Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Thursday
Hadrian looked up from his book as Jaecen and Amelie shuffled downstairs into the Common Rooms, both looking like zombies.
"Hey guys." Hadrian greeted, grinning. "Coffee's on the snack table."
"Thank fuck." Amelie groaned as she made a beeline for it, while Jaecen just blinked before rubbing his eyes with a wide yawn.
"It's too early for this." Jaecen muttered.
"And whose idea was it to stay up past two in the morning?" Hadrian raised an eyebrow.
"Oh shut up." Jaecen said tiredly. "Amelie and I needed that study session."
"You'll be lucky if you remember any of it by this afternoon." Hadrian laughed as Jaecen plopped down at his table. "Cramming last minute and then missing sleep right before the exam? Good luck."
"Charms isn't that hard anyway."
"Then why did you need a last minute study session?"
"He's got you there Jae." Amelie sighed as she approached, clutching her coffee mug like a lifeline.
"I'm being targeted." Jaecen said, eyes narrowing playfully as he glanced between Hadrian and Amelie. "This is bullying."
"If that's what you wanna call honesty." Hadrian laughed.
"By the way Hadrian, you forgot to practice your Healing spells last light." Jaecen yawned.
"Ouch!" Hadrian yelped as a Stinging Hex hit him in the ankle. "What the hell, how did you even do that?"
"He's got his wand up his sleeve." Amelie grinned into her coffee mug. "His hands and sleeves are, coincidentally, hidden in his lap under the table."
"You haven't done your Healing practice this morning either." Jaecen added. Hadrian huffed, annoyed.
"I'll do it after lunch alright?" Jaecen narrowed his eyes, but he did nod. "Thank you." Hadrian rolled his eyes as Jaecen scowled. Glancing at his watch, Hadrian climbed to his feet. "Alright everyone, let's head down to breakfast!"
"Firsties, we got all the firsties?" Hadrian saw Gianna standing on a chair and counting heads. "Great! Alright then, let's go!"
"I think I'd hate being a Prefect." Amelie sighed as they left the Common Room. "Too much work. You start patrols next week, right?"
"Yep." He confirmed. "Heiress Belmont and I worked out a schedule and everything during the collective Prefect meeting."
"Ah right, I forgot about that." Amelie blinked. "Interesting."
"Nothing Prefects do is interesting." Jaecen said, more awake as they walked down several flights of stairs. "It's just extra responsibilities for the smart kids."
"Hey, there's lots of smart kids who aren't Prefects." Hadrian grinned, bumping Jaecen's shoulder. "Like you."
"Oh bug off." Jaecen shoved him with a wide grin, making Hadrian laugh brightly. "Anyway, Amelie's planning on being stupid today."
"Oh?" Hadrian raised an eyebrow.
"I'm testing my nymph theory." Amelie grinned, "I'll disturb them three times, and then loudly apologize each time. I'm sure it'll be fine, apologizing fixes everything."
"You're practically asking for retaliation." Hadrian warned her, "So don't be shocked when dead mice end up in your bedsheets."
"It'll be fine." Amelie repeated, waving him off. "You'll see."
They headed into the Dining Chamber and chose their seats, standing and waiting. Once Madame Maxime had strolled along the dais and taken her seat, so did they. As usual, the nymphs started to sing.
Hadrian opened his book, one eye watching Amelie begin to eat nonchalantly, and started making himself a plate of food.
His book was good. It was a journal published during the time of the Founding of Hogwarts. The four Founders were featured in the book, but it wasn't exactly about them. The author mainly focused on the other Wizarding schools of the world, and then compared them to Hogwarts.
For example, Mahoutokoro. Mahoutokoro is a Wizarding school in Japan, located on the top of a volcano. Their students could begin schooling as young as seven years old, and younger years are only students during the day. They're ferried to and from school like a Muggle school bus and don't stay overnight. The problem is, Mahoutokoro is the only Wizarding school in the entirety of Asia.
Similarly, there was only one school in all of Africa. It was called Uagadou, and they didn't use wands! Apparently wands were created in European culture, and Africans use their hands instead, pointing and gesturing with their fingers to create magic. It was the largest school in the world, but surely they couldn't fit every magic child in all of Africa, right?
Don't even get Hadrian started on Castelobruxo! In the middle of a Brazilian jungle protected by ancient spirits called Caiporo. The students mainly focused on Herbology and Magizoology. The grounds look like plain old ruins out in the middle of a jungle, hidden in plain sight. Hogwarts in comparison was completely idiotic!
Hogwarts has no protections aside from its anti-muggle wards, and apparently Europe needed three schools while whole ass continents only needed one! Was this because Europe sought to dominate by massing thousands of Wizards in one place? Was it simply coincidence? Were there genuinely fewer Wizards in the rest of the world?
The author believed that the other schools must be much bigger. Instead of several hundred kids at a time, they must have thousands at each time, maybe more. Imagine every magical person in all of Asia squeezed into one school? It was a little ridicu– CRASH.
One minute Hadrian was reading, the next minute he was damn near jumping out of his skin as Amelie threw a plate to the ground. It shattered.
The nymphs' beautiful lilting voices broke off, and half the students in the hall inhaled sharply.
"Sorry!" Amelie called, nearly grinning. "My bad!"
There was a ringing silence that followed, and Hadrian resisted laughing at the expressions of their horrified Ombrelune Housemates. Henry, down the table, just looked so done with her shit. Like Hadrian, he probably never imagined Amelie would ever actually risk angering the nymphs.
Apparently they'd both overestimated her restraint and underestimated her impulsivity.
Slowly the nymphs began to sing again, and Amelie almost immediately threw another plate. Hadrian bit his lip as outrage replaced the shock in every one of the nymphs' faces.
"Sorry, it was an accident!" Amelie called. "Don't mind me, apologies."
"Real smooth." Jaecen muttered, nearly silent, only audible in the dead silence of the room.
Hadrian checked his watch and realized Amelie had chosen just then for a reason. Breakfast only had four more minutes left, so after she angered the nymphs she could literally flee the room.
When the nymphs started singing again, they were glaring at Amelie. The girl painted a completely innocent look on her face, but she did seem a bit nervous. The new tune was heavy, quiet as it echoed through the hall, and it was interrupted by Amelie throwing a glass at the floor.
One of the nymphs actually growled, and Amelie blinked in mildly horrified surprise. Well, if Hadrian wasn't sure before he definitely was now. Amelie was doomed.
"Breakfast is adjourned." Madame Maxime rose elegantly, and so did the students. Their Headmistress left the hall with her heels clicking against the marble loudly, and then Amelie practically sprinted for the door as soon as Madame Maxime was gone and the students were allowed to move.
"No regrets." Amelie exclaimed as soon as Hadrian had joined her outside the Dining Chamber. "That was exhilarating."
"Who knew Windswell liked flirting with stupidity?" Henry smirked as he walked up.
"I did." Hadrian raised his hand and shot Amelie a grin.
"Oh hush, it'll be fine." Amelie made a shooing motion, but both boys just continued to grin at her. "Anyway, what have you guys got today?"
"I have Drama in a few minutes." Hadrian said, checking his schedule. "Oh crap, it's on the third floor?"
"Oh they're sending you to the Year 4 room?" Henry glanced at the paper. "Yeah, that's it. Year 1 and 2 are here, on this floor, but Year 3 and 4 are up there."
"I hope you know I'm winning those 50 galleons." Jaecen narrowed his eyes at Hadrian.
"Not a chance." Amelie said before Hadrian could.
"We'll just have to see then, won't we?" Hadrian winked and then strode for the stairs. He had a bet to win.
—————
When Hadrian went down to lunch, slightly smug about his performance in Drama, he blinked in surprise when he caught sight of Amelie standing outside the Dining Chamber.
"Oh… they got you already?" Amelie just glared at him.
She was absolutely covered in mud and flowers. Literally, they were in her hair and all over her uniform and smeared across her face. Hadrian was trying so hard not to laugh. It wasn't working, if her expression was anything to go by.
"I don't want to talk about it." Amelie said through her teeth.
“Here let me help.” Hadrian wheezed, pulling out his wand. “Scourgify.” Nothing happened, and Hadrian blew out a breath as he tried not to laugh even harder.
“What?” Amelie snapped at him. “Are you going to actually cast or not?”
"Not!" Jaecen appeared, and he had no such qualms about laughing at her. "I wouldn’t do it either, Hadrian. Let her do it. Why haven't you cleaned yourself up if you're so embarrassed, Amelie?"
"She can’t." Hadrian's voice was strained as he tried not to laugh. "It’s mud from a nymph nest so it can't be removed magically. She'll have to actually shower and scrub it off."
"Well, good luck eating covered in that." Jaecen grinned without an ounce of sympathy. "This is what you get for messing with the nymphs' songs."
"I get it, I'm an idiot." Amelie glared at Jaecen, causing him to laugh harder. The mud on her face fell down her nose and dripped, which finally made Hadrian laugh too.
"Um, maybe you should go wash it off now." Hadrian wheezed as he tried to compose himself, "You can always eat in the Common Room. Ask the snack bar."
"I hate you both." Amelie snapped, and then she was storming off headed for the stairs. Hadrian and Jaecen took one look at each other and they were laughing again.
“Was that Amelie I just saw?” Trill asked, glancing over his shoulder at where Amelie had disappeared up the stairs.
“Yeah, the nymphs got their revenge.” Jaecen snickered.
“Already?” Trill blinked. “Wow, they must be livid. That’s the fastest they’ve ever retaliated.”
“Honestly, what was she expecting?” Hadrian smothered another laugh. “We warned her.”
“I don’t think she’d appreciate an ‘I told you so’ right now.” Trill grinned. Jaecen rolled his eyes.
“Well she’s definitely getting one from Henry.”
“Getting what from me?” Jaecen jumped as Henry appeared and raised an eyebrow at him.
“An I told you so moment.” Jaecen clarified.
“Ah, the nymphs got her?” Henry asked with a spark of amusement in his eye.
“She’s covered head to toe in nymph mud.” Hadrian grinned. Henry winced.
“Ouch.” Hadrian nodded in mock sympathy and seriousness, which made Henry laugh.
“By the way, Jaecen?” Hadrian gave his friend a sweetly innocent look that made Jaecen blink in surprise. “When my results come in, you might want to send an owl to your Vault for those galleons. That Mastery is mine by January.”
“But you said March!” Jaecen sputtered.
“Not my fault if I get it sooner.” Hadrian grinned, “Or, I guess it is, isn't it?” Hadrian sent Jaecen a pretty smile before entering the Dining Chamber and heading for the Ombrelune table.
—————
“Hey Sunny.” Hadrian smiled as he stepped forward with a hand outstretched. “Did you miss me?”
“Find a horse and mount up!” Mistress Flou called, “This is Level 3 Riding, so if you don't know how to mount up then you are in the wrong place. Level 1 is tomorrow, and Level 2 is on Saturday. With that, let’s get started.”
Hadrian smiled at his chestnut colored mare and stroked her muzzle fondly. Sunny tossed her head, and he laughed. Already saddled up and ready, Hadrian pressed his foot into the stirrup and swung himself up with ease. Patting her side happily, Hadrian looked out at the ground from his new vantage point.
Beauxbaton really was beautiful. From the stables, Hadrian could see nearly all of the palace. The stables were to the left of the greenhouses, which could be found outside the south exit on the main floor. Nothing had changed as far as Hadrian could see. The stables still had three different sections for their creatures: the winged horses that pulled the carriages, the regular horses for Riding classes, and then the thestral stables. Only a few of the Professors could see them, and even fewer students could. They were part of a high level Care of Magical Creatures unit. Year 6, Hadrian was pretty sure.
“Alright everyone, we’ll be taking a ride around the palace and back here to the stables.” Mistress Flou said. Hadrian blinked in surprise as he realized all of the other examinees were mounted up and ready to start. “What you're being tested on is form. It’s not a race, but I want you to push your horses and challenge yourself. Remain in control the entire time, and then we’ll move on to attempting jumps. Don't worry, all of the horses know what they're doing, you students are the ones who are more likely to muck it up. Understood? Let’s get going.”
Hadrian couldn’t help the grin that slipped onto his face.
It wasn’t the same as being on a broom, but it was close enough.