Chapter 584: Beauxbatons Academy of Magic
Chapter 584: Beauxbatons Academy of Magic
When Ivan and the others arrived, the entrance hall was already crowded with people. The prefects and Filch were working hard to maintain order.
"Don't push, everyone form a line!" Professor McGonagall shouted loudly, then turned her gaze to Ron and Parvati, reprimanding them sternly.
"Weasley, straighten your hat! And Miss Patil, remove that ridiculous ornament from your hair."
Ron hurriedly adjusted his hat, while Parvati, frowning unhappily, took off a large butterfly hair clip from the end of her braid.
Professor McGonagall then corrected a few more disheveled older students before addressing the crowd.
"Alright, everyone, follow me! First-years, please walk at the front..."
Under McGonagall's lead, everyone quickly formed a line and stood on the large lawn in front of the castle.
It was late October, and it was evening, making the air increasingly cold. A gentle cold breeze occasionally blew by, causing several young wizards, dressed lightly, to shiver in unison.
However, the slight chill did nothing to dampen their enthusiasm. Everyone eagerly looked towards the distant driveway or engaged in low discussions.
Even the prefects' repeated shouts couldn't quiet them down.
"It's almost six, do you think they'll arrive by train? Or maybe by flying broom?" Ron glanced at his watch, full of anticipation.
"Maybe they'll use a Portkey or Apparition. After all, it's such a long distance!" Harry speculated, remembering how international spectators had used Portkeys to attend the Quidditch World Cup.
Apparition could have a similar effect, assuming the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang could successfully perform this magic.
"It can't be Apparition! I read in a bit of Hogwarts history that the area around the castle is under an Anti-Apparition charm!" Hermione countered, then, thinking of something, added with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Only House-elves' magic isn't restricted. They can move freely within the castle to serve the wizards living here!"
Seeing Hermione about to bring up the topic of slave labor, Harry and Ron quickly turned away, pretending not to hear.
Ivan hurriedly changed the subject, pointing in the distance. "Stop talking, look over there. It seems the Beauxbatons people are here!"
Hermione and the others paused, then turned to look in the direction Ivan was pointing, seeing a faint black dot appearing on the horizon.
"What is that? A group of Thestrals?" Harry squinted, trying to see more clearly, but the distance was too great, and he could only guess.
The surrounding young wizards also noticed the unusual sight in the sky and looked up.
The black dot was growing larger, and soon everyone could clearly see a massive object breaking through the clouds, flying low over the Forbidden Forest and heading this way!
"Good heavens, what am I seeing? A castle flying in the sky!" a first-year student exclaimed in shock.
"Idiot, that's clearly a carriage, a flying carriage!" Ron excitedly corrected.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the massive object flew overhead.
It was a periwinkle carriage as large as a house, adorned with many lavish decorations, and a crest on the door that looked like two golden crossed wands.
The carriage was pulled through the air by twelve winged silver-maned horses.
These horses looked quite majestic, with blood-red eyes, and they were quickly bringing the carriage down.
A large shadow fell over the students below, and the young wizards in the front row hastily stepped back to avoid being hit. But before they could steady themselves, the ground shook violently as the massive carriage landed less than a meter in front of them.
Then, the carriage door opened, and a boy in a light blue robe jumped down, fumbling to open a golden spiral staircase. Following him, a middle-aged witch with an elaborate makeup stepped out of the carriage.
When the students saw her, they couldn't help but gasp, and even Ivan was taken aback!
This witch was incredibly tall!
Compared to the tallest old professor, Ivan thought she was about two Dumbledores high!
Among all the people Ivan had met, only Hagrid could compete with this witch in height.
A half-giant?
Ivan recalled Hagrid's explanation from the original timeline, though Madame Maxime, the headmistress of Beauxbatons, vehemently denied it. But it seemed likely now.
It was highly unusual for a normal person to grow that tall.
After all, the tallest person in the Muggle world didn't exceed three meters, while Hagrid and Maxime were over four meters tall!
As a wizard who had also obtained a magical creature bloodline, Ivan found Maxime intriguing.
His knowledge of bloodlines was limited, mostly derived from the book *Origins of Bloodlines* and various notes left by Slytherin.
Ivan thought he might find some breakthroughs with Maxime.
However, given her tall stature, Maxime's situation likely resembled Hagrid's, probably due to a close relationship between her parents and a giant, resulting in a half-giant.
According to *Origins of Bloodlines*, this was one of the lowest methods of obtaining a bloodline!
Such anomalies were mostly due to accidents, as few wizards had such extreme tastes.
He, Tom Riddle, and a distant ancestor of the Dumbledore family used much more advanced methods, using potions and pacts to harness the power of magical creatures and incorporate it into their own.
While Ivan was lost in thought, Dumbledore had already approached Madame Maxime with a smile, engaging her in polite conversation.
Behind them, over a dozen students descended from the massive carriage, all around eighteen or nineteen years old. Most were girls, each with striking beauty and dressed in elegant silk robes.
Ivan stared at them, trying to spot the legendary half-Veela.
However, a few Beauxbatons girls had their heads wrapped in scarves and headscarves, making it impossible for Ivan to identify Fleur. Instead, he noticed her younger sister, Gabrielle.
The little girl was short and stood out in the crowd due to her young age.
"Looking for something, Ivan?" Hermione suddenly interrupted his thoughts, her lips pursed and her expression less than pleased.
"Just taking in the scene, it's my first time seeing students from other wizarding schools!" Ivan smiled and turned his head back, responding smoothly.
(End of Chapter)
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