Did Fila think that going out of prison would be a calm walk in the park? No, but she didn't think that both headmasters of the two top schools in the world would come.
And to an even bigger surprise. Vinda and Dumbledore actually spoke like normal people to each other.
Fila took another bite of her sandwich which she had been given, Evan sat beside her. Both of them spectating the spectacle infront of them.
They had been brought to a conference room earlier. Apparently, the officials had brought her here to clear up somethings about the arrest. And why it had taken almost two weeks to clear up.
Fila took another slow bite of the sandwich, the simple ham and cheese tasting almost luxurious after days of prison rations. She sat quietly beside Evan, watching the scene unfold across the long conference table like it was some strange play.
Vinda Rosier and Albus Dumbledore sat opposite each other, speaking in measured, almost civil tones. No wands drawn. No raised voices. Just two formidable figures discussing her fate as if they were old colleagues who happened to disagree on certain matters.
"…the delay is inexcusable," Vinda was saying, her voice sharp but controlled. "Two weeks without formal charges, without contact, without even basic legal process. This was not justice. This was an attempt at intimidation."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled faintly behind his half-moon spectacles, though his expression remained serious.
"I quite agree, Madam Rosier. The use of the Grindelwald name as justification for such treatment sets a dangerous precedent. Ophelia is a minor champion under the protection of an international tournament. The handling of this matter has been… most regrettable."
Evan leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, and murmured to Fila with clear amusement, "I never in my life thought I would see Mother and Dumbledore agree on something. The world really has gone mad."
Fila swallowed her bite and gave a small, tired smile.
"First time for everything," she replied quietly.
One of the senior MACUSA officials, a nervous-looking man with a sweating forehead cleared his throat.
"The… ah… situation was escalated due to the nature of the spells used in the duel. The internal botanical curse was flagged by our monitoring systems as potentially prohibited under—"
"Under what, exactly?" Vinda cut in coldly. "A sanctioned international event where multiple students were severely injured? Or are we only concerned when a Grindelwald is the one winning?"
Dumbledore raised a hand gently.
"Perhaps we can focus on resolution. Miss Grindelwald has been cleared of any formal charges. The tournament committee has already submitted full records showing the duel was within acceptable bounds. I believe it is time for Ophelia to be released without further delay."
The official nodded quickly, clearly eager to end the meeting.
"I have something to say," Ophelia raised her voice. And everyone gaze followed.
With everyone attention on her now she cleared her throat.
"What type of bullshit is this?"
Everyone in the room seemed to have forgotten that they were in a meeting as most of them had their mouths wide open now, with eyes wide.
"Excuse me?" one of the officials said in a serious tone.
The room went dead silent.
Every head turned toward Fila. The MACUSA official who had spoken looked genuinely shocked, as if a caged animal had suddenly barked back. Vinda's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise, though a hint of approval flickered in her eyes. Dumbledore simply watched with that calm, knowing expression, fingers steepled.
Evan, beside her, let out a low whistle.
"Well," he muttered under his breath, "there she is."
Fila set the remains of her sandwich down slowly. Her voice was still calm, but edged with cold, exhausted frustration.
"What type of bullshit is this?" she repeated, looking directly at the senior official. "You held me for two weeks in a cell without charges. No visitors. No explanation. You dragged me out of a sanctioned tournament like I was some criminal because I used plant magic in a duel, the same kind of magic that was being thrown around the entire event. And now you sit here talking about 'flagged spells' and 'precedents' like you didn't just try to make an example out of me because of my last name?"
She leaned forward slightly, blindfold shifting as she tilted her head.
"You want to talk about REAL dark magic? Alright lets talk." She shifted her tone to even more serious, almost shouting at this point. "Ive been hunted, cursed, tortured, used and even more. Yet when I start defending myself, you go crazy. So let me ask you this, WHO paid you?"
She asked.
The room went dead silent.
Fila's words hung in the air like a curse. The senior MACUSA official's face turned a deep shade of red, his mouth opening and closing several times before any sound came out.
Fila's accusation landed like a Blasting Curse in the middle of the table. The senior official's face flushed a deep, ugly red, sweat now visibly beading on his forehead. Several of the other MACUSA representatives shifted uncomfortably in their seats, eyes darting between Fila and Vinda.
"Miss Grindelwald," the official sputtered, voice strained, "that is an outrageous and completely unfounded accusation. We do not—"
"Don't get bribed?" Fila cut him off, her voice cold and steady, though the edge of exhaustion made it sharper. "Oh please, save me the fucking lies. You arrived at the school an hour before the match had even started. If you really wanted to arrest me for 'dark magic,' you would've done it earlier. Instead, you waited until I was about to step into the ring against Yumi, right after I'd already beaten Itsuki. You didn't want me hurting another Japanese student, did you?"
She had seen them, with the help of her flowers she had not only heard them arrive at the school, but seen them too. At the time she didn't know why they had come.
Vinda's lips curved into a dangerous, satisfied smile. She said nothing, but the pride in her eyes was unmistakable. Evan leaned back further in his chair, openly grinning now, clearly enjoying the chaos his young niece was causing.
Dumbledore's expression remained calm, but his eyes had lost their usual twinkle. He watched Fila with quiet intensity, as if seeing something new in her.
The senior official slammed a hand on the table, trying to regain control.
"This is preposterous! We will not be spoken to like this by a — a student!"
Fontaine, standing near the door, stepped forward with a hard expression.
"My student has endured two weeks of unlawful detention. She has every right to demand answers. If MACUSA continues this farce, Ilvermorny will escalate this to the highest international levels."
"And I will take it up with the French ministry, as Ophelia is a French citizen." Vinda added with a smile. The threat landed harder than most things, a report to the ICW wouldn't be good for the American magical ministry. And it certainly wouldn't look good for them in the newspapers.
"I want a written apology to ALL, news outlets. I Want to be compensated for my time in jail as there were no justified cause for me to be there. And.." her lips formed a partially grim smile as she looked across the board. "I want Elara Voss to be released."
With that added even Vinda turned to look at her with a confused and might have been a worried look.
The senior MACUSA official looked like he was one heartbeat away from an aneurysm.
"Elara Voss?" he repeated, voice cracking. "The former advisor to Grindelwald? That is… that is not within the scope of this meeting. She is serving a separate sentence for—"
Fila didn't raise her voice. She didn't need to.
"She's an old woman who's been rotting in your cage for decades," she said calmly, but with steel underneath. "If you're so eager to prove this wasn't political, then prove it. Release her. Or admit that this was never about justice — it was about punishing a name."
Vinda studied Fila for a long moment, then turned back to the officials with a slow, dangerous smile.
"My granddaughter has made her terms clear. A public written apology to all major news outlets. Full compensation for unlawful detention. And the release of Elara Voss. Refuse any of them, and we will make this a very loud, very international incident."
Dumbledore remained quiet, but his eyes were fixed on Fila with deep contemplation.
The MACUSA officials huddled briefly, whispering frantically. After several tense minutes, the senior official wiped his forehead again and gave a stiff nod.
"…We will… process the release of Elara Voss within the week. The apology and compensation will be arranged. This matter is now closed."
Fila didn't thank them. She simply turned and walked toward the door.
As they left the building, Vinda fell into step beside her, speaking quietly.
"Why help Elara?" she asked quietly.
Fila smiled, and started looking around. "She gave me some insight, and she is old. Will most likely die soon anyway, so it doesn't hurt to help her live some time in freedom."
While looking around she found her target, and it seemed he had the same thought.
She quickly walked over to the headmaster. "Why are you here?" Fila asked to Dumbledore. He shouldn't be here, he had no reason to be here but she didn't want to complain because his name carried the weight in tons and being one of the factors for releasing her, she couldn't complain.
He smiled. "Well I wanted to see how the MACUSA prison looked after all these years." But the sarcasm was blatant. "Your grandfather actually asked for my help." He said very quietly before giving her a letter.
Ophelia opened it and sure enough, signed by Geller Grindelwald. 'Please help my granddaughter.' Simple. But it got the point across.
She looked up at the expression on Dumbledore. He smiled, the biggest smile she had ever seen. From ear to ear, "I might have to frame it."
A rare moment of weakness coming from the former dark lord himself could only be described as rare, maybe even rarer than a shooting star. And a written please aswell? That shit could be sold for millions in a auction.
"Well thank god you got something good from me being in prison." Ophelia answered back as she gave him the letter back. But to her confusion, he brunt it.
Gone, reduced to atoms.
Understanding this old man would take time, maybe even more time than she had left in her life.
"Well," she said quietly, "that's one way to keep a secret."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled again, though the smile on his face was softer now, almost melancholic.
"Some words carry too much weight to be left in the world, my dear. Especially when spoken by old enemies… or old friends."
Fila studied him for a long moment. The man who had fought her grandfather. The man who had just helped free her. The contradictions never seemed to end with him.
"Thank you," she said simply. "For coming. For the letter. For… everything."
Dumbledore gave her a small bow.
"You have a long road ahead, Ophelia. Power is a heavy burden, especially when the world already fears what you might do with it. Choose wisely what kind of legend you wish to become."
With that, he turned and walked away, robes billowing gently in the cold wind, leaving Fila standing with Vinda and Evan.
But things aren't done yet, and she still had something to win. Or hoped to.
Fontaine stood with his hands behind his back calmly, watching the exchange. His deep white robe blowing slightly in the wind. He always had this feeling around him of being someone who could just turn the whole house over but never doing it.
Ophelia had seen him cast simple spells, but truly never let loose. Maybe that was for the better as she didn't want to start competing with the headmaster of Ilvermorny.
That she couldn't win, for a long time.
"Professor," Fila approached him. "Is there still time?" she asked, a little afraid of the answer that could come crashing down on her.
He chuckled. "There is, Daniel won his match, making us have some more time."
Daniel had won his match, against the brute of Mahoutokoro, Kaito.
A wonderful surprise as she always thought Daniel would be the weakest after Marcus among the Ilvermorny group. But this had proved that maybe she didn't know everything about her magical sight.
"So we can still go?" She asked.
Fontaine picked up his pocket watch and opened the lid, "The next duel will being in four minutes. The last Castelobruxo is going against Haru."
He reached into his pocket yet again and pulled out a small box, inside where three keys. "Hold my arm dear," he said gently. Portkey time.
Fila turned quickly and waved to her grandmother. Vinda stood a short distance away, arms crossed, looking equal parts proud and deeply frustrated. The older witch clearly wanted her granddaughter to rest, to recover, to stop throwing herself into fire the moment she stepped out of one. But she knew better than to argue when that particular fire burned in Fila's blood.
"Be careful," Vinda called, voice carrying across the cold wind. "And come back in one piece. We still have much to discuss."
Fila gave her a small nod, then turned back to Fontaine. She grabbed his arm without hesitation.
The portkey activated with a sharp tug behind her navel. The world twisted, colors blurring, and seconds later they landed on the familiar grounds near the stone-slab dueling ring at Castelobruxo. The December chill bit sharper here, but the air still carried the faint tropical undertone of the jungle beyond.
The two had appeared behind everyone else. Standing on top of the stand, Fila stood with her arms crossed as she watched the duel below her. It had started, and Clara, the last remaining Castelobruxo champion struggled already.
"Why didn't the Castelobruxo student fair very well professor?" she wondered. They had only achieved one single point in this whole tournament. And by looking at them they seemed stronger than most. Maybe even here her sight might fall in some departments.
He sighed, "I think they prepared for a much calmer ocean, even we did." He admitted.
And the truth laid heavy. The Japanese had trained with daggers while we trained with ballons. And in doing so they came out on top.
Haru pressed his advantage with ruthless efficiency. A series of piercing curses forced Clara back, followed by a transfiguration that turned part of the stone floor into jagged shards. Clara blocked most of it, but one shard grazed her side, drawing blood. She retaliated with a powerful lightning chain, but Haru anticipated it, shielding and countering with a blast that sent her skidding across the ring.
Fila watched without emotion, analyzing every movement.
"She's good," she murmured. "But she's fighting on their terms. They adapted faster."
The duel ended a few minutes later. Clara yielded after a brutal disarming charm left her wand flying and a follow-up curse knocked the wind out of her. The crowd roared, mostly for Mahoutokoro. The scoreboard updated with grim finality.
Mahoutokoro had dominated.
Fontaine placed a hand on Fila's shoulder.
"You don't have to do this," he said quietly. "You've already been through hell. No one would blame you if you sat out the last match."
Fila frowned, "Are you kidding me? I wouldn't miss kicking there ass even if the world ended."
Only moments later, Headmistress Dourado announced the match as over, and gave the final verdict that Castelobruxo had been defeated from the tournament.
"But a winner had to be announced. And the ring will decide." She said and the bowl of names appeared hovering in front of her again.
The Japanese all wore the smug expression of feeling the win in the grasp of their hands, only having to defeat Daniel now.
"Ophelia." She shouted out as she draw the first name.
Fila's lips curved into a small, cold smile. She pushed off the railing and started walking down toward the ring without hesitation. The crowd's roar swelled — some cheering, many whispering in shock after her dramatic return from custody.
Fontaine caught her arm briefly before she reached the barrier.
"You've already proven everything you needed to," he said quietly. "If this is too much after the prison—"
"It's not," Fila replied, voice steady. "They took two weeks from me. I'm taking this back."
She walked with calm steps. already looking over to the shocked faces of the other team.
Fila offered them a little wink and a blow kiss. Which seemed to fire up something within them as the went verbal with things she didn't understand any off.
"Rin!" Dourado finished drawing the last name. "Do the choosen champions wish to begin the match right away?" she actually asked.
Without hesitation. "YES" the two said in unison as both of them began walking down into the ring. Fila apparated the last distance.
On the stand she could see June and Miles cheer her on, June even crying a little.
Rin on the other side of the ring didn't share the same cheerful smile. "What, not happy to see me?" Fila asked as she looked at her. "I'm so happy seeing you Rin, and it breaks my heart to see you like this." Fila laughed while saying.
The Ilvermorny spectators laughed with her.
Rin bit her tongue. "You shouldn't be here."
Ophelia smiled. "Oh? Why not? Because you thought you paid them enough to keep me for longer?" she said accusingly, and that didn't seem to be as funny as the whole ring of spectators went quiet. Especially the headmaster of Mahoutokoro.
"Don't speak nonsense." Rin said through her teeth. "Criminal." She let out with a smile.
Fila tilted her head slightly, blindfold dark against her pale skin. The crowd had gone deathly quiet.
"Maybe," Fila said softly, almost gently. "But at least I don't have to pay people to do my dirty work."
"Begin!"
Rin attacked instantly, aggressive and vicious, a storm of cutting curses mixed with sharp hexes designed to bleed and disable. She fought like someone with something to prove, like someone who had been told to finish what Yumi and Itsuki could not.
Fila blocked it all. during her time in prison she had thought about her fighting style a lot.
It felt… drawn out, and it could be so much simpler. Like this.
Fila aimed her wands at the moving girl, her wand lit it. a blue dark light, and it cut fast towards the opponent.
*Boom* a blast hit the girl in the arm, blasting it half of in one hit.
Rin spun from the force of the blast, blood spraying across the cold stone as her arm was nearly severed at the shoulder. She screamed raw, agonized and clutched the mangled limb with her good hand, wand clattering to the ground.
The crowd's roar turned to horrified gasps.
Fila didn't move closer. She stood perfectly still, wand lowered slightly, the Thunderbird feather still humming with restrained power.
Rin staggered, face pale with shock and pain, blood pooling beneath her. She tried to raise her remaining hand to cast something, anything — but Fila flicked her wand once.
A sharp vine of pure force whipped out and wrapped around Rin's good wrist, yanking it down hard. Another blast of controlled magic slammed into Rin's legs, buckling her knees and forcing her to the stone on her back.
Fila walked forward slowly until she stood over the bleeding girl.
"yield bitch," she said calmly, her wand aimed directly to the forehead of the girl.
Rin gasped for air, blood bubbling at the corner of her mouth, eyes wide with terror and hatred.
Fila raised her wand again, the tip glowing with that same dark blue light.
"I YIELD" she shouted as she saw the wand preparing for another spell, which had been just a lumos spell.
The barrier dropped.
Medics rushed in immediately, faces pale at the sight of the mangled arm and thorn-riddled body. The crowd was in chaos. some cheering Fila's victory, many shouting in horror at the brutality.
But Fila had started dancing a little, feeling like she had just been released from prison. "Freedom really is just fucking awesome."