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"Do you think you will get chosen, Fleur?" Gabrielle, my 8-year-old sister, exclaimed as we boarded the carriage intended to be carried by flying horses to Scotland, where Hogwarts was located. Fleur smiled down at our youngest sibling and sat down at an open seat, us soon joining.
"I hope so. But if I do not, then that is okay too," said Fleur. Being the wise one between Fleur's younger sisters, I was able to see she was nervous about our journey to Hogwarts. She wanted to honor Beauxbatons with being selected, but there always had to be some sort of penetration holding her back. In Fleur's case, it was pure anxiety.
"Well, let us hope," I cut the silence. The two nodded as the remaining Beauxbaton students got loaded into the carriage. I waved over a certain boy who sat next to me.
"Why hello, Timothée," Gabrielle sniggered; Fleur tapped her arm as a warning. I ignored my sisters and smiled at Timothée, who brushed his lips against my cheek. My entire face flushed red at such a simple action.
"Hello, Tim," I mumbled, lacing my fingers with his own,
"How was your summer, Gabrielle?" Timothée asked my sister, who glowed in joy.
"Amazing! Our family got to visit America for the first time! Then we went to—" I drowned out Gabrielle's voice for the rest of the ride as she explained to my boyfriend about our eventful summer.
***
The carriage rumbled under us as we landed on the damp grass of Hogwarts. The horses who flew us here trotted in the direction a man was leading them. Everyone crowded around the few windows in the carriage and examined Hogwarts in awe. It was nothing like Beauxbatons. It was colored in blacks, greys, and browns. Not whites, blues, and metals like our own school. Thousands of windows were littered across every foot of wall space. Grand towers glossed the tops, and the most striking thing I noticed was the few stone courtyards at different school sections. They were so different compared to the rest that they stuck out like a sore thumb. I loved it.
From the looks of it, every Hogwarts student and professor was gathered outside. Nevertheless, the students were ushered inside before we stepped foot out of the carriage. Everyone formed a neat and formal line as we walked down the stairs, Headmistress Maxime being the last person. The professors all greeted us with kindness, only to rush inside. The last Hogwarts staff member remaining was Argus Filch, the caretaker.
Filch led us inside the castle, everyone having their eyes peeled open to try and admire as much as they could at once. There were beautiful paintings of famous witches and wizards around every corner. Ghosts occasionally flew by with a loud screech of excitement. And the dipping sun still shown through the large windows when we stopped outside a grand pair of doors.
Filch left us stranded outside the doors as he ran inside. I glanced down at Gabrielle then up at Fleur; both had reassuring smiles. I looked ahead of me to see Timothée a few rows ahead, whispering with one of his friends who had been one of the chosen students to accompany us here. Without knowing it, my facial expression changed from a nervous grin to a straight face.
A roar of activity was heard on the other side of the door as another voice tried to dial it down. Filch soon came sliding through the doors and behind us, greeting the students of Durmstrang. Some girls from our school began gossiping about a couple of attractive boys from the northern school, but no one caught my eye.
"But more of that later. For now, please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies and gentlemen of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and their headmistress, Madame Maxime," a strong pair of vocals called, and the doors opened. Everyone strutted in, dresses and suits in the Beauxbaton's favorite color of sky blue. The girls wearing matching hats while the boys wore white ties and golden cufflinks. All heads up in the air, and our poster stick straight with our hands behind our backs.
The group stopped, and the girls sighed while the boys turned around and bowed for them. Gabrielle began her gymnastics with me and Fleur doing elegant spins on both her sides. The other girls and boys repeated their previous actions before running to the front and splitting in half. Birds flew around them, which soon happened to my family. As we finished, the birds settled with our final bows.
The hall of Hogwarts students erupted in cheers, the boys drowning out their female peers. My sisters and I joined the group to the right, as did the rest of the school and the headmistress. The place we entered was just as gorgeous as the rest of the castle. Four large wooden tables were splitting up the students of different colored uniforms. A staff table was set at the front under a grand pain of glass. And the ceiling was decorated with candles and dressed to look like the night sky. Hogwarts keeps amazing me.
