The Delacour sisters held each other and cried for a long time.
Link and the others stayed by their side, quietly waiting with complicated feelings.
Once the pride of the heavens, the Beauxbatons sisters who had been dazzling like the bright moon and admired by everyone had actually fallen to such a state.
It really made people sigh with emotion.
Only after the sisters' emotions calmed a little did Link sigh and say, "Your sister kept telling us that you have a high status at Beauxbatons, that you've even become one of the top people in your grade. So we always thought you were doing well."
"But now it looks like… things actually aren't that good, right?"
Gabrielle struggled out of Fleur's arms, rubbed her red eyes, and said stubbornly, "Who says I'm not doing well? Headmistress Maxime values me a lot, and my credits are very high."
"You could even say they're the highest in the whole grade! My sister should've told you what credits mean at Beauxbatons, right?"
They meant direct status.
Link nodded, but still said, "Then why did something like today happen? From that Lola's attitude, it seems like they don't really like you."
Gabrielle said weakly, "That's because Senior Lola is an upperclassman. She's about to enter seventh year this year. As for everyone not liking me… that part is true. But there's nothing I can do about it. After all…"
Gabrielle stopped mid-sentence, but intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Fleur.
That one look made Fleur lower her head in pain.
Obviously, her reputation as the "Beauxbatons Champion" had dragged Gabrielle down with it.
The malice the entire Beauxbatons held toward her didn't end after her graduation. Instead, it had been transferred onto her younger sister.
How cruel was that?
Fleur couldn't help but feel tears coming again.
At that moment, Emily, who had been silent the whole time, stepped forward. Looking down at Gabrielle from above, she said calmly, "Just now, you called that Lola 'Senior Lola'? Why be so polite? Did they also give you other kinds of warnings?"
Hearing this, Fleur, who had just stopped crying, suddenly froze, staring at Gabrielle with a shocked expression.
Emily's words reminded her of something.
School bullying had never been something rare.
Even in magic schools, it was the same.
Those people who hated her might not have dared to do anything to her because of strength and status, and could only make a few verbal remarks along with cold isolation.
But it was different when facing the weaker Gabrielle.
Under everyone's gaze, Gabrielle slowly lowered her head again and said in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible, "They… they're in higher grades…"
Everyone present was smart.
An answer like that was already enough.
What Beauxbatons enforced was not just a credit-only system, but also a grade hierarchy.
It was somewhat similar to Hogwarts' prefect system.
In other words, prefects theoretically had the authority to manage all students in the school, but at the same time they were restricted by prefects from higher grades.
Such a system would give rise to another kind of "grade suppression."
That is, lower-grade prefects would gradually lose their authority over ordinary students from higher grades.
Because the upperclassmen simply wouldn't listen to them. Those older students were only willing to follow the orders of prefects from their own grade or from even higher grades.
The exercise of authority in the entire prefect system was downward compatible, but not upward compatible.
At Beauxbatons, this kind of "grade suppression" had been taken to an even more extreme level.
Because the concepts of hierarchy and seniority were deeply ingrained there.
This was a school where every student had to stand up and greet the headmistress when they saw her.
Gabrielle had clearly been suppressed by this "grade hierarchy."
Even if she was doing extremely well in her own year and had even reached the very top prefect tier.
She was still only in second year.
There were simply too many people who could bully her, and too many who wanted to.
This was the "inheritance" her sister had left her.
So Gabrielle truly wasn't doing well.
Looking at it this way, it became very easy to understand why Gabrielle might develop resentment toward Fleur.
After all, being in such an environment for a long time could easily produce symptoms similar to Stockholm syndrome.
For example, instead of hating the abusers, she might blame herself and Fleur for all the unfairness and pain she suffered.
Of course, it was also possible Gabrielle had even more extreme thoughts that she hadn't revealed.
Sighing, Link smiled and said, "Gabrielle, actually, from what I see, the environment of the entire French magical world has already undergone huge changes."
"It's no longer suitable for a young wizard of your status to live in. So… would you be willing to transfer schools?"
"Whether it's Ilvermorny in America or Hogwarts in Britain, as long as you're willing, I can arrange for you to enroll as a transfer student next semester."
"I believe you'll definitely like those two places. The environment there is much better than here."
After saying that, Link even smiled at Fleur.
This was the final effort he was willing to make for Fleur's sake.
If Gabrielle showed some cooperation, he wouldn't mind using gentler methods to take her away.
Even if it would be troublesome.
Fleur also knew how difficult this gesture from Link was, and she looked at him with gratitude.
But when Gabrielle heard this, her expression suddenly turned cold.
"I'm not leaving Beauxbatons!"
Gabrielle said firmly, "Beauxbatons is my home! Headmistress Maxime is also my elder!"
"I'm going to stay here and prove to everyone that not all daughters of the Delacour family are useless! Everything I've lost, one day I'll take it all back! With my own strength!"
That meant there was no chance.
Gabrielle had already become stubborn to a degree that words alone could not change.
Link shook his head at Fleur, his eyes full of helplessness.
And Fleur was already crying so hard she couldn't speak.
Gabrielle's pain and obsession were largely because of her.
Seeing this, Gabrielle showed a strange expression and moved slightly farther away from Link, saying somewhat cautiously, "Why are you asking me these questions?"
"There's no reason for you to spend this much effort getting involved in our sisters' matters, right? Could it be… just like Senior Lola said… sister, have you really become Mr. Washington's…"
Cough! Cough!
Link coughed violently, cutting Gabrielle off.
"Didn't you say you were going to take us to the banquet hall? Let's get going.", As he spoke, Link walked out first.
Leaving behind a blushing Fleur and a Gabrielle whose eyes were full of suspicion.
———
Because they had been delayed too long by Lola and the others earlier, by the time Link and his group arrived at the Beauxbatons banquet hall, the feast had already begun.
At night, the Beauxbatons hall looked even more magnificent than during the day.
With all the magical lamps lit, the entire hall glowed with a hazy layer of light, like a dream.
Beauxbatons' emphasis on etiquette was fully displayed at this dinner.
Their seating arrangement wasn't divided equally by houses like at Hogwarts. Instead, it was deliberately divided into several different sections according to age, identity, credit score, and status. The decoration and seat sizes in each section were also completely different.
One of the most obvious standards was this, the lower the dining area, the dimmer the lighting.
The highest tier was naturally the main table where the professors sat.
They were almost positioned at the highest point in the entire hall.
With the stained glass behind them, the professors looked extremely dignified.
As honored guests of Beauxbatons, Link and the others were arranged in several small scattered seats slightly below the professors.
Gabrielle also benefited from Link and the others' presence. She wasn't forced back into the dim and simple student seating area below, but instead sat among Link's group.
As members of the mysterious "Washington family," Link's group attracted a lot of attention.
Especially from the other noble guests seated in the same guest area.
These people's attitude toward Link and the others could almost be described as eagerly waiting.
Even before Link and the others had actually sat down, they were already raising their wine glasses in salute.
Unfortunately, Link couldn't be bothered with them at all.
All his attention was focused on the higher staff seating area.
More precisely, on Maxime and Professor Liro beside her.
Compared to the last time they met, Madame Maxime looked more solemn and somewhat older.
Like most of the professors and guests present, she had changed into formal attire.
Sitting in the very center of the main seat, her massive figure and serious face instantly made everyone else seem small in comparison.
But when her gaze swept across Fleur among Link's group, that dignified expression rarely showed a trace of emotion.
From afar, Link even saw Maxime slightly rise, as if she wanted to come over.
Unfortunately, Professor Liro beside her only whispered a few words to her, and she sat back down.
After that, Maxime began her welcome speech to the guests.
This made Fleur especially disappointed.
Although her relationship with Madame Maxime had become tense before, she still hoped to have more communication with her.
Dumbledore and Link both had slight changes in their expressions.
They had no interest at all in Maxime's formulaic speech. Dumbledore completely ignored her on stage and turned to Link, "Looks like these people have a deeper control over Beauxbatons than we expected."
"Yes, from the looks of it, Madame Maxime has almost become their puppet," Link said calmly.
"But that doesn't matter. After tonight, everything will change."
Dumbledore didn't speak, only looked deeply at Link.
Although he had agreed to assist Link in executing the hunting plan against the shadow figure.
That didn't mean he fully agreed with Link's views.
Rome wasn't built in a day.
In his opinion, simply hunting down one shadow figure wouldn't be enough to change Beauxbatons' current situation.
On the contrary.
This hunting plan might even make the situation at Beauxbatons worse.
During their quiet exchange, Maxime's relatively short speech had already ended.
After that, the previously empty tables in front of everyone gradually filled with steaming dishes.
"Mmm..."
Dumbledore said with a half-smile, "This serving method… feels a bit familiar."
Link knew exactly what he wanted to say. Out of care for his old headmaster, Link followed along, "Yeah, I think I've heard Hogwarts serves food like this too."
Dumbledore turned to look at Link, his face showing a pleased expression as if to say he was teachable.
Gabrielle snorted when she heard that.
"Yes, this serving method was indeed something Beauxbatons learned from Hogwarts. But we do it better than Hogwarts!"
"Oh?" Dumbledore said with a smile, a bit unconvinced. "Better how?"
"If you understood a little, you'd know. Hogwarts' food materialization is done by house-elves. They place the kitchen under the hall, then the house-elves inside bring up the food. But that method is too primitive!"
"Our serving system doesn't need any house-elves. The reason our system works is because of a simplified Apparition spell system specially designed for us by the president of the French Alchemy Association."
"Trying to set up such a system in a place like Beauxbatons, which is fully covered with anti-Apparition spells, isn't easy!"
"Also, since you haven't attended a Hogwarts banquet, you probably can't tell."
"The dishes we serve are all cooked by professional chefs we specially hired from the French magical world."
"In terms of quality, we're far better than Hogwarts!"
Dumbledore pressed his lips together again.
Because he really had no way to refute that.
Calling Britain a culinary wasteland might be a bit exaggerated.
But British local cuisine chefs really weren't that great.
Even though Hogwarts used house-elves who were very good at cooking.
In that kind of environment, the overall level could only reach so far.
The food displayed at the Beauxbatons banquet, just in appearance alone, was already far superior to Hogwarts.
Frowning slightly, Dumbledore instinctively turned his gaze to Link again.
He still hoped Link would help him say a few words like before.
But unexpectedly, Link and Emily had already picked up their knives and forks and launched a fierce attack on the dishes in front of them.
As they ate, they even stopped from time to time to praise the food.
Dumbledore's expression instantly changed.
He looked at Link and Emily like they were traitors.
However, Link didn't react at all.
'What a joke.'
With delicious food right in front of him, who had time to help an old man compete over pride?
Seeing Link eating happily, Fleur and Gabrielle finally had smiles on their faces too.
They even occasionally pushed dishes they thought were good toward Link and Emily for them to try.
Link and Emily also cooperated well.
Even when some things like French snails were clearly not to their taste, they still offered praise, making the smiles on Gabrielle and Fleur's faces grow brighter and the atmosphere of the banquet grow better and better.
"Haa..."
As the last empty plate in front of them was taken away, Link removed the napkin from his collar and let out a long breath.
"Mr. Washington, was your meal satisfactory?"
A somewhat familiar voice suddenly sounded behind Link.
Turning around, Link saw that Maxime had somehow arrived behind him and was now looking at him with a smile.
That so-called Professor Liro was also standing beside her.
"Overall, I'm quite satisfied," Link said, raising his eyebrows as he stood.
"French cuisine could be called the most delicious food in all of Europe. Even on a global scale, only authentic Chinese cuisine could really compare."
"Thank you very much for your hospitality. I feel deeply honored!"
"It's wonderful that you're satisfied!" Maxime's smile became more sincere. "And please rest assured."
"Although this is a banquet, aside from the ceremonial procedures, the dishes were not prepared according to the highest banquet standards."
"In other words, what you just enjoyed is actually just an ordinary daily meal at Beauxbatons."
"If your family's descendants enroll at Beauxbatons someday, then what they enjoy every day will be the same dining standards as today."
"Really?" Link said with slight surprise. "If that's the case, I'm starting to envy that boy's future life."
Maxime laughed when she heard that, looking very happy.
At this moment, Emily said coldly from the side, "Madame Maxime, are you saying all the children here enjoy exactly the same food?"
As she spoke, Emily glanced with some disdain toward the darkest student dining area below.
Maxime followed Emily's gaze and immediately understood.
"Please don't worry about that either. Beauxbatons' daily meals are also divided into levels. Specifically, there are daily grade meals and banquet grade meals."
"If students are dissatisfied with the standard of their current meals, they can apply to upgrade to banquet-grade food."
"Of course, such an upgrade has requirements."
"To do this, they must reach a certain number of credits."
"Or they may submit a certain amount of sponsorship funds to Beauxbatons and become an honorary school board member."
"Money has never been a problem."
Emily let out a breath of relief. "As long as my child can enjoy the very best, that's enough."
"Honestly, if you really made my child eat the same things as those lower-class people, I'd be disgusted."
Hearing this, the corner of Maxime's mouth twitched, and her smile almost fell apart.
Because she knew very well that by the standards of this so-called Mrs. Washington, she herself, as a half-giant, would also count as a lower-class person.
Taking a deep breath, Maxime finally forced a smile and said, "That is only natural. Please believe that Beauxbatons will certainly not disappoint you."
"Also, there will be a dance held here later. Please don't miss it. It was specially prepared for our distinguished guests."
After saying that, Maxime bowed to Link and the others and left the hall together with the ever-silent Professor Liro.
Link silently watched their departing backs.
A strange smile hung on his face.
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