Fontaine stood with his arms crossed this time, looking slightly displeased.
The performance of the released girl didn't surprise neither of them. the spell had been a new one, the blasting curse mixed with her own magic that couldn't be taught.
Fontaine however seemed worried, "It might seem like the thing that made her get arrested." It looked like some dark magic. He knew that the arrest had been a full show just to get her of the field.
Fila had already accused the Mahoutokoro team of doing it. but maybe this play wasn't that simple.
Her name had been spread wildly in the newspaper for weeks now, and these duels didn't help. Painting her as some dark witch in student clothes. This would catch the eyes of anyone with ill intentions, all over the world.
Fila walked out of the ring with the same calm stride she'd entered it, as if she'd just finished a slightly intense game of chess rather than leaving her opponent bleeding on the stone. The crowd's roar was a chaotic mix of cheers, gasps, and bewildered muttering. Someone in the Ilvermorny section let out a very loud "That's our champion!" which sounded suspiciously like Miles.
Fontaine met her at the edge, arms still crossed, looking like a disappointed but secretly proud parent.
"That seemed… a touch dramatic," he said with a heavy sigh.
Professor Hale, standing beside him, was grinning like he'd just won the House Cup. "I don't know, she seemed to enjoy it. And it's a win. I'll take it."
Fila wiped a bit of blood from her shoulder with her sleeve and offered a small, tired shrug.
"They started it," she said. "I just finished it. Politely."
And finish it she would.
It didn't take long before newspapers all over the world had reported on the events of Ophelia. Even during her short visit to the prison, articles had speculated about her arrest.
But mixed in on the front pages, another boy had started to appear.
The boy who lived, Harry Potter attends his first year at the magical school of Hogwarts.
Inside the tower of Gryffindor, a group of students sat collected. The fire crackled warmly in the hearth as a group of first-years lounged around the tables. Homework scrolls were scattered everywhere, though most had been abandoned in favor of chocolate frog cards and gossip.
Harry Potter flipped through a copy of The Daily Prophet that someone had left behind, his green eyes widening behind his glasses.
"Hey, Ron," he said, turning the newspaper toward the red-haired boy across from him. "Who's this?"
Ron leaned over, chewing on a Chocolate Frog. His eyes bugged out.
"Blimey," he muttered, nearly choking. "That's Ophelia Grindelwald. You know — the Grindelwald. Dark wizard from the last war. She's his granddaughter or something. Looks like she just wrecked some tournament in the Amazon. Blasted a girl's arm half off, apparently."
Hermione, who had been buried in a book, snapped her head up so fast her bushy hair whipped Ron in the face.
"Grindelwald? As in the dark wizard who nearly took over Europe? She's competing in an international tournament? At our age?"
"No, you silly little ones," two identical voices cut in. Fred and George Weasley were lounging nearby, looking far too pleased with themselves. "She's our age. We met her on our little trip to the Amazon. Proper brilliant, she was. Bit scary, though. Had this blindfold and everything."
Harry blinked. "You met her?"
"Oh yeah," Fred said cheerfully. "She's got this way of looking at you like she's sizing up whether you'd make a good fertilizer. But she's funny too. Told George his prank ideas were 'creatively inefficient.'"
George nodded sagely. "High praise, that."
Ron looked between his brothers and the newspaper, clearly torn between awe and mild terror. "So… is she actually evil? Or just… you know… Grindelwald evil?"
Hermione was already flipping through her notes at lightning speed. "There's almost nothing useful in the history books. This requires proper research—"
Before she could finish, the portrait hole swung open and a very frazzled-looking Percy Weasley stuck his head in.
"Will you lot keep it down? Some of us are trying to prefect!"
Fred grinned. "Sorry, Prefect Weasley! We were just discussing our good friend Ophelia Grindelwald."
Percy turned beet red. "Don't joke about that name!"
The common room dissolved into laughter, and even Harry found himself smiling despite the uneasy feeling in his stomach. Another kid with a famous, complicated last name… making headlines while he was still trying not to blow up his cauldron in Potions.
"She even went to prison, and came back swinging." Fred said. "A true woman that." A hint of admiration or maybe something else.
George looked at his brother with a knowing look, but didn't say anything out to the rest.
A couple of days passed and in the jungle, Fila wasn't idle.
Daniel had been taken out by Yumi in a duel shortly after Fila's. which meant she's the only remaining standing. Going up against two of the remaining Japanese students.
Yumi and Haru.
Fila didn't feel threaten by these two. But Yumi did hold a place in her heart, a place filled with revenge for what she did to Marcus.
During the days leading up to the last two duels, not much happened on the surface. Bea had tried to approach Fila multiple times, but got gently (and sometimes not-so-gently) rejected each time.
Still… she couldn't quite stop thinking about it.
Fila sat on a mossy log just outside the main grounds, absentmindedly growing tiny blue flowers in the palm of her hand and then letting them dissolve into sparkles. Her mind, however, was nowhere near the pretty little blooms.
Stupid Bea and her stupid doe eyes and stupidly nice smile and stupidly… everything, she thought, cheeks warming despite the December chill. Giving her that potion had been the right thing to do. Obviously. But now every time she closed her eyes she kept seeing that small, broken smile from the ring and hearing that soft "I'm sorry…"
It was annoying. Extremely annoying.
She crushed the latest flower into sparkly dust.
"Focus," she muttered to herself. "You have two more duels. Yumi first. Then Haru. Revenge and then… more revenge? Or maybe just winning. Winning is fine too."
A rustle in the bushes made her look up. June emerged, looking equal parts concerned and amused, with Miles trailing behind her carrying what looked like three sandwiches and a suspicious bottle of pumpkin juice.
"You've been out here brooding for an hour," June said, plopping down beside her. "If you keep making that face, it might stick permanently. Then you'll have to wear the blindfold and a permanent scowl. Very intimidating, but not great for making friends at Durmstrang."
Miles offered her a sandwich like a peace offering. "We figured you might be hungry. Or… thinking too hard about certain Brazilian champions."
Fila accepted the sandwich with a sigh. "Yeah I am."
Both June and Miles looked at her, they had prepared to force a confession out for her. But instead it had just come out, clean and simple.
Fila groaned and flopped backward onto the moss, staring up at the canopy. "She betrayed me. Sort of. Kind of. For what she thought were good reasons. But still. And now I can't stop thinking about how soft her stupid hands were and how she called me 'amor' and— ugh. This is the worst."
June patted her leg sympathetically. "First heartbreak is rough. Especially when it comes with lightning duels and international incidents."
"Tell me about it," Fila muttered. "I'm a stupid if I go and talk with her, and maybe end up kissing her?"
June immediately answer. "Yes."
"Alright I'm going to her." Fila stood.
Before June or Miles could do more than blink, Fila apparated away with a sharp pop, leaving behind a small swirl of blue flower petals.
June stared at the empty spot. "...I was being sarcastic."
Miles took a slow bite of his sandwich. "She's gone full Thunderbird. We've lost her."
Fila appeared just outside the medical wing, heart doing a weird little flip that had nothing to do with Apparition side-effects. She hesitated for half a second, then pushed the door open.
Bea was sitting up in bed, looking pale but much better than the last time Fila had seen her. When their eyes met, Bea's face lit up with a mix of hope and nervousness.
"Fila," she said softly.
Fila walked over and stopped a few feet from the bed, arms crossed like she was trying to look casual and failing miserably.
"I'm still mad at you," she announced, as if this was a perfectly normal way to start a conversation.
Bea nodded quickly. "I know. I deserve it."
"But I also can't stop thinking about you, which is extremely annoying," Fila continued, cheeks turning slightly pink. "And I hate that. So… here I am. Yelling at you. Kind of."
A small, hopeful smile tugged at Bea's lips. "You apparated here just to yell at me?"
"Mostly." Fila uncrossed her arms and fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve. "Also maybe to see if you were okay. And… possibly to kiss you again. But I haven't decided yet. I'm still mad."
Bea let out a soft laugh that turned into a wince from her injuries. "I'll take whatever you're willing to give. Even if it's just yelling."
Fila stepped closer, then sat carefully on the edge of the bed. For a long moment they just looked at each other.
"I really am sorry," Bea whispered. "I was scared. And stupid. And I hurt you."
"Yeah," Fila said quietly. "You did."
Fila sat down on the edge of the bed, really thinking into this whole thing. "Why did you really go to him? And be honest now, I don't want more bullshit."
Bea sighed, a heavy sort that felt like she had been preparing for this question for days. She looked down at her hands for a moment, twisting the edge of her blanket.
"I… I really wanted my school to win." She said finally. "I thought that if I told Itsuki about something, you would be out of the game. And maybe we would have a better chance. But yeah, we lost a lot in the end anyway."
Feeling the desire to win isn't a bad thing, and going to Itsuki maybe wasn't something she should have done. Bea could have done this fifteen times different and those fifteen things would had been better than this.
But not everything is known before you do them. You can only do one thing and that choice you will have to stick with for the rest of your life.
Fila sat there quietly, letting the words settle. She had prepared herself for excuses, for tears, for another round of "I was scared." This was simpler. And somehow that made it easier to swallow.
"You could've just told me," Fila said, looking at her. The late sun coming through the tall windows of the medical wing caught on her blindfold, turning the golden Thunderbird stitching into a soft glow.
Bea gave a weak, self-deprecating laugh. "I know. I'm an idiot. A competitive, school-loyal, very stupid idiot."
Fila snorted. "At least you're self-aware."
The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable this time. It felt… honest.
Fila reached out and took Bea's hand, squeezing it gently. "I'm still mad. But I get it. Wanting your school to win isn't evil. Betraying me to do it kind of is. But… I'm willing to be complicated about it."
Bea's eyes lit up with cautious hope. "Complicated is good. I can do complicated. I'm Brazilian, we invented complicated."
'Good dammit this girl is going to be the death of me' and yet she didn't want to look away. Those eyes mixed with the face of a Brazilian beauty had the same effect as a mermaid at this point. And she had caught Fila in her song.
Fila leaned in and kissed her again, slow and careful, like she was testing whether this was still allowed. When they pulled apart, both of them were smiling like idiots who had just gotten away with something.
"You're still an idiot though," Fila said, poking Bea's arm lightly.
"Your idiot?" Bea asked hopefully.
Fila groaned. "That was so cheesy. I'm leaving before you make it worse. And you are not forgiven. That kiss was just for me. Capisce?"
Bea looked both surprised and happy about this. "Capisce, amor."
The last part spun around in Fila's head several times before she walked out of the medical wing, cheeks warm and a ridiculous little smile tugging at her lips.
Stupid Bea and her stupid perfect timing with that word.
Its not easy to forgive someone, but if you feel that forgiving them and trying again is worth it. then go for it, you won't know until later if it was worth it or not.
Now then, to something a bit different. How to kick two Japanese asses, one after another. Being mad at Bea had to wait, a championship is on the line.
Fila stood after some walking through the corridors of the golden temple of the Amazon. It's a lovely school, it feels so fresh. Clean air comes blowing through the schools open windows. A lot different from Ilvermorny, where they close the windows as soon as temps go under twenty Celsius.
Much of this atmosphere came from the surrounding jungle, giving the school the freshest air that a human brain could need. And with more oxygen comes more brain activity, and improved mental health.
She took a deep breath and leaned against a window frame.
Thinking about Ilvermorny made her realize how much she actually missed it.
The tower, the great hall. And a certain Theo.
He had sent letters to her, a lot of them. but she hadn't felt like the need to read them. still feeling her anger towards him whenever she saw them. but she knew that being mad to him wasn't right, or it was but she shouldn't be this mad. He had made a choice but he was still her best friend. The first friend she had at the sorting ceremony.
Memories brought back a smile on her face. "Stupid Theo."
Being mad at Theo forever felt… exhausting. Like carrying around a heavy book you'd already read cover to cover. Maybe when she got back (or wrote him, at least) she could tell him that. Or maybe she'd just punch him in the arm and call it even. That seemed more their style.
Stalking another champion had become really common in the end of this whole thing, and even now as she just stood casually in the corridors she still felt a pair of eyes on her.
Little did the young boy know that vines had already started to crawl around him, and gave a slight pull to hold him against the wall. A Japanese student.
Stalking other champions had become almost comically common toward the end of the tournament. Fila didn't even break stride. With a casual flick of her fingers, thin green vines slipped out from the cracks between the golden stones, silent and quick. They coiled around the ankles of the boy hiding behind a pillar, then gave a firm tug.
The Japanese student let out a surprised yelp as he was yanked backward and pinned gently but firmly against the wall.
Fila turned around slowly, hands in her pockets, looking more amused than angry.
"Hi," she said cheerfully. "Nice try. Terrible hiding spot, though. The pillar has gaps. Everyone can see your shoes."
The boy — one of the younger Mahoutokoro reserves, she guessed — flushed bright red and struggled half-heartedly against the vines.
"I wasn't— I mean— I was just—"
"Spying?" Fila supplied helpfully. "It's okay. You're not the first. You probably won't be the last. Want some advice?"
He nodded quickly, looking equal parts terrified and embarrassed.
"Next time, pick a spot with better cover. Or at least take your shoes off. Bright red trainers are not stealthy." she leaned in close to his ear, "But it doesn't matter, I can see everything." She said with a smile and pointed to her blindfold.
Fila turned and kept walking down the corridor, and only when she had turned the corner, she let him go. With a thud she dropped him on the ground.
"Sorry." She said through her teeth seeing that he hit his head.
Being the champion who basically carried her team throughout the whole tournament felt good. But seeing her comrades all sitting and watching her didn't felt that good. She felt bad for them, they trained so hard for this and were taken out rather quickly.
Sera saw her expression and held out her arms, "Come here tulip."
Fila sat down in her lap, and got a headscratch from sera like the mother she had always tried to be. "Don't look so sad, we got taken out fair and square. And we still have you to carry us to victory." Sera said with a smile.
Even Aaron smiled, "Yeah, give them hell Fila."
Marcus who had finally been released from hospital after his crushing experience chuckled. "just don't get thrown under a boulder, it hurts. I speak from experience."
The group laughed at that, lightheartedly of course.
Everyone had collected themselves in the guest wing of the school. Even the friends that had been brought along with them.
Spirits were high and everyone seemed to enjoy their time here.
Even with them having to attend classes it still felt sort of like a vacation.
Miles had built a small empire with his connections, somehow getting candy from England here. June was just happy to be here, a little bitter about Fila not reading Theo's letters.
But she had read them, in secret.
Most were just normal Theo stuff, complaints about classes, terrible jokes, updates on the latest prank war between the houses. But a few stood out. He had broken up with that girl (whose name Fila still couldn't remember, and honestly wasn't trying very hard to). "She was jealous of everything," he wrote. "Even my cauldron." Fila had snorted so hard she nearly woke June.
The best part, though, was his potions success. He had somehow improved the Sleeping Draught into something milder, a "Nap Draught," he called it. The professor had actually given him an award. Theo had sounded so proud in the letter that Fila couldn't help smiling like an idiot while reading it.
Stupid Theo, she thought fondly, kicking her feet. Making breakthroughs while I'm out here blasting people. We really are a mess.
"Oi, Fila are you going to space out like this a lot from now on?" Miles asked from across the room holding a chocolate frog.
June looked up, "She's busy thinking about the butt of a certain Brazilian champion."
The group laughed, the sound warm and easy. Even after all the losses and drama, being together like this felt good. Sera was braiding Marcus's hair (he pretended to hate it but kept sitting still), Aaron was dramatically recounting his defeat to anyone who would listen, and Daniel was quietly reading in the corner, looking proud of his one hard-fought win.
Fila flopped down next to June and stole a biscuit from her plate.
"So what, it's a great butt," She whispered to June.