The school showed aftershock after shock by the skirmish matches happening everyday for a month straight.
It served not just as a sort of exam, but in a way more important way to show who people needed to listen to.
Fila and Aleksei ruled the leaderboard in this for now, Krum hadn't been able to score enough points to enter the top ten. But his match had been more bloody than Fila's.
Sofia hadn't been chosen by the professors to be leading a group, and she admitted that her skills in leadership were severely lacking anyway.
Fila sat cross-legged on the edge of her bed in the dorm, still damp from the baths, a thick towel draped over her shoulders.
Across the room Sofia was brushing out her dark hair, glancing over every few seconds like she wanted to say something but hadn't decided how.
"You're staring," Fila said without looking up.
Sofia scoffed, "No shit I am, I'm jealous of your abs."
Fila tightened her abs a bit more just to flex, they had become more toned here. the mix of good protein rich food and steady training had not only improved her body but her mind.
Finding someone with a large amount of muscles here wasn't hard, everyone had the same ground so the only thing stopping them would be aftercare. Most kept their aftercare simple, train and eat a lot. But others just let it go, kept studying beyond any good reason.
Sofia had started to let studying go after much debating over why she didn't need to study as much as she did, just listen to the professors during lessons and you would be fine. Fila hadn't read a single book after class and she did amazing.
With early spring coming in the school had become more cheerful than in the last few months of winter darkness. If you think the weather doesn't make a difference on your mood then you haven't been in enough darkness for too long. Even Fila felt herself warm up at the ray of sun shine casted through the long windows of the great hall. And the breakfast reflected the warmth with warm light soups with dried meat on the side.
"This is awful" Krum said while looking at the soup run down almost like water from his spoon.
The group looked at him, then at Fila who had already finished her second plate of soup and third plate of meat.
Faced with this challenge Krum decided to go all in.
The two of them had started an habit of doing a competition out of everything, without saying anything. Lifting weights? Who could take most, dueling? Who would survive against most opponents. This had gone on with everything, even the potion lessons had become a silent battle of who could not fuck up the potion.
"Fila." A voice came from behind them, one of the sixth years had stepped forward and now held a letter in his hand. "This is for you." he just said, gave her the letter and walked of.
She frowned but opened the letter with the greasy butter knife.
The old paper unfolded and she skipped to the very bottom to see who the writer was, Dumbledore. She sighed, Fila had promised to try help Harry Potter with his weird spell or curse. But she didn't imagine it to come now.
"Dear Ophelia, I hope the cold hasn't bitten your toes or fingers of yet." Fila frowned, Yet? But she kept reading. "The reason for this letter, is nothing serious. But I do require your help, or I would say guidance for little Potter. I Invite you to Hogwarts during the month of May. I have informed you headmaster of this, and your grandfather." She stopped reading.
Grandpa? He talked to grandpa? The two people how fought a war against each other just casually talked about this. this didn't seem true but in no doubt could this be anyone other than Dumbledore's letter.
And why did he talk with Gellert about this?
"Fila?"
The voice cut her thought. It was Sofia who seemed to try sneaking a peak at the letter in her hand, "What are you reading?"
Fila showed her the letter, "It's a letter from Dumbledore."
Sofia titled her head, "But here is nothing on it."
Fila glanced down again. The elegant green handwriting was still there, clear as day to her. To Sofia the parchment was completely blank.
She folded it slowly and slipped it into her robe.
"Private charm," she said. "Only I can read it."
Sofia's eyebrows rose. "That's advanced. And a little dramatic. What does the great Albus Dumbledore want with you?"
Across the table Aleksei had gone still, spoon halfway to his mouth. Krum stopped chewing. Even the younger students nearby leaned in a fraction.
Fila shrugged one shoulder, keeping her voice casual.
"He wants me to visit Hogwarts in May. Something about helping a first-year with an old protective spell. Nothing exciting."
Sofia stared at her. "Nothing exciting? You're getting invited to Hogwarts by Dumbledore himself and you're calling it nothing exciting?"
"Yeah I know, but I must say I've visited too many schools this year. But yes, I am a bit excited to see the highland school." Fila said failing to hide the face that she would very much like to see the high towers of the British magical school.
The mention of the foreign school made some at the table discuss the rumors and things they knew about the school. Most would never get to see other schools, so getting to see two new ones in one term could only be said to be very unique.
"You have to bring me a gift from Hogsmeade, I've heard it lovely there." Zanna said.
"You have to bring me a gift from Hogsmeade, I've heard it lovely there." Zanna said.
Fila looked over at the blonde girl sitting further down the table. Zanna was one of the quieter ones in their loose group, sharp with a wand, terrible at early mornings, and apparently very interested in British sweets.
"I'll see what I can find," Fila said. "As long as it isn't another of those screaming sweets that try to bite your tongue."
Zanna grinned. "Those are the best ones."
Fila grinned back, "SO what's on the schedule today?"
The group suddenly turned very sour, it wasn't a good day. "Potions test." Or an exam of sort, I preparations for the finals coming up soon. Dreaded thing really, but its more like a training for the final.
"Oh come on you guys are great at potions… alright most of you are screwed." Fila admitted. Most of them didn't like potions, and this was a common theme at this school as most here are the usual meatheads.
April. A month that could be anything and everything at the same time.
It could be snow and cold, or like now a pure bliss of early spring. The sun and warmth of this month felt like a warm blanket after months of total darkness and cold.
Fila sat with her talking book on a bench in the courtyard of the school.
A fountain stood in the center with paths of gravel going around it. here and there stood benches and tables, some used to study and others relaxed in the warm sun.
'so you are getting involved with this harry potter?' the book wrote in a gentle handwriting.
With a little shrug, "Yeah, I don't see a reason to not try. Could learn something from it. the dream I had must have been some sort of sign, maybe."
The book switched to a new page but it didn't need to, the word disappeared after some time but it still did this. 'Maybe. or you could just be wasting your time as usual.'
Fila raised and eyebrow at that last word, "As usual? Ragebaiting now are we?"
The book's next line appeared almost smugly.
'I prefer the term "honest assessment." You collect problems the way other people collect chocolate frog cards. First the tournament. Then prison. Then Durmstrang. Now a mysterious protective spell on the Boy Who Lived. At this rate you'll be arguing with a sphinx by summer.'
Fila snorted and leaned back against the warm stone of the bench. The early April sun felt almost decadent after the long northern winter. Around the courtyard students sat in small groups, some studying, some just pretending to while they enjoyed the rare mild weather. A few first-years were trying (and failing) to make the fountain water dance without getting soaked.
"I don't collect problems," she said. "They just show up."
'And you never say no.'
She didn't have a good answer for that.
"Why would I say no to an invite by the strongest wizard in the world, to help the most famous boy in the world?" Fila looked around as if she would find the answer just hanging in the air. "And it would maybe give me some help with understanding that dream, and why I had it."
'True' the book just wrote in bold letters. 'so this is the last month of Durmstrang?'
The realization hadn't hit her yet but soon she would be done with this school. Maybe for the better, not in a bad way. it had taught her a lot. About people, harshness and discipline, something maybe more should get taught as well.
She tapped her finger on her knee while looking around at the walls of the courtyard. Rough and boring, a good picture of what this school really held inside.
Fila exhaled slowly through her nose.
"Yeah," she said quietly. "Last month."
The book stayed silent for a few seconds, the blank page waiting.
Then new words formed, smaller this time, almost careful.
'You sound almost sad.'
"I'm not."
'You are a terrible liar when you talk to me.'
She didn't argue. There was no point. The book had known her too long.
A group of second-years walked past, laughing about something. One of them noticed her and immediately straightened, giving a short, respectful nod before hurrying on. Fila returned it absently. That still felt strange sometimes the way younger students looked at her now, like she was already something permanent here.
She wasn't.
After spending some time thinking about life and other hopeless things she returned to the normal schedule of the day, Fila didn't need to take any test or exams as she wasn't a student here. she had asked to be able to, but after sometime the didn't find a need for her to do them.
The charms classroom was bright with the natural light coming in through the windows. The Professor stood with her usual straight posture at the front, waiting for everyone to settle down at their desk.
"This time we wont need any wands." She began the lesson, her way of teaching wasn't very theoretical as she believed the best way to learn is through the practical way.
"Wand less casting, I want to lift the book with the levitation charm. With your fingers. You have fifteen minutes." She said and hit her desk hard as she started the timer.
Everyone stood stunned for several moments, but as they realized the time wasn't going to wait for them they began trying to lift their books.
All falling miserably.
The art of doing wandless magic wouldn't be taught I a single day, maybe not in several years. This is the problem with schools like this, the teach the art of the wand to hard and when someone tries to use wandless they think the still have a wand as help.
Wands are like a laser pointer for your spells, it helps guide them and help to channel them out of you. but instead now you don't have a wand so you have to push the spell out of you without any help.
Fila had used wandless ever since she found out about her magic being special. Lifting big rocks and trees wasn't a problem, even people.
So with a slight raise of her hand the book lifted up and even began opening to the page about wandless magic.
The professor didn't even give a surprised look and just continued scanning the room.
While this type of lessons were common here, the professors often gave easy tasks and such. Not to be nice but to correct anything. Wave your wand wrong but still complete the spell? Would grant you an extra two hours of class, say the incantation a bit wrong or too loud? Four hours extra time. all this just to practice perfection and discipline. So this whole class of trying to use wandless magic is just a way for her to give out more punishment, a harsh way to do it but its effectiveness can be doubted.
Fila walked out of the class without any problem, the rest didn't have such a luxurious time as they all had to sit extra time.
The halls of the school were unusually quiet this time. most of the students were cramming their books in preparations for exams. But this sort of quiet didn't match the school at all.
She stopped at one of the crossroads in the school, and listened. Left, right, behind and in front. Nothing, not even a squeak of a mouse could be heard.
The silence felt wrong.
Durmstrang was never truly quiet. Even late at night there was always something, distant footsteps, the low murmur of students arguing over strategy, the occasional crash from someone practicing a spell they shouldn't. This emptiness pressed against her ears like water.
Fila tilted her head slightly, the blindfold shifting as she reached out with more than just hearing. Her magic sight brushed along the stone corridors, searching for the usual threads of life and power that always filled the castle.
Most of them were dim. Students locked in their dorms or study halls, heads bent over books, energy turned inward. The professors were equally still. Even the enchanted armor that usually clanked faintly along the upper galleries stood motionless.
Only one presence stood out clearly.
It was waiting for her further down the left corridor, just around the bend near the old trophy cases.
Fila exhaled through her nose.
Something didn't feel right with this one. Even her flowers had a hard time giving a clear picture of what it even was, or who.
Hooded and cold was the only thing she could feel from it.
Fila stood still, her face turned to the mysterious thing. She didn't like it one bit.
"Grindelwald… a name of power and ambition." It said in a raspy voice, almost like its been frozen and forced to talk.
A sudden gust of wind swept the hallway, leaving a cold sensation and a bit of frost. Fila had felt fear a couple of times, but this had been something new. She wasn't scared, but something of respect of power shock her down to the core with this figure. Like she was looking at a lion in a cage. Yet she stood unmoved, letting the other part see her fear wouldn't help her.
The figure didn't step closer. It didn't need to. The cold radiating from it was already enough to make the air between them feel thinner.
"Ive heard a lot about the young Grindelwald." its voice still as coarse as sand. "Won a tournament at thirteen years old, uses magic strange and powerful…" the figure seemed to struggle against something.
Fila looked with her flowers and sight, and once she had confirmed her suspicion she stepped forward with slow and deliberate steps towards the man.
"Struggling to hold up the magic?" she said while walking, "It must be rough, trying to project yourself like this from far away." The line connected to the man, threads of magic reaching high into the sky were weak and shaky.
The hooded figure stiffened. For a moment the frost on the walls pulsed brighter, then flickered.
"Clever girl," the raspy voice admitted, though it now carried a faint distortion, like sound traveling through ice. "Most never notice the strain."
Fila stopped a few paces away. Close enough to make the point. Not close enough to be reckless.
"You're burning through a lot of power just to stand here and monologue," she said. "Either you're desperate, or you really wanted me to hear whatever this is."
He laughed, but the laugh seemed to worsen something as he recoiled back and held his chest.
"Something like that, or maybe just curious about the young future dark lord."
The words spread through the dark hallway like a wildfire, not to anyone listening but to Fila. The wand she didn't know she held suddenly aimed right at the man. Vines of every sort started to crawl from the walls and ceiling.
"We will meet again." the man said and went up into smoke.
The vines lashed through empty air and struck the stone walls hard enough to crack them. Frost and dust drifted down. The hallway was silent again, colder than it had any right to be in early spring.
Fila stood frozen for several long seconds, wand still raised, heart hammering against her ribs.
Young future dark lord.
The words echoed louder than the man's raspy voice had. She forced her arm down. The vines retreated slowly, reluctantly, leaving deep scars in the ancient stone.
She exhaled through her teeth.
"Idiot," she muttered to the empty corridor. whether she meant the vanished figure or herself, she wasn't sure.