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#ff0
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#000
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unknown
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1300s or earlier
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co-educational in novel, girls-only in movie
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unknown
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South of France
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Olympe Maxime
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Unknown
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is a
Fiction al
Magic school similar to
Hogwarts in the ''
Harry Potter '' series of books. It was first introduced in ''
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire '' and existed at least 700 years ago, as that was when they began participating in the
Triwizard Tournament . Beauxbatons is located in
France and its current headmistress is
Olympe Maxime .
Some have speculated that since
Bouillabaisse was served at the opening feast of the
Triwizard Tournament , and this fish soup is generally served in southeast France, one could assume that Beauxbatons is somewhere on the
Mediterranean Coast of France, perhaps
Marseille . This would also explain why Beauxbatons students are so cold when they arrive at Hogwarts, which is in Scotland. Also, when Hagrid and Maxime set out on a secret quest for the giants at the end of book four, Hagrid is questioned about where they went (in book five). He airily replies that he went to the South of France.
Another speculation is that, since in France the area with the most connection to magic is
Brittany , the school might be found there.
The students' uniforms also suggest they are accustomed to warmer weather than they encounter at Hogwarts; Beauxbatons robes are made of light blue silk. The school coat of arms is two golden wands crossed over one another, each shooting three stars.
Beauxbatons students follow a strict system of protocol concerning the behavior of students towards their professors, noticeably absent at Hogwarts. They also seem to care more about their studies and their school's reputation. The French school follows a different examination system as well. At Hogwarts, major board exams are taken in the fifth and seventh years. Beauxbatons students sit exams in their sixth year.
The Academy is housed in a glittering palace, brighter than Hogwarts Castle, as befitting its distinct Mediterranean feel. The food, at least according to alumna
Fleur Delacour , is delicious but much lighter than the food served at Hogwarts. Rather than suits of armour, the halls of Beauxbatons are flanked by statues of diamond. The palace contains choirs of wood nymphs, who serenade the students while they eat. Beauxbatons is Unplottable (as most magical buildings are), so no Muggles or even wizards from rival schools can find it on a map, and it may be disguised so no one can really see it unless they know to look for it.
"Beaux bâtons" is
French for "beautiful sticks." The "bâtons" part is presumably a reference to magical wands. The French word for "magic wand" is "
Baguette magique", which would make most people in the English-speaking world think of a loaf of bread, so it is not surprising that Rowling did not use it.
Beauxbatons competed in the
1994 Triwizard Tournament . The champion for Beauxbatons turned out to be
Fleur Delacour . Neither Fleur nor the other Beauxbatons were very impressed with Hogwarts; Fleur spent much of her time bragging about how much better Beauxbatons was.
In ''
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix '', Olympe Maxime journeyed with
Hagrid to get the giants on
Dumbledore 's side before
Lord Voldemort could. Also in ''
Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince '',
Fleur Delacour is back as Bill's fiancee.
In the film adaptation of ''The Goblet of Fire'', it is implied that Beauxbatons is an all-girls' school. This however is incorrect: male Beauxbatons students are clearly mentioned in ''The Goblet of Fire'' novel. Hogwarts student
Parvati Patil even briefly dates a Beauxbatons boy.
