Chapter 814: Beauxbatons
Chapter 814: Beauxbatons
Furong left looking angry, but in truth, she was quite pleased...for Kona's sake.
Kyle's performance just now deserved a score of 80 in her book, especially since he hadn't taken his eyes off Kona even with her standing right there.
This was truly rare.
When it came to beauty, Furong was exceedingly confident, looking down on everyone else with equal measure.
And she had every right to be. Her Veela blood, like the ancient wand, gave her a strength that defied logic.
Back at the store, she hadn't held back her innate allure, yet Kyle had completely ignored it.
While she felt a slight twinge of frustration, she was mostly happy for Kona.
Aside from her sister, Gabriedela Coul, Kona was her best friend...despite their short acquaintance.
Despite Furong's fame in France and her status as a notable Beauxbatons alumna and Triwizard Tournament champion, she had very few friends.
Her Veela blood, which granted her breathtaking beauty, had also taken away her chance at normal friendships.
During her school days, she had countless suitors, but almost all of them had ulterior motives. Most were attracted solely by her looks, and the rest were interested in the Delacour family connections, or both.
The Delacour family held some renown in France and was closely associated with Madame Maxime, so naturally, many sought to curry favor.
On top of that, most girls harbored more jealousy than friendship towards her.
The cautious and sensitive nature of her Veela blood made her keenly aware of the malicious intentions hidden in their hearts.
Over time, her desire to make friends faded, and she usually kept to herself at school...at least until a crowd gathered around her.
Furong wandered aimlessly on the streets for over ten minutes. To avoid attracting too much attention, she stepped into a bookstore and browsed the shelves, killing time in a corner.
After an unknown duration, she noticed her view being obstructed.
"I've been looking all over for you. What are you doing here?" Kona stood before her, glancing at the cover of the book in her hand.
"The Magical Journey of Moon Mountain."
"I didn't know you liked this kind of book."
"I don't," Furong said, returning the book to the shelf. "But it's better than interrupting your heart-to-heart."
"Not bad, you have an eye." Kyle nodded, "It's worth the time and effort I spent researching fur conditioner for you."
Furong felt like hitting someone again, but since they were out in public, she had to maintain the dignified image of a Delacour.
"Shut up." Kona lightly stomped on Kyle's foot.
"We wanted to go out for a walk. Why don't you join us?" she said.
"Go for a walk?" Furong blinked, thinking she had misheard.
Didn't Kyle realize how she had arrived? She had entered the country illegally! If she were discovered, she could be arrested! Chatting indoors was one thing, but going out...was he trying to make her more conspicuous?
"Don't worry."
Kyle didn't need to guess to know what Furong was thinking. "The Aurors can't catch me, and I'm not one of those well-known dangerous dark wizards anyway. No one's watching me. As long as we don't advertise on the streets, we'll be fine."
"Besides, I rarely come to France, so I should take the opportunity to look around. Let's consider it a vacation."
"Fine, do as you please." Seeing that the two had made up their minds, Furong didn't bother to dissuade them further.
Even if Kyle were caught by the Aurors, the Delacour family had the means to get him out. And if that failed, there was always Madame Maxime.
As Kyle himself said, his notoriety was rather lacking.
Perhaps he was well-known in Britain, but this was France. Who knew who Kyle was here? If it weren't for the Triwizard Tournament, she wouldn't have known about him either.
Bailing out such an "ordinary" wizard wouldn't be difficult. At most, it would cost a large sum of galleons.
Of course, she wouldn't be the one paying...Kyle was rich.
"Where do you want to go?" As they exited the bookstore, Furong immediately donned a wide-brimmed sun hat, concealing her face in its shadow.
"Beauxbatons, of course," Kyle said without hesitation.
Visiting Beauxbatons in France was like eating fish and chips in Britain—it was a must to experience the local specialty.
"You have good taste. Madame Maxime mentioned you to me just the other day. We can go and see her together." Furong nodded.
"Wait here for a moment." She glanced left and right before stepping into a nearby shop.
"What's she doing?" Kyle asked curiously.
Kona shook her head.
Though she had been in France for a while, she wasn't any more familiar with the surroundings than Kyle. All she knew was that the sign above the shop Furong had entered read... 'Travel Essentials by Madame Selier'? Something along those lines, at least.
However, they didn't have to wait long. In about five minutes, Furong reappeared, carrying a carpet under her arm.
"After all, with your identity, you can't use Disapparition, nor can you ride in a magical carriage. We certainly can't go flying to Beauxbatons on broomsticks."
"Follow me." She led the two of them to a cordoned-off area next to Gringotts, unfurled the carpet, and laid it on the ground.
"Take a seat, what are you waiting for? If we stay any longer, it'll be dark."
Kyle quickly sat down on the carpet, and Kona immediately took a seat beside him.
Then, without knowing what Furong did, the carpet floated up and swiftly flew forward.
This was Kyle's first time riding such a mode of transportation. He patted the carpet in front of him; even though they were now in mid-air, it still felt as if they were sitting on solid ground, with no sense of suspension at all.
"This must have cost a fortune." Kyle marveled, "I didn't expect you to specially buy a means of transportation because of our whim."
"Instead of saying that, why don't you give me the money you would have spent on the flying carpet?" Furong said without turning her head.
"Now you're being rude." Kyle turned his head to the side, "Talking about money hurts feelings, you know, and besides, I can't take this with me anyway."
"Can't take it with you... oh, that's right, I remember you guys don't have flying carpets over there." Furong asked from the front.
"No, we don't." Kyle replied, "This is my first time riding one."
In the British Ministry of Magic, flying carpets were prohibited items, and as a law-abiding wizard, he had naturally never experienced them.
"You guys are so strange." Furong couldn't help but ask, "Why ban such a convenient means of transportation? Flying carpets are surely more comfortable than oversized brooms, and they're the most popular mode of transportation in France."
"I suppose that's an oversight." Kyle thought about it, "Carpets were registered as Muggle artifacts a long time ago, and it's forbidden to cast spells on them."
"So, as long as this thing flies in British airspace, it's illegal. And the process of amending a bill is too cumbersome. It's just a means of transportation, after all, and the ministers probably didn't think it was necessary."
"Tsk." Furong clicked her tongue, but didn't say anything else.
Just like how Britain had dedicated broom lanes, France seemed to have designated paths for flying carpets, as not a single Muggle looked up at them during their entire journey.
Although Kyle felt that the speed of the flying carpet was nothing to write home about, they reached the Pyrenees Mountains, far from Paris, in just an hour.
This was also the location of Beauxbatons, like another name for it, a magical garden nestled among the mountains.
Furong piloted the flying carpet forward, flying over mountain peaks and through thick clouds, from the edge of the mountain range to its heart.
Finally, the carpet came to a stop near the tallest mountain in the area.
"We're here." Furong said proudly, pointing forward, "That's Beauxbatons."
Following her finger, Kyle saw that amidst the surrounding mountains was a huge estate.
Yes, an entire estate—Beauxbatons itself seemed like a peculiarly shaped mountain peak.
This was the largest place he had ever seen, even bigger than Hogwarts... of course, not counting the Forbidden Forest.
"What do you think?" Furong asked.
"It's more beautiful than Hogwarts." Kyle said.
This was the truth. The magical aspects of Hogwarts were mostly internal; from the outside, it looked like an ancient castle, and on dark nights without any lights, it could even seem eerie.
But Beauxbatons was much more impressive, with dazzling gold and blue colors at first glance, and the architecture was more intricate.
Especially the huge fountain in front of the castle, which was the most magnificent fountain he had ever seen. The water jet could reach a height of nearly fifty feet, after which the jet of water would spread out evenly at different heights, forming seven layers of huge circular water screens.
Even the colors of these water screens were different, with a total of seven, like a spherical rainbow. Surrounding this fountain were three soaring pegasi, also made of water.
Compared to it, the fountain at the Ministry of Magic looked like a tap that had been turned the wrong way, lacking both creativity and aesthetics.
"Everyone who sees Beauxbatons for the first time thinks so." Furong said with a smile. "Come, let me take you inside."
"Can we go in now?" Kyle asked, "You've already graduated, and we're not students here."
"Others wouldn't be able to, but you can." Furong said, "If you want, you can become an official professor at Beauxbatons tomorrow."
"That's tempting." Kyle smiled, "If Hogwarts is ever occupied by the mysterious man, I'll consider your proposal."
"What a decisive rejection." Furong said, naturally understanding Kyle's meaning, but she didn't mind.
After all, she had already graduated, and it was Headmistress Maxime who wanted to recruit him.
"Follow me, and don't take a wrong step, or I'll have to go looking for you." Furong stepped forward from the mountaintop, and her entire body suddenly plummeted, disappearing into a cloud layer.
"Kona, you stay still, let Kyle jump first. I'll come for you in a moment."
Even though she knew that this was some sort of magical entrance to Beauxbatons, similar to the pillar at Platform 9.
Knowing and actually jumping from such a height were two different things, and it was hard to accept this stimulating entrance method as that of a proper school.
Additionally, the last time she had visited, she hadn't entered this way.
Just as Kona hesitated, she felt her hand being grabbed.
"It's alright, Furong is just showing off," Kyle reassured her softly.
"Showing off?"
"Yeah, it's just a large magical illusion, a protective device for Beauxbatons, and even the place we're standing on isn't really a mountain."
Kyle led Kona to the left, walking a few steps before stopping in front of a large rock, with a pine tree beside them.
"This is it." Kyle said, "Walk forward."
Kona took an involuntary step forward.
Then, everything around her changed. The originally barren mountaintop transformed into two gigantic pillars, intricately carved with statues, and she now stood between them, right in the middle of the Beauxbatons entrance.
"Kyle, have you been to Beauxbatons before?" Furong's questioning voice rang out from a short distance away.
"Nope." Kyle appeared by Kona's side.
"Then how do you know the correct path?" Furong asked, curious.
"I've never been here, but I've read a lot of books on alchemy, and I've been to Nick's estate as well." Kyle replied nonchalantly.
He walked up to one of the pillars and patted the eye of a thunderbird statue, which was a dazzling blue sapphire.
"This is a classic protective alchemical item. Nick's estate has the same setup at its entrance, along with the magical runes on the body, which can hide everything within a certain range." Kyle explained casually.
In fact, the entrance to Nick's estate had a similar setup, with two fiery dragon statues. Their eyes were also made of alchemical gemstones, and their scales were designed with special magical runes.
Anyone who entered without Nick's permission would become lost in a thick mist.
From an observer's perspective, they would appear to be wandering in circles before being stomped on by the two alchemical dragons.
This one wasn't as advanced.
Kyle traced his fingers along the wings of the thunderbird, feeling only basic protective runes. From the flow of magic, it seemed insufficient to bring the thunderbird statue to life.
"Tsk..." Furong clicked her tongue in displeasure. "Why are you, a Hogwarts student, so knowledgeable about alchemy?"
"It's good to have a diverse set of skills." Kyle smiled, "And it came in handy, didn't it?"
"Stop showing off." Furong turned away, still annoyed that her carefully thought-out revenge plan had been so easily seen through by Kyle.
"This time, you really need to stick close to me." She said, "Beauxbatons isn't like Hogwarts, with just one non-magical caretaker. If they find you, they will expel you."
"So, sticking with you means I won't be expelled?" Kyle asked.
"Of course." Furong said confidently, "If you're found with me, you definitely won't be expelled, but instead, you'll be handed over to the Ministry of Magic for illegal intrusion into Beauxbatons."
Kyle's expression froze, "That's even worse than expulsion."
"I know." Furong said, unconcerned, "So, I'll take you on a route that not many people know about, which leads directly to Headmistress Maxime's office."
She walked up to the fountain and, without hesitation, jumped right in.
Having learned from the previous incident, Kona glanced at Kyle.
"This time it's for real, no more magical illusions." Kyle shrugged.
"How did you figure it out?" Kona asked.
"I didn't." Kyle admitted, "This fountain itself is a large alchemical item, and even if there were some small tricks set up inside, I wouldn't be able to detect them."
"Then how can you be so sure?" Kona pressed.
"Because Furong didn't ask me to jump first this time." Kyle explained casually, "The fact that she didn't warn you means that there are no risks here, so it's completely safe."
After saying this, Kyle jumped into the fountain as well, startling a few colorful fish that quickly scattered.
The falling water droplets felt cool on his skin, but Kyle did not sink into the water.
The fountain was hollow inside, and he seemed to pass right through the water, landing in a passageway.
The surroundings were made of clean marble, with a few spots emitting a bright light that illuminated the entire corridor.
Looking up, he saw rippling water above him, like a pool that had turned over. Kyle reached out and easily touched the water.
But it was calm and still, and even the droplets he had inadvertently brought down with him would, after a moment, float back up and merge with the water above.
"Now this is a magical secret passage." Kyle couldn't help but marvel.
In an instant, he felt that Hogwarts was truly inferior. Not only did it look shabbier than Beauxbatons, but even its secret passages lacked the magical flair of this place.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
