Chapter 6 — Beauxbatons Academy
Southern France, deep within the Pyrenees Mountains.
A sprawling estate of white marble, surrounded by rose gardens and elegant fountains, rose like a palace out of a fairy tale.
A beautiful young girl dragged along a very unhappy boy as they walked past a fountain.
"Horatio, your Master Nicolas Flamel once studied here at Beauxbatons," Fleur explained while pulling him along.
"He met his wife, Perenelle, here too. Their love story is still told in the academy."
They stopped before a grand statue.
"See? That's your teacher's statue. He contributed greatly to Beauxbatons, so the academy built this to honor him. Students and professors respect him very much."
Horatio stared at the gentle, dignified sculpture.
And remembered the old man scamming him yesterday.
Unforgivable.Absolutely unforgivable.
While Fleur looked away, Horatio slipped out of her grip and ran toward the statue.
He pressed his palm to its base.
Alchemy Power!!!!— Activate.
Magic rippled outward.
Slowly, Nicolas Flamel's elegant wizard robes shifted into… Suspenders + trousers...
His wand turned into a basketball.
His serene posture twisted into a power stance, arms braced like a street dancer.
Horatio pulled a speaker from his pouch, welded it to the base, and—
Music blasted.
The statue began dancing.
T/N:(Think Chinese plaza dance + JoJo + meme moves.)
Fleur and nearby students stared, dumbfounded, before reality sank in.
"HORATIO!!"
Fleur slammed a punch on his head.
"What did you DO?! Fix it right now!"
"No!"
Horatio clutched his growing bump, defiant.
"What? Do you want a beating?!" Fleur raised her sleeves, ready to deliver justice.
"Enough, Fleur," a graceful voice interrupted.
Madame Maxime approached—tall, elegant, followed by Dumbledore.
Dumbledore examined the statue with professional curiosity.
"A very impressive use of transfiguration," he said.
"Permanent runic engraving, custom protection mechanisms… Even I'd need time to undo this. I could only destroy the statue outright."
"HAH! OLD MAN! YOU OWE ME — THIRTEEN LEVELS!!"
The moment Horatio saw Dumbledore, he forgot his injury and charged.
"Take this—Knight Kick!"
Dumbledore flicked his wand.
A rope appeared, tying Horatio into a squirming caterpillar on the ground.
Eventually, they reached a deal:
Dumbledore would return the Wing Rebellion Falcon armor,
and Horatio would restore Flamel's statue.
Horatio hopped up and greeted Madame Maxime politely:
"Hello, Madam Eight-Foot—no, Madam Maxime. Did the fly swatter I made for you work well?"
Maxime sighed.
"It is an excellent alchemical tool, but… must it attack my backside every few hours?"
"..."
"…It must be malfunctioned. I'll fix it later."
Maxime looked at his earnest face, then at Dumbledore.
"Headmaster Dumbledore," she sighed, "this child is far too troublesome. Surely you cannot manage him alone. Why not let him transfer to Beauxbatons?
Fleur is here, Nicolas is here—he'd have company."
Before Dumbledore could reply, Horatio shouted:
"I object!!!"
He pointed at the crowd of Beauxbatons boys glaring holes into him while Fleur pinched his waist behind her back.
"I suspect I'd be stabbed eighteen times and 'commit suicide by melon.'"
T/N: A chinese meme( They'll kill me and call it 'death by accidental melon consumption or, it can also be interpreted as , They'll kill me, then pretend I killed myself! The official excuse will be some ridiculous fake reason!)
Maxime glanced at the furious students—girls included.
"…Fair point. Forget it."
Horatio spent the next few days dragged around the academy by Fleur while Dumbledore and Maxime handled important business.
Fleur didn't want him to leave.
The students wanted to set him on fire.
Finally, the day of farewell arrived.
Fleur visited Flamel's home, eyes misty as she straightened Horatio's clothes.
"Remember—write to me when you're back in Britain. If you ignore me, I'll march to Hogwarts and twist your ears off."
"Yes, yes, nagging woman. Here."
Horatio handed her a small box.
"Goodbye, old man. Goodbye, Grandma Perenelle. Bye, Fleur!"
He ran toward Dumbledore.
"Wait."
Horatio turned—
Soft, fragrant lips brushed his cheek.
"Goodbye," Fleur whispered, cheeks burning.
"Don't forget me."
Before he could speak, she pushed him toward Dumbledore, flustered.
Dumbledore saw Horatio's blank, soul-detached expression and, remembering someone else long ago, nodded to the Flamel couple.
With a touch to Horatio's shoulder, they vanished.
Perenelle looked at Fleur, who stood frozen, head lowered, face red.
"They're gone, dear. Open the gift. Knowing that boy, it won't be something simple."
Fleur nodded and opened the box.
Inside lay a silver fleur-de-lis brooch, carved with incredible precision.
At its center sat a blue gemstone etched with intricate alchemical runes.
Flamel peered inside and shook his head.
"So that's what the boy was secretly working on instead of causing chaos…
Take good care of it, child.
It's not easy to make something like this."
A tear fell onto the silver petals.
Fleur gently wiped it away, lifted the brooch, and fastened it to her chest.
Her fingers brushed it softly as memories flooded back.
"…Stupid brat" she whispered.
"Some people shine like a rainbow—brilliant, dazzling, unforgettable."
(From the film Flipped)
**
T/N:
The line "Old man, you owe me thirteen levels!" (老登,你還我13階) is a Chinese gamer/meme joke.
"Old man, you ruined my leveling progress!"
In many Chinese webnovels, when MC gets interrupted during cultivation or leveling, they yell:
"You made me lose X levels! Pay me back!!"
It's a dramatic, exaggerated joke from cultivation/xianxia novels.
Horatio treats everything like a video game or RPG, so:
When Dumbledore interrupts him
Horatio pretends he lost "13 levels" because of that.So he charges angrily at Dumbledore yelling for compensation
It's comedy, not actual game mechanics.
Pure literal Meaning by yours truly Horattio Quibble:
"You messed with me! Prepare to be beaten!!"