CHAPTER 814: CHAPTER 814: BEAUXBATONS

Fleur had looked furious when she left, but in truth, she was quite pleased... pleased for Kanna.

From her perspective, Kyle’s behavior just now easily scored an eighty. Even with her standing right there, his eyes never strayed from Kanna.

That was a rarity.

At least when it came to looks, Fleur had always been confident—and equally dismissive of everyone else.

She had good reason to be. A Veela’s bloodline was as absurdly powerful as the Elder Wand.

Back in the shop, she hadn’t held back her natural allure at all, yet Kyle still paid her no mind.

She felt a slight sting of defeat, sure, but more than that, she was genuinely happy for Kanna.

Aside from her younger sister Gabrielle Delacour, Kanna was probably her best friend... even if they hadn’t known each other that long.

Despite her fame in France—as a celebrated Beauxbatons alumna and Triwizard Tournament Champion—Fleur didn’t have many friends.

Being half-Veela had granted her breathtaking beauty, but it came at the cost of meaningful friendships.

She’d had plenty of admirers at school, of course, but most of them were driven by desire. The rest were interested in the Delacour family’s name—or both.

The Delacours were fairly well-known in France and had a close relationship with Madam Maxime. Naturally, many people tried to get close.

As for the girls, most were more jealous than friendly.

Thanks to the cautious, sensitive instincts of her Veela heritage, Fleur could easily sense the malice hidden beneath polite smiles.

After experiencing it so often, she’d gradually lost interest in making friends. Most of the time, she kept to herself at school... at least until people started swarming around her.

Fleur wandered the streets aimlessly for over ten minutes. To avoid drawing too much attention, she slipped into a bookstore and passed the time reading in a corner.

She didn’t know how long she’d been there when the light in front of her was suddenly blocked.

"I’ve been looking all over for you. What are you doing here?" Kanna stood in front of her, glancing down at the cover of the book in her hands.

The Magical Journey to the Mountains of the Moon.

"I didn’t know you were into books like that."

"I’m not," Fleur said, sliding the book back onto the shelf beside her. "But it beats interrupting your heart-to-heart."

"Not bad. You’ve got good instincts," Kyle nodded. "Makes all the time and effort I spent researching that hair tonic for you worth it..."

Fleur had the sudden urge to hit him again, but they were in public. She had to uphold the Delacour image.

"Shut up," Kanna muttered, giving Kyle a light kick.

"We want to go out for a bit. Come with us," she said.

"Go out?" Fleur blinked, thinking she must have misheard.

Did Kyle not realize how he’d gotten here? He’d entered the country illegally! If he got caught, he’d be arrested!

A casual chat indoors would have been fine—why take it outside? Was he trying to get noticed?

"Relax."

Kyle didn’t even need to guess what she was thinking. He replied immediately, "The Aurors won’t catch me. I’m not some notorious Dark wizard—no one’s watching me. As long as we don’t go shouting in the streets, we’ll be fine."

"Besides, it’s not every day I come to France. I want to look around. Think of it as a vacation."

"Ha. Suit yourselves." Seeing the two of them on the same page, Fleur didn’t bother trying to change their minds.

Even if Kyle did get caught, the Delacour family had more than enough influence to get him out. If that failed, there was still Madam Maxime.

Just like Kyle said—he wasn’t exactly a household name.

Maybe he was famous in England, but this was France. Who here even knew who Kyle was? If it weren’t for the Triwizard Tournament, she wouldn’t have known him either.

For such a "perfectly average" wizard, springing him wouldn’t be that hard. At most, it would cost a hefty pile of Galleons.

Of course, she wouldn’t be the one paying... Kyle had money.

"Where do you want to go?" As they stepped out of the bookstore, Fleur immediately put on a wide-brimmed sun hat, shading her face beneath the brim.

"First stop’s definitely Beauxbatons," Kyle said without hesitation.

Coming to France without visiting Beauxbatons was like going to England and skipping fish and chips—missing the most iconic part.

"Good choice. Madam Maxime actually mentioned you to me a few days ago. We can go see her together," Fleur nodded.

"Wait here for a bit." She glanced around, then walked into a nearby shop.

"What’s she doing?" Kyle asked curiously.

Kanna shook her head.

Even though she’d been in France for a while, she didn’t know much more about the area than Kyle did. All she could make out from the shop sign was something like... Madam Serile’s Travel Essentials?

At least, that’s what it seemed to mean.

They didn’t have to wait long. After about five minutes, Fleur returned—with a rug in her hands.

"What are you buying a carpet for?"

"You British wizards really are clueless," Fleur said with a look of disdain. "That’s not a carpet—it’s a flying carpet."

"With your status, you can’t use Apparition or ride a magical carriage. And we can’t exactly take broomsticks to Beauxbatons, can we?"

"Follow me." She led them to a fenced-off area beside Gringotts, opened it, and spread the flying carpet out on the ground.

"Get on already. What are you waiting for? It’ll be dark soon."

Kyle quickly stepped onto the carpet and sat down, with Kanna following right behind to sit beside him.

No one could tell what Fleur did, but the carpet immediately lifted into the air and shot forward at high speed.

It was Kyle’s first time using this kind of transportation. He patted the carpet in front of him. Even though they were airborne, it felt just like sitting on solid ground—there was no sense of being suspended at all.

"You really went all out," Kyle said in amazement. "I didn’t expect you to go out and buy a whole means of transport just because we had a sudden idea."

"Instead of saying all that, why not just give me the money for the carpet?" Fleur said without even turning her head.

"Oh, don’t be so distant." Kyle looked away. "Talking about money just ruins the mood. And besides, I can’t take it with me anyway."

"Can’t take it with you... Oh, right. I remember flying carpets are banned where you live?" Fleur asked from up front.

"Yeah. This is my first time riding one," Kyle replied.

In the British Ministry of Magic, flying carpets were classified as banned contraband and couldn’t be traded. As a law-abiding wizard, he’d never had the chance to try one before.

"You lot are really strange," Fleur said, unable to help herself. "Why ban such a convenient mode of transport? Flying carpets are far more comfortable than oversized broomsticks. In France, they’re the most popular way to get around."

"It’s kind of an oversight," Kyle said after thinking for a moment. "Carpets were registered as Muggle handicrafts a long time ago, and enchanting them was banned."

"So as long as they’re flying in British airspace, it’s illegal. And changing a law is a massive hassle. It’s just a means of transport—maybe the Ministry doesn’t think it’s worth the effort."

"Tch." Fleur clicked her tongue but didn’t say anything more.

Just like how England had dedicated Floo Networks, France seemed to have specific paths designated for flying carpets. Not a single Muggle looked up at them along the way.

Although Kyle didn’t find the carpet particularly fast, it only took them about an hour to reach the Pyrenees, far from Paris.

This was where Beauxbatons was located—also known as the magical garden hidden in the mountains.

Fleur continued steering the flying carpet forward, soaring over peaks and cutting through heavy clouds, heading deeper toward the heart of the mountains.

Eventually, the carpet came to a stop atop the tallest nearby peak.

"We’re here," Fleur said with a touch of pride, pointing ahead. "That’s Beauxbatons."

Following her finger, Kyle saw a vast estate nestled within the mountains. Yes, an estate—Beauxbatons itself looked like an elaborately shaped mountain peak.

It was the largest place he’d ever seen—larger than Hogwarts... assuming you didn’t count the Forbidden Forest.

"How does it feel?" Fleur asked.

"It’s more beautiful than Hogwarts," Kyle said.

And he meant it. Hogwarts had its magic inside, but from the outside, it just looked like an old castle—sometimes even a bit spooky at night without any lights.

But Beauxbatons was much grander. At a glance, it was a dazzling blend of gold and blue, with buildings far more intricately designed.

The most striking feature was the enormous fountain in front of the castle—the grandest he had ever seen. Its water jets could shoot nearly fifty feet into the air, then cascade down in perfectly even layers, forming seven massive circular veils of water.

Each of the seven layers had its own distinct color, forming a spherical rainbow. Around it flew three winged horses made of water, soaring through the air.

Compared to that, the fountain at the Ministry of Magic looked like an upside-down tap—uninspired and ugly.

"Everyone who sees Beauxbatons for the first time says that," Fleur said with a smile. "Come on, I’ll take you inside."

"Can we go in just like that?" Kyle asked. "You’ve already graduated, and we’re not even students."

"Normally, no—but you’re an exception," Fleur said. "If you wanted, you could officially become a professor at Beauxbatons tomorrow."

"Tempting," Kyle said with a grin. "If Hogwarts ever gets taken over by You-Know-Who, I’ll think about it."

"A very direct refusal," Fleur said. She clearly understood what he meant but didn’t take it to heart.

After all, she’d already graduated. The one who wanted to recruit Kyle was Madam Maxime.

"Stick close to me and don’t wander off. I don’t want to have to come find you." Standing at the peak, Fleur took a step forward—and suddenly dropped like a stone, vanishing into the clouds below.

"Kanna, don’t move. Let Kyle jump first, I’ll come get you in a minute." Fleur’s voice echoed faintly from the air, growing quieter as she fell.

Not that Kanna needed the warning. The moment she saw what happened, her face turned pale and she instinctively stepped back.

Even though she knew it was some kind of magical entrance—like the wall at Platform 9¾—jumping from this kind of height wasn’t exactly easy to accept.

Did Beauxbatons really count as a proper school with an entrance like this?

Besides, this wasn’t how she’d gotten in last time.

Just as Kanna hesitated, she felt someone grab her hand.

"It’s okay, Fleur did it on purpose," Kyle said softly to reassure her.

"On purpose?"

"Yeah, it’s just a large magical illusion—a kind of protective mechanism for Beauxbatons. Even the ground we’re standing on isn’t a real mountain."

Kyle took Kanna’s hand, led her a few steps to the left, then circled around a pine tree and stopped in front of a massive boulder.

"This is the spot," Kyle said. "Go forward."

Kanna instinctively stepped ahead.

And then, everything around her changed. The once-barren mountaintop transformed into two towering stone pillars carved with statues. She now stood between them—right in the middle of the Beauxbatons gate.

"Kyle, have you been to Beauxbatons before?" Fleur’s voice came sharply from not far away.

"No," Kyle said, appearing beside Kanna.

"Then how did you know the way?"

"I’ve never been here, but I’ve read a lot of books on alchemy. I’ve also visited Nicolas’s estate."

Kyle stepped forward and tapped the eye of the Thunderbird statue carved on the pillar—it was a dazzling sapphire.

"This is a classic alchemical defense item. There’s one just like it at the entrance of Nicolas’s estate. Combined with the runes on its body, it can conceal everything within the area," Kyle explained casually.

In fact, the entrance to Nicolas’s estate had the exact same setup.

The eyes of the two dragon statues there were also made of these alchemical gems, and their scales were etched with specially designed magical runes.

Anyone who entered without Nicolas’s permission would find themselves lost in a dense fog.

From an outsider’s point of view, they’d be wandering in circles until the two alchemical dragons stomped them flat.

The one here wasn’t quite as advanced.

Kyle ran his fingers over the patterns on the Thunderbird’s wings... They were just basic protective runes. Judging by the flow of magic, they weren’t nearly strong enough to animate the statue.

"Tch..." Fleur pouted in frustration. "Why does a Hogwarts student know so much about alchemy?"

"Knowing more never hurts," Kyle said with a smile. "Came in handy, didn’t it?"

"Stop showing off."

Her carefully planned little revenge had been effortlessly exposed by Kyle, and that left Fleur rather annoyed. She turned away and started walking forward.

"This time, stick close to me," she said. "Beauxbatons isn’t like Hogwarts, where the only staff is a non-magical caretaker. If you’re caught here, they’ll kick you out."

"So sticking with you means I won’t be expelled?" Kyle asked.

"Of course," Fleur replied. "If you’re caught with me, you won’t just be expelled. You’ll be sent straight to the Ministry of Magic—charged with illegal entry into Beauxbatons."

Kyle froze. "That sounds worse than being expelled."

"I know," Fleur said nonchalantly. "That’s why I’m taking you through a path almost no one knows, one that leads straight to Madam Maxime’s office."

She stepped up to the fountain and, without hesitation, jumped in.

Having learned from before, Kanna instinctively glanced at Kyle.

"This time it’s real, not a magical illusion," Kyle said with a shrug.

"You can tell?" Kanna asked.

"No," Kyle replied. "The fountain itself is a large alchemical construct. Even if there were traps inside, I wouldn’t be able to detect them."

"Then how are you so sure?"

"Because Fleur didn’t make me go first this time," Kyle said offhandedly. "Since she didn’t warn you either, it means there’s no danger. So we’re fine."

With that, he followed and jumped in. The colorful fish in the fountain, startled, darted away in all directions.

Cool droplets splashed onto him as he fell—but he didn’t land in water.

The inside of the fountain was hollow. It felt like he passed straight through the water and landed in a tunnel.

Smooth marble walls lined the passage, with a few glowing stones casting a bright light across the space.

Above him was the rippling surface of the pool, as though he was seeing it from beneath. Kyle reached up and easily touched the water.

It hovered peacefully overhead. Even the droplets he’d brought down gently floated back up after a moment, rejoining the surface as if nothing had disturbed it.

"Now this is a magical passageway," Kyle couldn’t help but say in awe.

In that moment, he truly felt Hogwarts didn’t measure up. Not only did it lack the elegance of Beauxbatons, even its secret tunnels weren’t this magical...