!" His mother cried while the pair practically pushed him out the door to the magical carriage in the driveway.
Aurelius took three deep breaths as he walked towards the carriage. He turned back, waved at his mother and uncle, and then climbed into the blue and gold carriage with his new book in hand.
Aurelius walked in the large front entrance of the elegant palace that was Beauxbatons. His shoes clicked and squeaked on the shiny marble floors as he walked with the other first year students following Mr. Rousseau, the deputy Headmaster, up a grand staircase. The group turned sharply and walked through a door to the right of the grand staircase and down a narrow hallway with many doors and even more portraits. After a sharp turn left, the group came to a stop.
"Well, first years. I realize that you are probably all hungry and quite excited but we have simple ceremony for you to participate in before you can take your seat. They Headmistress will, of course be addressing you as well. Make sure you pay attention and show respect to her," Professor Rousseau glanced at a door in front of him before turning back to his students "Stay here and stay quiet while I check where we are with tonight's program."
As soon as the wiry, black-haired man slipped through the wooden door in front of him the first year students burst into whispers. Aurelius smiled awkwardly at the few other students who looked at him from the crowd.
"Okay," said the deputy headmaster, his voice cutting clearly through the crowd as he slipped back through the door, "The Headmaster asked me to remind you not to be nervous, nearly everyone in the Glass Palace has participated in the same ceremony."
Aurelius gulped. Having no relatives who had attended Beauxbatons in the past, he had no idea what to expect when it came to initiation to the school. His mother had mentioned some kind of sorting ceremony at Hogwarts, but his uncle Albus was quite sure that Hogwarts was the only school that had such an "ingenious method" of organizing students. Aurelius had imagined all sorts of horrors; fighting trolls, writing tests, being forced to eat cockroaches and flobberworms, and now the whisperings of the other first years only heightened his anxiety. They sounded just as worried as he felt.
Shortly, the first years were ushered into the Grand Hall. It was large and spacious, with three long tables running down the length of the room. A table, which was quite a work of craftsmanship in Aurelius' opinion, ran down the width of the front of the hall, adjacent to where the first years were entering. At that table, which climbed up steps near the centre, sat most of who Aurelius assumed were professors. A tall, elegantly beautiful woman stood in front of the table. She stood straight and seemed to have just finished addressing the large crowd of older students when the first years entered. She turned gently to face the new students as they filed in front of her, between the older students and the staff's table.
"Welcome, first years, to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. We are pleased to have you here. Before you seat yourselves, please, we must first sort you into Estates." She turned to Mr. Rousseau, who was standing near a round-looking object that was covered with a thick fabric cloth. "If you would please, Deputy Headmaster."
"It would be my pleasure." With a small bow of the head the Professor Rousseau turned to the concealed object. He grabbed the fabric, and with a flourish he tossed the cloth to the floor behind an elegant mirror.
The mirror rose to about the height of Professor Rousseau's head, and stood upon silver legs. Its mirror surface was gleaming, the intricate design of flowers and trees that surrounded the mirror surface were tarnished and gray.
The first years gasped in surprise the ancient and beautiful mirror while the older students smiled and laughed. Aurelius sighed under his breath and thought he could here his fellow classmates do the same.
"This is the Divine Mirror of Bourbon. It is said to determine our destiny. It will tell you to which Estate you belong. That Estate will be your family, and you will live with your fellow Estate members for the rest of your time at Beauxbatons. You will, of course, study and socialize with all Estates." Rousseau paused, having been eying the mirror. His gaze once again found the first years and he said "Now, on with the sorting."
Aurelius gulped, his through hard and his stomach churning. He was near the end of the middle of the casual line that the first years had formed and was glad that he did not have to rush into the decidedly intimidating task of looking into the mirror. Instead, he was blessed with the opportunity to stand and dread his encounter with the mirror for what seemed like hours. Even the tall, elegant woman had taken her seat. Aurelius had determined her to be the Headmistress, as she sat at the head of the table.
"Don't look so worried," a quiet voice whispered in Aurelius' ear.
"I am not worried, I am terrified," Aurelius whispered back, turning his head to the blond hair boy behind him.
"Right. Well, if I had your face I would dread looking in the mirror too," the boy behind him laugh quietly to himself. "I am Claude, nice to meet you."
"Is that so? Well, I don't know what your mother has been telling you, but I hope you aren't too surprised when you get up there. I'm Aurelius."
"What Estate do you want to be in?"
"I would have to say…the best one?"
"Well, that is a matter of opinion," the blond haired boy turned and nodded his head towards the older students' tables, "All my sisters are in Puissance, but I would rather not go there."
"Oh. Um…. What are the Estates?"
"Your parents didn't tell you? Hm," Claude gave him a quizzical look, "The three Estates are Amour, Puissance, and Sagesse" Claude pointed to the corresponding Estate table as he educated the boy in front of him. "My sisters say that the only house that could ever accept me is Amour, but I know I could make it into Sagesse."
Aurelius smiled at the blonde boy, " I am sure that you can. The only limits of our abilities are the limits we set for ourselves."
"I hope the Divine Mirror of Bourbon knows that," Claude returned Aurelius' smile before being distracted by one of the older students waving at him. Aurelius turned briefly to see a blond haired girl waving at Claude from the crowd. Taking the opportunity to end conversation, Aurelius turned back to face the front of the line.
The number of people in front of him had shrunk dramatically, and Aurelius was feeling slightly less apprehensive. He silently thanked the boy behind him for their whispered conversation. If Claude had purposefully talked to him to distract him and calm him down, then Aurelius thought that he was definitely smarter then he looked.
"Blanchard, Aurelius."
There was a gasp, before a rush of whispering flowed over the new and old students in the Grand Hall. Even some teachers turned their heads toward Aurelius, as he approached the mirror. More people had been paying attention to the sorting then Aurelius had thought.
He stepped casually towards the mirror, looking towards the ground. When he reached it, and he could see its metal legs, Aurelius turned his head up towards its reflective surface. The first thing he saw was his own startling green eyes, eyes that even scared him on occasion. He glanced at his black hair, short from his mother's insistent "back-to-school-even-though-it-is-your-first-year" haircut. Then, as suddenly as he saw himself, Aurelius saw someone whispering in his ear.
Writing appeared on the mirror's surface.
I am unseen.
I see all, but show only what I show. What do you seek to know?
"Okay, I am going to take a wild guess and say that you can read my thoughts. I guess I would like to know a lot of things. I think I am supposed to ask you what Estate I should be placed in?" Aurelius thought
The writing faded and Aurelius briefly thought that the mirror was not working, or that it somehow refused to answer his question. Before he turned away, an image of a ghostly white bird appeared in the mirror, made of the same white dust that the words seemed to form from.
There are many things you need to know, but time is running short. Your Estate will lead you to there, to where you need to go. Make haste, but do not rush.
The words were once again swept away from just below the surface of the mirror, as if from wind. Aurelius, sensing his "conversation" with the mirror was over, walked towards the table on the left of the Grand Hall. He smiled and offered Claude, who was behind him in the line a thumbs up as he passed by.
Aurelius watched silently as he sat with his new fellow Estate members. He had seen Claude walk to the table on the other side of the Grand Hall, the table he had pointed out as the Amour table. Now, the last first year was standing in front of the Divine Mirror of Bourbon. The tall, dark haired girl twirled around with a flourish a few moments later and glided towards the middle table, the table for the Estate of Puissance.
"Ah, and so the mirror will be stored away until another time" the Headmistress had risen from her seat and used while Rousseau once again covered the mirror, "Again, welcome. Tomorrow classes shall start, but tonight we shall dine. So take this opportunity to reconnect with friends, and connect with new ones. I encourage you all, throughout the year, to connect with people from outside your Estates and other social groups. You will often find what you seek in the last place you look."
Aurelius smiled at the Headmistress as platters of food and drink appeared on all of the Estate's tables. The students in the Grand Hall erupted with noise. Laughter from older students and screams of fright from first years overwhelmed the chatter as a dozen ghosts floated up from the ground of the Grand Hall.
Professor Diderot, the Head of the Sagesse Estate, led his students down a long, wide hallway. The walls were cream coloured, and ornamented. Aurelius' eyes caught those of every portrait they passed.
"Your dormitories are situated in the left annex. The Tower of Voltaire. I believe that you will find it accommodating. Curfew is, as I continue to remind some of you, 10 o'clock for fifth years and below, and 11 o'clock for sixth years and above. Estate rules and responsibilities are posted on the bulletin board in the common room, which you should check regularly to remain updated on school events and Estate news. We shall have an assembly this weekend, and expect an Estates General sometime before the end of the month," He paused as he opened a door and lead the students outside, down steep and narrow steps. He pointed to a tall tower, visibly only in the moonlight, situated at least 800 metres away in the gardens of Beauxbatons, "The older students will show you the path. I pray that you do not step off of it. Good night," he finished, speaking to the first years.
Aurelius followed the heard of students as they traveled into the gardens, away from the light that flooded out from the door of Beauxbatons. The night was thick, and seemed to swallow his fellow classmates if they did not follow closely enough. Brisk air floated around the students as they came to the base of a colossal tower.
A student walked forward and seemed to melt into the wall of the tower. More followed him, and soon Aurelius found himself at the landing of a long circular staircase. Climbing up all 387 steps, Aurelius came to an antechamber, of sorts. On the far wall was a table, with a single piece of parchment and a quill sitting on it. Aurelius noticed that the only students left in the antechamber were first years.
"What is going on?" Aurelius asked the small crowd of students huddled around the table.
"We gave to answer the question, and if we answer it correctly we can enter the common room," a girl answered thoughtfully, eyeing the other students working at the table, "But there is only enough ink to answer once."
"What happens if we answer incorrectly?"
"Then we do not earn the title of Sagesse. Without wisdom we will not win."
"But the wisest man can not answer every question."
"And not every question is meant to be answered."
Aurelius smiled at the dark haired girl before pushing through the other first years to reach the table. On the table, the parchment looked worse-for-wear after being manhandled by at least a dozen eager Sagesse. On the parchment, in elegant and flowery writing, was a riddle.
This a man makes, he does not want. This a man buys, without his own need. This a man needs, though he does not know.
Aurelius blinked. He was positive that his uncle Albus or his mother would be able to answer the riddle without a second thought. Picking up the quill, Aurelius scrawled an answer across the parchment.
AN: Awesome! Second installment =) I think it will be a bit slow going now that he has entered Beauxbatons….I have a lot that I need to work in before…shit happens. =)