thefictionvixens Chapter 130 The Hawthorne Family's First Impressions of France
Chapter 130 The Hawthorne Family's First Impressions of France
Chapter 130 The Hawthorne Family's First Impressions of France (Part 1)
In the early morning at the airport, the Hawthorne family stood in the bustling departure hall, their hearts filled with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. David pushed a cart piled high with luggage, Emily held tightly to Lily's flushed face, and Karen carried his backpack, stuffed with essential magic books and notes, as well as his precious alchemy journal. He also carried a specially made cage in his hand, inside which Phoebus quietly preened his feathers, seemingly uninterested in the upcoming flight.
"Passport, plane ticket, wallet, Lily's teddy bear," Emily muttered, checking her small bag. "Karen,"
Is Phobos really okay? Shipment?
"It's okay, Mom," Karen reassured her. "Nicole's letter said there's a special registration channel for magical pets entering and leaving the country, and Phobos is very well-behaved. The cage is also specially made. Actually, I don't understand why we can't just let Phobos fly over and wait for us. Although the cage makes Phobos more obedient, it feels like we're just going to go through the trouble of transporting it." Karen couldn't help but complain, then he pointed to an inconspicuous rune mark on the cage. It could soothe the emotions of the creature in the cage and reduce its presence, and it was provided by Nicole.
David looked at the bustling crowd at the airport. "To be honest, Karen," he lowered his voice, "I've always been a little worried about that rule that underage wizards can't cast spells off-campus. We're flying all this way; are there really no problems with domestic wizards leaving through this kind of route?"
Karen did have some doubts. Previously, she had traveled to France using the official door key, and the procedures had been handled by Headmaster Dumbledore.
He didn't know what the proper cross-border procedures were like. He had expected that someone from the Ministry of Magic would check him before he left the country, but when he looked around, he didn't find anyone wearing strange robes or carrying wands secretly observing them.
"It should be fine, Dad," Karen said, trying to sound confident. "Since Nico and the others arranged for us to take a regular plane, they must have considered this. Besides, I'm on the plane, so far away. Could the Ministry of Magic's monitoring magic not cover high altitudes? Or perhaps Nico's letter itself carries some kind of clearance?" He could only offer a reasonable guess. "So far, everything has gone smoothly, without any abnormalities."
"I hope so," David nodded.
The check-in process went exceptionally smoothly. Phobos's shipment was completed at the special baggage counter. The staff seemed unfazed by the beautiful snow raven, only glancing once at the tag on the cage that read "Well-trained display snow raven," before quickly completing the paperwork and passing through security without incident.
Boarding, takeoff. Lily clung to the window, watching the ground shrink smaller and smaller, letting out a gasp of amazement. Emily gripped David's hand, looking somewhat nervous. Karen leaned back in her seat, feeling the vibrations of the engines. It was indeed a normal flight; there was no Apparition dizziness, no Flying Net ashes, and no Ministry of Magic officials suddenly appearing to conduct a search. It was unclear whether it was Nico's skillful operation or the British Ministry of Magic's incompetence in anticipating such a situation.
A few hours later, the plane landed smoothly at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Baggage claim, customs—everything proceeded smoothly. As they pushed their luggage carts out of the international arrivals gate and merged into the crowd in the arrivals hall, Karen's eyes scanned the crowd, searching for her guide.
"Mr. Hawthorne! Over here!" A clear and pleasant female voice rang out.
Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw a woman dressed in a well-tailored off-white Muggle suit, exuding a capable and elegant air, smiling and waving at them. She had striking long blonde hair, neatly styled in a bun, and her smile was both friendly and professional; she appeared to be about the same age as Emily.
"Hello! Are you the one arranged by Mr. Lemaître?" David stepped forward and politely confirmed.
"Yes, Mr. Hawthorne, Mrs. Emily, Karen, and our lovely little Lily!" The lady warmly extended her hands, shaking hands with David, Emily, and Karen respectively, then bent down, giving Lily a gentle smile. "Hello, Lily, my name is Sarah Delacour, I'm a friend of Mr. Lemaître, and your guide on this trip to France. Welcome to Paris!"
"Hello, Ms. Sarah!" Lily said shyly, but her eyes sparkled.
"Just call me Sarah." Sarah straightened up, her gaze sweeping over the luggage cart. "Everything went well, right? Was your trip pleasant?"
"It went very smoothly, Sarah, thank you for picking us up," Emily said gratefully.
“It’s my pleasure.” Sarah smiled and nodded, then naturally led them out of the airport. “Please follow me. Our transportation is in the private waiting area; there are fewer people this way.” As they walked, she added casually, “I work as a teaching assistant in Beauxbatons, and my children go to school there, so I’m very experienced in hosting little guests like Lily who are so curious about magic.” She winked at Lily.
Beauxbatons Delacour? A thought flashed through Karen's mind. The name instantly reminded him of Fleur Delacour, the one-quarter Veela who had shone brightly in the tournament. He quickly glanced at Sarah's elegant blonde hair and striking presence, a guess forming in his mind. But he didn't ask rashly, simply smiling and nodding politely. Sarah, clearly only mentioning her family background casually, didn't elaborate further.
She led them through a relatively quiet corridor and pushed open a door marked "Employee Access." Behind the door was a small parking lot, but it was mostly empty. However, Sarah headed straight for a shadowy corner at the far end of the parking lot. Karen immediately sensed an unusual, almost completely transparent magical fluctuation there.
"This is it." Sarah stopped and took a small object out of her elegant handbag, pressing it gently.
A ripple of light spread through the air, and a quaint, sleek black carriage slowly came into view. It looked like a product of the Victorian era, yet it was remarkably new, its surface gleaming with a warm sheen. Karen recognized it immediately; it was a Thestral.
David and Emily both gasped simultaneously. David stared intently at the two creatures pulling the cart, his face turning pale instantly, while Emily instinctively covered her mouth, her sharp gaze sweeping over the creatures' empty eye sockets and scaly skeleton.
Lily's reaction was quite different. She tilted her head curiously, looking at the carriage that had appeared out of nowhere, her large eyes filled with pure confusion: "A carriage? But where are the horses? Why aren't they pulling it?" She couldn't see the two silent, standing Thestrals at all.
All that could be seen was a "driverless" horse-drawn carriage.
"What is this?" David's voice was a little hoarse.
“Thestrals, Mr. David,” Sarah Delacour explained calmly, her tone reassuring. “A very docile and loyal magical creature. Only those who have witnessed death can truly see them. They are excellent flying mounts, extremely fast and very stable.” She looked at Cullen. “I heard that Hogwarts uses Thestrals to pick up students, is that right?”
Karen nodded. "Yes, Ms. Sarah. But I remember reading in the book that Beauxbatons used runehorses to pull his chariot, so why is it Thestrals?"
Sarah replied with a smile, "It seems Mr. Cullen does indeed know something about Beauxbatons. He originally intended to use rune horses, but Mrs. Maxim had an emergency and needed to use divine rune horses, so we had to arrange Thestrals instead. However, Mrs. Maxim will be back in a couple of days, and then I can take you to see the divine rune horses; they are very beautiful."
Karen nodded in understanding after receiving Ms. Sarah's reply.
"They...they won't bite, will they?" Although Lily couldn't see the Thestrals, she still felt a little nervous upon hearing Sarah's words and hid behind Karen.
Sarah laughed. "Of course not, dear Lily. They're very intelligent and rigorously trained. Look." She walked over to one of the Thestrals and held out her palm. The Thestral lowered its head and gently nuzzled her palm with its cold nose, emitting a low, guttural growl.
A wailing sound, like a sigh.
Lily only saw Ms. Sarah stretch out her hand to thin air, and then the air seemed to respond, which confused her even more. She tugged at Karen's sleeve and whispered, "Brother, who is Ms. Sarah talking to?"
Karen bent down and whispered to Lily, "I'm talking to a very special creature, Lily. Only people like Mom and Dad—who have experienced something special—can see them. It's okay if you can't see them; they're very well-behaved and won't hurt us."
"But their eyes have no pupils," Emily's voice was still trembling. She forced herself to look away from the creature that symbolized death and looked at Sarah for a more specific explanation.
“They don’t need eyes to see the world, Mrs. Emily,” Sarah said patiently. “They can sense life and emotions. As long as you remain calm, they will be as gentle as the most docile ponies.” She opened the silver-patterned carriage door. “Please get in; it’s very comfortable inside. We’ll go directly to the entrance to the Paris Ministry of Magic. Karen needs to complete an entry registration, and it’s more convenient to get to the high streets of Paris from there.”
The interior of the carriage was much more spacious than it appeared from the outside, decorated with deep blue velvet seats and thick carpets. The windows were inlaid with polished crystals, emitting a soft glow. It was clearly the work of a space-expanding spell. Sarah was the last to board and closed the door.
Lily was the first to climb onto the carriage, still curiously looking around, trying to find the "invisible horse." David took a deep breath.
Then, she helped Emily, whose face was still somewhat pale, into the carriage. Karen took one last look at the two silent Thestrals before getting into the carriage as well.
"Hold on tight," Sarah whispered, then pressed the little thing again.
"My God!" David gripped the armrest tightly, looking out the window at the sea of clouds rushing by and the miniature outline of Paris below. "What's the principle behind this? Anti-gravity? Or some kind of force field? It's amazing. And why does it feel the same in the carriage as on the ground, much more comfortable than on an airplane?"
Sarah smiled and explained, "The principle is complex, Mr. David. Simply put, Thestrals are born with the ability to fly freely in the sky, and their power guides the carriage's flight. The carriage itself is imbued with several powerful spells: a potent levitation charm and a shock-absorbing charm ensure a smooth flight; a space-expanding charm makes the interior spacious and comfortable; and powerful illusion and disorientation charms ensure that people on the ground cannot see us, and radar cannot detect us. You can think of it as a flying machine that integrates multiple cutting-edge—well, 'non-magical technologies'—except that the driving force is magical creatures and spells."
"Disillusion Charm - Confusion Charm," David repeated, trying to understand. "I see. People on the ground can't see us at all. Are there any traffic rules? Won't we collide with planes in the air?"
"Rest assured, Mr. David," Sarah's smile radiated professional confidence. "Thestrals possess extraordinary perception and an instinct for avoiding danger. Moreover, the carriage itself is engraved with protective and warning runes. The Ministry of Magic has a specialized air traffic control system, which, although different from ordinary air traffic control, is equally effective. The route we chose is a safe magical passage. As for colliding with a plane? The probability is lower than you being hit by a meteorite while walking down the street." She cracked a little joke.
"Then—what do they eat?" Lily asked curiously, pointing to the location of the cart outside the window.
“Thestrals mainly eat fresh meat, Lily,” Sarah replied patiently. “However, they are very resilient to hunger and can go for days without food. Mr. Lemaître’s family has dedicated caretakers who provide them with the best food.”
"It's kind of scary, but also kind of cool," Lily whispered, glancing tentatively out the window.
"You'll get used to it, darling." Emily hugged her daughter, gradually relaxing herself. She looked out the window at the magnificent view; the iconic buildings of Paris were faintly visible in the distance, and the Seine River resembled a silver ribbon. "This view—it's beautiful. Much clearer than from an airplane."
“Yes, Mrs. Emily, that’s one of the unique charms of magical travel,” Sarah agreed. “Faster, better views, and more privacy.”
Karen sat quietly, able to see a powerful magical shield enveloping the carriage, isolating it from the high-altitude air currents and noise, and keeping the interior warm and comfortable. Sarah's composure and professionalism completely put him at ease. He noticed the initial curiosity and gradual adaptation in his parents' eyes, and Lily was also excitedly looking at the scenery from the window.
The flight was shorter than expected. About half an hour later, Sarah said softly, "We're preparing to land. Our destination is one of the public entrances to the Ministry of Magic in Paris."
The carriage began its smooth descent, passing through a thin layer of clouds. Below, no longer was the vast countryside, but a dense cluster of old buildings in the heart of Paris. The carriage finally landed lightly in an inconspicuous little square, with a small pool decorated with a fountain in the center. Surrounding it were typical Parisian-style buildings, with leisurely customers sitting outside cafes and pedestrians hurrying by, seemingly oblivious to the magnificent carriage that had suddenly appeared in the corner.
"The effect of the Confusion Charm," Sarah explained, getting out of the car first. "Please follow me; the entrance is over here."
She led everyone to an ancient stone wall covered in ivy at the edge of the square. There were a few inconspicuous, seemingly random graffiti symbols on the wall. Sarah drew her wand and gently touched one of the symbols, which looked like a distorted "M".
The stone wall silently cracked open, like a revolving door, revealing a wide, brightly lit stone staircase leading downwards. The walls on both sides of the staircase were decorated with exquisite magical murals depicting important scenes in the history of French magic.
"Welcome to the Paris Ministry of Magic." Sarah stepped aside, gesturing for him to enter, with a polite smile on her face.
David took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming with curiosity as he gazed at the wondrous entrance hidden in the bustling city. Emily gripped Lily's hand, both nervous and expectant. Karen, however, calmly stepped forward.