The hall of Ilvermorny was bustling with excited students, laughter and nervous looks from the newly arrived first years who had just been sorted. But not all looked happy and filled with laughter.
Theo and the others sat at the Thunderbird long table, franticly looking around.
"Why is she so late? She was going to lead the first years." June said while looking at Theo.
He didn't answer directly, he honestly didn't know why she's late. She had told him just the week before she would be here. even after going through what she did.
The headmaster Fontaine stood up while tapping his glass with a spoon.
Everyone turned silent for the upcoming speech. "Welcome back to you who return here for another year. And welcome to our newly arrived students." He began, the new thunderbirds looked excited and started chattering among them.
"Quiet please," Fontaine said, though his voice was kind, his eyes kept flickering toward the empty spot at the thunderbird table where Ophelia usually sat. "This year is a momentous one for Ilvermorny. As you all know, we have been invited to participate in a dueling tournament, and one where we intend to show the world the strength of American magic."
Theo looked worried, he couldn't focus on the speech at all. Elliot and Calla sat next to each other while holding hands. Their summer had been peaceful, almost being together the whole time.
"For the new students, I would like to introduce the students who will represent us in the coming tournament." As he said so the selected four stood from their seats. They were spread out since not all of them came from the same house. But one notable absent was from the thunderbird table, were no one stood.
And than the big wooden doors of the hall opened.
And in walked Fila. Not as gracefully as she'd liked. The problem was that there were a lot of people here, making her vision very confused and cluttered. Saying that she struggled was an understatement.
But it didn't take long for someone to come and took hold of her right arm. She smelled the perfume and smiled. "Thank you, Theo." She said calmly, feeling the relief flowing through her.
Theo hadn't hesitated when he saw her struggling to walk into the hall, rushing to her side immediately. "No need for that Fila, of course I will help you." he said with a smile as he guided her back to the table.
Fontaine noticed the silence. "And there we have our final contestant, Ophelia. Good to have you back." He said out.
Fila just looked towards the front. "Happy to be here." she said calmly with a fake smile.
"Your 'fake smile' needs work, by the way," Theo whispered, leaning in so only she could hear. "It's currently at 'I'm going to hex everyone in this room if they don't stop whispering.' Which, to be fair, is very on-brand for you."
Fila let out a tiny, genuine huff of a laugh, her fingers tracing the edge of the long wooden table to ground herself. "Is it that obvious? The noise is just... loud. Everyone's magic is bouncing off the walls. It's like being inside a drum."
At the thunderbird table the reactions had been very different. Everyone looked at Fila, for the first time seeing her with a blindfold and many scars of her face. Her gloves that Theo had given her on her birthday covered the one on her hands.
June and Calla both held the hands over their mouths, and had eyes big as golf balls. They didn't know what had happened, Fila had only written about it to Theo. He had been closest to France during that time, and she didn't think she should ruin the others summer with knowing she had been tortured. Its kind of a mood killer.
The silence at the Thunderbird table was a physical weight. While the rest of the hall was a buzz of frantic whispering and shifting feet, her own house was paralyzed.
Fila could feel the intensity of the air around her, the sharp, metallic scent of shock and the thick, humid feeling of pity. It was exactly what she had wanted to avoid by keeping her letters vague. To June and Calla, she had just been "resting" or "dealing with family business." Now, sitting among them, she felt like a cracked porcelain doll that someone had tried to glue back together in the dark.
"Stop it," Fila rasped, her voice low but carrying that unmistakable edge. She didn't have to specify what they should stop; the way she tilted her head toward June and Calla made it clear. "You're making the air taste like iron. I'm not made of glass."
June let out a shaky breath, her hand finally dropping from her mouth, though her eyes remained fixed on the jagged line of a scar peeking out from under Fila's dark hair. "We just... Ophelia, we had no idea. Your letters said you were fine."
"I am fine," Fila lied smoothly, her fingers tapping a rhythm on the wood that only she and Theo really understood. "I just have a few more stories to tell now. And a much better excuse for why I can't do my own homework."
Even Elliot and Milles had a hard time doing anything else other than worrying and being confused.
And than a warm hand could be felt on her shoulder, she didn't need to turn to see Stella there. Now in her last year of Ilvermorny.
"Fila…" she said while pulling her into a hug. She smelled like vanilla which was odd she had always been more of a lavender girl.
The embrace was tight, the kind that spoke of a sisterhood that didn't need many words. Stella's vanilla scent was a soft cloud that helped block out the sharper, more jagged sensory inputs of the hall. For a second, Fila allowed herself to sink into the hug, the tension in her spine giving way just enough to let the warmth in.
"Vanilla?" Fila whispered as they pulled apart, her head tilting slightly. "You changed your scent. It suits you, though. It's... calmer."
Stella let out a soft, shaky laugh, her hand lingering on Fila's arm for a moment. "Lavender felt too much like a memory, I guess. I needed something new." She looked at the dark silk over Fila's eyes, her expression a mix of heartbreak and fierce loyalty. "You're back. That's all that matters. If anyone gives you a hard time, they'll have to deal with me first."
"I'm more worried about them giving me a hard time by being too nice," Fila chirped, her fingers finding the edge of the bench again. "I've had enough pity in France to last a century. I'm here to win a tournament, not be a charity case."
Miles and Elliot finally seemed to find their voices, though they were still noticeably subdued. "We've got your back, Fila," Miles said, his voice unusually grave. "Whatever you need. If you need us to read the textbooks aloud or... I don't know, hex the furniture so it doesn't get in your way, just say the word."
Fila smiled, "Thank you guys."
The headmaster who had been silent while watching Ophelia stepped in, finally continued his speech. It was the typical speech he gave every year. About trying our hardest. Becoming good witches and wizards, blabla.
But Fila felt another problem. Everyone was staring at her.
"Can you stop staring," she asked the ones closest.
"How can we not stare Fila, I want to cry." June said in a tearful voice.
"Then go cry in the bathroom, June," Fila rasped, her voice cutting through the heavy sentiment like a cold draft. "Because if you do it here, I'm going to start thinking I'm at my own funeral, and I'm far too well-dressed for that."
Theo let out a snort of laughter next to her, the sound acting as a much-needed pressure valve for the tension at the table. He leaned back, intentionally putting his arm across the back of Fila's seat to create a physical barrier between her and the rest of the Hall.
"You heard the lady," Theo said, his eyes scanning the surrounding tables with a look that was significantly less friendly than the one he gave Fila. "The show's over. Eat your dinner before it gets cold, or I'll start charging for the view."
June sniffled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand and looking slightly sheepish. Stella, still standing behind Fila, squeezed her shoulder one last time before moving to find her own seat. The suffocating pity didn't vanish, but it retreated, replaced by the familiar clatter of silverware as the feast appeared on the tables.
The aroma of roast beef, buttery corn bread, and maple-glazed squash filled the air. Fila inhaled deeply, letting the scent of the school's cooking ground her. It was a chaotic symphony of smells, different from the manor, less clinical than the healing rooms, and far more alive.
"Left side, two o'clock," Theo muttered under his breath, subtly nudging a plate of rolls closer to her hand. "And there's a goblet of pumpkin juice right in front of your fork. Don't knock it over; I just got this tie cleaned."
Fila would very much like to roll her eyes right now, "I'm not fully blind Theo, you know that." And he did. He knew about her ability to look through the flowers.
"Sorry, reflex." He blamed it on.
"Reflexes can be dangerous, Carter," Fila chirped, her fingers unerringly finding the warmth of the bread roll he'd pointed out. "Keep it up and I'll have the panthers start 'reflexively' tripping you in the hallways."
Across the table, Calla sat and looked at Fila curiosly. "Can you see with the flowers?" she seemed to have puzzled it all together. "I see you have one behind you ear."
Fila smiled while chewing. "I can Calla. Some flower give different, visions you could say. This one makes everyone looks like clouds of different colors." She thought about how to explain it. Fila tilted her head, the blue blossom behind her ear shimmering under the floating candles. "It's not exactly like having eyes, Calla. It's more like watching a play from the rafters. I see the shapes and the noise, but everything is... sapphire." She took a bite of the roll, the buttery crust a welcome distraction. "It's better than the dark. But it makes everyone look like glowing clouds, which is actually an improvement for some people in this room."
Milles let out a surprised laugh, the tension finally leaving his shoulders. "Good to know some things haven't changed. You're still mean."
"I'm not mean, I'm observant," Fila corrected smoothly.
As the feast continued, the initial shock of her appearance began to settle into a new kind of normal. The staring continued from the other tables, the Horned Serpents were particularly persistent, but within the circle of her friends, the air was losing that metallic taste of pity.
The headmaster stood up ones again, this time professor David Hale also stood. "The champions will meet tomorrow morning, no classes for them during tomorrow. Other than that, welcome and welcome back to another year at Ilvermorny." The headmaster ended his speech, and with it the feast.
The tables started clearing and students started rising. June and Calla were fast to go to either side of Fila, not giving Theo a chance to guide her.
June and Calla moved in like a well-drilled security detail, each tucking an arm under Fila's and lifting her slightly off the bench before she could even protest. Theo, left with his hand half-extended in the air, simply sighed and picked up his bag, falling into step just behind them to keep a watchful eye.
"We've got you, Fila," June whispered, her voice still a bit thick but determined. "The stairs to the Thunderbird tower are a nightmare tonight; everyone is pushing."
"I have legs, June, not stilts," Fila rasped, though she didn't fight them. Being sandwiched between her two friends actually helped dampen the sensory overload of the bustling hall. With their steady support, she could focus her "flower sight" on the path ahead rather than the effort of balancing. Through the blue blossom, June and Calla were two bright, vibrating clouds of anxious violet and soft pink, shielding her from the jagged, neon-bright signatures of the hundreds of other students.
As they exited the hall, the cool air of the corridors was a relief. Hugin and Munin prowled alongside them, their wooden joints creaking in a rhythmic, comforting way that served as an audible guide for Fila. They had been waiting outside, not to make all the new years panic on their first day. And they weren't really something you would see everyday.
"No classes tomorrow sounds like a dream," Calla said, trying to keep the mood light as they navigated the first flight of stairs.
"It would be if that arrogant first rank Aaron wasn't there. He's annoying." Fila had faced him in mock duels many times last term, he was so full of himself thinking he was the best and so on. Forgetting that he was picked up in a princess carry by Bob on their first duel.
The other champions. Marcus, sera and Daniel, were fine in Fila's eyes. If she had any.
"Don't worry about Aaron," Theo said from a few paces behind, his voice cutting through the chatter of the crowded hallway. "He might be the top-ranked duelist on paper, but paper doesn't tend to hold up well when you start growing giant vines through it."
Fila chuckled, the vibration of it easing some of the tightness in her chest. "If he tries to act superior tomorrow because I'm wearing a blindfold, I might just have Munin remind him what the floor tastes like. I'm not in the mood for his ego."
They reached the base of the stairs leading to the Thunderbird tower. The crowd was a swirling mess of noise and motion, but June and Calla held their ground, navigating Fila through the sea of students with a fierce protectiveness that was almost endearing. The rhythmic thump-creak of the wooden panthers flanking them kept the younger students at a respectful, and slightly terrified, distance.
"And Theo, don't start some shit with Mason this year. I cant save you all the time." she said with a tease.
They finally reached the door to the tower, the first years were given instructions on how to enter. While everyone else just stepped through it.
June and Calla sighed. "And with us being third years, we have to move up one stair."
They now lived on the third room floor, which means even more stairs.
Fila sighed. 'I really have to learn apparition magic.' She thought as they started the climb up the endless stairs.
They finally reached the third floor. The hallway here felt narrower than the one below, lined with heavy oak doors that led to the various dormitories. June and Calla guided her toward a door near the end of the hall, one that smelled faintly of the cedarwood wax the house-elves used on the third-year furniture.
"Home sweet home," June whispered, pushing the door open.
Fila let the two girls release her now, and waved her hand slightly. Which made flowers start to sprout throughout the room. Vines and leaves spread. Making the room feel cozy and clean. Just like she had always done, but this time it was for her to see batter.
She laid back in her bed and let out a breath of relief.
June and calla also went to lay down in their beds. "Its good to be home." Calla said while snuggling up in her bed.
"You really outdid yourself this time," June said, her voice muffled by her pillow. "It smells like a greenhouse in here. In a good way. You did more this time."
"I need the coverage," Fila rasped, her fingers tracing the patterns of the star-shard ring. "The more green there is, the less I have to worry about where I'm stepping. Besides, it muffles the snoring."
Calla giggled from across the room. "Hey, I don't snore that loud."
The comfort of the dormitory, the rhythmic breathing of her friends, and the soft, bioluminescent glow of the plants finally allowed Fila to let her guard down.
The room went silent, as the girls just laid there. Letting it all sink in.
"How do you find the strength to go on Fila?" June finally cutting the silence.
Fila turned to look at her, even when she didn't need to turn. The blindfold she had today was dark blue matching her school uniform, it had even been custom made with an thunderbird embraided in the middle in cherry red stitching like the uniform as well.
"What do you mean?" Fila asked curiously.
June hesitated, the sound of her shifting under her blankets barely a rustle in the lush, quiet room. "I mean, look at what they did to you," she whispered, her voice cracking just a tiny bit. "I think if I woke up and the world was just... gone, and I had those scars... I don't think I could get out of bed, let alone agree to represent the school in a dueling tournament. You act like you're just the same old Ophelia, but you have every reason to be angry at the world. How are you not just... screaming?"
Fila laid still, only twirling her fingers around a green rose she had grown.
"I was screaming," Fila said, her voice dropping to a low, quiet rasp that made Calla hold her breath. "In that cellar, for a long time, that's all I did. But screaming doesn't open doors, and it doesn't give you your life back. My magic... it didn't just keep me alive; it got bored of the dark. It wanted to see things again. It wanted a weapon."
She sat up slowly, the vines on her bedpost shifting to accommodate her movement.
"I'm not staying on the floor because someone tried to put me there," Fila continued, a sharp, cold iron returning to her tone. "They wanted to break the Grindelwald heir. They wanted to turn me into a warning. If I don't go on, if I don't win, then they win. And I've never been very good at losing."
"Besides," she added, her voice lightening just enough to break the heavy tension, "if I stayed in bed, who would put Aaron in his place tomorrow? The world is far too entertaining to miss out on, even if I have to see it through a sapphire filter."
Calla let out a soft, wet laugh. "You really are a menace, Ophelia Rosier."
"The best kind," Fila chirped, "But now, lets go down to the common room and greet our new little birds." She said as she stood up.
June and Calla stood up aswell. Both grabbing her arms again, even if they didn't need to.
When they stepped into the Thunderbird common room, the space was a vibrant hum of activity. Older students were lounged across the high-backed leather chairs, while the first years huddled in small, nervous groups near the circular windows that looked out over the mist-covered peaks of Mount Greylock.
The room went quiet the moment Fila entered.
It wasn't the jagged, sharp silence of the Great Hall, but a softer, more curious variety. To Fila, the room looked like a swirling ocean of colors—mostly the bright, fluttering gold of the younger students' excitement and the steady, deep blue of the seniors.
"Don't stop on my account," Fila rasped, her voice carrying easily through the room. "I'm just here to see if any of you are actually going to be useful this year, or if I have to do all the heavy lifting myself."
A few of the older students laughed, and the tension broke. Theo was already settled on a sofa by the fire, a book open on his lap, though Fila noticed he hadn't turned a page since they'd come down.
"Took you long enough," Theo remarked, looking up as they approached. "The first years were starting to think you were a myth created to keep them from wandering the halls at night."
"I am a myth," Fila chirped, letting June and Calla settle her into the chair next to him. Hugin and Munin took their places on the rug, their wooden joints letting out a final, contented creak as they settled. "A very well-dressed, very hungry myth."
A small group of first years, three girls and a boy with wide, terrified eyes, approached her chair tentatively. They looked at the dark blue blindfold, then at the massive wooden panthers, and finally at Fila's smirk.
"Is it true?" the boy whispered, his voice shaking. "Are you really the one who's going to Japan?"
Fila leaned forward.
"I am," Fila said, her voice dropping to a theatrical whisper. "But don't tell the other schools. I want it to be a surprise when they realize they're being beaten by a girl who can't even see the looks on their faces."
The boy looked confused, "But how are you going to fight. I don't mean to offend but can you see?" he asked.
Fila made a slight smile. "I don't know, but that silver necklace matches your green eyes really well." She said with a smirk.
The boy's hand flew to the small silver chain tucked under his collar, his jaw dropping so low it was a wonder it didn't hit the floor. The other first years gasped, huddled closer as if Fila were performing a miracle right in front of the fireplace.
"But... but your eyes are covered!" one of the girls squeaked, her gold-tinted excitement practically shimmering in Fila's sapphire vision.
She put a finger to her mouth, meaning to be silent. "I don't even have eyes anymore."
"Eyes are just one way to look at the world," Fila rasped, leaning back and resting her hands on the carved heads of Hugin and Munin. "Sometimes, they actually get in the way. People focus so much on what they see that they forget to listen to the magic humming right under their skin. I don't need to see where you're standing to know exactly where you are."
She flicked her wrist, and a tiny, pale blue flower sprouted instantly from the floorboards right between the boy's feet. He jumped back with a startled laugh.
"Think of it as a secret advantage," she added with a wink they couldn't see, though the tilt of her head made the intent clear. "While the other duelists are busy trying to look intimidating, I'll be busy winning."
The boy nodded and went back to his friends.
Fila and Theo sat on the same couch. Calla and Milles were busy kissing and cuddling. "They have been doing that all summer, aren't they tired of each other yet?" June said with a pout, obviously jealous.
Milles sat down on an armchair. "They are perfect for each other, stop complaining." He said.
Fila leaned back into the soft cushions of the sofa, observing all the students new and old.
She saw some new couples in the mix, things must have happened over the summer. And than she saw Stella leaning very close to he classmate Johannes. She didn't complain, Johannes was very sweet and they were a good match. But hat got her to remember.
"Hey Theo, what happened to your Wampus girl. What was her name?" Fila asked.
Theo looked at her, "Sophie." He just said. And Fila was waiting for the rest of the answer but it never came.
"Do you think I'm stupid? Say what happened." Fila said annoyed.
Theo sighed. "We broke up." He said plainly.
"Broke up?" Fila repeated, her head tilting with a sharp, bird-like curiosity. She leaned in closer, the star-shard ring on her finger pulsing a faint, silver light as if it were eavesdropping on the conversation itself. "Just like that? No drama? No spectacular Wampus-style exit where she tried to hex your favorite shoes?"
Theo shifted on the sofa, "She got jealous when is tarted worrying about you during summer. And she got so jealous that she broke up with me." He said, and June and Milles looked astonished.
"She broke up because you were worried about a friend being tortured.?" June asked in a stunned tone.
Milles whistled. "Well good for you, congrats." He said plainly.
And he was right, how would get jealous because of something like that.
Fila sat there for a second, her "vision" tracking the way the air around Theo turned a heavy, frustrated shade of charcoal. She felt a strange, prickly sensation behind her ribs. It wasn't just typical annoyance; it was the realization that while she'd been fighting to keep her sanity in a cellar, Theo had been losing his personal life just to keep tabs on her.
"Congratulations? Miles, you have the emotional range of a teaspoon," Fila rasped, though she didn't pull away from Theo's side. She leaned her shoulder into his, a deliberate gesture of grounding. "So, let me get this straight. She saw me as a romantic rival? A girl who was currently being used as a pincushion for Dark Arts practice? That's not just jealousy, Theo. That's a clinical lack of perspective."
Theo let out a short, dry laugh. "She said I was 'obsessed.' That every time she tried to talk about our summer plans, I was checking the international floo-network or writing to Vinda. She didn't want to be second place to a 'ghost story,' as she put it."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop a degree. Fila's star-shard ring pulsed a cold, sharp silver.
"A ghost story," Fila repeated, her voice dangerously quiet. "Well. I suppose it's a good thing I'm back from the dead, then. It makes for a much more inconvenient rival." She tilted her head toward Theo, her dark blue blindfold stark in the firelight. "I'm sorry she was a brat, Theo. But Miles is right,if she couldn't handle you being a decent person when it mattered, she would have folded the first time a real storm hit anyway."
Theo finally looked at her, his posture relaxing just a fraction. "I'm not mourning it, Fila. Honestly, it was a relief. It's hard to carry on a conversation with someone who thinks the biggest tragedy of the year is a sold-out broom wax when you're waiting to hear if your best friend is still alive."
"Hear, hear," June muttered, raising her glass of juice in a small toast.
"Anyway," Fila chirped, shifting the mood before it got too soggy. "Now that you're a free man, you have plenty of time to carry my books and make sure I don't walk into any walls. It's a promotion, really."
"I'm so lucky," Theo deadpanned, though the jagged edges of his energy were smoothing out.