I Swung a Sword at Hogwarts

Crossing the English Channel, the cruise ship arrived in France from the United Kingdom.

The Pyrenees.

This mountain range forms a natural border between France and Spain. Nestled in the mountainous landscape is the Beauxbatons Castle, a magically constructed paradise hidden from the world.

If you ask a British wizard which is the best magic school in the world, they would, without hesitation, tell you it's Hogwarts.

But if you ask a French wizard, they'll tell you that the Brit is full of hot air — Beauxbatons is clearly the finest school of magic.

This magnificent and romantic castle is styled like a French palace, surrounded by magically enhanced gardens and fountains.

When the breeze passes through the gardens, you might even hear woodland fairies singing.

"Professor, why are we here exactly?"

John was growing frustrated. Dumbledore had said they were going to find Nicolas Flamel.

But after arriving in France, their first stop was the Paris Opera House, where they watched a moving performance.

Then, they visited a ladies' hat shop, where Dumbledore bought himself a hat he liked.

This — Beauxbatons Castle — was their third stop, which also happened to be France's magical school.

Dumbledore gave John a small smile and said, "John, indeed, the pursuit of knowledge must never cease — but we're currently on holiday."

As they entered through Beauxbatons' gates and wandered into the garden, a tall woman appeared, resembling a female version of Hagrid.

"Dumbledore," she greeted.

This was Olympe Maxime, the current headmistress of Beauxbatons.

She had an olive-toned face, large and bright black eyes, and her hair was swept back neatly.

She wore a black satin robe from head to toe and was adorned with exquisite opals, giving her the appearance of a grande dame.

She extended her hand, and Dumbledore naturally stepped forward to kiss it — despite being quite tall, he still looked small next to her.

Maxime moved her gaze to John and, in English tinged with a French accent, said,

"Dumbledore, Nicolas Flamel is on our school board. I wouldn't refuse his request."

Dumbledore smiled — the two seemed to be speaking in riddles, and John was thoroughly confused.

Madame Maxime approached John. Seeing his neatly dressed suit, she gave a small nod of approval.

"Now then, I believe a change is in order."

She took out her wand and gently tapped John.

John immediately felt something change. Looking down, he saw that his clothes had transformed.

His suit had become a light blue robe, and on the chest was an emblem: two golden wands crossed, each emitting three stars.

With just one flick, he had changed outfits. John stood there, dumbfounded.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, snapping him out of it.

"John Wick, from now on, you'll be spending your holiday at Beauxbatons as a temporary exchange student from Hogwarts."

The old man — known for his love of sweets like cockroach clusters — now wore a smug, victorious smile.

That's when John realized he'd been tricked by the old bumblebee.

They were supposed to meet Nicolas Flamel, and now he was suddenly an exchange student?

"Damn, I'm a decoy!"

John's mind went into panic. Had Dumbledore found out about his interest in dark magic and decided to exile him from Hogwarts?

Was this how it ended?

He completely forgot that Dumbledore had used the word "temporary." Right now, he was just scared.

"Professor, if there's anything I've done to displease you, please just tell me directly," John said, almost in tears.

Dumbledore patted him on the shoulder and replied mysteriously,

"John, every magical school holds its own mysteries. You can uncover them with your keen eyes.

And in the meantime, enjoy the gardens and fountains — they're a favorite of my old friend's."

There was a clear implication in his words.

Then he added softly, "Don't worry — Hogwarts doesn't expel students just for being curious about magic."

That finally put John's mind at ease.

He was soon escorted into Beauxbatons by Madame Maxime, where he would begin his two-month exchange student life.

Of course, Madame Maxime wouldn't personally look after a student — not even one sent by Dumbledore himself.

Conveniently, there was a student who had some reason to stay at school during the break.

John received help from a girl.

Her name was Fleur Delacour, a beautiful young woman three years older than him.

Fleur stood tall and graceful — almost too beautiful to be real.

Slender and elegant, she walked like she was floating. A soft silver glow seemed to shimmer around her.

Her long silver hair reached her waist, and she had deep blue eyes and a perfect, radiant smile.

When she walked up to John, he finally snapped out of his daze.

He searched his brain for the right words to describe her, and only one phrase came to mind:

"She's so bling-bling... like someone added duang effects."

He said it sincerely — but Fleur looked completely confused.

What's "bling-bling"? What's "duang"?

If she had ever seen that old meme from a Chinese furniture commercial, maybe she would've known he was complimenting her beauty as if it had special effects.

John also noticed the silvery glow wasn't an illusion — it was real.

There seemed to be some special bloodline within her, much like his own dragon's blood.

"Hello, I'm John Wick. Just call me John."

He offered his hand. Fleur, charmed by this handsome boy, gave a polite smile and shook hands — a light, brief touch.

John didn't dwell on it. His attention had already shifted to twelve enormous, winged horses nearby.

"Those are Abraxans — Madame Maxime raises them," Fleur explained.

John stared at them, thinking only one thing:

"I need to find a way to get some materials from those horses."

He had barely arrived and was already eyeing their magical creatures.

If Madame Maxime ever found out she had invited a little thief into the school, even Nicolas Flamel wouldn't be able to convince her to let John stay.

But John took Dumbledore's words seriously. His mind began working.

Hogwarts had the Room of Requirement, so Beauxbatons — being a school of equal status — was unlikely to lack something similar.

Especially with Nicolas Flamel as a board member and former student.

Dumbledore had promised they'd meet him.

So either Flamel was already somewhere in Beauxbatons, or something important related to him was hidden here.

Either way, anything connected to the master alchemist would be worth discovering.

With renewed energy, John got excited.

After all, it was just a different location for his nightly escapades — nothing he hadn't done before.

He shyly approached Fleur, putting on an innocent smile.

"Excuse me, do you know if there's a restricted section or something like that here?"

Fleur had no idea what to make of this British boy.

Restricted section? Did he seriously ask her that?

This was Beauxbatons, not Hogwarts.

They didn't just leave the restricted section out in the open.

So her answer — unsurprisingly — was:

"Yes, but don't even think about it."

Left to his own devices, John became the foreigner sneaking around the campus at night.

Every night, he would cast a Level 4 Disillusionment Charm and explore Beauxbatons.

Rumors soon spread of a ghost haunting the castle — strange footsteps echoed through the halls, but no one was ever seen.

Even when professors investigated, they found nothing.

Someone swore they saw a ghost crawling around the Flamel Fountain, pale as death like a vampire strung up for three days.

The student who saw it was so terrified they stayed locked in their dorm for days, their windows lined with garlic.