Chapter 389 Beauxbatons Academy Of Magic
"Beauxbatons Academy of Magic?!" Evan blinked. This was truly astounding news.
He had read about the school in countless magic books, but never did he think he would have the opportunity to come here.
Similar to Hogwarts, the locations of these renowned magic schools are concealed.
To ensure the students' safety and prevent secrets from being stolen, magic ministries and wizards in various countries have imposed incredible protective spells on each school.
This implies that finding a magic school without knowing the exact address is challenging.
Even if Muggles were to accidentally stumble upon it, all they would see is a pile of ruins.
There would be signs hanging at the entrance; DANGER, KEEP OUT, UNSAFE, and so forth.
Of course, these protective spells are equally applicable to uninvited wizards.
Evan only knew that Beauxbatons Academy of Magic was located in the south of France. Like Hogwarts, it is one of the three principal magic schools in Europe. It is renowned for its long history and its elegant and comfortable teaching environment. However, he did not know precisely where it was.
"Dumbledore brought us here seeking help, and Headmistress Olympe Maxime warmly welcomed us." Sirius smiled and said, "She is a very special witch, very formidable, and when you see her, you'll understand what I mean."
Indeed, like Hagrid, Madame Maxime was a half-giant.
This all sounded truly intriguing, but Evan's mind was elsewhere entirely.
He was thinking about Fleur and Gabrielle Delacour, who had been writing to him.
They were students at Beauxbatons. Gabrielle's letters had filled almost an entire large tin box, and Evan had never met her before.
In his mind, she should be a lovely girl with blond hair and blue eyes, a sweet smile, a young French witch, a quarter-Veela, with a strong French flair.
Unlike Hogwarts, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic requires young wizards to enter the school starting at the age of nine. The school is not divided into four Houses, only by the years. Gabrielle should be at the school now.
At the end of the semester, there should be no school holidays.
Regardless, Evan wanted to see the girl who had been writing to him. Furthermore, he wanted to witness for himself the magic preserved at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, about which he had read pertinent accounts in many magic books.
"Dumbledore said you would probably wake up today. I'll inform him of this. You should be with Nicolas Flamel."
Sirius stood up from his chair, smiled at Evan, and said, "You can go out for a stroll, but don't wander too far. There will be a feast at Beauxbatons tonight to welcome us!"
"Oh, I see," Evan promised, ready to go out for a walk.
He followed Sirius out of the room, only to have his eyes light up at the luxurious decor of the room extending into the school corridor.
In contrast to the black and rough stone walls of Hogwarts Castle, the corridor in front of Evan was entirely made of white marble with decorative patterns in gold and blue. Soft carpets were laid on the floor, and bright, beautiful crystal lights hung in the air.
The walls were painted with huge colorful murals, with the characters inside walking around.
On both sides of the corridor stood elegant statues, vases, and other ornaments, each of which was either an invaluable antique or a unique piece of art.
"To be honest, I was surprised myself when I first saw it!" Sirius was unsurprised by Evan's reaction. He said, "These affluent French!"
At the end of the corridor, Evan parted ways with Sirius. He gazed at the murals on the walls and exited the building through another empty corridor.
The warm June wind was blowing in front of Evan, and before him lay a wide garden.
It wasn't as magnificent as the huge Hogwarts castle. Beauxbatons resembled an astonishing mansion.
Inside was a French-style building, and everything around it had a different flavor.
It must have been situated at the top of a great mountain. Evan could see the expansive meadows and mountains around the school.
There was not a cloud in the sky, which looked like pure sapphire.
Evan took two steps forward. Outside the flower garden was a Quidditch field. The flag waving on it was the coat of arms of Beauxbatons. There were two golden wands crossed, each shooting three stars.
In French, Beauxbatons means "beautiful wands."
The shining river flowed along the edge of the Quidditch field, like a silver ribbon, and on the other side of the river was a dense virgin forest.
With red eyes and golden manes, the Abraxans, 'winged horses', lay lazily by the river. They were all very rare magical horses.
Evan's current location was simply the boys' dormitory. In the distance stood a building resembling a grand palace, which was the main body of the school.
In front of the palace was a magnificent golden fountain resembling the one in the Ministry of Magic's vestibule.
The figure on top was that of Nicolas Flamel, there to thank him for his donation to Beauxbatons in his youth. Much of the grounds and buildings were donations from Flamel.
Of course, all of this took place over 600 years ago.
What intrigued Evan was that apparently the fountain used a lot of knowledge related to alchemy. Although he didn't fully understand it, he could clearly feel that the spring water passing through the statue of Nicolas Flamel possessed a subtle magic.
These magical powers were astonishing and seemed to have healing and beautifying properties.
Evan couldn't resist the temptation to approach and study it closely, but quickly realized something was amiss.
He didn't know when they had appeared, but more and more Beauxbatons students were gathering around him.
Their light blue school uniform robes were all made of fine silk, contrasting with Evan's mostly black school uniform.
He could hear people's voices around him.
"Who is this boy?"
"Hogwarts!"
"The boy who came with Dumbledore and Sirius Black."
"He is very handsome. I heard he is that Evan Mason!"
"NO?"
"He seems a bit weak, not as strong as the rumors say."
Of course, these conversations were in French, and Evan didn't understand a word.
He felt like a prized animal in the zoo. What stressed him more was that most of them were girls.
They pointed at Evan and occasionally burst into laughter.