Chapter 274 270. Beauxbatons. Part 2. Structure.

Once they entered the castle grounds, a straight stone path led up a flight of stairs to two large double doors inscribed with blue patterns.

Beyond the gardens, the building’s facade was the second most remarkable feature of Beauxbatons’ exterior. The walls were crafted from snow-white stone, while the roofs were made of specially cultivated magical wood, materials that could last centuries with almost no upkeep. The school’s entrance was adorned not only with a staircase featuring blue railings but also with a large statue of Merlin, arms outstretched as if welcoming students inside.

To the right and left of the path lay small gardens with fountains where students sat, just as outside.

"Do you wish to see the entire school or only certain areas?" Olympe, walking ahead of them, asked.

"I would like to see everything," Severus replied calmly, studying the statue.

"And save that maze-like garden for last, but before the library, because I know him," Nagini added quickly, knowing what a trip to the library would lead to and how long he would linger there. Her remark drew smiles from both of them.

"We will be able to enter the library, won’t we?" Severus asked.

"Yes, except for the forbidden section. Even with Professor Flamel’s permission, I cannot grant you access there, though, of course, if you were to accept a teaching position next year in a new discipline..." The young man was a highly desirable catch, especially for enhancing the school’s reputation. After all, if the world’s youngest Potion Master, author of a new school discipline, creator of a cure for dragon pox, and much more was to join them, it would certainly draw many new students.

"I will think about it," Severus said, without refusing outright. Anything could happen in life, and he might someday need to infiltrate the school.

His answer pleasantly surprised Olympe; she had expected a flat refusal based on his earlier tone. "And why did you change your mind after your previous categorical refusal?" she asked curiously, glancing back at the pair.

"Changed my mind? Did I? I only said I would think about it."

By this time, they had already climbed the stairs and were passing through the open doors.

"Oh... indeed... but as I said before, we will always be happy to welcome you," she said, nodding to the students passing by with a restrained smile.

The building’s hall was vast and open, creating an impression of weightlessness, as if the walls had vanished. In addition to the numerous portraits, the room was filled with sculptures, particularly in the arches leading to other parts of the castle.

"This place reminds me more of a museum than a school," Nagini murmured. Besides the ordinary glass, some windows featured stained glass depicting flowers, magical creatures, wizards, and knights in plate armor. The students, unlike those at Hogwarts, were surprisingly quiet and restrained as they studied these works of art.

"I can’t disagree, but such an atmosphere sets its own mood and tone, beyond mere beauty, and it is far more pleasant for children to study here." As Olympe passed a group of chatting students who had an almost otherworldly beauty, they quickly turned and gave a slight bow. "Here we have the hall and the first floor, which houses mainly utility rooms: wardrobes, storage, workshops, greenhouses, the kitchen, professors’ offices, the dining hall, the library, and an exit to the inner courtyard where our garden lies, the very one the young Mademoiselle wished to visit."

"Let’s start with the greenhouses," Severus said without hesitation, studying two white columns inscribed with runes, behind which stood a mirrored arch.

A few seconds later, he frowned, noticing a pleasant aroma, and looked toward its source: those same students. One of them, smiling playfully, winked at him.

"Monsieur Severus?" Noticing where he was looking, Olympe narrowed her eyes. "Madame Delacour!" she called out, steel in her voice, making the blonde flinch and lower her head with an embarrassed smile.

"I beg your pardon, the magic slipped from my control." Yet her cheerful tone made it immediately clear she was lying, and her friends were barely holding back laughter.

"No harm done. Such mediocre charm magic has no effect on me." He looked indifferently at the girls, who were surprised by his response, then turned to Olympe. "I was simply drawn by that cloyingly sweet scent. It reminded me of a flower from the Magical Jungle, similar to a Venus flytrap. It emitted a similar scent to attract magical creatures, which were immediately ensnared by its roots and injected with a paralyzing poison the moment they drew near. The poison acted almost instantly, and the roots dragged the limp bodies into the bud, where acid was injected into the poor creatures, corroding them from within. They melted right before one’s eyes, and those blood-curdling screams of agony... A terrible sight, I assure you, and the stench that hung in the air afterward..." After this detailed account, the students, and a few others who had been listening, turned pale, and one even dropped a book.

Then, as if coming to his senses, Severus smiled awkwardly at those who had been listening, who were staring at him with wide eyes. "I probably shouldn’t have told you about that. I apologize. Pretend you heard nothing."

But while the other students remained somewhat shocked, the blonde who had cast the charm turned red with anger. She wasn’t stupid and knew exactly what he’d compared her to, which naturally didn’t sit well with her. But she couldn’t voice everything she was thinking about him. Pride wouldn’t let her show that his words had hurt her in any way. And so, swallowing her anger, she turned away with an indifferent look and headed in the opposite direction, her friends quickly following once they had composed themselves.

Meanwhile, Nagini watched them leave with a very displeased expression, her gaze promising nothing good should they meet again.

"I apologize for the students. They like to... joke..."

"Not at all. I understand. I only recently graduated from Hogwarts myself, and I learned to get along with jokers quite well. I had a couple in my year who were a pain in the neck..." Severus sighed nostalgically, but Nagini, remembering how he had "gotten along" with them, especially after that celebration, quickly covered her mouth to stifle her laughter.

"And how did you deal with them?" Olympe asked curiously, noticing Nagini’s reaction.

"That’s a secret, and it would be inhumane. They are girls, after all, and pretty ones, unlike those four idiots who didn’t deserve pity."

"That method definitely won’t work for us," Olympe sighed with disappointment, then, adding a note of sternness to her voice, she addressed the frozen students. "There is nothing more to see here. Disperse. Classes begin in a few minutes, and I recommend not being late." Only after those words did they come to their senses and scatter quickly in different directions...

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Beauxbatons’ greenhouses consisted of seven conservatories grouped together, shaped like a flower made of glass and steel. Each maintained different temperatures and weather conditions, with the central one standing out as a true winter garden. Nearly all known plants were grown there, and there was even a separate floor beneath the main greenhouse specifically designed for poisonous herbs, smaller, of course, but with the same basic functionality.

But Severus was not especially interested in herbs; he had the entire Magical Jungles and the King of Ents to gather for him. He was far more interested in secret places like those he had found at Hogwarts. So he decided to combine business with pleasure: to please Nagini and search for hidden rooms.

However, he doubted he would find anything interesting in this place. Hogwarts was one thing, founded by four powerful mages, but this school was another, founded by only one person with a couple dozen helpers. Besides, as he explored the castle, he had to admit that in terms of protection, Beauxbatons was far superior to Hogwarts. He had not seen such an extensive array of traps and barriers in a long time, not to mention the external walls covered with attack charms and reflection runes. This school was a veritable fortress, clearly well-maintained, with enormous sums of gold invested in it.

Hogwarts, by contrast, was falling apart before his eyes, and if Severus hadn’t pressured Lucius’s father back then, it would most likely be in an even worse state now. As it was, at least they had managed to restore the exterior, some charms, and the most critical parts of the rune weaves.

The group passed through the first floor fairly quickly, not lingering long in any room. If one compared the interior decoration to that of Hogwarts, they were like opposites: light and darkness, refinement and roughness. There was only one reason: funding.

While Beauxbatons had Flamel, the magical government, and the aristocracy maintaining the school, Hogwarts had only the Ministry of Magic, and the same aristocrats, for the most part, couldn’t care less about it unless it concerned their own children. But heaven forbid their children should suffer, for instance, during Quidditch practice on old brooms, and they would scream as loud as Muggle sirens and blame the school for everything.

Thus, there was such a stark difference between them.

The second through sixth floors were designated for classrooms. Severus managed to visit several of them, and in terms of material presentation as well as lesson structure, they were nearly identical to Hogwarts. But unlike Hogwarts, Beauxbatons had five houses, divided not simply by colors and personalities, but by students’ predisposition to certain branches of magic.

They had houses specially designed for students with a humanities focus, where they taught journalism, astronomy, music, inventive arts, divination, literature, philosophy, and logic alongside the main subjects; for future inventors, where a mathematical mind was necessary and advanced courses in arithmancy, artifact crafting, alchemy, and transfiguration were taught separately; for students with pronounced leadership qualities, where they offered jurisprudence, magical law, history, and politics; for those closer to nature who loved animals, where they taught healing, dragonology, herbology, and care of magical creatures; and the last, which accepted only brave and strong students with an aptitude for spells and applied magic, where they focused on defensive and combat magic, charms, security and law enforcement, jurisprudence, and magical law.

Sorting was conducted using an object similar to the Sorting Hat but in the form of a medallion, though the final decision rested with the teachers. By age thirteen, students could transfer to another house for which they had an aptitude and talent, but only with parental permission and the teachers’ consent.

Severus considered this approach to education far more sensible: here, houses had actual meaning rather than simply serving to divide students by personality without any choice. Thanks to this, it was far easier to develop a wizard with skills in a specific direction, rather than scattering and squandering their talent. After all, only a handful of children at Hogwarts studied beyond the basics, receiving only what Beauxbatons considered basic-level material. Until the end of second year, classes had no specific direction; only in third year could students typically change houses, and specialized subjects appeared.

So, after examining all the floors, Severus even began to consider that in the future, if he were to have children, he might educate them at home, or send them here, assuming nothing changed at Hogwarts in the next fifty to a hundred years...

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