The Triwizard Tournament; The Beauxbatons Champions

By: Lynessa O’Connor

The air has been charged with energy with the arrival of the visiting institutions to our school in October. With the selection of the Champions, it presented the Champion and her Second from the intriguing school of Beauxbatons. Having the opportunity to interview them both, allowed for the intriguing questions to be asked. There is not a single student that walks the halls of Hogwarts that can not say that the curiosity is getting the best of them. Enquiring minds want to know and one can not say they are not slightly interested to hear a bit about Cardan Duarte and Sébastien Roumieux the two seventeen year olds selected from our foreign institution.

Q: Tell me a little about yourself and where you are from?

Cardan:

“Ma famille? I ‘ave two parents?.. Lovely people. I love zem very much. ‘Look up to zem. Zey are my role models, always ‘ave been. I am from Portugal, but zey are French, so eet ‘as always been about France. What else? I wish to leave zem once ze tournament ees over. As someone once said, ‘all parents damage zeir children. Eet cannot be ‘elped. Youth, like glass, absorbs ze prints of eets ‘andlers. Some parents smudge, ozers crack, a few shatter child’oods completely into little pieces, beyond repair’. Eet ees as true as eet can be.”

When Cardan was asked to further explain her hometown and where she was from she responded with more detailed information.

“Zey were both in France. Marseille, to be spécifique. But,” she pauses, “Zey moved to Portugal after getting married. You know, love changes people..” Cardan takes another sip of her black coffee, “Zey moved to Portugal, I was born zer. But zeir families were still in France, so when I was eight we moved to Paris. I love Braga very much,” she says, “Zet is my ‘ometown. Braga. Eet ees very beautiful.. Most beautiful place in ze world.”

Sébastien:

“Well, my hometown is Tournai, Belgium. This is close to the French border, but it of course makes me a Walloon. We are all assumed to be French, which is not true. I am an only child. I currently reside with my Uncle Hugo, who is half-English. My parents …My parents were employed by the Belgian ministry for Magic, within the Creatures Division.” 

Q: Which subjects in school do you find to be your strongest and your weakest?

Cardan:

“I excel at everything, I am Champion. Not some ‘Ogwarts student.”

When asked about her weakest subject… “I could tell you. But zen, I would ‘ave to kill you,” 

Sébastien:

“I enjoy Beauxbatons very much. My preferred subjects are Transfiguration and Magical Creatures, but I try to have an all round excellent knowledge of every area of magic. I think it is important to be well-rounded, both academically and as a person. I had a secret love for Alchemy. I find it fascinating. It combines so much together, and of course it comes with the Beauxbatons heritage. If I were to work on anything, I would say the arcane subjects. I do not have much natural affinity for divinations.”

Q: What do you feel is the biggest challenge about the tasks you are about to face with the tournament?

Cardan:

“I cannot wait to prove myself, I believe. I know I am ze best of ze school, zet much is clear, I want to see what ze English Ministry of Magic ‘as to offer, challenge-wise. What ees ze best zey can do?”

Sébastien:

“Can I say that it might be emotional? People forget the strain which comes with competition. I do not mean in terms of weakness. Quite the opposite. I mean what happens to people when they allow their competitiveness to take over their lives. It can lead people to act in shocking and unpredictable ways. I have seen it in others. I have, now and then, seen it in myself. Even if I am not in the action, I challenge myself to not let it take me over in the wings. It is important to control it properly so that you stay calm, rational, and of course sportsmanlike in the competition.”

There you have it straight from the Champion and their selected second. The inside scoop with all the needed information that the busybodies of Hogwarts would want to know. Anything else you all want to find out, I would suggest you conquer your fears and take the time to get to visit with our wonderful guests of established honour. I wish them the best of luck in the upcoming first challenge, may the odds be ever in your favour.