Ch. 7 A New School

Hermione opened her eyes and let out a groan of pain as she sat up from her prone position on the ground. The portkey deposited the group on a grass covered field blanketed with mountain flowers in full bloom. Looking around, she was thankful that she had not been the only one to land on her bum, as both her parents and Harry were picking themselves up off the ground while rubbing various sore spots of their body's.

"I do apologize," Madam Maxime told the group, towering above the group on the ground, a concerned frown marring her face. "Portkeys take some getting used to, and the important part is to keep your knees bent when you land." When Hermione had regained her feet, she began to brush herself off muttering to herself about magical forms of transportation, and had not noticed that both her parents and Harry had gone silent.

"Hermione," Harry whispered softly after a few moments. "Have you ever seen anything so magnificent?" Not knowing what he was talking about, she looked up and felt her breath leave and her eyes bulge out of her skull at the sight before her.

Harry was right, the school was gorgeous. Where Hogwarts resembled an ancient castle straight out of a fairy tale, Beauxbatons was an elegant Chateau that would have fit perfectly in one of Dumas's novels of Counts and Kings. "Welcome to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic," Madam Maxime grandly proclaimed, waving her large hand towards the massive wrought iron gates, flanked by white marble pillars creating an opening in the ivy covered wall that the seemed to surround whole grounds. Madam Maxime motioned the group forward, leading the way onto the Beauxbatons grounds while giving a brief history of the school. "Beauxbatons was founded about 750 years ago by two of the most renowned magical users in Europe, Nicole Arcanite and Maurice Flambant. In their youth they had studied at Hogwarts, and after experienceing the success the Hogwarts Four were having, decided to build a school of their own in order to allow the witches and wizards on the continent learn and have a place of safety."

As Madam Maxime told the group the history of the school and its early years, Hermione was hard pressed to pay attention as the surrounding grounds captivated her. A few years ago, her parents had taken her to Versailles, where they had toured the Water Gardens and its multitude of fountains and statues. That elegant palace paled in comparison to what was before her. "Beauxbatons ground's has some of the most intricately charmed magical fountains in the entire world," Madam Maxime explained, noticing the awed looks of her guests as they passed a fountain that had water sprouts literally dancing in the circular pool. They passed another large oval fountain that shot a jet of water that skipped across the pool of water, splitting off into multiple streams when it hit the water, with each stream changing colors every time it hit the water. They were led down a cobblestone path between flowerbeds filled with beautiful flowers that spanned the entire color spectrum. "The flower beds and walking paths," Madam Maxime continued, "are maintained by our groundskeeper, who earned his Doctorate in Botany along with his Mastery in Enchanting. He spends his time creating new fountains and flower arrangements, so each year it seems like a whole new garden."

After walking past more fountains and colorful flower beds, the group arrived at the school itself. Hermione gazed up at the white marble façade of Beauxbatons, admiring the intricate patterns carved into the colorful marble. "This is not the original building," Madam Maxime explained. "The original Beauxbatons Palace was similar to Hogwarts, but it was razed by a group of wizards who claimed to follow Robespierre during the Terror. They claimed the school was supporting the Pure-Blood controlled magical government and not allowing the common people to attend. After the revolution, the school was rebuilt in the style of the grand chateaus of the time."

Madam Maxime pushed open the great oak front doors, revealing a long entrance hall with a high vaulted ceiling illuminated by floating crystal chandeliers, bathing the room in soft white light. The small party walked between the massive marble pillars that bordered the main walkway, tiled in white and blue, barring the Beauxbatons crest inlaid in gold leaf. Standing in the middle of the lavish hall was a group of three adults of varying age who Hermione assumed to be professors.

Hermione's suspicions were confirmed by Madam Maxime. "Allow me to introduce you to three of our Professors. The first is our Deputy Headmistress and Arithmancy Teacher, Julia Badon." The older woman closest to the group tilted her head, an open smile on her face. Hermione couldn't help but compare the professor to her Hogwarts counterpart, and noticed that both women bore a slight resemblance to each other. Both had their greying hair in a tight bun and were quite tall with a willowy frame. But where Professor McGonagall's face always bore a stern expression, promising rule breakers quick discipline, Professor Badon's face was open and smiling, with laugh lines around her twinkling eyes.

"Next to Professor Badon, is our Charms Professor Thomas Morrel." The indicated professor tilted his bald head, with the same stern expression Hermione expected to see on Professor McGonagall. The Charms Professor was an older gentleman, slightly shorter than her father with a round belly. "Finally, we have Professor Marie Pasture, our Potions Mistress." Hermione immediately liked Professor Pasture. She was a young woman with shoulder length blond hair tied back in a loose pony tail with smiling blue eyes and a curved figure.

The name sounded familiar to Hermione but to her surprise, it was Harry who asked her question first. "Are you related to Louis Pasture," he asked.

The woman beamed at him. "He was my great great grandfather on my father's side."

"Professor Pasture was the first witch in her family, and the youngest potion mistress in all of Europe." Madam Maxime praised, causing Hermione to openly gape at the woman who was now sporting rosy cheeks and rubbing the back of her long neck. Hermione couldn't help but admire the woman before her. Not only was she an intelligent woman, but a muggleborn, just like her, who had accomplished amazing things in such a short time. Needless to say, Hermione had a new hero.

"These three have agreed to give your evaluation. This is a routine evaluation that we give all possible transfer students. It is not so much to weed out students, but to asses where they are in their education and if they need any help catching up in certain subjects."

Hermione immediately began to panic. How could they ask her to take a test with no prior warning or time to study? It was first year all over again, when before the sorting, the rumor was that she was going to be given a test. She began running through everything she could remember from her last two years, muttering spells under her breath, and knew she was working herself into a panic attack, but she couldn't help it.

She felt a strong hand on her shoulder and looked up to her father's supportive eyes. "It will be alright princess," he said. "I'm sure it won't be too bad, and you know the information backwards to forwards."

Harry was quick to agree with her father, copying his motion of putting a hand on her opposite shoulder. "He's right Mione, you could probably take the test for third year and score perfect."

"This is not a pass or a fail test Miss Granger," Professor Badon told her. "We have never refused a transfer student because of these tests."

Hermione could feel herself calming down, but she was still anxious to prove herself to her new teachers. "While you two are evaluated, I will take your parents to my office and we can discuss other topics." Nodding in acceptance, the three professors led Harry and Hermione off further into the entrance hall, climbing a grand staircase that split half way up leading down two hallways.

As they walked, Hermione let the professors get a few paces ahead of her and Harry. Noticing her slowed pace, Harry raised a questioning eyebrow. "Harry," Hermione said while wringing her hands and biting her bottom lip. "I want you to promise me something," She smiled slightly when he immediately agreed. "I want you to promise me you will do your best." Harry opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione just kept on talking. "I know you're smart Harry, and for some reason, you have been holding yourself back. But this is a new start for both of us, and I just want you to do your best."

"It's not that easy Hermione," Harry whispered, looking down at his feet. He was silent for a moment as he arranged his thoughts. "All through primary school I wasn't allowed to get good grades, and if I did do well, it resulted in punishment. It just became easier to not try, and skirt by with the bare minimum." Harry swallowed and ran his hand through his hair, messing it up even more. "Then when I came to Hogwarts and was thrust into the spotlight, I wanted to do everything I could to not stand out and just blend in, as it is how I learned to survive the first ten years of my life. I grew to hate all kinds of attention, because nothing good has ever come from drawing attention to myself." Hermione nodded in understanding. Harry was already in the spotlight for something he could barely remember, and she knew how uncomfortable that made him. With what she now knew about his home life, it finally made sense to her why he just tried to skate by.

In her mind, she came to a sharp realization. Her nagging him and Ron to always work wasn't helping matters. She needed to learn to curve some of her more bossy tendencies and try to relax more. In one of those rare moments of clarity, she came to realize that one of her faults was her desire to prove to everyone that she was, for lack of a better term, a 'know-it-all'. Looking back objectively, she could see why this caused her troubles with some of her classmates. "I understand Harry, and if you promise to always do your best, I will promise not to nag you as much to do your homework. Also, I need your help to control my over-eagerness. I don't want a repeat of first year where I wind up in the bathroom."

Harry flinched. "Ron never should have said what he said in the first place, and I should have said something to him about that instead of letting him just run his mouth."

"It's not your fault Harry, and besides, if I hadn't ended up in that bathroom, I probably wouldn't have been saved by my green eyed hero, and got a best friend." Hermione reached out and took Harry's hand, giving it a squeeze. "But I do need to try not to be so abrasive I think, but sometimes I can't help it and I will need you to help."

"You're not that bad Mione," Harry defended, smiling slightly. "I think you were just compensating for Ron's complete lack of motivation for all things educational." Harry looked down the hall and noticed the professors were a ways down. "We better hurry and catch up. But yes, I promise to always do my best from now on." Nodding, they hurried up the stairs after the teachers, and after taking the left fork, they were led to a classroom that looked like a classroom right out of Hermione's old Primary School.

"Like the Headmistress said, we have put together a short evaluation to see where you two are in your studies," Professor Pasture said from the front of the classroom. "We three will be going over what you learned in Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, and Defense. We will also give you a written test to evaluate your knowledge on theory for those classes, along with History and Astronomy, any questions? Good, let's get started."

-(=)-

Jane watched the children walk away with the three professors, an amused smile playing on her lips at her daughter's tendency to get over anxious. "I'm not sure my daughter will forgive you for not warning her about the evaluation," she told Madam Maxime. "She takes her studies and tests quite seriously."

Madam Maxime nodded, rubbing her massive chin. "I probably should have warned her ahead of time, but honestly I forgot about it, as we haven't had a transfer student in a few years."

"I'm sure she will be fine," Hugh said from beside Jane, waving his hand. "Harry will keep her calm. I've noticed she has mellowed out a tad over the last two years, and I suspect that young man has helped with that." Jane nodded, having noticed the same thing.

"Shall we go to my office and talk?" Madam Maxime invited, smiling invitingly at the Grangers.

Nodding, Hugh and Jane followed the tall woman the same way the kids had gone, but instead of taking the left fork, they took the right down a long hallway lined with tall windows offering views of the surrounding mountains and grounds. After a short walk, they arrived at a pair of double French doors made of clear glass that opened to a large well-appointed office. Madam Maxime walked around the solid oak desk and took her seat in her chair, motioning for the Grangers to sit.

"Would you care for something to drink?" Madam Maxime offered. Both Hugh and Jane accepted and asked for tea, causing a small creature with large ears and bulbous eyes to pop into the office with a tea service. "Thank you Cossy," Madam Maxime said to the small creature. She must have noticed Jane and Hugh's wide-eyed expression, for she explained. "Cossy is a House Elf and she works for the school. They are a symbiotic creature that lives off a wizard's ambient magic, and who love to take care of people." When everyone had their tea the way they liked it, two sugars and no cream for Jane, Madam Maxime got down to business. "Now, before we get to your specific concerns you mentioned in your letter, let's get the financial part out of the way," Madam Maxime began, and Jane saw her husband nod in agreement as he was always the one who dealt with money in the family. "You will be happy to know that the fees for Beauxbatons will be substantially less for you than at Hogwarts." That surprised Jane, as she assumed the fees would be the same or at least greater being that they were from a different country.

"I see you are surprised by that. Would it surprise you then, if I tell you that as a first generation witch, you pay a much higher tuition for Hogwarts than say, Mister Potter, who's Hogwarts fees are probably a third of your daughters." Jane had to admit from what she had learned about how things work in Wizarding England that she wasn't the least bit surprised. "At Beauxbatons, we do not have such a price discrepancy. Oh, like all Private Schools, we do have a small break for 'Legacy' students, but your fees will still be far less here."

Money never was a problem for the Grangers, as they had saved up for years for Hermione's schooling to ensure that she was able to attend the best schools, and both of them made a good living owning their own practice, but it was nice to know that they could save some money and maybe put it towards Hermione's, and now Harry's, college fund. "Now, as to some of your more unique concerns," Madam Maxime pulled a piece of paper out of her desk and looked it over. "I have made a list of some of the concerns you had in your letter, in order to address them all." Jane smiled at finding another person who loved lists. "First, I think your biggest concern is as you say 'being kept in the loop', and from what your children said about their Hogwarts experience, I can understand your concern. Like I mentioned earlier, ALL parents are allowed to visit the school to discuss their child's education whenever they wish. We do ask that you make an appointment if possible first, but understand that sometimes that is not possible. Parents are given portkeys that will bring them right to the gate, much like this morning. Each is registered with the French Ministry of Magic so they bypass the normal border wards, and can only be used by you or your children."

"That is reassuring," Jane told the Headmistress. "One of our biggest complaints was the inability to actually see the school we paid so much for. I think we've only talked to one teacher, and that was when they were trying to recruit Hermione."

Madam Maxime nodded sadly. "Oui, I have heard that before. The British seem to take the approach of separating the first generation witches and wizards from their non-magical roots as much as possible. This has been done in many cultures over the years, and has never turned out well. Here, we try to make it so our students can live in both worlds if they wish. This leads into your next concern I believe. Unlike Hogwarts, we offer non-magical classes. Each student has a block of three classes with a single Professor who teaches them non-magical subjects such as Math, English, and Science."

"How in-depth do they go?" Her husband asked. "Can they sit their GCSE or their A-Levels?"

"They will be prepared in their core subjects for the GCSE tests, but would have to self-study for other subjects or their A-Levels. The Ministry does offer services to prepare transcripts for universities and recommend tutors for higher qualifications." Hugh seemed satisfied with that answer, as he nodded and settled back in his chair.

"I think the next source of concern was safety. I would like to assure you that Beauxbatons is the safest school in Europe, but I doubt you will just take my word for it as the same line was fed to you about Hogwarts." Jane let out a disgruntled grunt at the Headmistress's accuracy. "What I can say is that every three Years, Beauxbatons goes through a rigorous review by the International Confederation of Wizards Educational Office, where they asses both our teaching practices and our safety precautions. Our last evaluation just occurred last year and we received the highest grade, and their recommendations for changes have already been implemented." Madam Maxime gave the pair a half smile. "I can also guarantee that we have never hired a possessed teacher, and there is no giant snake hiding under our school."

"What about bullies?" Jane asked, remembering some of the stories Hermione and Harry had told about both students and teachers.

"We have a zero tolerance for any type of bullying. Any type of racist comment, or physical or verbal assault, is dealt with quite severely. If a professor was ever discovered doing the things I've heard a certain Hogwarts Potion master does, he would be terminated immediately and blackballed, as that behavior is unacceptable." Jane glanced at her husband meeting his eyes, and he gave her the smallest of nods, indicating he was satisfied with the Headmistress's answers. Of course, they had heard much the same things from Hogwarts, and Jane was weary of trusting the Headmistress too far, but nothing they had seen so far indicated anything less than Beauxbatons being an exceptional boarding school.

-(=)-

A few hours later, Madam Maxime returned to her office after taking the Grangers and Mister Potter back to Nice. After the exams, they had toured around more of the school, seeing more classrooms, the dining hall, the dormitories, and the most popular part, the Library. Both Granger women were quite pleased with the Potions Lab, and after hearing a description of the Hogwarts lab, Olympe understood why. 'Whose bright idea was it to brew potions in a dungeon classroom with no proper ventilation,' she thought. When Marie heard about the potions lab at Hogwarts, she went off on a wonderful rant about idiots not taking proper precautions with noxious fumes. When they found the library, they had to practically drag Miss Granger out of the library when it was time to leave. Entering her office, she noticed her senior staff already present and sitting, sipping glasses of wine.

Olympe took her seat and accepted the offered glass of rose wine from Marie, taking a sip and enjoying the sweet fruity taste. "So what do you think of our two prospects?" she asked the group.

"Overall, their education is what one would expect from a Hogwarts student." Her deputy began, referring to her notes. "Miss Granger, though admittedly far ahead of her Hogwarts peers, is slightly ahead of her age group in most classes, while Mister Potter is slightly behind in most of his classes for his year group."

"What classes are they the furthest behind in?" Olympe asked.

"They are horribly behind in Potions," her potion mistress complained. "Snape hasn't taught them a damn thing. If I were to guess, he probably just leaves the potion's recipe on the board and tells them to brew it. They had no idea about the reaction tables or why different cuts matter. They can both follow a recipe just fine, but that is about it."

"Mister Potter's practical work is good for both Charms and Transfiguration," Thomas Morrel added. "I estimate he is only behind a half year for those classes, while his theory is only a little further behind. Both their Defense is lacking, and their history knowledge is limited to goblin rebellions in England."

Madam Maxime nodded, leaning back in her chair. She had heard from her ICW contacts that standards had slipped at Hogwarts, but she hadn't realized it had fallen so far. It had been years since the British Ministry of Magic had allowed the ICW Educational Office to evaluate Hogwarts, and it only made her more curious as to why they were pushing so hard to reestablish the Twi-Wizard Tournament. Surely they knew how far behind the rest of the world they were? "So what is your over-all impression?"

"Miss Granger will be a wonderful addition to our school," Marie commented. "She is a bright young woman with a strong drive and a brain like a sponge. When I asked her about the reaction chart and she didn't know what that was, I could tell she was itching to run to the library and read everything about it. I think she will give Miss Floret a run for her money this year for top spot."

Julia nodded in agreement. "Mr. Potter will also be a good addition, and not just for the prestige that comes with his name. I must admit, I was expecting the lad to balk at having to take the entrance exams like every other student, but he seemed actually pleased to have to take them. The boy has a lot of magical potential that with proper teaching and motivation can be brought out. He admitted that he hasn't been the best of students in the past, and I get the impression there is a lot more to his story than we are hearing." Madam Maxime knew more of his story from the Grangers than she had shared with her staff, specifically how they came to be Harry's guardians, but as that was private, she didn't share it with her staff. "I think we can expect great things from both of them."

"They will both need a little help catching up," Thomas added in his normal gruff voice.

Madam Maxime nodded. "I agree, and I have already arranged to meet with the Grangers in Paris three days from now, and I will see if Mister Giomby, Miss Floret, and their parents are free to join us."