Wooden nymphs

The wood nymphs' greenhouse was a bit different than Soisen expected. He had a preconceived idea that it would be similar to the greenhouses at Hogwarts, but even before he stepped inside, he knew he was wrong. The exterior showed that it was built with a mixture of darkened wooden beams, stone that conveyed history, and light windows with stained glass that had motifs of plants or nymphs dancing in different poses.

-The nymphs live here all year round and don't even need to go out for food, as the school makes sure they are always well supplied and all their needs are met," Chloe explained as she pushed open the doors and they entered.

It was warmer inside than she had expected, although it didn't quite reach tropical weather. You could see at a glance that it had also been expanded and was the size of a medium sized hill, with the green grass acting as a carpet, small streams with water flowing with a cheerful stream, trees of all kinds, some with fruit and some in bloom.

-Remember to follow this stone path if you ever come to try to play or sing for them, sometimes wood nymphs take a nap on the grass and because of their colors they are hard to distinguish -Chloe added as she stopped him when he wanted to get closer to examine the trees in more detail -We don't want to step on any by accident.

-Yes, teacher," Soisen nodded, she really didn't want to accidentally hurt anyone.

They followed the stone path and as they went along, Soisen began to see the recognizable wood nymphs. Their skin was a vivid green color identical to grass but with a more bark-like texture that gave them a touch of elegance, they had pupil-less eyes of a soft orange that reflected what they looked at like tiny mirrors, the unfurled wings would be reminiscent of a dragonfly's and although most of them looked identical, you could see that each of them had a totally different tribal body paint.

-Teacher, are there no male wood nymphs? -Soisen asked, somewhat puzzled.

Although they all had female figures and wore no clothes or leaves, the features were sufficiently softened so as not to make anyone seeing them for the first time uncomfortable.

-Wood nymphs are only born female," Chloe had heard that question for many years, "They are born from a mother tree through nutrient harvesting and environmental magic," she pointed to a tiny white bark tree with blue leaves in the distance, from which hung three green fruits, "I must warn you that only the headmistress is authorized to go near there, never try to go near the mother tree.

They only walked a few short minutes before the stone path ended and they reached what looked like a circular gazebo. The surrounding area was densely packed with nymphs who watched them curiously, but none entered the stone area.

-Won't they try to get closer? -Soisen could see that they could hardly contain themselves.

-It is tradition," Chloe explained with a smile as she waved to the nymphs around her and they waved back enthusiastically, "We do not leave the stone path and this is the place where the piece must be performed. In return, they will judge but they will not invade the space of the one who comes to try to impress them. Since we have come, we need to play something or we will come out green -Cloe raised her wand and muttering a spell that Soisen heard and identified as the concert spell, began to wave the wand like a master musician and began to play the flutes, play the violins and the piano to play pleasant music.

It was not complex or long, but it enhanced the mood.

The nymphs froze as they began to listen to the music with attention and interested or serious expressions, after which they began to sway to the music. They ended up clapping, laughing and whistling once Chloe's music was silenced.

Cloe gave them a small bow and turned to look at Soisen.

-This is one of their favorite pieces and as you can see, they didn't leave me green," she pointed to her uncolored skin, "They usually only listen to it once a year, as it's the one we use to appease them when we bring in the freshmen. You know what they say, listening too many times to the same music makes it lose its magic.

-How smart are wood nymphs? -Soisen asked while also clapping politely.

-Oh, they understand everything we say as if they had the mind of a twelve year old girl, but they can't answer us. They only part their lips to eat or sing," he pushed Soisen to the stone path and they left the greenhouse while the nymphs followed them and dismissed them at the entrance with gestures.

-It's been a very stimulating visit," said Soisen remembering the interior that seemed like a world of its own, "We don't have anything like it at Hogwarts. The most remotely similar is the Forbidden Forest, but it has a number of magical beasts that are too unpleasant or dangerous.

-Naturally," Chloe puffed out her chest with pride, "We are one of only three schools in the world to have such a relationship with a magical beast.

-Surprising," Soisen didn't ask what other schools were, as that might imply she was making comparisons and wouldn't be very nice to hear.

-Let's go next to the Charms classroom to test you," Chloe hurried him on, wanting to see how close to the truth Flitwick's praise was.

Soisen shrugged and followed her, though personally he would have liked to stay a little longer in the wood nymph greenhouse. It reminded him of how Scamander had various ecosystems in his suitcase. Although he didn't have the need to have something similar, learning a little about it couldn't hurt.

The Charms classroom was unexpectedly similar to Flitwick's, almost an exact copy except for the stacked books where the half-blood professor went upstairs to give lessons. When Chloe saw the obvious question in Soisen's expression, she explained that on one of the few visits she had made to Hogwarts school, she had been enchanted by the simplicity and clean layout of that classroom and recreated it at Beauxbatons.

Soisen's test began and Chloe asked her to do some basic incantations to test her basics. She then went on to name different incantations with increasing difficulty and year taught.

Levitation enchantment, amplifying enchantment, anti-opening enchantments, enchantment to create water, stun enchantment, protection enchantment, red spark enchantments, placement enchantment, etc.

Chloe went from nodding to smiling as Soisen met her expectations, before breaking into a sweat while maintaining a stiff smile. She gave thanks that the transfer student took her requests seriously and would not examine her closely as she cast the incantations.

-I thought Flitwick would send me a promising student, but this... -I mentally reflect- It's like asking for some coal for warmth in winter and having them cast dragon's breath at point-blank range in response! Fortunately, there are still things I can teach her, but I have to tell the headmistress the situation later.

-Professor? -Soisen sensed there was something wrong with Chloe when she stopped telling him to cast spells. She was able to cast all but a few that could only be learned by the end of fourth year that she hadn't had time to delve into.

Your performance should be enough to pass the test, right?

-You have an excellent level of Charms, don't worry, now I have a precise idea of where to start. Let's get to know the rest of the teachers for the subjects you should be tested in, the sooner we finish, the better for everyone.

Soisen sighed in relief and followed her.

At the end of the day, he returned to his new dormitory and collapsed on the bed. He passed all the tests and tomorrow morning he would be provided with his schedule, depending on which subject he needed to learn with which year.

...Meanwhile, in Headmistress Maxime's office....

-Principal, I think we have a bit of a problem! Chloe and the other teachers looked at the semi-giant headmistress nervously.