"So it this what you did on professor Hale?" June asked as she looked around.
She was currently experiencing the black box, a truly ones in a lifetime moment for her. Hopefully.
Fila sat on her bed, legs crossed with a plate of raspberry pie she had brought from dinner. "yeah, but your handling it better than he did."
June's voice sounded thin and oddly muffled, as if she were shouting through a thick layer of wool. In the absolute void of the box, she was nothing more than a flickering, nervous pulse of pink light.
"Handling it better?" June squeaked, her hands reaching out to touch walls that didn't exist. "Fila, I can't even feel my own toes. It's like the entire universe just... quit. There's no wind, no floor, and I think I can hear my own blood pumping. It's terrifying!"
"I'm thinking of calling it my time out box, for rowdy students and professor alike."
Calla sat on the seat by the window, while looking out she turned a page in her charms book. "Don't even think about doing that on the first years." She said calmly. She had change a little during summer, now almost taking the roll of a mother for Fila and June.
Fila released the black box therapy session from June with a snap of her finger.
June had to take a couple of deep breaths as she was released from the distant plane of isolation. "Never again."
School had gone on for a couple of days, Fila had spent the Friday training as they were told. Getting pointers from the professor and even getting a new school uniform, aimed for duels and moveability.
The new uniform felt nothing like the traditional Ilvermorny robes Fila was used to. It was built for movement first, appearance second, though it still carried that unmistakable Ilvermorny identity.
Instead of layered fabric that dragged and caught, the outfit was close-fitted and structured. A dark, tailored dueling jacket replaced the robe entirely, cut just above mid-thigh with subtle gold threading tracing along the seams like restrained lightning. The material looked soft at first glance, but it held its shape like light armor, reinforced in the shoulders and along the forearms where spells were most often cast or deflected.
Underneath, she wore a crisp white shirt, the collar slightly higher than usual, paired with the standard striped tie, though it was shorter and tucked neatly to avoid interference in a fight. Over it all, a fitted vest hugged her torso, fastened with small brass clasps engraved with Ilvermorny's crest. The crest itself appeared again, pinned over her chest, smaller than on the ceremonial robes but sharper in detail, as if meant to remind rather than display.
Her sleeves could be tightened at the wrists with narrow straps, keeping them from shifting when she snapped her wand forward. Around her waist sat a slim leather belt, practical rather than decorative, holding a wand holster angled for quick access, along with a few small pouches for essentials.
The lower half of the uniform was just as deliberate. Instead of a skirt, she wore fitted dark trousers made of the same flexible material as the jacket, allowing full freedom of movement without sacrificing durability. The fabric caught the light faintly, hinting at protective enchantments woven into every thread. Her boots rose to just below the knee, reinforced at the front and sides, designed for stability on stone floors or uneven ground alike.
Fila stood up from her bed, the raspberry pie forgotten for a moment as she smoothed her hands down the front of the new dueling jacket. Through her sapphire-tinted vision, the uniform didn't just feel different, it looked different. The protective enchantments woven into the fabric gave off a steady, low-frequency hum, a shimmering indigo outline that clung to her form like a second skin.
"It's a bit more 'active' than the old robes," Fila rasped, her head tilting as she tested the range of motion in her shoulders. "I don't feel like I'm wearing a tent anymore. I feel like I'm wearing a weapon."
June, finally having regained her bearings after the black box, looked Fila up and down with an appreciative whistle. "You look like you're about to go on a very fashionable hunt, Ophelia. It's definitely an improvement. Although, I'm worried the first years will find the 'predatory walk' even more convincing now that you're dressed like a professional duelist."
She had just put it on, so June and Calla were the first to see it. Both had the same expression and thoughts.
Calla looked over again. "I'm so jealous, you look so hot in that." The said with a pout. "And why didn't you tell me you've been working out?"
Fila walked to the mirror, she couldn't see herself that well though the flowers. But she had definitely gained muscle mass. Training every morning the whole summer had made her toned and actually fit. Outlines of her abs and biceps were visible, and even and impressive looking back.
"Well I didn't think I did this much, it just appeared." Fila said while looking at her back through a lotus flower. She flexed her back slightly.
"It didn't 'just appear,' Ophelia. That's months of Austrian mountain air and probably wrestling tree giants," June said, walking around Fila to inspect the definition in her shoulders. "You actually look like someone people should be afraid of now. The blindfold used to be the scariest part, but now? I think the biceps might take the lead."
Fila didn't like that, "I don't look like a brute? Do i?" she asked while looking at the mirror more intensely.
June shook her head. "No I'm just saying they are impressive. You are still plenty attractive."
Fila let out a long, raspy breath of relief, her shoulders dropping an inch. "Good. If I started looking like a professional weightlifter, I'd have to change my entire aesthetic."
"You don't look like a brute, Fila," Calla added, finally closing her book and standing up to join them. "You look like an athlete. Like you've finally grown into the power you've been throwing around since first year. It's... formidable."
Fila turned her wrist, watching the way the reinforced fabric of the forearm guard caught the sapphire light. It felt right. The traditional robes had always felt like they belonged to a version of her that was still hiding, still playing the part of the delicate Rosier girl.
"I suppose it's a bit hard to play the 'fragile blind girl' card when I'm clearly capable of bench-pressing a Horned Serpent," Fila chirped, a genuine smirk tugging at her lips.
"Exactly," June said, flopping back onto her own bed. "No one is going to offer to carry your books anymore, Ophelia. They're going to be too busy wondering if you're about to challenge them to a wrestling match. Honestly, I think Theo is going to be the most conflicted. He won't know whether to keep acting like your protector or to start asking you for training tips."
"Theo can do both," Fila rasped. She reached for her wand, sliding it into the new holster with a satisfying, muffled click. "He's versatile like that."
But something is still missing. As she looked at herself in the mirror, her hair caught her attention. Thinking back at the events of the summer she had forgotten one thing.
"Hey Calla, didn't you say there was a girl in horned serpent who did hair?" Fila asked.
Calla tapped her chin with her wand, a thoughtful look crossing her face. "Oh, you mean Sloane. Yeah, she's a genius with a pair of enchanted shears. She can make your hair look like it's reflecting moonlight or just make it behave during a hurricane. Why? Thinking of a change for the jungle?"
"Hmmm, something like that. Lets go." Fila said.
June and Calla both stood up and walked with her. June grabbing her arm and squeezing her bicep. Fila just looked at her. "Hey cant blame me, its giving muscle mommy vibe."
Calla raised an eyebrow at June. "I didn't know you went that way June, I thought you liked guys."
June's face turned a shade of pink that rivaled her own aura. "I do! I mean, I am! It's just... an appreciation for the physique, Calla! A purely aesthetic observation of our champion's peak performance!"
Fila let out a dry, raspy chuckle, the sound vibrating in the narrow hallway of the tower. "Careful, June. If you keep flattering me, I might start making you do my morning drills. We can see if we can get those noodle arms of yours to match."
June let out a mock gasp of horror, dramatically clutching her chest. "Absolutely not. My brand is 'delicate and perpetually overwhelmed.' I have a reputation to maintain."
The navigated the corridors, gaining curious eyes as they walked past students walking to their dorms. Even getting some whistles along the way. They made their way towards the horned serpent common room.
The horned serpent commonroom wasn't in a tower or in a basement, they had a building ish for themselves on ground floor. Fila had never been inside, only walking past it several times when going from or to class.
"Stay close," June whispered, though she was still mostly busy admiring Fila's new silhouette. "Snakes are territorial. They don't like it when the 'birds' come down from their perch."
Fila didn't bother responding. She just tilted her head.
A student was just leaving, and as the doors swung open, the trio slipped inside.
The Horned Serpent common room was a masterpiece of refined intellect. Low, vaulted ceilings were painted with star charts that actually shifted to match the night sky outside. Deep blue rugs muffled their footsteps, and the walls were lined with bookshelves that reached all the way to the shadows of the ceiling. It felt more like a private museum than a dormitory.
The trio gained some weird looking eyes as they stepped inside from nowhere.
Calla scanned the room while June and Fila were busy looking at everything else. And while doing that she saw something interesting.
As if synced both June and Fila's eyes stopped where the couch group was placed near the big fireplace.
June nudged Fila's arm, "Hey see what I see?" she said in a hushed tone, but Fila heard the intent. "Pretty boys." She than whispered in her ear.
Fila's head tilted instinctively toward the cluster of sofas. Even through her sapphire haze, the figures lounging there stood out. Unlike the Thunderbirds, who tended to look like they'd just tumbled out of a forest or a workshop, these boys were draped in the elegance of their house. They looked polished, intellectual, and, as June so accurately put it, entirely too pretty for their own good.
One of them was leaning back with a book resting on his knee, his magic a steady, cool teal that felt like a calm lake. Another was gesturing with a wand, tracing shimmering geometric patterns in the air that looked like a living constellation.
"They're definitely not Thunderbirds," Fila rasped, her smirk sharpening. "They look like they've never had to scrub dragon dung off their boots in their lives."
June leaned in closer, her voice barely a breath. "The one in the middle, with the silver tie? That's him. The one who keeps staring at me in the Great Hall. I think his name is Alistair."
Fila tracked the teal magic of 'Alistair.' He hadn't noticed them yet, but the moment he did, his steady lake of an aura rippled as if someone had dropped a heavy stone into it. He sat up a little straighter, his eyes widening as they settled on the trio, specifically on Fila's new, aggressive silhouette and June's bright pink aura.
"Oh, look," Fila chirped. "The lake is having a storm. I think your 'obsessed' theory just gained some ground, June."
Calla, however, was already moving toward the back of the room. "Focus, you two. Pretty boys later, Sloane now. She's by the far window."
Fila agreed but she wasn't about to leave without creating some sort of victory.
June looked down as she felt something around her ankles. "NO FILA" she tried to shout but it was too late. The vines had already grabbed her and started dragging her.
The vines carried her to the couch where Alistair was seated, and put her down just beside him.
June let out a sharp, strangled squeak as the emerald runners deposited her neatly on the velvet cushion. She looked like a deer caught in wandlight, her bright pink aura pulsing in frantic, staccato waves.
Alistair froze. His book nearly slipped from his knee as he turned his head slowly to look at the girl who had just been "delivered" to him by a rogue botanical maneuver. Up close, his teal magic was even more serene, though it was currently swirling with a very visible sense of "what just happened?"
Fila didn't stop walking. She just tilted her head back toward the pair, her raspy voice carrying just enough for them to hear. "I noticed you were having trouble with the distance, Alistair. My friend June has a very interesting theory about your 'intent', I thought I'd help you test the hypothesis."
"Fila, I'm going to turn your panthers into rocking horses!" June hissed, though she was already trapped in Alistair's bewildered, albeit appreciative, gaze.
"You're welcome!" Fila chirped, not missing a beat as she followed Calla toward the back of the room.
Calla shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "You really are ruinous, Ophelia. You just gave that boy a heart attack and June a mid-life crisis."
Fila waved it off.
They reached the far window where Sloane was stationed. The Horned Serpent stylist was watching the scene at the couches with an amused glint in her eyes. She leaned against a marble pillar, her silver shears floating idly near her shoulder like a loyal pet.
"Efficient," Sloane noted, her voice a cool contrast to the warmth of the fireplace. "I see the new uniform comes with a side of chaos. I assume you didn't come here to play matchmaker for the entire house, Rosier."
Fila sat in the chair Sloane indicated, her posture straight and her chin slightly lifted. "June can handle the snakes. I'm here for the shears. Can you dye hair?"
Sloane nodded. "got anything in mind?"
Fila explained how she wanted it, cut it slightly shorter, and give a white part of hair. They did discuss having half black half white, but Calla didn't think it would fit her.
Sloane hummed, her eyes narrowed as she studied Fila's face, tracing the sharp line of her jaw and the contrasting texture of the blue silk blindfold. She reached out, running a comb through Fila's long, dark hair with a practiced, clinical touch.
"Half and half is a bit... loud," Sloane agreed, her voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper. "It's too balanced. You aren't balanced, Rosier. You're a landslide. If we do a streak, thick, stark, and bone-white right along the front—it'll look like a lightning strike caught in the dark. It'll move when you move. It'll frame that blindfold like a warning sign."
"Lightning in the dark," Fila rasped, the image blooming in her sapphire vision. "I like the sound of that. Make it look like I've seen something that turned my hair white, but I survived it."
"Oh, you definitely look like a survivor," Sloane chirped.
The work of dyeing hair was defiantly made easier with magic, sure some chemicals in form of potions were needed. But rather that than to sit for forty-five minutes with some bleach in the hair.
The results was a white strand of what looked like something had turned her hair white, it didn't look deliberate. Exactly how she wanted it.
"Solane, you're the best. I owe you." Fila said looking at herself in the mirror with the help of Munin's eyes.
Sloane admired her handiwork, the silver shears performing a playful little mid-air somersault before tucking themselves into her belt. "Consider it an investment in Ilvermorny's reputation. If you're going to be the face of the school in Brazil."
Fila stood up, the movement fluid and sharp. The white streak was stark, a jagged line of frozen lightning against the deep obsidian of the rest of her hair. It fell perfectly over the edge of her blue silk blindfold, making the Thunderbird embroidery seem to shine.
"June! Stop bothering the wildlife! We are leaving!" Fila called out.
Across the room, the 'Wildlife', Alistair. Looked like he was still trying to remember how to form coherent sentences, while June was a stuttering mess of rose-colored aura. At Fila's voice, June practically scrambled off the velvet sofa, stumbling over her own feet in her haste to escape the boy's teal-colored focus.
She reached Fila and Calla, panting slightly, and then she froze. Her eyes went wide, darting from the new length to the bone white streak of hair.
"Fila…" She started while still looking her up and down. "I think you might turn me gay. Grrr."
Fila let out a short, melodic bark of a laugh, the sound echoing off the high, vaulted ceilings of the Horned Serpent room. "Careful, June. Alistair looks like he's finally managed to restart his heart; don't let it stop again by changing teams the second you leave the couch."
June turned to the boy still sitting on the couch and blew him a little kiss with a wink. Which in turn made his whole face turn into the same color as the strawberry jam at breakfast.
The trio walked the halls with confidence unmatched. Fila walked in the middle, with her two panthers behind them. with Calla and June joined on either side. But the march was cut short, as they didn't even reach the tower before they were stopped. Or Fila stopped them.
Calla and June looked at her confused as she had just stopped.
"What's…" Calla didn't get to finish her sentence until she heard the unmissable voice of a certain Thunderbird.
Fila looked through a flower down in the corridor where his voice came from, and sure enough. Theo Carter.
June and Calla now listened, and that's when they heard it as well. He was talking to a girl. And they weren't talking about normal homework.
Both June and Calla quickly looked at each other with the same face. 'Fuck' they both had in their mind as they looked at Fila.
Her expression was hard to read, but the twitching lip gave it away, even under the mask covering her eyes.
"Fila, lets just go back…" Calla tried to say.
"I need some time alone." Fila said as she turned around and walked in the direction where they had just came from.
June and Calla stood frozen, the heavy silence of the corridor pressing in on them. They watched as Fila's silhouette, now sharper and more predatory than ever with the new cut and the bone-white streak, vanished around the corner. Hugin and Munin followed her like silent, wooden ghosts, their joints not making a single click on the stone.
"We should have stopped her," June whispered, her pink aura flickering with a jagged, anxious grey.
Calla stood still, "No, she needs some time for that. Lets go back to the tower and talk with Stella."
Fila didn't need to go long to find the place she needed.
The empty old training yard where she had spent a lot of time and even made her own little temple out of vines and roots. This place held a lot of memories, it's the place she often fled to when hurt or sad. But its also the place where she had been targeted with the cruciatus curse.
And even after that she still found her way back here.
She sat down and leaned against one of the walls of the school. The night had grown dark by now, giving way for the chill winds of the Greylock mountain passing down over the school.
After seeing Theo so close with the girl he had broken up with she felt… betrayed. He told Fila that they broke up because she didn't like how Theo cared for her when he realized she had been tortured half to death, and now he stood close with the same girl again.
Hugin and Munin sensed the shift. They didn't settle into their usual defensive positions; instead, they crowded close, the smell of ancient oak and damp earth acting as the only comfort in the biting mountain air.
"Stupid," Fila rasped, her voice barely audible over the whistling wind.
The silence wasn't very loud this time, it actually relaxed her in a way that she didn't know how to explain. Sure she was… disappointed. And everyone would be if a friend did something like that against her or him.
But the sadness she thought she would have, didn't excist.
No crying, no shouting, no rage. Just the wind blowing past her and the low hums of her two panthers laying on each side of her.
The stark realization about the whole situation cleared her mind, she didn't care.
After going through the things she has in the very short span of barley a year. She honestly didn't care anymore. Curses and torture, for what? For a friend to go back on his word over some girl who didn't care about his best friend?
"Pathetic." Fila mumbled as she stood up.
The two panthers stood as the same time. "Lets go boys, we have some more training to do." She said as she walked. He hands behind her back, with confident steps.
On her way back to the tower she met Stella walking with brisk steps. Fila didn't think much of it and kept walking.
"Fila, there you are." Stella said.
Fila stopped, her boots making a sharp, final sound against the stone. She didn't turn her head fully, but the white streak of her hair caught the dim light of the corridor's torches, gleaming like a polished blade.
"I'm here, Stella," Fila rasped, her voice steady and devoid of the jagged edges Stella was clearly expecting. "Though if you're here on behalf of the 'committee of concerned friends,' you can save the breath. I'm fine. Better than fine, actually."
Stella stood there, confused at first. But she knew that something wasn't right.
The blind fold with the golden thunderbird glimmered with the light of the corridor. Catching the sharp face of the Grindelwald standing in it.
They stood silent, only hearing the sounds of the torches on the walls echoing though the empty corridor.
"Fila, I heard what Theo did. But you don't need to…"
"I know, I don't need to care. And I'm not." Fila started. She answered and started walking again.
Stella caught up and walked beside her. "What do you mean, of course you should care. He's your best…"
"He would be my best friends if he didn't go talk with the girl he broke up with because she was jealous about him being worried." Fila said coldly. Absolute no hesitation in her voice as she walked. "I'm done being hurt and sad Stella. I think I have the qualifications to say that, or do you disagree?"
Fila didn't stop and just kept walking, Stella had already stopped in the hallway and watched the girl disappear into the doors of the tower.
The silence of the hallway seemed to expand after Fila's departure, leaving Stella staring at the space where a different kind of storm had just passed.
Inside the Thunderbird common room, the warmth of the fire felt stifling rather than cozy. Fila stepped through the entrance, and her friends perked up instantly. Theo already standing made his way towards her.
"Hey Fila, I just wanted to…" She had walked passed him.
He watched as she kept walking, and than disappeared up the stairs to the dorm rooms.
Theo looked towards his friends all sitting on the couches. June had her head buried in her hands, Calla sat with a sad face. Elliot and Millies sat just like guys often did when they had no clue what was happening.