Chapter 392 Fleur Delacour
Seated to the right of Dumbledore in the front row was Madame Maxime, the headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, a remarkably tall woman.
Evan had only ever seen one person in his life he could compare her to - Hagrid! There was hardly any height difference between them.
Evan knew it was because they were both half-giants.
However, perhaps only because he was familiar with Hagrid, Madame Maxime seemed even more extravagant to him.
In the candlelight, Evan noticed Madame Maxime's beautiful olive-skinned face with a prominent nose and large, liquid black eyes.
Her hair was styled in a glossy bun at the nape of her neck.
She was clad from head to toe in black satin, adorned with opal jewelry sparkling at her neck and on her thick fingers.
With an elegant smile on her face, Madame Maxime courteously glanced at Sirius, who had just entered the Great Hall, and invited him to take the empty seat to her right.
Equally remarkable in the hall was Fleur Delacour, seated at the head of the students' bench.
She had long silver-blonde hair that cascaded down almost to her waist, looking exceptionally beautiful.
She resembled an adult version of Gabrielle, both being part-Veela. She had deep blue eyes and very white, even teeth. She was strikingly beautiful.
Likely due to regular exercise, Fleur was also in great shape. Her fair, wheat-colored skin looked exceptionally healthy. Despite wearing the same uniform as the others, she still stood out as the most striking among all the Beauxbatons students.
As expected, when Evan's eyes shifted from Madame Maxime, they landed on Fleur for the first time, marveling at her beauty.
There was an empty seat beside Fleur, reserved especially for Evan.
After Sirius was invited to the guests' table by Madame Maxime, she rose with a smile and gracefully walked towards Evan, inviting him to take his place.
"Hello, Evan Mason," Fleur reached out her hand and shook Evan's with a smile. "My name is Fleur Delacour, it's an honor to meet you!"
She spoke English with a slight French accent.
Fleur's voice sounded truly unique, slightly husky.
"Thank you, it's a pleasure to meet you too," Evan hastily replied, following Fleur to the seat next to her and sat down.
Before they could speak again, Madame Maxime stood up to address the gathering.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts, and our distinguished guests!" Madame Maxime said with a smile, gesturing towards Dumbledore beside her. "Tonight, with great joy, we welcome Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard in the world, who has come with his companions from Hogwarts to Beauxbatons. I hope and believe you will feel comfortable and happy here."
Applause filled the Great Hall. As Madame Maxime spoke, all the Beauxbatons students stood up.
They all glanced at Dumbledore, waiting to see what he was like.
But when Madame Maxime declared Dumbledore as the finest wizard in the world, Evan distinctly heard a hint of sarcasm.
He turned his head and saw several older students looking at him provocatively, their faces exuding arrogance and disdain, as if they were waiting to see his reaction.
With such people, Evan's chosen attitude was always to completely ignore them.
He turned his head as though he hadn't seen them.
Behind him, a flicker of disappointment crossed the boys' faces; they frowned and exchanged surprised looks at Evan's indifference.
Fleur observed the change in their expressions but remained composed and serene.
Her blue eyes gazed at Evan as if she hadn't noticed anything unusual.
Evan looked at her, and she smiled and blinked.
Evan wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but he could feel that Fleur's relationship with her Beauxbatons students was not very good.
Her classmates, especially the girls, kept their distance from her and maintained deliberate aloofness.
But at least, so far, she had been kind to Evan.
Or more precisely, she was very interested.
At the main guest table, Madame Maxime had finished her speech. Instead of sitting directly, she pulled out her wand and waved it gently.
A slight sound of music emerged from somewhere, and all the Beauxbatons students began to sing. The voices grew louder, and the Great Hall descended into a sea of music.
They sang a French song that Evan couldn't understand.
However, he could sense that the melody became lighter and more relaxed.
This song had that French character, like a tavern melody, sounding pleasant.
A few minutes later, after the song ended, Madame Maxime signaled for everyone to sit down.
As the banquet officially began, empty plates were filled with French cuisine, and all sorts of dishes were placed in front of Evan. He wasn't sure which dish to try first.
"You can try this Bouillabaisse. It has a delicious flavor. It's authentically French. I think it would be hard to find it in your country. You'll like it," Fleur said, pointing to a dish in front of Evan that resembled a seafood medley.
"Thank you!" Evan served himself a bowl and asked uncertainly, "That song that sounded nice earlier, is it your school's anthem?"
"In fact, it is Beauxbatons' anthem, and we sing it at the beginning of the semester or during important events," Fleur frowned and said, "But I don't like it. The melody sounds very light, but the lyrics are very tragic. This song has been passed down since the Middle Ages, how to put it, the style is rather dark…"
After the Bouillabaisse, Evan began to try an extravagant dessert. He didn't know the name of the dish because he had never seen it before.
"Evan, may I call you that?" Fleur said with a smile. "Actually, I often hear my little sister talk about you. You're her idol."
"We are loyal friends. We often write to each other since Christmas."
Evan looked at Gabrielle and noticed the girl looking back at him. He immediately lowered his gaze shyly when their eyes met.
He smiled at Fleur and said, "She mentioned you in her last letter."
"Oh, what did she say?" Fleur showed interest.
"She calls you the best sister in the world," Evan repeated Gabrielle's exact words, making Fleur laugh.
Usually, the two got along quite well.
The others at the long table seemed less happy, not to mention the provocative students.
Most of the remaining people were also dissatisfied with Fleur's exclusive attention to Evan.
Noticing this, Fleur also ignored all of them.
Evan's premonition was confirmed. Fleur and her classmates did not get along very well.
This didn't seem to be solely caused by his presence; it appeared that their relationship was like this even in normal times.