Fila stared at the page for a long second.
Then she laughed.
Not shocked. Not overwhelmed. Just… delighted.
"Are you serious?"
The bold word remained.
'YES'
She looked down at her wand, still warm in her hand from the summoning charm that had not truly been a charm at all. It had felt different. Familiar. Not like repeating a spell she had practiced a hundred times, but like reaching for something that already belonged to her.
"All this time," she murmured. It made so much sense now, and she got a bit irritated that she hadn't even thought about it. "But why did you need me to talk with Grindelwald about it then?" she asked the book.
'I thought you would realize it faster but you are a bit slow' the book was making fun of her.
Fila narrowed her eyes at the page.
"I am not slow."
The ink shifted almost immediately.
'You are observant. Occasionally delayed in connecting obvious patterns.'
Her mouth fell open slightly. "That is the same thing."
'It is not.'
She leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms, staring at the book as if it might reconsider and apologize. It did neither.
"You could have just told me," she muttered.
'There is no teaching of a student gets the answer from the teacher'
Fila made a face. "You sound like Elsbeth."
The manor stood quiet in the night sky of late august. School would begin very soon. And the thought about her friends and her room, it made her long for it even more. She never felt that boring sensation some get from school, the homework and tests were all just fun because they all had to do with magic. Sure they had some basic subjects as well, like math and English. But they were minimal in effort.
"So, what can I do with this magic?" she asked the book laying on the table still.
'ancient magic is depending on you, everyone has different. About one hundred years ago there was a student at Hogwarts who could cast lightning from the sky. And could make people into animals effortlessly.' The book describe a student who seemed to be very strong. Mastering almost any spell instantly, and who had deep knowledge in ancient magic.
Fila wanted to know if this student was still alive, but the book had no knowledge of this. all information about the student disappeared after he or her graduated from Hogwarts.
"So it is different for everyone," she said slowly.
'Yes.'
The answer appeared without hesitation.
'for you its plants, and maybe even more that you haven't discovered yet.'
The next morning she sat at the dinner table. Breakfast had been really good this morning. Elsbeth and Rowan sat looking at different parchments. And then a letter flew in front of her.
She looked up towards Elsbeth who was waving her wand to make the letter float. "Its your grandfather, he sent a letter."
Fila took the letter and opened it.
'Hello dear granddaughter. I'm writing to give you some recommendations in your studies. First I recommend learning French, many capably wizards and witches speak it. it would do you well to learn to communicate with them, Elsbeth knows French well as her…'
Fila's eyes moved steadily across the parchment. The handwriting was precise and elegant, every stroke deliberate.
'Secondly, broaden your historical reading beyond what your professors assign. Official accounts are often incomplete. It is wise to understand how events are recorded, and why.'
She felt Rowan's gaze lift briefly from his own papers, not intrusive, simply attentive. Elsbeth remained composed, though her wand lowered now that the letter had been delivered.
The ink continued.
'Lastly, do not neglect discipline. Talent without structure is fragile. Structure without curiosity is hollow. You must cultivate both.'
The letter ended without flourish.
'With expectation,
G. Grindelwald'
"French," Rowan said mildly, as though commenting on the weather.
Elsbeth allowed herself a faint smile. "It is not a poor suggestion."
Fila took a sip of her tea, considering. "I do not mind learning it."
"Are you going outside later?" Elsbeth asked gently.
Fila blinked. "I was thinking about it."
Both Rowan and Elsbeth looked at each other, and Fila already knew what they were thinking about. "Im not going to lift the tree again, it was one time and not on purpose."
They both laughed lightly.
After breakfast ended, she stepped out into the morning air alone. The grass was cool beneath her shoes, still holding onto the last traces of night. The gardens stretched before her in orderly lines, yet nothing about them felt rigid.
She slowed her breathing.
She lowered herself to the grass, folding her legs beneath her with practiced ease. Her wand remained tucked inside her sleeve this time.
She closed her eyes.
The threads came almost immediately now, not exploding into view the way they had the first time, but rising gently into her awareness like something familiar stepping into the room. Blue layered across blue, fine strands crossing in quiet patterns, each one distinct yet part of a greater whole. She did not gasp this time. She did not reach too quickly.
This time she chose something small on purpose. A single dry leaf resting on the grass a short distance away. She did not think about lifting it forcefully or commanding it upward the way she would with a spell. Instead she focused on it the same way she focused on the thread itself, narrowing her attention until everything else faded slightly into the background. The leaf rose slowly from the ground and hovered there, steady and uncomplicated. No tremor ran through it, no sudden jerk of imbalance. It simply stayed where she guided it. After a few seconds she lowered it again just as carefully, letting it settle back into place as though nothing unusual had happened.
When she opened her eyes, the garden returned in soft morning light. The tree stood solid and unmoved, the grass still cool from the night air, the manor quiet behind her. It all looked exactly the same as it always had, and that steadiness grounded her more than any dramatic breakthrough could have. Yesterday had been discovery and adrenaline and celebration. Today was repetition and control. It felt calmer, and somehow more important.
She leaned back slightly on her hands, considering what the book had told her about ancient magic being different for everyone. For her, it had shown itself through plants from the very beginning.
School would begin soon. Her trunk waited half packed in her room, robes folded neatly, books stacked with care. Second year at Ilvermorny would bring duels and more advanced lessons, and she would walk back into those halls different from how she had left them.
And just like that, September first.
She stood in the familiar alley that she had one year ago.
On the last days of summer break she had studied french and some history, but it wasn't very exciting. But she did like how she sounded in french.
"Alright fila, it time to go." Elsbeth said behind her.
She looked at them. "See you at Christmas." Fila said and walked to the portkey sign.
When the portkey activated, the familiar pull gripped her firmly, the world folding inward and then snapping open again in a rush of movement and air.
The scent of pine hit first.
Cooler air followed.
Ilvermorny stood before her, its stone towers rising cleanly against the early September sky, windows catching the morning light. The grounds stretched wide and orderly, students arriving in small clusters across the lawn, trunks landing with soft thuds or gliding neatly to their owners' sides.
Fila stepped forward onto the grass and paused.
This was not intimidating anymore.
It felt like returning to a place that had been waiting.
Voices called her name before she even had time to move further. June's familiar tone, bright and impossible to miss. Calla's laughter trailing behind it.
Fila turned, and for a second she allowed the simple joy of it to show clearly on her face.
She was not the same girl who had left in June.
But she did not need to announce that.
Let them see it for themselves.
With her trunk rolling smoothly behind her and a quiet confidence settled firmly in her chest, Fila walked toward her friends and toward the school year that was about to begin.
"Fila!" June said as she basically jumped into a hug.
Fila caught her and hugged back. "June did you get heavier?"
She felt a hit to her back. "Don't say that idiot." June answered with a angry face. She was adorable when a little angry. Calla joined in the hug as well.
They separated only enough to look at one another properly. June grabbed Fila's shoulders and leaned back, studying her face as if she were checking for hidden changes.
"You look different," June said immediately.
Calla nodded slowly. "You do."
Fila raised a brow. "Different how?"
June squinted at her. "I don't know. Just… different. Taller?"
Fila looked down at herself, "Did i?"
The two girls laughed. The trio walked towards the school grounds. They needed to go in and leave their things before going to the arrival of the first years. This time it wouldn't be them standing in front of the four big statues of Ilvermorny.
It felt good but also a bit sad.
The door to their new room swung open, it looked the same because magic in the school basically moved the whole room up one level in the tower. In seventh year you would live in the highest point of the tower.
The only bad thing was that there were more stairs to go up in now.
June collapsed on her bed. "Finally home!" she shouted into her pillow.
Fila levitated her things towards her bed, she wanted to go already to watch the arrival. But June and Calla were slow.
"Come on, we got to go." Fila complained.
June rolled onto her back dramatically, one arm thrown over her face as if she had just survived something truly exhausting instead of climbing a few extra flights of stairs. "We just got here," she groaned into the mattress. "Let me enjoy it for five seconds."
Fila ignored that. She had already placed her trunk beside her bed and flicked her wand almost absentmindedly, letting her belongings unpack themselves into orderly stacks. Robes folded and slid into place. Books aligned neatly along the shelf. A small pouch of seeds settled into the drawer of her bedside table.
She didn't even think about it.
It just felt easy.
"Come on," she said again, though her tone was lighter now. "You both remember what it felt like."
June turned her head to look at her. "Terrifying?"
"Exciting," Fila corrected.
Calla smiled faintly. "Both."
That was true.
Fila moved toward the window and pushed it open slightly, letting the cooler mountain air drift into the room. From up here the grounds were visible in wide, open stretches. Students were still arriving in scattered clusters, professors moving between them with quiet authority. Somewhere below, the path the first years would take later was already being prepared.
Last year she had stood there herself, trying not to show how uncertain she felt. Trying to read the expressions of older students watching from above. Trying to stand tall even though everything inside her had been shifting.
Now she was the one watching.
"Fila," June said, sitting up finally, "you really do look different."
Fila turned back toward them, crossing her arms lightly. "You said that already."
June scanned her even more. "I know but I cant say what has changed either."
A bell chimed faintly through the tower, signaling that the first year procession would begin soon. June jumped to her feet at once, all exhaustion forgotten.
They left the room together, descending the spiral staircase that now required noticeably more effort than last year. Students filled the steps, voices echoing upward as everyone made their way down toward the main hall.
A lot of students were already gathered. Most stood in groups according to their own house, this would make it easier for the first years to settle in.
Theo, Milles and Elliot already stood with some of the upper class from Thunderbird.
Theo looked over. "Oh well look who it is, if it isn't our very own flower girl." He said with a smile.
Fila gave a mocking smile back and pulled the boys into a hug.
Theo barely had time to react before Fila stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him in a quick, unexpected hug. It caught him completely off guard, which made it even more satisfying.
"Careful," she said lightly as she stepped back. "You almost sounded like you missed me."
They chatted for a bit before the group of newly arrived students appeared. They looked nervous, but also excited. The group looked around at the walls and ceiling.
"When I call your name…" and so the coring ceremony began.
Fila made sure to welcome all new students into the Thunderbirds.
When the first student was claimed by Thunderbird, a subtle movement rippled through their group. A few cheers, not too loud, just enough to be welcoming. Theo gave an approving nod. June clapped lightly. Milles grinned openly.
Fila stepped forward without hesitation as the girl approached them. The girl's eyes were wide, still processing what had just happened.
"Welcome to Thunderbird," Fila said, her voice calm and warm. "You survived the first five minutes. That's already impressive."
The girl blinked, then let out a small, nervous laugh. "Is it always like that?"
"Worse sometimes," Theo added helpfully.
Fila elbowed him lightly without looking away from the new student. "You'll be fine," she said. "Stick with us."
More names were called. More students sorted. Each time Thunderbird gained another, Fila made sure they were greeted properly. Not overwhelmed. Not ignored.
She noticed how they looked at the older students, trying to figure out who seemed kind, who seemed strict, who seemed important.
She remembered doing the same.
At one point, a smaller boy was claimed by Thunderbird and walked toward them with uncertain steps. He stopped just short of the group, clearly unsure where to stand.
Fila stepped forward and extended her hand.
"I'm Fila," she said simply.
He shook it quickly. "Daniel."
"Good," she replied. "You look like you can climb stairs without complaining."
He frowned slightly. "Why?"
"You'll see," June muttered under her breath.
The ceremony continued until the last name was called and the final statue fell still once more. Applause filled the hall, louder now, the tension dissolving into chatter and movement.
Thunderbird began guiding their new members toward the common room.
"Alright," Milles announced in an overly dramatic tone, "prepare yourselves. We have approximately one thousand stairs."
"That is not accurate," Elliot said calmly.
"It feels accurate," Theo corrected.
The guiding of the students weren't really a second year thing to, but the older students didn't mind as it would help the new ones to settle in faster.
As they began ascending, one of the girls glanced up at her. "You're second year?"
"Yes."
"You don't seem nervous."
Fila considered that for half a second.
"I was," she said honestly. "Last year."
The girl looked relieved at that.
"But you get used to it," Fila continued. "And then you start looking forward to things."
"Like what?" the girl asked.
"Duels," Theo called from behind.
"Ignore him," June added quickly.
Fila smiled faintly. "You'll find your own things to look forward to."
As they climbed higher, the familiar rhythm of the tower settled around her. The echo of footsteps. The low hum of conversation. The sense of belonging that no longer felt fragile.
After getting the first years into their own rooms and helping them unpack.
Fila and the others sat in the common room. Talking about the schedule this term. It had considerably more classes and longer. It didn't feel heavy at least.
As they discussed the coming dueling activities a painting suddenly called out.
"Ophelia, the headmaster wants to see you"
The whole room looked at her.
"How did you managed to get into trouble on the first day?" Theo mockingly said.
Fila got a bit annoyed and made a wine grab his foot and hang him upside down for a bit.
A thin vine slipped quietly from the edge of a potted plant near the window, gliding across the wooden floor with almost lazy elegance. It curled around Theo's ankle before he realized what was happening.
"Wait, what—"
The vine tightened and lifted.
In one smooth motion, Theo found himself upside down, suspended a few feet above the common room floor, robes falling toward his shoulders as the room erupted into laughter.
"I retract my statement!" he protested, attempting to reach his wand, though the angle made it significantly less dignified.
Fila finally looked at him, expression perfectly calm. "You were saying?"
June was doubled over in her chair. Milles clapped slowly. Elliot simply adjusted his glasses, looking far too pleased.
"Put me down," Theo demanded, though he was laughing now.
"Ask properly," Fila replied.
He sighed dramatically. "Dear Ophelia, most powerful flower girl of Thunderbird, would you kindly return me to the ground before my dignity fully abandons me?"
She considered for a brief second. "No." she said as she turned. "And no one help him" she called out to the others in the common room.
A few of the first years who had wandered down to see the common room stared at her with open admiration.
June leaned closer and whispered, "You are absolutely going to terrify half the school this year."
Fila existed the room and walked the corridors. They were partly empty, some students walked here and there, couples met after being apart for the summer. Some were sharing saliva with each other…
"First day back," she muttered under her breath.
The headmasters office was located in one of the towers, and to get to it you had to pass the corridor the horned serpent common room were. She had been here several times, but she really wanted to see how their room looked like.
She approached the door to the headmaster and didn't even knock, she knew the door would open of itself.
Fila stood and looked at the door for a moment… or maybe it dosent.
As she raised her hand to knock it opened.
"It just fun seeing the surprised face everytime." She could here the headmaster say from inside the office.
Fila lowered her hand slowly, the faintest twitch at the corner of her mouth betraying her.
"I am not surprised," she replied as she stepped inside.
The door closed behind her with a soft, deliberate click.
The Headmaster's office carried the same quiet weight it always had. Tall windows arched along the far wall, letting the last of the evening light spill across polished wood and shelves heavy with books. A circular rug marked the center of the room, its pattern subtle but intricate. Several portraits hung in ornate frames, their occupants pretending not to be listening while very clearly listening.
The Headmaster stood near his desk, hands loosely clasped behind his back.
She stepped further into the room, posture straight but relaxed. She did not fidget. She did not glance around nervously the way she might have last year. Instead, her eyes moved with quiet curiosity, taking in details without lingering too long on any one thing.
"You wished to see me, Headmaster?"
"I did."
He moved behind his desk and gestured subtly for her to sit. She did so without argument, folding her hands lightly in her lap.
For a moment, he simply looked at her.
Fila didn't say anything. But she did get a bit annoyed, she wanted to go back to her room and not sit here for hours.
"summer did you good I see, learnt a bit did you?" Fontaine asked with curiosity.
She nodded. "A bit of everything."
"good… there has been some pressure put on me about you to be frank. And its to observe you more." He said, it sounded very strange as if he didn't even want to say it.
"What?" Fila said confused.
Fontaine sighed. "Its not my decision, its from the American magic ministry and British. All because your Grandfather. They seem to think you are the same person."
Fila knew that this would happen at some point but right now during school?
"The Ministries?" she repeated, her voice steady even if her thoughts were not.
Fontaine inclined his head slightly. "American and British."
"They are concerned," he continued, choosing his words carefully, "that history has a tendency to repeat itself. Particularly when certain names resurface."
Fila sat straighter, though her expression did not harden.
"I am not my grandfather."
"No," Fontaine said calmly. "You are not."
He held her gaze in a way that made it clear he meant it.
"But Ministries are institutions," he went on. "Institutions are cautious. They prefer prevention over regret."
She let out a slow breath through her nose.
"So what does that mean?" she asked.
"It means that your academic progress will be… monitored more closely than others. Reports will be requested. Observations made."
"By professors?" she asked.
"Yes."
"And?"
He hesitated briefly.
"And occasionally by external representatives."
There it was.
Not just teachers watching.
Officials.
She felt a flicker of irritation rise in her chest, sharp and immediate. She had just returned. Just begun her second year. She had done nothing wrong.
"They think I am planning to overthrow something between Herbology and Charms?" she asked dryly.
A faint smile tugged at Fontaine's mouth despite the seriousness of the topic. "The phrasing was less dramatic."
"But the meaning the same."
He did not argue.
She looked down at her hands briefly, then back up. There was no fear in her expression. Just calculation.
"Am I in trouble?" she asked.
"No."
"Am I accused of anything?"
"No."
"Then they are afraid of potential."
Fontaine did not answer directly, which was answer enough.
Silence stretched between them for a moment.
"I'm sorry about this Ophelia. I tried persuading them, but they had a very… big factor among them in the name of Albus Dumbledore." Fontaine added after a bit. "I will do everything to make it as easy for you as possible Ophelia, your are one of my students. And I side with my students."
The conversation after that felt heavy for her, she only wanted to go to school without everyone thinking she was some dark lord.
On her way back she walked slowly in the corridors.
He mind wasn't on her path forward as she bumped right into someone, only then did she snap out of it.
"Im sorry, I wasn't…" she looked up at who she had bumped into.
It was Amanda.
"Ophelia!" she said surprised.
Fila's head got hot and she could tell she got flustered.
For a second neither of them moved.
The corridor noise faded into something distant and blurred, like it had stepped back to give the moment space.
Amanda stood only a step away, hands still half lifted from the impact. Her hair was a little shorter than Fila remembered. Her robes neat, almost too neat, as if carefully adjusted before stepping out of her room. Her expression held the same quick intelligence Fila had noticed the first day they met last year.
"Ophelia," Amanda repeated, softer now.
"I wasn't looking," she said, more controlled this time. "Sorry."
"It's fine." Amanda gave a small smile.
They both stood silently for a moment, the words Amanda had left in her ears before summer echoed in her mind as she looked at her lips.
"Are you okay Ophelia?" Amanda asked.
Fila nodded hysterically. "Yes, yes im fine. Sorry you just look so pretty…" as the words left her mouth it all collapsed. And she just stood there, her whole face red.
Amanda looked at the blushing girl, but a smile formed onto her face and she stepped even closer to her. She leaned forward and said. "I meant what I said about you being cute, and I also think you are pretty." She then kissed Ophelias cheek.
Amanda stepped back just enough to look at her properly again.
Fila stood completely still.
Her face was on fire. Her ears. Her neck. Every coherent thought she had managed to keep organized all evening had dissolved into something unrecognizable.
"i…I have to go back." Ophelia went passed her and almost ran.
She didn't stop, she ran into the common room, theo still hanged upside down and Calla and June looked at her as she ran passed and saw it. they looked at each other and then in sync. "OMG" they stood up and ran after her.
"Hey! Get me down" Theo shouted after her. He was then dropped on the floor as the plant retracted. "Thanks…"
June was already halfway to the staircase. "If Amanda was anywhere near that corridor…"
Calla gasped softly. "It was Amanda."
They did not need confirmation.
They ran up the stairs together, skirts and sleeves flying, leaving the boys staring after them.
"Should we…" Milles began.
"No," Elliot interrupted calmly. "This is not our battle."
Upstairs, Ophelia had made it to her room and shut the door behind her with her back pressed against it.
She slid down until she was sitting on the floor.
Her hands covered her face.
What had just happened.
Her brain replayed it instantly, cruel and vivid.
You just look so pretty.
I think you are pretty.
The kiss.
Her cheek tingled again at the memory.
She made a strangled sound somewhere between a laugh and a groan.
The door burst open without warning.
June and Calla stood there, breathing hard.
"There it is," June said dramatically, pointing. "The face."
Calla stepped inside more calmly, closing the door behind them. "What did she do."
Ophelia lowered her hands slowly.
Her entire face was still red.
June gasped. "She did something."
"She…" Ophelia started, then stopped.
Calla crossed her arms. "Ophelia."
"She kissed my cheek," she said all at once, as if confessing to a crime.
There was a full second of silence.
Then June screamed.
Not loudly.
But excitedly.
"I KNEW IT."
Calla's composure cracked into a wide grin. "She did?"
Ophelia nodded once, still stunned.
"And she said she thinks I'm pretty," she added weakly.
June collapsed dramatically onto the nearest bed. "This is the best first day in Thunderbird history."
Ophelia dragged her hands down her face. "I ran."
"You what?" Calla asked.
"I ran."
June shot upright. "Why would you run?"
"Because my brain stopped working."
Calla moved closer and sat beside her on the floor. "Did you at least say something before you fled like a startled deer?"
Ophelia stared at her. "I think I breathed."
June fell back onto the bed again. "You are hopeless."
The three chatted into the night, long after they should even be up. The discussion came up about how she would do next time the met, and honestly, she didn't know. She didn't even know if she truly liked Amanda, they had only met a couple of times, maybe it was just a attraction thing.