While I was compiling my newest entry to the list other second years began to arrive in the communal area. The first was a young girl with short auburn hair, freckles and glasses from the girls dorm rooms. She entered the area and paused when she spotted me. Confusion was apparent on her face as she was no doubt going through the people she knew in her year and finding none who matched.-
"I'm the exchange student." I said helpfully without looking up from my journal.
"I see. I'm Felicia Le monte." she said with a polite curtsey.
"Alexander Drake." I replied as I finished up my list and slipped my journal and pencil into my jacket where they vanished into my inventory.
"As in sir Francis? We have his portrait here you know." she said eagerly.
"There may be a relation but I couldn't confirm or deny it. I'm an orphan you see. Beyond my name I know nothing else of my ancestry." I said with a light shrug.
"Because of that dark lord right?" she asked sympathetically.
I shrugged again "No idea. All I knew growing up was the orphanage. There is no record of a wizarding family with the name Drake either in the isles so I truly can't say." I said calmly.
"That's unfortunate. What were you writing just now? Some sort of diary?" she asked with a teasing tone.
"A business ledger actually. I'm something of a merchant and like to keep my procurement sources in a nice neat order." I explained semi-honestly.
"A merchant? How old are you?" she asked surprised and confused.
"Twelve. Though that is irrelevant. Business does not care for age, only ability. And my ability to procure things for resale is unmatched." I said proudly.
"Can you prove that?" she asked with a challenging tone.
"Naturally. You need only ask Madam Maxim or Mister Flammel. I have done business with both. If that is not enough I have a list of things that I can procure for a price." I say reaching into my jacket and pulling out the list from my inventory.
"You are either incredibly well prepared to sell this lie at any point or are actually telling the truth. I believe I will ask the Madam headmistress." she said still clearly having trouble believing me.
"As is your prerogative. Regardless of that it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." I said with a light smile.
"Likewise." she said before finding a seat of her own to study in.
I withdrew my copy of a sixth year textbook and continued my reading of it at a leisurely pace while sipping a cup of coffee that a house elf delivered. Apparently it was incredibly common for students to receive the drink first thing in the morning as the girl also got a cup. It was not a lot mind you, merely a single teacup's worth. But the simple fact it was just a regular part of the school life here at Beauxbatons was interesting.-
Honestly I thought it was pretty smart too. Coffee was a stimulant and would help most students focus during the first class where they may still be groggy. By the time the effects fade towards the second class the students will already be wide awake. The trick was not to give so much coffee it caused problems. If caffeine dependency reared it's ugly head it would actually make learning even harder. The coffee was also of exceptional quality to boot. Smooth and silky with a sharp earthy bitterness that lingered lightly.-
More and more students woke up and all noticed the stranger amongst them. One thing the French were not afraid of was socializing. Though I will point out it's different than the sort that was done in the isles. Conversations were mostly started around academics and more serious things rather than favorite anything or personal matters. It was refreshing to be honest. Most people I met in the isles had this bad habit of immediately asking about my eyepatch and bandage wrapped arms. I understood it of course since they were right there in the open and unmissable but it was slightly grating.-
Most of these topics were about Hogwarts curriculum and the individual spells that were chosen for it. Here in Beauxbatons for example most of the spells were chosen for aesthetics. The actual spells taught weren't terribly different than those in Hogwarts but a student earned more recognition for precision and appearance than brute force. Grace was practically a requirement here and I was honestly okay with that. I had already mostly integrated Grindelwald's style of spellcasting so my own wand work was precise and full of finesse.-
French breakfasts were a LOT lighter than in the isles though. It was mostly, juice, fruit, yogurt and light bread or pastry. As a result I was forced to eat a lot more than even my average massive consumption to offset the calories. Needless to say that invoked more than a little gossip amongst the students and faculty. Madam Maxim was not surprised by this as she had no doubt been told by Flammel and Dumbledore but to everyone else it was like a bottomless pit had sat at the tables.