Finding words after meeting a mysterious figure, only for him or her to vanish into literal smoke wasn't very easy.
The figure had left her alone in the dark hallway. she had never seen such magic, but she wasn't surprised that it somehow existed. Afterall everything is possible with enough fuckery in this world.
"Future dark lord my ass." She mumbled before she could hear footsteps down the hallway. she tilted her head towards the sound and found the headmaster himself seeming to be out of breath and maybe a bit scared even.
"Where…" he said while catching his breath, "Where is he?"
Fila raised an eyebrow, how did the headmaster know so fast.
"If your talking about the cold looking guy with a hood, he left just a couple seconds ago. Nice guy really, but a bit rude." She said jokingly, not even thinking about taking this as serious as she should.
"Rude?" he repeated, voice tight. "That was not a student. That was not a professor. That presence nearly tore through every ward we have on the eastern wing. Do you have any idea—"
He cut himself off, dragging a hand down his face. Up close he looked older than usual, the usual sharp arrogance replaced by something closer to genuine alarm.
Fila tilted her head. "So you felt it too."
"The entire upper staff felt it," Karkaroff snapped. "Half the portraits are still screaming. What did he want with you?"
She wanted to lie, but should she? this didn't seem like such a big deal. Not now atleast, and being known as a future dark lord wouldn't be good either.
"He just said that he had heard of me, and wanted to greet me. And then he went up in smoke, very dramatic. Ten out of ten presentation."
Karkaroff's face went through several expressions in rapid succession before settling on something between horror and exhaustion.
After a couple of minutes the rest of the professors had come, all talking about what happened and what it could be. Fila just sat against one of the windows frames and watched, she didn't listen much as they all just went around in circles.
The professors stood in a loose cluster near the cracked section of wall, voices overlapping in tight, frustrated tones. Someone mentioned old projection magic. Someone else insisted it had to be a former student with a grudge. A third voice kept repeating that the wards should never have allowed a presence that strong to form inside the castle at all.
Karkaroff stood in the middle of it all, arms crossed, looking like a man who wanted to expel the entire problem and be done with it.
Fila rested the back of her head against the cold glass and let their words wash past her.
Aleksei appeared at the far end of the corridor a few minutes later. He took one look at the cluster of professors, then at Fila sitting apart from them, and walked straight over.
"You're the reason they're all here, aren't you?" he asked quietly, leaning against the wall beside her.
Fila looked at him, "Oh no not at all, they all just wanted to be here. and im just here to watch." She said annoyingly.
Aleksei chuckled, "Alright, alright I understand. So what happened?"
With a sigh she started explaining the event once again. which she had already done several time for the professors. Leaving out the same detail each time. She thought about telling Aleksei about it, but as she didn't know how he would react that could be dangerous.
The two kept watching the professor until all of them left, only the headmaster gave her a weird look before retreating into the hallways.
"Wanna go grab something to eat?" Aleksei asked.
Only then did Fila realize she hadn't ate since lunch and the sun had already set. Her stomach let out a deep rumble. And it didn't need to be said as they both headed to the kitchen.
Late night the kitchen only had a couple of house elves working. They were here for just this purpose, to serve late night students.
This school had a norm of late night studying and students coming back from outside tasks.
Outside tasks were as they sound, task you get to complete outside of school. It could be anything from hunting an animal, to collecting potions ingredients. This helped students grades and were very popular. They could even be used to skip normal classes as they were seen as more educational.
So the house elves always had plates of food ready even after dinner had been served in the great hall.
Fila and Aleksei sat down and it didn't take long for a little elf to place two plates in front of them.
The food was simple thick slices of dark bread, smoked meat, a wedge of sharp cheese, and a small bowl of pickled vegetables. Perfect for late-night hunger. The kitchen itself was warm and quiet, lit only by a few low-burning lamps and the glow from the big hearth. Most of the house-elves had already gone to bed; only two remained, moving softly between the counters.
Fila picked up a piece of bread and tore it in half.
"You're still not telling me everything," Aleksei said after a while. He wasn't looking at her. He was cutting a slice of meat with deliberate care.
She chewed slowly. "I told you what happened."
She would roll her eyes if she could. She trusted Aleksei, more than anyone here. but he didn't need to know this, and it wouldn't do him any good. But maybe telling him just because he is her friend would be the right move.
Fila set the bread down and wiped her fingers on the napkin.
"He didn't just greet me," she said quietly.
Aleksei stopped cutting the meat. He didn't look surprised. He just waited.
"he called me a future dark lord, probably because of grandpa. But still it felt so weird. That's the part I left out." she said and looked around at the elves who hadn't heard anything, or at least pretended to.
The silence stretched for a moment longer, Aleksei seemed to want to say something. But as with all finding words for this sort of dissuasion wouldn't be easy.
"I… uhh. Don't really know what to say." He finally gave out.
And Fila just looked at him, "No shit. What would you even say, Oh no Fila you're not some wicked dark lord." She mocked, but it wasn't a voice filled with sarcasm. She felt irritated.
Aleksei didn't flinch. He never did when she got sharp.
"I wasn't going to say that," he answered evenly. "I was going to ask if you think it's true."
The question landed harder than any empty comfort would have.
Fila opened her mouth, then closed it again. The black stone sat cold against her side. The memory of the raspy voice saying young future dark lord still sat under her skin like a splinter.
"I don't know," she admitted after a moment. The irritation drained out of her voice, leaving something quieter. "I don't want it to be true. But people keep looking at me like they're waiting for it. Dumbledore. That thing in the hallway. Even Karkaroff half the time. It's like the name is a script and everyone already knows the ending."
Aleksei was silent for a few seconds, turning the knife over in his fingers.
"Then write a different ending," he said simply. "You're already doing it. You won a tournament without becoming a monster. You walked out of prison. You're leaving for Hogwarts to help some kid instead of staying here to collect more power. That's not the path a dark lord takes."
Fila stared at the table.
Then she thought about the fact that her grandpa didn't finish his full school at Durmstrang as he was kicked out. But she didn't want to add that right now, it would make her feel even worse.
She pushed herself up, and stood and looked down at Aleksei.
He looked up at her, bread halfway to his mouth. "What?"
"Lets go see if anyone is at the dueling ring, I need to put anger out on someone." She said and turned to leave. "I really need to learn to calm down…"
Aleksei gave an agreeing sigh behind her.
Karkaroff knew something about this figure, and that more than anything made her angry. She wanted to know as well.
After spending a few days in her own little headspace, going slightly angry and irritated. She found time for herself.
Once she became a so called hotshot here, being a group leader she had found herself more and more busy with bullshit things that professors should handle.
The others had warned her about this, but she had became the professors little elf. This meaning that if anyone broke the very few rules, they would have her talk or teach these students what it meant. Could be through verbal warning, or just have bob sit on them for a couple of hours.
Even minor disagreements that turned loud was given to Fila.
Nothing made her happier than to break up a fight about who's boyfriend is better at dueling when she could wipe them both out, blindly…
"Fila can you helppppp meeee?" a sad voice said, Molly a second year.
She looked down at the girl begging by her feat, not letting her go.
"You haven't even told me with what yet." Fila said while stuffing her mouth with sugar cake taken directly from the kitchen.
Molly sniffled dramatically, still clinging to the hem of Fila's robes like a particularly determined limpet.
"It's Luka," she wailed. "He said my shield charm looks like a wet dishcloth and then he hexed my bag so everything floats upside down and I can't get my books out and the professor said it's a personal matter and now I have to walk around with my ink bottles raining on my head and—"
Fila held up a hand, still chewing.
Molly fell silent instantly.
Fila swallowed the last of the sugar cake, wiped her fingers on her sleeve, and looked down at the second-year with the same expression she used on people who challenged her in the skirmish ring.
"Where is he?"
Molly pointed shakily down the corridor toward the second-year common area.
Fila started walking. Molly scrambled after her, still clinging.
They found Luka near the staircase, laughing with two other boys while a small cloud of inverted ink bottles and quills orbited his head like a personal storm cloud. The moment he saw Fila approaching, the laughter died.
She stopped a few paces away and tilted her head.
"Undo it."
Luka tried for bravado. "It was just a joke—"
Fila just gave him an even deadlier glare.
One of the other boys took a careful step backward. Luka's face went pale. He muttered the counter-charm so fast the words almost tangled. The floating objects dropped harmlessly into Molly's arms.
Fila nodded once.
"Next time you decide someone's shield charm is funny, remember that mine can grow teeth. Clear?"
"Clear," Luka muttered.
"Good."
She turned and walked away. Molly stared after her with wide, worshipful eyes before scrambling to catch up.
"Thank you, Fila— I mean Captain— I mean—"
"Just Fila is fine," she said over her shoulder. "And next time someone hexes your bag, hex them back. I'm not your personal problem-solver forever."
Molly nodded rapidly, then scurried off with her restored belongings.
Fila exhaled and kept walking toward the courtyard. Being the professors' unofficial disciplinary tool was starting to wear thin. She had come to Durmstrang to get stronger, not to play referee for second-years and their floating ink bottles.
Outside the students had begun doing spring activities again, krum could be seen as usual on his broom chasing the little golden snitch. Fila had multiple times wanted to hex the little thing but found her unable to. And according to krum, the snitch had a lot of anti-hex protection just for this reason.
Durmstrang had become very much like home, apart form being used by the professors like a little problem solver.
And she felt sad about soon leaving this place.
But going to Hogwarts for a short while could be fun, if it's as nice and magical as they say.
Deep inside she doubted it.
Somehow this and that ugly fucking creep who gave her a heart attack and a cold visit would probably be connected. If not then it would most likely be connected to her being a Grindelwald.
"Never a dull moment." She mumbled while sitting down on a half dried bench.
And as she sat down, "Hey there little school helper" an awfully annoying voice, and awful person sat down next to her.
Fila have the biggest sigh she could and leaned her head back.
"Igor…" she said.
He laughed, "YES! Your favorit Igor!"
Igor, a sixth year, and the most hated male at the school. A boy who thinks every girl wants him, and with an ego as big as his nose.
"What do you want? Please tell me quick and leave." She said coldly.
Igor huffed, "Fila! My heart aches with those words, I thought we had come a long way by now." He said with the most fake heartbroken acting.
Fila really wished she had eyes now, only so she could roll them into the back of her fucking skull.
"Just tell me what the fuck you want before I hang you with a tulip."
"OHHh, the scary and fearsome Ophelia Grindelwald threatening and innocent sweet, sexy Igor. Please my fans would cry, you cant do that to them." he continued.
Fila didn't lift her head from where it rested against the back of the bench. She simply raised one hand and let a single thin vine curl lazily out of the wood beneath them. It snaked across the seat toward Igor's thigh with deliberate, unhurried menace.
Igor's theatrical smile faltered for half a second.
"Talk," Fila said flatly. "Or the tulip gets friends."
He cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter, suddenly less interested in performing.
"Alright, alright. No need for violence against this handsome face. I just need a small favor…." He said quietly.
While raising an eyebrow, "Why would I even think about doing you a favor?" she countered.
Igor pressed a hand to his chest as if wounded.
"Because I am charming, generous, and currently in possession of information you might actually want," he said, dropping the exaggerated flair just enough to sound almost serious. "Also because if you refuse, I will be forced to ask someone less competent, and then the entire school will suffer the consequences of mediocrity."
The vine near his leg twitched once in warning.
"Spit it out," Fila said.
Igor glanced around the courtyard, then leaned in slightly, lowering his voice.
"There is this girl, I want you to ask her to go out with me…. And in return I will tell you about a hidden room down in the crypt." He said proudly.
And now this surprised even Fila, maybe this idiot actually could be of good use today.
"Down in the crypt? There's nothing there, ive looked myself." No she hadn't but she wanted to know if he would lie.
He scoffed proudly, "Well its hidden of course, I happened to stumble upon it myself, but I cant get in. its looked with something even alohomora couldn't unlock."
Fila stared at him for a long second.
Then she laughed. Not the quiet, dry sound she usually made — an actual short, disbelieving laugh.
"You want me," she said, pointing at herself, "to ask a girl out for you. In exchange for a locked door you can't open."
Igor puffed up, clearly mistaking her amusement for interest. "Exactly. Her name is Katarina. Fourth year. Dark hair, sharp tongue, currently under the tragic misconception that I am beneath her. One word from the famous Ophelia Grindelwald and she will see reason."
The vine near his leg rose a little higher.
"Or," Fila said, "I could just go find the door myself and leave you to die alone and unloved."
Igor's smile turned wheedling. "You could. But the door is behind three false walls and a very unpleasant cascade of stairs that only open if you know the right sequence of pressure stones. I spent two weeks mapping it. You would waste days. I am offering you a shortcut. All I ask is one conversation."
Fila considered it.
"Alright I will ask her, but hand over the information first. And then I will talk with her." She said with a slight smirk.
Which in no surprise he did, even gave her his notebook with instructions. Which made this feel strange, maybe he was actually serious about this girl. He could very easily just had said this and not gone through this effort.
But oh well.
Katarina, a school nerd. Always locked in the library or in her room reading endless amounts of books.
As Fila belonged to the fourth years here even when she is a full year younger. She and Katarina had talked a couple of times, but she is the definition of introverted.
Fila found her exactly where she expected — tucked into the far corner of the library, surrounded by a fortress of open books and half-written notes. Katarina didn't look up when Fila approached. She only turned a page with precise, quiet fingers.
Fila stopped at the edge of the table and waited.
After a few seconds Katarina's quill paused.
"…Grindelwald," she said without lifting her head. "If this is about the second-years again, I'm not interested in mediating."
"It's not."
Katarina finally looked up. Her expression was the same permanent mild disapproval Igor had described. Dark hair pulled back, ink smudged on one finger, eyes sharp behind simple wire-rimmed glasses.
"Then what?"
Fila dropped into the chair across from her and set Igor's notebook on the table between them like it might explode.
"Igor wants me to ask you out for him," she said bluntly. "I told him I'd do it in exchange for something useful. So here I am. Asking."
Katarina stared at her.
Then she very carefully closed the book in front of her.
"You're serious."
"Unfortunately."
A long silence stretched. Somewhere deeper in the library a quill scratched. A clock ticked.
Katarina leaned back in her chair and folded her arms.
"And what exactly did he offer you that made this worth your time?"
"A locked door in the crypts he claims even Alohomora won't open. He's already given me the path." Fila tapped the notebook. "I'm holding up my end. You can tell him to jump in the lake for all I care. I just need to be able to say I asked."
Katarina's mouth twitched not quite a smile, but close.
"He's been circling me for weeks," she said. "Sending ridiculous notes. Trying to impress me by quoting poetry he clearly doesn't understand. I assumed he would eventually get bored."
Fila raised and eyebrow and even two, she was actually considering it.
Katarina studied Fila for another moment, then sighed through her nose.
"Tell him I said no. Politely. Or impolitely. I don't care. And tell him that if he sends one more anonymous bouquet that smells like cheap cologne, I will set it on fire in the middle of the Great Hall."
Fila nodded once, satisfied.
"Done."
She stood and reached for the notebook. Katarina's voice stopped her.
"The crypt door," she said. "If it's the one behind the third false wall on the eastern descent… be careful. I've seen references to it in older school records. Whatever's behind it was sealed for a reason. And not by the current staff."
Fila paused. "You know about it?"
Katarina looked up, "yeah most do… not you bust most."
Great so he tricked me. She signed and just hung her head in defeat.
"Don't worry, most people don't give a shit. Its impossible to open." He continued.
It didn't help Fila get over the feeling of being tricked by Igor.