Maybe it could've just been a stupid ghost?
This sort of explanation is the only one Ophelia had managed to find during her four days since her encounter with the unknown woman.
She had even gone back to the same hallway to see if she would reappear, but to no success.
Luckily for her the weekend had finally come, which gave her some time for just thinking through it and not having to be in class at the same time.
The students of Durmstrang had all seen ghosts, its not something uncommon as every school has them. old and some even newer hovering around. And this was the explanation she had been given when asked about it.
Fila knew that thing wasn't no ghost, it had been to real almost alive even.
She sat on the edge of her bed in the fourth-year girls' dormitory, legs crossed, staring at the stone wall across from her as if it might reveal answers. The room was quiet for once, Sofia was off somewhere with a few other girls, probably plotting their next chaotic weekend adventure. The fire in the small hearth crackled softly, casting dancing shadows that made Fila's skin prickle.
It hadn't felt like any ghost she had ever heard of. Ghosts were cold, yes, but they had a… faded quality. Like echoes. This figure had felt solid. Intentional. Like it was watching her with purpose. And it had even made a real image of the headmaster.
She rubbed her arms, the memory of that pointing finger still sending a chill down her spine.
A soft knock on the doorframe pulled her out of her thoughts. Sofia leaned against it, arms crossed, a half-eaten piece of smoked reindeer jerky in one hand.
"Come on flowergirl, we are going hunting." She said with a smile.
Fila looked at her and raised her eyebrows. And in the next moment she was in the forest, dressed in the schools training uniform. Dull colors and nothing really going on, sort of like a pair of workout clothes for them.
The girls had set out to hunt boars. Why did they do this? smoked dried meat of course, and the fur could be useful.
Fila adjusted the strap of the small crossbow Sofia had tossed at her earlier, the cold forest air biting at her cheeks. The training uniform was surprisingly warm thick wool and reinforced leather with subtle heating charms woven in but the snow still crunched under her boots with every step. Sofia moved ahead with the easy confidence of someone who had done this before, a short spear balanced on her shoulder. Two other fourth-year girls, Lena and Freya, flanked them, talking quietly about the best spots near the frozen river.
She had been given a full five minute tutorial on how to use a crossbow, she would be as useful as a toddler in a skinning contest.
"You've hunted before, right?" Sofia asked without turning around, her breath fogging in the crisp air.
Fila gave a small shrug, stepping over a fallen log half-buried in snow. "Not really. Ilvermorny had some forest around it, but we mostly just explored. Or I grew things. Never really… chased them with weapons."
Lena laughed from behind her. "City girl."
"Jungle girl, actually," Fila corrected with a grin. "Different kind of wild."
Freya smirked. "Well, today you learn Durmstrang style. No fancy magic unless you need it. The point is to earn it."
The four of them moved deeper into the trees, the castle disappearing behind them. The forest was dense, ancient pines heavy with snow, the ground uneven and full of hidden roots. Fila's breath came out in steady clouds, her senses sharpening in the quiet. It felt… good. Different from the structured lessons, but still a kind of challenge.
Sofia suddenly held up a hand, signaling them to stop. She crouched low, pointing through the trees. A small group of boars rooted around in a clearing ahead, steam rising from their snouts as they dug through the snow for food.
"Alright," Sofia whispered. "Flowergirl, you take the left flank. Try not to grow anything this time, just the crossbow. We'll drive them toward you."
Fila nodded, moving into position with careful steps. Her hands were steady as she loaded the bolt, the cold metal biting into her fingers. She watched the animals, heart beating a little faster.
The boars varied in size, some small and others big. But one of them was fucking massive, and he had a big scar running down the side of it.
Must be the leader, fila thought as she scanned them.
Sofia gave the signal with a sharp whistle. The girls burst forward, shouting and waving their spears to drive the herd toward Fila's flank. The boars squealed in panic, bolting straight into her line of sight.
Fila raised the crossbow, heart pounding. The cold made her fingers stiff, but she forced herself to breathe steady like Sofia had shown her. She picked the scarred giant, if she took down the leader, the rest might scatter easier.
The bolt flew with a sharp twang. It struck the big boar in the shoulder, but the beast barely slowed, letting out a furious snort as it charged forward, blood streaking its dark hide. Fila cursed under her breath and fumbled for another bolt, the crossbow suddenly feeling clumsy in her hands.
"Left! Aim left!" Lena shouted.
Fila adjusted quickly, firing again. This bolt hit true, sinking deep into the boar's side. It stumbled, legs buckling, but it was still moving straight toward her. The ground shook under its weight.
"Shit—!" Fila dropped the crossbow and rolled sideways as the massive animal barreled past, close enough that she felt its hot breath and the spray of snow it kicked up. She came up on one knee, wand already in hand, green magic sparking at her fingertips.
But what she saw made her scared, as the boar and not just stopped but also turned already. The tree that had been behind her had been smashed as the boar had just ran straight though it like paper.
The massive scarred boar shook its head, blood dripping from its wounds, eyes wild with rage. It let out a deep, guttural snort that echoed through the trees, then lowered its head and charged again straight at her.
Fila's heart slammed against her ribs. No time to reload the crossbow. She rolled to the side again, snow exploding around her as the boar thundered past, its tusks gouging deep furrows in the ground where she had just been. The impact shook the trees, sending a shower of snow cascading down from the branches above.
"Fila!" Sofia shouted, spear raised as she sprinted toward them.
But the boar was already turning again, faster than something that size had any right to be. Fila scrambled to her feet, wand snapping up. Green light flared at the tip.
"Diffindo!" she snapped.
The cutting curse sliced across the boar's flank, drawing a fresh line of blood, but the beast barely slowed. It was built like a tank, thick muscle, scarred hide, and pure fury.
Fila apparated a short distance away with a sharp crack, landing behind a thick pine. Her breath came fast, the cold burning her lungs. The boar smashed into the tree she had just left, splintering wood and sending the whole thing crashing down in a spray of snow and branches.
"What the hell is this thing made out of?!" she yelled.
But the boar had already started to charge towards her again.
But the boar had already started to charge towards her again.
Fila tried to apparate once more, but the cold and the adrenaline made her timing off. The massive animal clipped her hard in the side as she twisted away. The impact was like being hit by a moving wall. She flew sideways, crashing into the snow with a sharp cry, pain exploding through her ribs and hip.
The world spun for a second. Snow filled her mouth and nose. She tasted blood.
The boar skidded to a stop, shaking its massive head, then turned again with surprising speed, eyes locked on her. It lowered its head, tusks gleaming, and charged for the kill.
Something inside Fila snapped.
The pain, the fear, the sheer frustration of being hunted by a dumb animal after everything she had faced, ignited like dry tinder.
"Enough," she snarled, voice low and venomous.
Ancient magic surged out of her in a raw, uncontrolled wave. The ground beneath the boar erupted violently. Thick, thorny vines thicker than her arm shot upward like spears, wrapping around its legs, torso, and neck with brutal force. The boar squealed in rage and pain as the thorns sank deep, tearing through hide and muscle.
Fila pushed herself up on one knee, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, eyes blazing behind the blindfold. She raised both hands, magic pouring from her like a storm.
More vines erupted, coiling tighter. Thorns the size of daggers punched through the boar's body, ripping upward through its chest and throat. Blood sprayed across the snow in bright crimson arcs. The animal thrashed wildly, but the living restraints only tightened, crushing bones and tearing flesh with wet, gruesome sounds.
Fila didn't stop. She stepped forward, limping but relentless, green magic crackling around her like living lightning. A final, massive root burst from the ground beneath the boar, impaling it completely. The beast gave one last, choked squeal before going limp, hanging grotesquely in the web of thorns and roots, blood dripping steadily onto the white snow.
The forest fell deathly silent.
Fila stood there, breathing hard, fists clenched at her sides. The rage drained slowly, leaving her shaking. The boar's body was a ruined mess torn open, impaled, almost unrecognizable.
Sofia, Lena, and Freya stared in stunned silence, spears still raised.
"Merlin's fucking beard…" Sofia whispered, lowering her weapon.
Fila coughed up more blood into her hand, and the girls soon dropped their weapons and rushed towards Fila.
"Fila!" Sofia reached her first, sliding to her knees in the snow and grabbing her shoulders. "You idiot, are you okay? That thing hit you like a troll on a rampage!"
Lena and Freya crowded in, faces pale. Freya's hands hovered uncertainly over Fila's side, where a dark bruise was already blooming through the torn uniform.
Fila coughed again, spitting blood into the snow, then managed a shaky laugh. "I'm… fine. Just got the wind knocked out of me. And maybe a cracked rib or two."
Sofia's expression was a mix of worry and exasperation. "You rolled right into its path! I told you to stay back if it charged!"
"Yeah, well… it didn't exactly give me a choice," Fila muttered, wincing as she tried to sit up straighter. The pain in her side flared hot and sharp, but nothing felt broken. Just bruised. Badly.
Lena pulled out a small healing potion from her belt pouch and pressed it into Fila's hand. "Drink this. It's not perfect, but it'll stop the bleeding and numb the worst of it until we get back."
Fila downed the potion in one gulp. The familiar warmth spread through her, dulling the pain to a manageable throb. She looked over at the ruined boar, still hanging grotesquely in the web of thorns and roots. Blood dripped steadily, staining the snow crimson.
The girls check on her before starting to cut into the big boar, taking what they could use. Mostly meat as the pelt and other things had been utterly destroyed.
Meanwhile Fila sat with her back against a tree, thinking about what had just happened. Not about the boar, but that she actually failed to apparate.
She knew the reason for her failure, as her whole mind is filled by that strange lady still. And it didn't help that she had no one to talk about with, what would they think if she would try to explain how a ghost or something made an illusion of the headmaster and had made her actually scared.
Fila stared at the snow between her boots, the healing potion slowly dulling the sharp ache in her ribs. The metallic taste of blood still lingered on her tongue. She flexed her fingers, feeling the cracking sounds coming from them.
Sofia glanced over at her while helping the others with the butchering. "You sure you're alright over there? You look like you're a thousand miles away."
Fila forced a small smile. "Yeah. Just… thinking. That thing was stronger than it looked."
Freya snorted as she carved out a large chunk of meat. "You're telling me. I've never seen a boar take that many hits and keep coming. Old bastard must've survived half a dozen hunts before this."
"Yeah…" a boar like that doesn't just shrug of multiple attacks like that, don't get me wrong boars are no joke. But even the marks that the boar already had made it seem it had met something a lot bigger.
Claw marks could be seen on the corpse of the boar, running down on its side. Wolf or bear, maybe even something bigger if that's even possible.
The sun had already begun to set, and the girls began their journey back to the old worn down school.
The group fell into a tired but comfortable silence for the rest of the walk. By the time they reached the castle gates, the lanterns had already flickered to life, casting warm golden light against the cold stone. The smell of smoke and roasting meat drifted from somewhere inside, making Fila's stomach growl despite everything.
They handed off most of the meat to the house-elves near the kitchens, who fussed over them with wide eyes and promises of the best smoked boar for the next few weeks. Sofia kept a generous portion for their group, declaring they would smoke it themselves later in the common room.
As they headed back toward the fourth-year area, Sofia bumped Fila's shoulder gently.
"You did good today, flowergirl. Scary as hell at the end, but good. If you ever want to talk about whatever's eating at you… I'm here. No judgment."
Fila gave her a small, genuine smile. "Thanks, Sofia. I might take you up on that. Just… not tonight."
Sofia nodded, understanding. "Fair. Let's get you cleaned up and fed. You look like you fought a troll, not a pig."
Later that evening, back in the common room with the fire roaring and the smell of slowly smoking boar filling the air, Fila sat with her back against a warm stone wall, notebook open on her lap. The others laughed and talked around her, but her thoughts kept drifting.
She didn't like any of it, and the worst part of this? her talking little book didn't even want to open, no matter how hard she tried it just wouldn't budge. Could books have their time of the month? Maybe it had become mad at Fila but what had she done?
Fila ran her fingers over the worn leather cover of the small, enchanted journal she had brought from Ilvermorny. It was supposed to be her private confidant a semi-sentient little thing that offered snarky advice, remembered conversations, and sometimes even translated old runes when she was stuck. But tonight it remained stubbornly closed, the clasp refusing to click open no matter how much magic or gentle coaxing she applied.
"Come on," she muttered under her breath, tapping the cover. "Don't be like this. I need to talk to someone."
The book gave a faint, almost sulky vibration but stayed shut.
This didn't feel good at all, not just her wounds now but she also had a whole mystery to solve now.