During the first half of the Second Task, Beauxbatons had taken so long to think of using magic to propel their boat that a bunch of people hiding their real methods had overtaken them one after another.
The sight had made their headmistress, Madame Maxime, bristle with anger.
But now, seeing her two treasured students become the third pair to finish their Magical Automaton, she was happy again.
Beauxbatons also offered alchemy classes. Although they did not place as much importance on it as Ilvermorny did, offering it only as an elective, Elizabeth Xilieikesi happened to have taken the subject, and her grades were quite good.
Although Fleur Delacour was not good at it, like Harry, she knew to listen to the experts on specialized matters. So she, too, helped out however Xilieikesi told her to.
Thus, although the two beauties were slower than Ilvermorny-after all, the latter had arrived before them, and both of their Champions knew something about alchemy-
They were still fast enough to surpass the Champions from the other schools.
Beauxbatons, who had originally set off tied for first only to fall into last place, had now fought their way back into third. At last, a smile appeared on Madame Maxime's face after she had kept it stern for so long.
"Do you think these two will be scared to tears by the Giant Squid in a moment?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione beside him with more than a little malice as he watched Xilieikesi and Delacour enter their Magical Automaton and begin diving toward deeper water.
Ron chuckled at that, looking very interested.
Hermione gave Harry a disgusted glare. "Could you stop coming up with such nasty ideas all the time?"
This time, even Qiu could not help nodding along and reproaching Harry. "Harry, you