Beauxbatons Academy

Southern France, in the Pyrenees Mountains.

An elegant, magnificent manor built mainly of white marble stood here, surrounded by a Rose Garden.

A pretty Little Girl dragged a little boy with an annoyed expression along the manor's fountain.

"Horatio, your teacher Nicolas Flamel once studied at Beauxbatons Magic Academy too. He met his wife, Perenelle, at Beauxbatons, and their love story is still passed down within the academy." Pheobe held Horatio's hand as she introduced Beauxbatons Academy to him.

They arrived before a statue. "Look, that's your teacher's statue. He made tremendous contributions to the construction of Beauxbatons Academy, so the academy built this statue especially to commemorate him," Pheobe said. "The students and professors all respect him greatly."

Horatio looked at the kind, dignified statue and thought of how Old Deng had tricked him yesterday. This was intolerable.

While Pheobe was not paying attention, Horatio broke free from her small hand and ran to Old Deng's statue. He pressed his right hand against the pedestal, activating Alchemy.

As magic power spread over it, Nicolas Flamel's statue gradually changed. His elegant wizard's robes became overalls, the magic wand in his right hand became a basketball, and his upright pose with both hands resting before his abdomen changed into an Iron Mountain Lean.

Horatio took a speaker from the cloth bag at his waist and welded it directly onto the pedestal. As a familiar tune began to play, Nicolas Flamel's statue started performing a familiar dance to the music.

Pheobe and the passing students stared blankly at the transformation before finally coming to their senses.

"Horatio!!!" Pheobe slammed a dunk onto Horatio's head. "What exactly did you do? Change it back right now!"

"No!" Horatio rubbed the huge bump on his head and looked stubbornly at Pheobe.

"What? You want another beating?" Pheobe rolled up her sleeves, ready to continue teaching Horatio a lesson.

"That's enough, Pheobe." A dignified female voice stopped her. A tall, elegant lady and a white-bearded old man approached.

"An exceptionally beautiful Transfiguration." Outsiders watched the spectacle, while experts saw the craft. Dumbledore walked up to the statue and touched its pedestal. "Not only did he inscribe runes for permanent Transfiguration, he also added a unique defensive mechanism. Even I can't unravel this system in a short time. I can only destroy the statue by force."

"You there, Old Deng, give me back my Level 13!" The moment Horatio saw Dumbledore, he forgot all about the bump on his head and charged at him. "Prepare to die, Old Deng! Take my Knight Kick!"

Before Horatio could get close, Dumbledore flicked his magic wand. A rope suddenly appeared and bound Horatio into a strip as he wriggled across the ground.

In the end, Dumbledore and Horatio reached an agreement. Dumbledore would return the Winged Rebellion Falcon Armor to Horatio, while Horatio would restore Nicolas Flamel's statue to its original state.

"Hello, Eight Feet... no, Madam Maxime." Horatio took out some hand sanitizer from his cloth bag, squeezed a little into his palm, and rubbed his hands together like a fly. "Was the fly swatter I gave you last time useful?"

Madam Maxime had no idea why Horatio always washed his hands with sanitizer whenever he met her. Perhaps it was his way of showing respect. "It is a fine Alchemy item. It would be better if it did not occasionally attack my backside."

"Ahem, perhaps it has a slight malfunction. I'll fix it for you later."

Can't find the book by searching its title? Try searching for the author instead; perhaps it was simply renamed!

Madam Maxime looked at Horatio's sincere face and said to Dumbledore, "Headmaster Dumbledore, this child is so mischievous. I'm afraid you may not be able to manage him properly. Why not transfer him directly to Beauxbatons? I'll help you keep him in line. Besides, Pheobe and Nicolas are both here, so at least he'll have company."

Before Dumbledore could refuse, Horatio jumped out first. "I don't agree!!!" He then pointed at a group of Beauxbatons students watching nearby. "I suspect I'll end up with eighteen stab wounds in my back, having committed suicide by Avada Kedavra."

Madam Maxime looked at the group of boys glaring through clenched teeth at Pheobe, who was leaning against Horatio—though she was actually pinching the flesh at his lower back. Perhaps it was not just the boys. "That's true. Forget it."

Over the next few days, Horatio accompanied Pheobe as she wandered around Beauxbatons Academy. Dumbledore and Headmistress Maxime seemed to have something to discuss. Once they reached an agreement, Dumbledore would take Horatio back to Britain.

Though Pheobe was somewhat reluctant, she accepted the reality after Madam Maxime comforted her. Still, she had been clinging to Horatio lately, making the students of Beauxbatons Academy furious enough to burst their lungs.

On the day of their parting, Pheobe came to Nicolas Flamel and Perenelle's home to see Horatio off.

"Remember, write to me even after you return to Britain. Otherwise, even if you hide at Hogwarts, I'll find you and tug your ears hard." With reddened eyes, Pheobe straightened Horatio's clothes.

"I know, I know. Stop nagging. Here, this is for you." Horatio took out a box and handed it to Pheobe.

"Goodbye, Old Deng. Goodbye, Grandma Perenelle. Goodbye, Pheobe." Horatio bid farewell to the three of them one by one, then ran toward Dumbledore.

"Wait."

Horatio stopped. Just as he turned around, a pair of fragrant lips lightly pressed against his cheek.

"Goodbye. Don't forget me." As if to stop Horatio from saying anything, Pheobe pushed him gently toward Dumbledore with a flushed face.

Dumbledore looked at the absent-minded Horatio and could not help recalling someone. After nodding to Nicolas Flamel and Perenelle, he placed a hand on Horatio's shoulder and vanished from the spot.

Perenelle looked at Pheobe, who had lowered her head with a flushed face, and shook her head. "All right, they're gone. Let's see what that boy gave you. I doubt it's anything ordinary."

Pheobe nodded and opened Horatio's box. An exquisite Silver Fleur-de-lis Brooch lay quietly in the center. Set into the flower's center was a Blue Orb inscribed with complex runes.

Nicolas Flamel looked at the brooch in the box and shook his head. "I was wondering what that boy had been doing lately instead of causing trouble. So he was making this. Keep it safe. It was very difficult to make. It seems you really did manage to get closer to that boy's heart during this time."

A teardrop fell onto a fleur-de-lis petal.

Pheobe took out the brooch, gently wiped away the tear, and carefully pinned it to her chest. Stroking it as she recalled every moment they had shared, Pheobe could not help muttering under her breath.

"Big jerk."

Everything in the world has its own color. Some are as splendid as brocade, some as soft as silk, and some as dazzling as gemstones. But every so often, you meet someone who shines brightly like a rainbow, unforgettable to behold. (Excerpt from the film Flipped)

If you enjoy this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you can find it again next time!