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Mod Account (venefici_mods) wrote,
@ 2007-05-22 20:46:00

Beauxbâtons and Durmstrang

Beauxbâtons

Down on the sunny shores of the Mediterranean coast of France lies a magnificent castle, nay, glittering palace with other seven hundred years of history. The Beauxbâtons Academy of Magic is a school that is as beautiful as its name. There is a sense of culture and class, and not a single student is unaware of what is a la mode. The students are serenaded by wood land nymphs while they dine and even the cuisine is chef'd by some of the best in the country.

While at first, Beauxbâtons may seem nothing more than a gathering for pompous students of bourgeois or noble births, its students are not in any way airheads. All of them are at least bilingual by their fifth or sixth years (in both French and English, and may have learned more romantic languages such as Spanish and Italian), educated in high societal etiquette, and knowledgeable in fine arts among other topics. They are taught to solve issues with their wit and mind and rarely do they ever resort to fistfights.

Of course, with so many varying topics available to its students and a limited time to learn them, many of Beauxbâtons students concentrate in different areas. Perhaps some might find it to be a dilution of a magic school but every Beauxbâtons graduate finds themselves having no trouble being employed.

Durmstrang

Situated in northern Europe at an Unplottable location lies The Durmstrang Institute, a wizarding school that prides itself as the leading Institute in the world that keeps to old traditions and pride. Like its foreign counterparts, the school is a castle but unlike the others there are more grounds than buildings. The Durmstrang castle is only four stories tall lit with magical fires in every corridor to remind each and every student of their Wizarding roots, and here the students speak at least two languages as well - Russian and English (and may speak other Slavic tongues depending on their ethnicities).

Yes, magical lineage is an important facet of the Durmstrang Institute as Muggle-borns are not admitted into the school. There is a low tolerance for ignorance of the Arts, as even Half-bloods themselves can potentially face a rejection from the school if the student displays a lack of aptitude or knowledge to their pureblood counterparts. But even then, it's not blood or traditions that sets Durmstrang apart from the rest of the schools but the fact that it endorses its students to learn the Dark Arts.

Magic is power and power is something to be tamed, conquered and used. Every subject of magic is taught this way so it's no different for the Dark Arts. The Dark Arts are not seen as evil, black or dark but simply another facet of (powerful) magic to be learned and used.