Let the Abraxans Guide You

Tifanie settled back into the huge carriage that would transport them to Hogwarts. She wasn't sure whether she was more excited or nervous, but whatever that feeling was, she pushed it down as far as it would go. She would deal with it when they got there. Right now, she had more pressing concerns, like choosing the best seat.

Once you were inside the carriage, the only real reminders of your location were the windows that right now looked out over the gardens of Beauxbatons forecourt, and the polished wood and brass fittings along the walls and ceilings. The rest of the interior was made up to look like an elegant sitting room, which brought Tifainie to her current conundrum. Window or centre seat?

Selene stared at the giant carriage in front of her. It was huge, it had to be, but she didn't really care. She'd be in there far to long for it to be comfortable. She glanced back at the school and sighed slightly. She was excited to go to zis Hogwarts. But it still made her sad to leave the smell of the salt air behind, leave France, and everyone she knew who was younger then the ones allowed to go. But she knew the second she stepped onto the carriage, this sadness would be replaced by a new feeling. One that she knew would follow through up until the champion was picked. She would Win.

Selene moved forward carefully, and then stepped up the steps that had been pulled down. It was a long way to Hogwarts, and she wanted to get a good seat. So she had gotten out here as early as she could. Everyone who had come had to be fluent in English, which annoyed her to no end, but again, the only thing she cared about was winning. Stepping into the carriage, she took a deep breath and looked around. There was one other person on already. She knew her from around, but didn't know her name. "Would you please hurry and find a seat?" She asked in a heavy French Accent. Better get used to English now. "People will be on soon, we must not guard ze door." She said with a sigh, flicking her golden hair over her shoulder.

Peter strode towards the huge carriage that would deliver him to Howarts, the school where he would possibly become a Triwizard champion. In all honesty, he was glad to be going, especially with some of his closest friends. To Peter, everyone was his close friend, but still, it was nice to be able to have this opportunity.

He stepped inside the carriage and saw that Tifanie was already there and debating over a seat. He smiled and said good-naturedly, "Ne se sont pas décidés pour une place, Tifanie?" He grinned at her, walking over to the nearest seat and flopping into it. "Vous savez que les professeurs disent. Le fait d'être indécis produit l'oisiveté." He smiled a modest, charming smile at her.

Selene was not so patient with Tifanie. He grinned at her and said in English, "Patience, Selene. We are about to embark upon a mightee adventurre! We must be happy!" He smiled widely at her, feeling a little excited at just how pirate-y the whole thing seemed to be...

Translations-
Ne se sont pas décidés pour une place, Tifanie?- Haven't decided on a seat, Tifanie?
Vous savez que les professeurs disent. Le fait d'être indécis produit l'oisiveté- You know what the professors say. Indecisiveness breeds idleness.

At Selene's insistence, Tifanie stepped further into the carriage, making room for everyone else to come inside. Immediately, they were joined by Peter who, predictably, began teasing her about the seating arrangements.

Tifanie gave him a mock-scandalised look as she plonked herself down in the window seat after all.

"Vous? Je suis heureux tu pense tellement à moi!" she replied with a smile.

Now that she had got her little dig in, she switched to English as well.

"Shall we speak English from now on?" she proposed. "We will have to speak it once we get to Hogwarts. Except when we want people to think we're sultry, of course. Do you think you can sound sultry speaking German or Russian or whatever those Durmstrang people speak?"

______________________

Vous? - repeating the word Peter used, he slipped up and used the wrong form of address.

Je suis heureux tu pense tellement à moi! - I'm glad you think so much of me!

Selene watched as Peter came in and started joking around. She kept her face blank but shook her head slightly. "Yes.. I am going to stay in ze English language for now." She said softly. "An 'orrible language so... sharp, not as beautiful as French by any means." She said finding a seat next to the window and sitting down lightly. "La langue française est tellement plus agréable de parler. Mais nous devons nous habituer à l'anglais." She smiled slightly and glanced out in the courtyard. "Who do you think is going to win Tifanie?" She asked looking at her for a second.

"I would love to win ze eternal glory don't you think? It would be nice." She said smiling but letting it slide off her face as she turned to look out the window again. "But I think it's more the winning... ze fact that you did it.." she smiled and looked back at Peter and then smiled again. "Do you think that 'ogwarts is a lot different zen Beauxbatons?" She asked carefully, aware of how strong her accent was. Shaking her head she smiled and looked at them. "They will laugh at us." She said with a laugh.

Peter laughed heartily at Tifanie's expression, glad to see she had played along rather than been irritated. "Eet's probably good practice, speaking eet now. We will, after all, be speaking very much of eet there." He smiled and his eyes flicked towards the window, wanting to memorize Beauxbatons. He would be spending his last year mostly at Hogwarts, after all...

At Selene's words, he tsk-ed playfully. "Now, now, Selene, we must be civil to our hosts. Zey will be being very kind to us for ze next few months, I theenk." He knew she had a tendancy to be a bit severe, but he knew that was just apart of her charm. "Though you are correct. French is by far much nicer, and yes, sultry." He inclined his head towards Tifanie.

At Selene's question he said, "I am sure zat eet will be, but zat is part of ze adventure, iz eet not?" He grined. "And besides, eet iz still a school, so eet will not be too different... I 'ope..." He smiled again.

(sorry if I make any mistakes. I am using a translator, and I'm not too familiar with the French language or its accent... So... be warned. Haha)

"I am going to win, of course!" Tifanie answered Selene's question exuberantly. "But if, by some freak accident I am unable to win, I would be very happy if you would do the honours for me."

She giggled at Peter's recognition of her suggestion. Tifanie didn't really think French was sultry; she was too used to hearing it. She had just been parroting the way she'd heard it described by people who didn't hear it all the time.

"My sister works there," she volunteered. "She went to school there, too. It doesn't sound nearly as nice as Beauxbatons, but I suppose it would be hard for anywhere to be as nice as our school."

She decided not to tell them now about the horrible cold in Scotland or the ugly castle Caelani had described when she started school. They would find out about it for themselves soon enough.


((oops! It was so genuine looking, I assumed you spoke French. Makes me feel better for using one, though!))

Selene felt a smile cross her face and she looked at the others in the carriage. "Eet better have good food." She said after a moment. "I cannot imagine having to eat anyzing less then what we eat 'ere." She said softly and then glanced out at Beauxbatons again. She smiled lightly and looked at the other two. "Are you excited? Visiting a new school?" she stood up and sighed, taking her small handbag off of the seat next to her and pulling open the compartment above her seat. "Oh! So much room." She said with a grin. "I bet we learn more then them. Their education cannot be any better zen ours." She said with a soft laugh.

The other two seemed to be in a good mood for leaving, but she was still stuck thinking that she would be in some random different school for so long. It would be a long term, and she would miss her younger friends. It didn't help that Selene often had a hard time finding new friends, she didn't like opening up to new people. People from her school were different. Like Tifanie or Peter, they had the same experience she did at Beauxbatons, these student of Hogwarts... well she didn't expect to get along with them at all. "Do you think we will sleep in the carriage the entire time there?" She asked glancing around. It was nice, and she knew that the ride there would look like this, but while there she had a feeling it would feel much more like the castle then anywhere they would sleep elsewhere.

Anais had not been to Hogwarts for many years, and she hoped that some of her British friends might be there. She had, long before, packed her luggage and sent it down to the carriage. She had ordered the students to make sure their uniforms were impeccably cleaned and pressed and had been specific on what they could and should take and what they absolutely could not.

For the trip she had chosen an elegant day dress that was royal blue and was perfectly tailored. She had chosen a beautiful antique silver hair comb with filigreed details and sapphire blue cabochons in it to twist her hair up in place. She'd finished it off with a pair of sapphire earrings and delicate, feminine heels.

For her, it was not that far off from what she wore for her usual work day, except that the dress was a bit more elegant than usual for her. She had double checked her desk and made sure that she had left none of the necessary work undone as far as she could tell. She had spent many long hours doing a great deal of her work in advance so that she could be free to take care of her students while she had them out of the country. And she had chosen the very best, the brightest, the most skilled and the most mature of her students. She believed they would not disappoint her or let her down. She was looking forward to going to Hogwarts, and, regardless of who won, showing the students the lessons that were far greater than the athletic contest that was about to take place.

She had some hesitation about going to Hogwarts this year. News from some of her other collegues who were headmasters and headmistresses at other schools had not brought good tidings about the English school. It was tradition, though, and this year it was Hogwart's turn, and they had stepped up to it. She did not see that Beauxbatons could do less. She intended to go, though, with her eyes wide open.

She stepped into the morning sunshine with her Deputy Headmaster and stood outside in the crisp morning breeze and finished a few final details with him before he took her hand and helped her into the carriage.

"Good morning, Everyone!" she said in a warm, chipper tone, in clear and fluent English. She had mandated that the students all have excellent English before she would even consider them for this trip, and she intended to speak no French from the moment she boarded the carriage until it lighted back on Beauxbatons soil. She loved all her students, and they loved her, so far as she knew.

"And how are you all this morning?" she asked. "Ready for a wonderful journey today? You all look so wonderful in your uniforms. You did an excellent job making them look so crisp and fresh. You will impress our friends, I am quite sure. I would like you all to give some thought as to how we should say hello to our Hogwarts and Durmstrang friends when we see them today. We need to prepare a way to greet them in a proud Beauxbatons fashion, and you all have such wonderful ideas. I would like to hear from you what you would like to do. Might I sit with all of you?"

(You see nothing.. It wont let me delete!)