great-warnovel Chapter 123 Beauxbatons' Carriage
Chapter 123 Beauxbatons' Carriage
Chapter 123 Beauxbatons' Carriage
Draco was the last to return after Lockhart blew the whistle for an emergency assembly.
He ran hurriedly, his face flushed and covered in a thin layer of sweat, but no one thought too much about it. Everyone just assumed that the child was trying to get more extra points, so he ran too far by himself.
"We've been waiting for you, child. The professor from Beauxbatons said there are signs of a basilisk in the area, so we're afraid we'll have to suspend our classes," Lockhart said seriously.
"Gidero, take the children back," Professor McGonagall said.
"We need to conduct a joint investigation with Beauxbatons, and we'll need you to come out again after you go back. We'll need your combat capabilities."
Mrs. Maxim nodded kindly to Lohart. Their school also used his books as teaching materials, but because it was an alchemy school, the defense courses didn't cover much of the material.
When Hermione and her friends returned to the castle, they found a huge carriage pulled by twelve pegasi, parked on the Hogwarts lawn. These huge pegasi all had black airbag-like respirators on their heads, probably to prevent them from inhaling too much radioactive dust at high altitudes.
Hagrid was leading a group of giant eight-eyed spiders, delivering some malt extract mixed with anti-radiation potion to them. The divine horses nervously reared up, watching the spiders clatter and scurry around their feet.
Through the small windows of the carriage, you could see some heads sticking out and looking in the direction of Hogwarts.
"Is that Beauxbatons' school? Like us, always moving around?" Hermione asked.
"No, that's just Beauxbatons' sales department," Lockhart replied to Hermione as he counted the students' heads while maneuvering the broom to the ground.
"Oh, I've counted to how many!"
It turns out that Beauxbatons' school is still hidden in the Pyrenees Mountains, but to facilitate the sale of alchemical products, they have a huge carriage pulled by flying horses that travels around. The missing students in this incident were also taking advantage of the carriage to return to school to restock.
He sneaked out to play, but never came back.
"Do their students have to sell goods too? How much time do they have left to study?" Hermione didn't quite understand; Beauxbatons felt more like a workshop than a school.
"They have a subject-based system," Lockhart said with a hint of disapproval.
"After the second-year final exams, they will divide the students into different departments based on their grades and talents. Some will go into sales or medical departments, some into research and development departments, and some will be transferred directly to the assembly line. They can only spare a little time to study each day."
"My God, they really are training elves." Ron's mouth dropped open.
"Do parents actually send their children there?"
Lockhart shook his head: "In fact, there are two distinct classes within Beauxbatons."
"Children of wizards from well-off families usually become the upper echelons of the school. They can learn quite advanced alchemy, easily inherit Nicolas Flamel's intellectual legacy, and after graduation, most of them choose to stay at the school as professors or regional administrators."
Those who are less skilled can still become healers or pursue other respectable professions; they also possess the world's best magical medical system.
"And those children without a background, or from Muggle families, even if they are exceptionally talented and can enter the research department, will have to make a very difficult promotion to have the opportunity to access advanced knowledge. Their future fate is likely to be to become a member of Beauxbatons' research department, without the power to influence their own research direction or to claim their own patent rights."
Those with average talent but eloquence or good looks will enter the sales department, where they will learn various languages and social skills, including the production and use of aphrodisiacs, and will try every means to get customers to buy.
"Those who are the worst will go to the alchemy workshop in the lower levels of Beauxbatons, where they will be surrounded by poisonous gas and corrosive substances all day long. What awaits them is the alchemy process, which is broken down to the most basic steps. Each person only needs to mechanically complete one small step, and the knowledge required is only enough for a second-year student."
"The alchemy class at Hogwarts is in the sixth or seventh year, and you have to pass a special exam to enroll!" Harry exclaimed in surprise.
"Because our purpose is not to train workers." Lily appeared behind Harry, wearing a thick windproof suit and holding a broom in one hand, clearly also about to go out for a joint investigation.
She nodded to Lohat: "The other professors have already set off. Only Filch and Hagrid are left in the castle. Give the children more homework, or they'll turn the castle upside down."
"Hey Mom, how could you do this!" Harry complained.
"That's exactly what I'm keeping out of here." Lily poked her son's head without any politeness, then mounted her broom and flew out of the barrier.
Indeed, as Mrs. Potter said, nowadays, apart from Dumbledore, whose whereabouts are unknown, there are hardly any adults left in the castle.
Hagrid's enormous size made it difficult for him to take off, Filch was a dud (Hermione only found out later), and there was also the centaur Frenzer, who was equally difficult to take off. They alone couldn't control the mischievous students.
During lunchtime, the noise coming from the auditorium was so loud it almost shook the ceiling to the ground.
With the professors absent, most classes were suspended, and students were required to study on their own in the afternoon. George and Fred even skipped class and tried to sneak onto Beauxbatons' carriage, but were caught red-handed by Hagrid and his eight-eyed spiders.
Fortunately, the professors weren't gone for too long, and they couldn't completely disrupt their teaching schedule because of Beauxbatons.
They gradually returned as it was getting dark.
However, they clearly didn't gain anything; the other side was well hidden, and the serpent monster seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth.
"This joint investigation will continue for three more days. After three days, Hogwarts will depart again, leaving France."
"Heading to Spain." This was the information Harry shared with his mother in the common room.
"What about our field trip?" Fred asked. They had been looking forward to this day for a month, but only the second year had completed half of it.
"Pause," Harry said firmly.
"Professor Lockhart has changed the teaching location at the last minute. The field practice course can only continue after we enter Spain."
"Merlin's giant egg! This is terrible!"
"Are we going to have to study like this for three days straight? Are the professors going to assign us a ton of papers to write?!" George lamented, scratching his head. He and Fred were getting a week of detention because their afternoon infiltration attempt failed.
"Of course not. Professor McGonagall will arrange for professors without classes to go out according to the schedule. Apart from the suspension of field practice, the other courses will remain basically unchanged."
Come to think of it, Hogwarts isn't Beauxbatons' nanny. It's only for the safety of its own children and for humanitarian reasons that it would make no sense to send all its professors out to help.
"There's worse news, but that's only true for you two." Ha looked at the twins with pity.
"Starting tomorrow, Beauxbatons' carriages will be open to Hogwarts students and staff. Everyone can board the carriages and buy whatever they want, with a 8% discount."
"In other words, your infiltration was completely pointless," Ron laughed.
"And you'll also be put in solitary confinement," Percy added mercilessly.
But before the boys could even get excited, Ginny, with the most innocent expression, stabbed each of her brothers.
"But do you have money to buy things?"