Liber Fatalis: Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Making Friends
He walked onto the train nervously, not really sure where to go. Marie was clinging onto him in order to make sure that she did not get carried off in the chaos of people moving around in the less spacious environment. However, there were a few students that were assigned to help lost first years and one of them quickly caught sight of his confused expression and made her way to the messy haired boy.
“Hello, can I help you?” The pretty blonde girl was a few years older than he was asked him as she gave him a dazzling smile. He couldn’t help but blush under her gaze after letting a much a relieved breath out. Though he was really glad that there was someone there to help him, he was happier about the fact that the talisman that Aunt Bella had given him earlier on in the morning was working.
Shaped as a phoenix, the talisman was something that was spelled as a translator. It will translate words spoken in French to English as well as have any words that he speaks out be in French. However, Aunt Bella also told him that having the talisman was no excuse for not learning the language. She had already talked to Headmistress Maxime to have Harry possibly be taught some French in an after class elective.
“I’m not quite sure where to go,” Harry admitted to the pretty girl. “I’m a first year…”
He was startled when he noticed that she looked at him then, assessing him. Her eyes looked him up and down, before it landed on the lightning bolt scar that was on his forehead. She let out a gasp.
“You’re Harry Potter… this is quite a shock. Headmistress Maxime did mention something about you attending Beauxbatons, but I thought it was just a rumor…” She murmured.
There were whispering from the people that overheard the girl’s comment. Harry couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable from the attention he was receiving.
“Oh no, I’m sorry for being so rude. My name is Fluer Delacour, I’m on the student council.” She introduced herself, giving him a bit of a smile.
“Would you like to sit with my sister? She is also a first year as well… I’ve been worried about her making friends, she’s such a shy girl. I was starting to feel guilty about leaving her by herself but…” She looked at Harry expectantly.
“I would like that,” Harry responded. He couldn’t help but feel his heart flutter a bit when she beamed at him before throwing her arms around him and pulling him into a warm hug. She smelled of sweet flowers and spring. She walked to Harry to her sister’s compartment, completely oblivious at how flustered he had got the younger boy.
“Don’t flirt with the first years,” a voice from behind her chastised her. Fleur glared at her friend.
“I was not flirting.” Her friend just gave her a look that told her she thought otherwise.
“Come on Harry; let me take you to the compartment.” Fleur said, ignoring her friend’s teasing. Harry nodded and followed the girl. After knocking a few times, Fleur opened the compartment door and shooed Harry into it. She said a few words to her sister before closing the door behind her, leaving the two first years alone.
Harry felt a bit nervous. Luckily, the other girl just smiled at him, telling him to take a seat.
“Hello, my name’s Gabrielle Delacour.” The blonde told him, a smile on her face. Though Fleur was very striking and beautiful, Gabrielle was still very pretty and had a warmer features to her.
“Harry Potter, nice to meet you,” he said, slipping into the seat across from her. She looked at him with a bit of surprise when he said his name, eyes slipping at the scar on his forehead. Suddenly, Marie started to pull at his hair. She was starting to feel left out from not being included in all the introductions that were being made.
He heard Gabrielle gasp a bit when she noticed the pixie that was harassing Harry. Harry laughed a bit at his familiar’s antics.
“This is Marie, she’s my familiar.”
The little pixie buzzed towards Gabrielle then, flying around the witch until it got dizzy. Marie then sat on the finger that Gabrielle perched for the small pixie, a bit in awe at the creature.
“Where did you get a pixie from?” She asked in awe as the pixie returned back to its master.
“It followed me home from the zoo.”
“That’s so neat! I have a yellow songbird for my familiar, her name is Lan. We sent her in advance… I didn’t want her to get rocked around in her cage too much…”
“We sent Marie and my owl Hedwig early as well… but Marie was difficult and decided to meet me at the station.” Harry said, obviously not angry at what his mischievous familiar did. Gabrielle giggled at that.
“I can’t wait to go to school!” Gabrielle said, beaming. Harry couldn’t help but notice that Gabrielle smile was sweeter than Fleur’s. “Sis has been telling me all these wonderful stories about the school so I can’t wait to start. Did you figure out what sort of after school activities you might like to join? My sister tells me it’s mandatory to join a club starting your second year. They give you the first year to try different clubs and join them. My sister is in the dueling club and she is also on the student council as the fourth year representative.”
“I’m not sure what activities I’ll want to join.” Harry said before admitting this is the first time he’s heard about the after school activities. “I think Aunt Bella said I was supposed to learn French though…”
“But you speak perfectly to me,” she said, confused. Harry pulled out the talisman that was placed on the necklace around his neck and told her that it was a translator.
“I can help you a bit,” the girl offered. “Though in return you are going to need to help me with my English… I need a bit of practice.”
Harry held out his hand to his friend.
“Deal.”
*
The train ride to Beauxbatons went by comfortably for the two first years. There wasn’t anyone else that joined them in the compartment, even though there was room for a few more. Gabrielle had told him it was probably her sister that kept them away from the compartment. Fleur had a reputation of being overprotective of her younger sister and watched very carefully about who actually came in contact with her. It was rather a wonder that Fleur had actually brought Harry to sit with Gabrielle. Though Harry thought that would be the reason why Fleur had assessed him when she meet him, deciding whether or not she had found someone that she might be okay with to hang out with her precious little sister.
They talked on their train ride to Beauxbatons. The two talked about how excited they were to go to school and about their families. Gabrielle told Harry about her grandmother that she was very close to and the heiratage that she had gotten from her. She talked about her parents, her strong and willful mother and the father whom all the females in her family seem to have wrapped around their fingers. She then talked about her sister, whom she looked up to and loved very dearly.
“Being part veela makes it difficult to make friends sometimes. That’s why my sister is so protective. She knows that there are some that are not tolerant or some that are not jealous. She has learned a lot from experiences and does not want me to experience some of the things that she has face.” Gabrielle explained.
“I am not fragile though. I can handle situations on my own. I love her but she cannot always protect me from the things people say.”
Harry then told Gabrielle about his life. Harry told Gabrielle about the parents he never knew and sometimes dreamt of. He told her about how he did not find out about magic until just recently and about all the different letters he had received. He told her about the family that did not care for him and the one woman that did. He told her about his two familiars and the way they would sometimes work together to tease him. Harry also told her about the friends he had recently made.
“So you are the boy my cousin wrote to me about this summer,” Gabrielle smiled as she thought of her cousin. It was quite difficult for a person to impress Draco, so she was surprised when Draco had wrote something about a dark haired boy that was going to attend Beauxbatons with her. “Draco said it would be nice if I befriended you.”
Harry blushed at this. He remembered the boy he had meet at the robes shop and was surprised that he had gone through the trouble to try and help make him friends at Beauxbatons, even though they were owling one another. He was going to have to write a note telling him thank you.
Fleur then popped her head into the compartment. “Hello you two. The train will be coming to a stop now, get ready to leave soon.”
Murmuring out their thanks, Harry and Gabrielle exchanged an excited look.
*
Baton Rouge was the village that surrounded the castle, one of the many wizarding villages that existed in France. From what he remembered Aunt Bella telling him before, there was only one all wizarding villages in Britain… though he did forget the name of it. Since Beauxbatons was on top of the hill, such that it could look down at the Mediterranean Sea, the village’s homes and shops were built on the incline, so close to the castle walls that it made picking up sweets after class and eating out an easy affair. From what Gabrielle had also told him as they hiked up the cobblestone streets of Baton Rouge to get the castle, was that there were some students that lived in the village that chose to commute back and forth from their house to school, rather than living in the castle.
Harry thought it was a shame though, seeing how beautiful the castle was. However, Harry couldn’t help but think that if Aunt Bella lived in Baton Rouge, he would have chosen to live with her as well. She told him stories about his parents and she made a delicious stew. Harry couldn’t help but miss her already.
After hiking up to the castle, they were brought into the main hall where there were tables that fit up to eight people lined up in the hall (though Harry noticed some students pushed tables together to increase the amount of people that sat with them whereas others just squeezed in tight on the benches). Fleur had insisted that her younger sister and her new friend sit with her at the opening feast. Gabrielle had sent Harry a look that said “see, what did I tell you” in response to her sister’s antics. Harry just shrugged as he took seat next to his new friend. Someone ended up pushing another table to the end of the table they ended up seated at.
Fleur’s friends were mostly from the dueling club or they were on the student council, save the one girl at the far right that was from the juggling club. After everyone was settle down, Madame Maxime (Gabrielle had pointed her out to him) strolled into the room and headed to the head table. Quickly, everyone hushed and stood up when she entered the room. When she reached her place at the head table, she motioned for the students to sit down. Soon, she began her welcome speech to the students.
Harry thought that Madam Maxime was a lot like Hagrid – she had a warm voice and towered over others the way that Hagrid did.
“Baton Rouge welcomes students, however if you are caught in the village instead of in class, you will be punished severely for your actions. Students are also not to stray too close to the sea – there are creatures that lie in the depths of the water that will not hesitate to lure and capture you.”
“Classes will be cancelled next Tuesday for club recruitment day. It is mandatory for second years to join a club, so if you have not found a club that you would like to, please use Tuesday as a way to help you find a club. First years are also encouraged to participate in club activities.”
After a few more final words, Madam Maxime took her seat at the center of the head table. Food soon appeared in front of them. Harry didn’t realize how hungry he was until he smelled the different aromas.
Quickly, he grabbed some food and dug in.
*