Beauxbatons Academy of Magic

Beauxbatons was situated in Southern France atop the Pyrenees Mountains. It was the only French Wizarding School in the world. It was believed that the school took in students from France, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. It is possible that they took students from other nationalities too, but it is not known for sure. Beauxbatons Academy of Magic was one of three major wizarding schools in all of Europe. The other two were Durmstrang Institute and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

All these three schools competed against each other in the famous Triwizard Tournament. In the Harry Potter series, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic was introduced in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, in which the Triwizard Tournament occurs. Fleur Delacour is selected as the champion representing Beauxbatons in this Triwizard Tournament. Beauxbatons was misunderstood to be a girls’ school which it was not. The coat of arms of the school was a pair of golden wands shooting out three stars each.

Etymology

The term Beauxbatons may be directly derived from the French “beaux bâtons” which literally translates to beautiful sticks. This term, batton or bâton may be more in reference to the term stick like a staff rather than a wand, as the French term for wand is “baguette.”

History

Beauxbatons is believed to be founded around the year 1290 in France. It has been historically associated with the French Ministry of Magic. It has had several notable alumni, including Nicolas Flamel, his wife Perenelle Flamel, Vincent Duc de Trefle-Picques, and Luc Millefeuille. 

Nicolas Flamel was a celebrated alchemist known for creating the Philosopher’s Stone which could make the Elixir of Life which allowed both him and his wife to stay alive over the age of 600. Vincent Duc de Trefle-Picques was a wizard escaping possible execution during the terror, an event that involved mass persecution of the enemies of the French Revolution. Vincent managed to escape these mobs by casting a Concealment Charm on his neck, thereby making it look like he was decapitated. Luc Millefeuille was a pâtissier who deliberately poisoned muggles as a form of muggle baiting through his pastries. 

Le Cri de la Gargouille, the French Wizarding newspaper, once reported a potion scandal perpetrated by the students of Beauxbatons in 1927. Madame Olympe Maxime, the headmistress of Beauxbatons during the 1990s, visited Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament along with a troop of Beauxbatons students, mostly female students. Fleur Delacour came along with her sister Gabrielle Delacour and was selected as the champion representing Beauxbatons. Some students of Beauxbatons, including Madame Maxime and Fleur Delacour aided Hogwarts students in fighting Voldemort in the Second Wizarding War and the Battle of Hogwarts. Gabrielle Delacour was among the ones taken as “the person that needed to be saved by the Triwizard champions” during the second task of the championship. The others include Ron, Hermione, and Cho Chang.

The Students

The students of Beauxbatons were mostly from France. Some Belgians, Spanish and Portuguese students were also studied in the school. It is believed that students usually stood at attention when their Headmistress arrived and only sat after she did, which was a mark of respect. There were several similarities between Beauxbatons and other wizarding schools in the world. However, there were many differences too. For instance, Beauxbatons students took their Ordinary Wizarding Level exams in the sixth year instead of the fifth year like the students of Hogwarts did. The students of Beauxbatons wore silk pale blue robes, as is shown in the film adaptation of Harry Potter. There were three houses in Beauxbatons – Bellefeuille, Ombrelune, and Papillonlisse.

The School Building

The palace of Beauxbatons was built atop the Pyrenees Mountains and was a beautiful chateau with majestic gardens all around it and fountains sprouting out of the surrounding mountains created magically. It is believed that there were several Wood Nymphs who sang to the students as they ate in the dining chamber. It is believed that the grounds of this prestigious school were also funded partly by alchemist gold that was created by Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel. There was also a magnificent fountain in the middle of the school park which was named after Nicolas Flamel and Perenelle Flamel. This fountain is believed to have beautifying and healing properties. The hall of the stunning castle was decorated with large numbers of non-melting ice sculptures during Christmas.

Appearance in the Harry Potter Universe

While the Beauxbatons school or castle never made an appearance in the novel or movie adaptations of the Harry Potter series, members of this institute first appeared in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as guests at Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament. They came in a large light blue carriage pulled by a dozen winged horses. Hagrid helped feed the horses and also developed a close relationship with Madame Maxime. Fleur Delacour eventually became the Beauxbatons champion and participated in the Triwizard Tournament. They would appear several times in the series, and Fleur Delacour eventually ended up marrying Bill Weasley. Beauxbatons School of Magic maintained a very cordial relationship with Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Pronunciation of “Beauxbatons”

Beauxbatons is pronounced “bo-ba-ton” with an emphasis on keeping the “s” silent at the end of the word. On the contrary, in the movie adaptations of Harry Potter, Beauxbatons is pronounced wrongly as bo-ba-tons by Albus Dumbledore, played by Michael Gambon. The French members in the books and movies pronounce it properly.

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