At Beauxbatons, you start schooling at the age of eight. Before you officially start schooling, you go to a 'pre-school' of sorts, where you learn the basics. You learn to read, write, talk properly, blend into the Muggle world, etcetera.
I was the first kid in my class to learn how to read. My reading level was so much more advanced than my classmates. It made me feel out of place. I wasn't the smartest though, I've never had the best grades. By the time I started school at Beauxbatons, I was reading books longer than four-hundred pages. I could also read very fast. I could read a two-hundred paged book faster than other kids could read a fifty paged book. Most people might consider it a talent, even a gift, to be able to read like I can. I hated it though, it was another thing that made me abnormal.
We found out about my insomnia when I was a toddler. My mum found me sitting in my bed playing with dolls at four in the morning. I hadn't slept at all. I've been taking sleeping potions, and occasionally Muggle medications, to help me with my sleep. I still don't get as much sleep as I'm supposed to.
I never had friends before Beauxbatons. No one wanted to talk me. And I've always been bad at talking to people. My mum says that they probably felt stupid because I could read much better than them. She told me I should be proud of my reading abilities.
I never knew my dad. He left us when I was two years old. My mum never mentions him, and I never ask about him.
To get to Beauxbatons, we take a train. The train is pale blue and silver on the outside, and the interior is white and gold. It had a light, airy feel to it. I loved that train.
I got there early so I could get an empty compartment. I was sitting in the compartment, reading, when the door slid open and a girl stuck her head in. "Hi, do you mind if I sit with you?" She asked. I hid my face behind the book, and shook my head.
She sat down across from me after sliding the door shut. "I'm Belle Finnigan, what's your name?" She asked me.
"Dillonus," I said quietly.
"That's an unusual name." I braced myself for the remarks about how stupid the name was, I got them all the time. "I like it," she said. I looked over my book at her. She was smiling.
Just by looking at her, I could tell she would become popular, and this would probably be the last time she talked to me. She had stick-straight blonde hair and bright blue eyes. And she just seemed like a very likeable person.
"Is that a good book, then?" She asked. "You haven't put it down." She laughed softly. She had a nice laugh. I just nodded in reply.
She could sense that I wasn't very talkative, so she was silent the rest of the time.
When the train pulled up to the station, we were both already dressed in our new uniforms. We left the train with all the other students, the younger ones were all talking excitedly about the school.
The returning students road powder blue carriages pulled by beautiful pure white horses up to the castle.
But since we were new arrivals, we had a traditional route to the castle. We got to ride in golden boats across the lake onto the grounds. The boats each held about ten students.
Belle and I were in a boat with five other kids. There were three boys, one of them was rather small, and three other girls.
The two boys started picking on the smaller boy. "You really smell, Scott," one of them said, pinching his nose. The boy they called Scott ignored them. He had the misfortune of sitting right between them.
"Hey, Scott. I think you need a bath," the other one said. The first boy grabbed Scott's collar and shoved him towards the edge of the boat. The other three girls were laughing.
"Cut it out," Belle said. The boys just laughed at her.
"Don't worry, blondie. We're just giving your boyfriend a bath," the second one said. Belle's face turned red, and she remained quiet.
"Leave him alone," I said quietly.
"What's that, I can't hear you, mouse," The first one said. Mouse is something I was frequently called from that day on.
"Leave him alone," I said loudly. "He didn't do anything to you." That was the most I'd said all day.
"Whatever you say, mouse." The second one said, shoving the boy towards Belle and I. He sat next to us for the rest of the ride.
When we got up to the castle, we were shepherded into the Entrance Hall. I looked around, taking in how beautiful everything was. A bright silvery light washed over the hall, making the polished surfaces shine. The floor was made of white marble, and the ceiling was covered in silver. The walls were covered in gold.
A woman came into the hall to talk to us. She looked to be in her sixties, and she had sleek blonde hair pulled into a right bun. She looked quite strict. "Welcome to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. This is where you will spend the next ten years learning and studying magic. After the feast, you will be led to separate towers, one for the gentlemen, and one for the ladies. You will each get a dorm room that you will share with five other classmates. You will be led into the Grand Ballroom in five minutes to begin the feast," she told us. "Welcome to Beauxbatons." She smiled.
"Why were they calling you smelly?" Belle asked Scott, who was still with us.
"They tricked me into eating a Garlic Pop earlier," he frowned. Garlic Pops were joke items that made your breath smell terrible.
"Well, they don't seem very nice," Belle said, shaking her head disapprovingly. "I'm Belle, by the way. This is Dillonus."
"I'm William Scott," he said, smiling. "But I go by Will."
"Well, I guess we're all friends now," Belle said smiling at us. I smiled back. I'd never had an actual friend before, and I got the feeling that Will had never had a friend either.
Just then, the three girls we shared a boat with earlier marched up to us. "Hello," she said to Belle, ignoring Will and me. "My name is Reinette. Would you like to sit with us at the feast?" She asked.
"Sure," Belle said. My heart sank a bit. I thought that Belle would end up becoming best friends with Reinette. At least there was still Will. "As long as my friends can join us," she added. Will and I looked at each other. We couldn't believe it. Why was she being so nice to us?
Reinette looked us both up and down, frowning slightly. "No, I don't think they can. Why would you want to be friends with them anyway?" She asked. "You could do so much better." Will scowled at her.
"I think they're great," Belle said, smiling sweetly at Reinette.
"Oh well," Reinette said, tossing her shiny black hair over her shoulder, before walking off.
I had never had friends before, and now I had two. Will, Belle, and I stuck together from then on. We were best friends. We still are.
Belle comes from a rich family, they have a manor and everything. We were always invited to Belle's house during the summer vacation.
When we were fourteen, Belle would be going to a family reunion in the summertime. She invited Will and I along. It turns out, the family reunion was in England. I had never been to another country before.
Will and I had four months to learn English. Belle already spoke it quite fluently. By the time we were in England, we spoke English quite well. I was a fast learner, and I helped Will a lot. Belle was a big help to both of us.
