Strange Potter

"Another win for Gryffindor," Blaise said as he met them at the train.

True Gryffindor once again won the house cup and, thanks to Harry's skills, won the quidditch championship despite the house of the snake's superb brooms. Draco didn't have the focus, thanks to his father's trial and imprisonment, and their backup seeker was nowhere near as good.

"Don't worry, Blaise; I'm sure Slytherin will win one again," Neville smirked. "After we graduate, of course."

"Unfortunately, that is likely." The boy agreed.

"Hufflepuff could win too," Susan argued as they sat. "Cedric gave you a good run in that last match."

"He did." Harry did like the Hufflepuff seeker. Cedric was a good guy.

"They could win the house cup too." Luna agreed. "You never know."

"You usually do." Hermione joked.

"I see things." She smiled back.

"How are things in the snake pit?" Harry asked Blaise.

Blaise looked thoughtful. "Draco is furious, but Snape is keeping an eye on him. Though hisown power base has shrank without his father's influence,"

"That's a good thing, right?" Susan asked. 

"Is it? Now others are fighting for the top. It's uneasy in the common room."

"Maybe you should take the spot," Harry suggested.

"And put a target on my back?"

"Isn't there one already?" Hermione asked. "Just being in the same compartment with me."

"Not all Slytherins are bigots."

"Unfortunately, you hear them more than the ones that aren't." She countered.

"They are the loudest." He relented. "Fortunately, there are older years that are keeping some peace, but as we get further along, I believe that Draco will only try to gather more strength. He is too used to everyone simply allowing him to act how he is, but without Lucius, he will be in for a rude awakening."

"Luckily, you are pretty good at defense. For a Slytherin." Harry joked.

"And you're not as foolish as most Gryffindors, but that isn't a very high standard."

The three Gryffindors gave him a mock glare, while Susan and Luna laughed a bit.

As the train entered the station, they all parted for their families.

"See you guys later." Neville ran to his parents and grandmother.

Hermione saw her father arguing with Sirius. "What's that about?"

"Probably over the amount you were rewarded from Mrs. Malfoy."

"I don't want her money." Malfoy's money felt dirty, and who knows how much blood it had?

"You are still entitled to it."

"Sirius, we are not taking it." Richard held the statement out.

Sirius was saying the same as Harry. "Your daughter was attacked, so it's yours."

"All I wanted was for the bastard who did it to rot."

"Richard." Jean motioned for the children to come.

"Sirius has said way worse around me." Harry joked to lighten the mood.

"Really?"  Natasha crossed her arms at him.

"Traitor." Sirius glared at Harry.

Harry smirked back. "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Granger."

"Hello, Harry. Remember just Richard." The man said, "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

"Thankfully," Jean said. "We're grateful to hear that the man who was responsible for what happened has been found."

"And dealt with," Natasha said with a grin. The idea of Lucius in that hell was a good one.

"I heard you were the one who figured out it was him." Richard nodded to the boy.

"Doc did it at the same time I just called him out."

"And freed a house elf," Hermione said. "I can't believe that the wizarding world still uses slaves."

"Wizards are lazy," Natasha told her. "And no, I don't agree with it either."

"Kreacher has grown on you." Sirius smiled. 

"He's old and reminds me of another old man."

"Grandpa Red?"  Regulus asked.

"A bit." She smiled.

Harry felt something land on his shoulders. "Hey Motto," he greeted the invisible creature.

"Be careful, he's had the trots." Regulus smiled wickedly.

"You crap on me, and I shave you," Harry warned the demiguise.

Motto, still invisible, jumped back to Regulus. "No, he wouldn't." The boy reassured his friend.

"You wouldn't do that." Hermione scowled a little at Harry.

"Only because he would see it coming." He said it back. "Have a good summer."

"You too. See you later." Hermione waved and left with her parents.

"Where's Doc?" Harry noticed him missing.

"A meeting with Dumbledore," Natasha told him.

"Bugger. I wanted to see that." He kicked the ground. That was bound to be a fun time. Well for Strange.

Stephen knew this was going to be a long talk. Getting information from Dumbledore was more difficult than performing surgery on an awake patient, but Lucius' mistake opened the door to gathering what the old wizard knew. And if he had made any progress in locating any of the Horcrux,

Of course, Dumbledore did not need to know that he was already well ahead of him in their destruction. One still eluded him, and he had no idea where it was.

Inside the headmaster's office, Albus was not looking forward to this meeting. His conversations with Dr. Strange rarely went in his favor. The man was smart and not easy to read. Stephen knew more than he let on and wasn't persuaded by any of his fancy words.

Neither he nor I trust each other. I'm still not sure how to handle that man.

The door opened, and Dumbledore prepared himself for what was to come.

"Headmaster." Stephen was greeted when he came in.

"Dr. Strange." Dumbledore greeted her back. "Please have a seat."

Strange took the offered seat and began. "First, I want to say that Wong has discovered the source of your cursed position."

"Oh?" Albus doubted that. He had been unable to remove it for years, and there was no way someone could do it in a few months. "Forgive my surprise. I checked and examined the classroom many times over the years, and Tom's abilities were always impressive."

"Did you check the doorway?" Dumbledore's puzzled look said he did not. "It is rather simple when you take a step back. Tom cursed the position but had to have it attached to the professor."

"That was my belief as well."

"You checked the room, but did you think about the best place to hide something? Right out in the open. The stones in both the class door arch and the personal quarters at the back had a combination of dark spells on them. The first activated the curse, and the second focused it. Every time the professor entered both spots, it reinforced it."

Dumbledore's surprise was not hidden. Could it have been that simple? How could he have missed it? He realized he had performed countless spells to combat complex and intricate spellwork. Something so simple wouldn't show.

"I see that you didn't think of that. I asked your charms professor, to remove the arches, and I dropped the stones into the ocean. Your next professor shouldn't be affected, but that is something that I can only be sure of once the year is over."

"If that is the case, then you have my thanks." Dumbledore nodded. He was wondering if it would be true or if Strange was mistaken. "I take it that Wong will not be able to return next year."

"As much as he enjoyed it, he can't. I am surprised you would want him." Strange noted the way Dumbledore spoke.

"Dr. Strange, even though we may not get along, I can't deny Wong had a great impact on the children's education. The defense scores were some of the highest in years." Dumbledore told him honestly. And it was possible he could learn more about Strange's magic with one of his sorcerers so close. Even if Wong was even more standoffish than Dr. Strange.

"I'm glad to hear that." Stephen nodded. "Now there is another matter we need to discuss. Voldemort and the events of the Chamber."

Dumbledore sat up straight. This was one topic he wanted to keep as contained as he could. If the Dark Lord learned that he knew of his Horcrux, it would be disastrous. "I'm afraid there is little to discuss. The item was destroyed by young Harry, as you know."

"Save the long talk that ends with you not saying anything." Stephen pulled out the diary. "I know exactly what this is, and I know that you do too."

Dumbledore didn't react. He had to find out what Strange believed. "And what do you believe it is?"

"It's not about belief. I know this was a horcrux."

Dumbledore went pale. "How do you know of such dark arts?! Who else knows?"

"Same as you. I read." Strange did enjoy it when someone who thought they had all the answers discovered they did not. "And who else? That's irrelevant. Anyone who is aware has MY complete trust."

The older man was racking his mind now. The more people knew, the worse the damage. "This is very dangerous ground, Doctor. You risk countless lives with your actions. The dangers are too great!"

"For who? Tom or your secrets?"

"There are things far too dangerous to be let out. Surely you understand the greater good of society must come first."

"Whose greater good? History has shown those who are willing to sacrifice others are often not the ones willing to make the same sacrifices themselves, but that's not the topic of discussion, is it? Now I know Tom is still around, so this," he points to the book. "Isn't the only one he could have made?" To do this once required a monster, but to do it again tells me that he is even worse than the world believed."

Dumbledore sat in silence. He briefly considered erasing Strange's memory of what he had discovered.

"Reaching for your wand would be a bad idea." Stephen saw the man's hand twitch. "One of the coming fights would likely level your office. Two, if you did manage to get the better of me, your attempt to obliterate me would result in your own mind being erased all the way back to your childhood. One of my safety spells I cast before I came in."

Dumbledore merely placed his hands together on the table. "I have no desire to attack you. However, the information that you have is disturbing. If Tom should learn of what you know, all would be lost."

"If your Dark Lord should ever get his hands on my mind, the knowledge of his anchors would be the least of my concerns. I want to know how long you have known about them."

"I only had a suspicion. Until the diary was seen, how could I be sure?" He hoped to keep Harry involvement tightly secured.

Stephen's glare intensified. He knew full well that Albus had to know about the one that was in Harry. There was no way he could have missed it. So Albus spent the last decade doing nothing to find them?

"So you're saying you haven't made any headway in this? You, at least, suspected he dove into these arts and have done what?"

"The steps I have taken to combat Voldermort's return are not any of your concern. The fact that you know of his deepest secret is already a risk."

"I wonder why I even bother. You just can't accept that you don't know it all. If you could just swallow your pride, we could work together, but I don't think you even understand the concept. I gave you a chance to work with me back then, and you didn't. I had hoped you would realize that I can and will continue to work around you."

"This information is too dangerous to get out! If Tom realizes that I know of his anchors, he will work to make them even harder to find."

"Which of us is constantly around one of his marked members?"

Dumbledore let out an exhausted sigh. "As I have said many times, I trust Severus with my life."

"And that means nothing to me. This information is far safer with me than with just you. Since this conversation doesn't seem to be going anywhere, I'll take my leave. I have much to do." Stephen stood and began to leave when the door to the headmaster's office burst open.

"Headmaster! Aragon!!" Hagrid froze when he saw Strange, and a rage he had never had before came over him. "Ye!!!" He grabbed Stephen and lifted him in the air. "Aragog told me what ye did!"

"Hagrid!!" Dumbledore thundered. "Put him down!"

Hagrid did so reluctantly. Strange straightened his collar. "I did what I had to do, Hagrid."

"Ye took his family!"

"Hagrid!" Dumbledore shouted again. "Please calm yourself, then tell me what you believe Dr. Strange here has done."

"I can answer for myself. Hagrid is upset that I removed the Acromantula infestation from the forest." Stephen told him.

Dumbledore's eyes hardened. "On what authority did you do that? The Forbidden Forest is Hogwarts' responsibility. Not yours."

"So you admit you had a duty to get rid of that danger and did nothing? There were over a hundred of those deadly spiders very close to this school and its children."

"They never would have hurt any of the kids!" Hagrid growled.

"You told Harry to go there. I accompanied him, and after we learned what Aragog had to say, he ordered his family to eat us. Had I not been there, you would have sent Harry to his death!"

Hagrid looked horrified. "Aragog wouldn't do that!"

"He did. Ask Harry, and he will tell you the same as I did."

Hagrid couldn't believe that. If it was true, then he would have sent Harry to his death! No, that couldn't be the truth. "No."

"Your friend doesn't have much time left; that's why I left him and his sons to take care of him. You may not want to believe that he would do that, but the simple matter is that when he dies, there will be nothing holding his children back from going after anyone or anything they want. I removed that danger while not harming the spiders. They are relocated to their natural habitats away from the human population."

"That can't be true!"

Stephen raised his hands. Soon, a projection of the events of the spiders played. He cut the scene right before Harry cast any magic. "If you want, I can have Harry come play his memory for the headmaster."

Hagrid went from sorrow to shock, then anger. He didn't say a word as he marched back out of the room. He had to have words with his old friend.

"You may want to go with him," Stephen told Dumbledore before opening a portal. "I don't think I would be welcome company." And left the castle.

Dumbledore sat there. Strange knew the biggest secrets in the battle with Voldermort. This couldn't end well. As he began his walk to catch up with Hagrid, his mind was thinking about how much Strange knew.

Does he know Harry? Or the prophecy? I will have to ask one of my allies in the department about this. But if he makes the connection with Harry's scar, all will be lost.

Wanda sipped her tea and stepped out on the deck of her house. It was a quiet morning. Except for one thing. The sound of hammering and then.

"Bloody hell!" 

She looked around the house and found Remus waving his hand.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Remus stopped waving and saw her standing on the porch. He thought he had more time! "Oh...nothing...."

"It looks like a fence to me."

Remus sighed. He wanted this done before she got up. He should have just used his wand. "A white picket fence."

Wanda smiled gently. She had said once or twice their yard needed something, and here he was doing it. "What brought this on?"

Remus looked somewhat bashful. It was a bit enduring to see. "You keep talking about a white picket fence in your shows, so I thought I would get it done before you woke."

"Why didn't you just use your wand?"

"I thought using my hand would be more...meaningful? It made more sense in my head." He rubbed the back of his head.

She smiled at his manners. "You can be adorable."

"I'll take it." He smiled back and wrapped his arms around her. "Maybe a dog?"

"Isn't that what we have Sirius for?"

"One that is housebroken."

That made her laugh.

"A fence and a dog. It will be great for the baby." He grabbed the hammer from the ground.

"ies."

Remus spun around. Wanda smirked and held up two fingers.

That was when he passed out. She caught him with her magic before he hit the ground.

Draco never said a word to his mother during the whole trip home. She shut the door behind him and couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Draco, we must talk."

He stopped his walk to his father's study but did not turn around.

"You will understand I had no choice."

"You betrayed Father!" he spun around. "I read the Prophet."

"He understands why I did it. If I hadn't, he would have been given to the dementors." She argued. "I saved his life."

"He's rotting in Azkaban." Draco snapped.

"Better than a soulless husk! What would you prefer?"

"You sold him out to Black!"

"Don't you dare raise your voice to me!" She snapped. "Sirius was the only one I could go to. Do you think I enjoyed humiliating myself before him? I couldn't let your father die." She let out a breath.

"This is all Potter's fault." Draco hissed. "I will make him pay."

"You will not engage in any conflict with Potter!" She grabbed his shoulders. "You didn't see what I saw from Strange. He is more powerful than I ever could have imagined. Potter is protected; I need you to understand the importance of this. I can't lose you too!"

"Fine!!!" Draco stomped away. He would wait and play the long game, but Potter would pay. He, Black, Strange, and that redhead woman He did not know how, but he would find a way.

Hermione was going over her summer math work when the doorbell went off.

"Hi, Hermione."  Harry stood at the door with Sirius.

"Harry? What are you doing here?"

"Not happy to see me?"

"Don't be a prat." She teased. "I just wasn't expecting you."

"I was about to go visit someone, and I know you would not forgive me if I didn't invite you to come as well."

"Who?"

"Nicholas Flamel. He's been working on that potion from Thor's plants, and I wanted to see if you and your parents wanted to see it."

Hermione looked ecstatic. "Give me a moment!" She took off into the house, leaving the door wide open.

"Hmm," Sirius smirked.

"What?" Harry noticed the grin.

"Nothing. I'm just seeing some of my old life happening again. At least you don't seem to have to wait until the fifth year." The man grinned.

"It's nothing like that!" Harry sputtered knowing he was talking about his parents.

"Oh, so who else did you invite?"

Harry fought the blush. "That's not important," he mumbled.

"Sure." Sirius chuckled more.

"Sirius. Harry."  Richard greeted them as his daughter dragged them to the door.

"Richard. I'm guessing she did not leave any room for negotiation." Sirius chuckled.

"She never does," Jean laughed.

Hermione was bouncing on her heels at the idea of meeting Nicholas Flamel.

Sirius pulled out a rope. "Here, grab on. This will take us to the Sanctum, and then we need to go through the doorway."

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"The States." Sirius answered. "The desert to be exact."

The Grangers looked a little shocked at that.

"Well, that is certainly a trip. Lead the way." Jean said with some trepidation.

"Alright. Just try not to puke. I'm not a fan of these either." Harry wished he could just portal, but the Grangers didn't know he could.

The portkey took them to a yard across the street from the London Sanctum. Richard and Jean felt uneasy at the odd pull from the navel.

Hermione held her stomach. "I see why you don't like them." She said.

"You should see him go through a floo." Sirius joked.

"I fell one time!" The boy defended

"Across the room."

The two led the family through the sanctum and to the multiple doorways at the back. Harry turned the dial for one and stopped at the facility. "This is loads better than a portkey."

Hermione ran through them, having already been through them before, and the rest followed.

"Hello, Nickolas." Harry greeted the man as he came in.

"Hello, Harry." The aged wizard greeted him back. "I see you brought company. Mr. Black. No Regulus or the Mrs. today?"

"Nat had to have a meeting with Regulus's teacher. I'm not allowed to go to those anymore." Sirus rubbed the back of his head.

"Why?" Hermione asked him.

"I may have laughed at one of Regulus's pranks at the wrong time. To be fair, it was funny."

"Do I want to know?" She asked Harry this time.

"Probably not."

"Centuries and children never change." Nicholas chuckled. 

"This is my friend Hermione Granger and her parents." Richard and Jean."

"It is a pleasure to meet you all." Nicholas shook all their hands.

"So you said you made some progress with the potion?" Harry was bouncing on his feet.

The older man grinned and reached over to the potion table. "Here you are." He held out the finished product.

"Brilliant." Harry examined the vial. "How did you get it to last?"

"I stopped trying to find a complex solution. I realized I was using the wrong formula. Once I broke down the steps, I found the issue. The flower, while the same size as the one we have here, is not the same. So slowly, I tried different combinations with the other ingredients. That was the problem. The formula didn't require anything added, but taken away. Once I came to that conclusion, it was just a matter of time. It turns out one of the ingredients caused the flower to deteriorate, which caused the short shelf life. Without it, the potion is now viable."

"That's it?" Hermione couldn't believe that it was that easy.

"Simplicity is sometimes the hardest to master."

"What can this potion do?" Jean asked.

"I haven't tested it on a more severe case yet, but it has shown to heal injuries that other options have failed to heal." If you give me a moment to prepare a demonstration, then you will see." Nicholas left the room, and a few minutes later he came back with another man. His friend was old—not as old as him, but probably not too far from Dumbledore in age. "This is an old friend of mine, Benedict."

"Old for me." The man limped in and took a seat. It was painful to walk with that leg.

"True. Benedict here was injured in a skirmish nearly fifty years ago." He checks.

"Fifty-seven."

"Yes, now all of our current potions have, at best, lessened the pain." "With this, I hope to eliminate it."

"Forgive my doubts."

"No faith in my work?"

"Keep your expectations low, and you won't be disappointed."

"Grim outlook, but I can't fault your hesitation." Nicholas popped the cork off the vial. "This may be intense. Let me know if anything feels wrong."

Benedict took the bubbling vial. He choked at the smell before forcing himself to down the whole vial. "Ah, that tastes even worse than Wiggenweld."

"How do you feel?" Sirius asked.

"Like I just drank the world's worst drink. Ah..." He grabbed his leg. The nerves pulled and contoured as his bones cracked. Suddenly everything went still, and all pain in the area stopped. He started at his old level, not believing what he wasn't feeling. "That's... there's...I don't believe it."

He stood and took a few gentle steps. Nothing was hurting. Even the joints of his old bones didn't.

"I believe that we have our answer." Nicholas grinned. 

"Nicolas. I can't believe it. You have outdone yourself!"

"It was a joint effort."

"That's incredible," Hermione said. "This will help so many people."

"This is brilliant." Harry's enthusiasm was evident.

Sirius was the one to realize the ramifications. This building was the only place on earth where these plants could grow. This partnership made them the sole supplier of the most powerful healing potion on earth. And they thought Stark had a lot of influence because of the cure. This will cause more heads to explode.

As the adults talked, Hermione was looking over the rest of the lab. She saw a big cauldron of something off to the side. It was pink.

"Is this Amortentia?" She blurted it out.

"Ah, you saw that, did you?" Nicholas stepped over. "It is indeed. If you were in school, I would reward you with points."

"Why are you brewing the most powerful love potion in the world?" Harry's voice had a bit of an edge to it. He hated love potions.

"How else do you create a counter?" The old wizard asked. "Something, I had a few ideas while I was brewing your potion. I believe that I have found a way to cleanse the body of the potion."

"How's that?"

He held out a bag of small candies. "With these."

The kids took two of the gumball-shaped candies.

"It smells like cinnamon," Hermione said.

"That hides the counter potion infused in. The taste is nothing to write home about, but it works."

"What happens if someone is under the effects of the potion?" Sirius asked.

"They will vomit immediately." "All the Amortentia will be expelled."

"Nasty," Harry said, but the image of someone vomiting over the person who drugged them was funny.

"But clever. Whoever is affected will be freed almost immediately." Hermione said. Though someone violently losing their lunch did make her gag a little,

"That's a good idea." Harry relaxed. "I hope those take off. The more people who are freed from that evil, the better."

"While I agree with that reasoning, no potion is evil." only the ones who use it."

"Maybe, but since those things helped create the man who killed my birth parents, I don't like them."

"Understandable."  He led them back to the main area.

The children moved past the cauldron, and its aromas filled their noses.

Hermione scrunched her face. It smelled like broom wax and treat tarts.

Harry did the same. Though he smelled the parchment of old books mixed with a hint of vanilla,

Hermione watched as Nicholas worked. It was incredible to watch a man who was a true master of his craft put it to use.

Nicholas took the opportunity to use this as a teaching experience. It had been a while since he had a pupil, and he rather missed it. The fact that the children were well-educated in the art of making potions made it more enjoyable.

Even the adults were taking an interest. Sirius was impressed by the man. He was wondering if he would be able to take Snape's job when the grease stain finally went too far.

It was morning when he entered. He had been staying at the Sanctum for years now, and it was time to return.

He made sure not to trip the alert spells and made his way to the chamber that held his goal. He reached for the eye but realized right away that it wasn't the real one.

"Karl."  Stephen floated down.

"Stephen." 

"I can't say I was expecting you."

"No, I don't doubt that."

"Why are you here? Other than trying to take the Eye?"

"You expected someone to try to take it." Karl looked at the real one around Stephen's neck.

"No, I'm just taking precautions. Why do you need it?"

"There are things I need it for."

"I see." Strange walked to the altar. "Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"The number of people who know of the list of artifacts missing from here is small." Wong told me, "You were often the one who went in search of them, but you never did tell her that you found the orb."

"She wanted it destroyed. To be fair, I didn't find it until a few years ago."

"Why? Why did you give it to Greyback?"

"You continue to interfere with matters to which you have no right. Our duty goes beyond the petty squabbles of those who do not concern us. You shifted the balance of their world; I merely put some weight on the other side."

"So you gave Greyback the orb to cause chaos and breed resentment?! People died!"

"People always die. Better a few here than a thousand there."

"You talk about the price coming due. What about the price you have to pay now? I've already made a promise to hand the one responsible over to them."

"Bold to assume I would let you." Karl touched one of the items on the shelf.

"What happened to you? You were a reasonable man once."

"I had an awakening." Karl let the staff The Staff of the Living Tribunal slide down his sleeve. "Give me the eye, Stephen."

"You know I can't do that. We're sworn to defend it." Strange is readying his hands.

"We are sworn to it, but you abuse it. I'm taking it from you."

"I guess we have to do this, don't we?"

"Yes, we do."

Stephen cast and Karl charged. The magic clashed together as sparks flew off them.

Flying disks cut through the air as Karl launched them at Stephen's head. They were intercepted and sent back, only for Karl to toss them into the walls, causing a huge blast in the structure.

A spike flew past Karl's head, and he felt the chain wrapped around his arms. Wong came in holding the end and pulled the chains tight. "Enough."

"Wong."  Karl nodded.  "You should be on my side in this."

"There is no side." Wong held tight to the chain. "You are the one forcing the conflict."

"Conflict is inevitable. Our job was to safeguard the world, and he keeps endangering it. I have seen more than you, and I know that Strange can destroy everything if left unchecked."

"You're wrong."

"What have you seen?" Stephen asked.

"Your death." Karl pulled back fast on the chain, making Wong stumble, and he slipped the bindings off.

Strange grabbed him in close-quarter combat. With his hands healed, he was about to deliver some of the best hits he had ever delivered. Karl staggered back and was hit by Wong's spell, sending him over the banister. Stephen followed him only for a barrage of spells to meet him. He shielded himself, but was sent back out of the glass wall into the air.

Wong came down, striking and casting "Stop this!" He implored his old friend.

Karl's eyes were completely black as he pushed back and sent Wong staggering away. Wong wrapped his spell around Karl, who flipped in the air and sent the ropes back. Wong dodged, but he was hit with the staff and blasted into the air, his sling ring knocking off his belt.

The two fought as Karl seemed to get the upper hand by separating them with a wall of ice, cutting off Strange. Wong and he battled down the hallway into the area of the Rotunda of Gateways. Karl slammed the staff into Wong, and he went through one of the doors.

Karl turned the dial, cutting off Wong's return, and went back to Stephen as the ice wall melted from Stephen's flaming sword.

Their magic clashed and caused the glass in the windows to break. Stephen caught all the shards and sent them flying at Karl. Karl left forth a huge circle that caught all the glass and merged them into one large, sharp point. He threw it at Stephen, who intercepted them with the Mirror Dimension and turned them into harmless raindrops.

"You have studied a lot."

"And you are far stronger than I remember." Strange wiped some blood from his lip. "What have you done?"

"What I had to." Karl sent a shock wave through the ground, and Stephen floated above it only to be hit with a dropkick from Karl.

Strange was blasted back above the stairs and through various old weapons. Karl's foot landed on his chest, pinning him and the cloak down.

"Goodbye Stephen."  Karl slammed the staff down toward his head.

Only his hands froze in place; they were held by red magic, and Karl was ghost white when he saw a young boy glowing red stopping him.

"Impossible." He couldn't believe that he was seeing this.

Harry didn't say anything; he threw a huge blast at the man, and he flew back through the wall at high speed.

"Doc." Harry ran over to him. "Are you okay?"

"Where is he?" Strange moved to his feet. "What are we doing here?"

"Saving you, apparently."

Karl staggered through the wall. "What have you done?"

"What I had to do" Strange pulled up his hands. "Harry. This isn't practice."

Harry nodded, and his hands glowed red as he took a fighting stance.

"You're the boy he helped." Karl realized. "I told you there would be a price for interference!"

"One I will never regret," Strange replied. "Now surrender."

Karl looked between them, then raised his hands. Darkness suddenly descended all around the Sanctum as the vapors of Valtorr poured out of his hands.

The vapors could blot out all light and be used to attack. A large black hand slammed into Stephen from behind and sent him back down the stairs.

Harry swirled his hands together, causing all the mist to be sucked into a vacuum, then banished them away.

Karl came forward holding an artifact he had grabbed from the ground. The Ebony Blades' power coursed through him as he sliced it toward Harry's head.

Harry ducked, and his red hands held the ebony blade back.

"Who are you?" Karl demanded as he fought against the boys incredible power.

"Mary Poppins." The glowing boy rose, pushing Karl back. Harry let loose. Karl was becoming overwhelmed by it.

Karl held the sword with one arm while casting with the other. Various spells floated around and then started to try to rain down on Harry as he blocked them. Suddenly, Karl shot through the barrage and sliced at him. Harry ducked back, but his arm was hit.

"Ah!" Harry held his arm as blood came down.

Karl brought the blade down again, and Harry held his good arm up to intercept.

Suddenly, metal hit metal as the Sword of Gryffindor materialized in his hand. Both were in shock at the sight. Harry pushed back and began pouring his magic into the blade as Karl was being pushed up and down by the now glowing red blade.

The man was soon pushed to his knees by the force of the chaos-infused sword. The ebony blade began to crack and break at the power.

Stephen flew up and launched an assault of magic at Karl. Trying to hold back Harry and now Strange was too much for the sorcerer. He dropped the blade as Harry came down, cutting his own arm, and dodged past the spells down the stairs.

Harry and Stephen gave chase, but Karl's portal closed in front of them.

"Bollucks!"  Harry growled.

"Harry!" Stephen grabbed his arm and began casting a makeshift tourniquet with a magic rope.

"Ah!" Harry let out. "That hurts!!"

"Good, then I'm doing it right!"

"Who was that?" Harry held his arm. Slowly, he focused, and his wound began to seal. He would scar, but at least the bleeding stopped.

"An old friend." Strange looked around. "Wong?" He searched for the man. He found the sling ring and then saw the dial on one of the doors turn. He flipped it around until he found Wong waiting.

"Where is he?" Wong came in with anger coming off him.

"He took off when I got involved." The boy told him.

"And now he knows what you can do." Strange sighed. 

"What was I supposed to do?! Let him kill you?"

"No Harry.  "I didn't mean for it to come out like that."

"What a mess." Wong looked around.

"I got that." Harry pulled out his wand. "Reparo."

The room began to reform, and all the broken parts slowly mended.

Wong grabbed the ebony blade off the ground and found a large crack down the side. "Did you do this?"

"Technically, but this helped." Harry picked up the sword of Gryffindor from the ground. "I don't know how it got here, though."

"It came to you," Stephen said. "It appears a relic has chosen you."

"It feels stronger than before." Harry mused, and he swished the sword around. "Lighter too."

"Goblin-made weapons will absorb or take in anything that will make them stronger," Wong said. "You just made this sword one of the most powerful weapons on earth."

Harry lifted the blade. "Oh, I'm going to have some fun with this." The sword glowed in his hands.

"The school faculty will be asking about it," Stephen reminded him.

"Right." Harry looked at the blade; it glowed brightly and disappeared.

"How did you do that?" Wong asked.

"I asked it to wait at Hogwarts for now." The boy shrugged. "What are we going to do about that guy?"

"Find him and stop him," Strange said.

"What has gotten into him? He was never this way." Wong asked.

"Did you sense something off?" "He was different from the last time we met."

"I felt it," Harry said. "He was pulling on a lot of magic from different dimensions."

"More than he should."

"And he calls me reckless for what I did." Stephen scuffed as he put the Eye of Agamotto back around his neck. "He was here for this."

"I am not sure I want to know what he has planned for it," Wong said.

"He was the one who found the Lunar Orb and gave it to Greyback."

"What?!" Both Wong and Harry shouted.

"He has lost his mind." "Why would he do that?"

"To sow unrest. This was just the start. I don't know what he is planning, but it will not be good for either of the magical communities."

"So who's going to tell Wanda?" Harry asked. When both men looked at him, he groaned. "Fine, but you have to come with me."

Karl tightened the wrap around his arm. The boy's blade had gotten a good hit, and he had only stopped the bleeding.

That boy. How had he done that?

His plan to take the Eye and remove Strange was in ruins, but now he had a new issue. Wanda was one problem on her own, but now a child had the same ability?

During his self-imposed exile, he touched the edge of a bigger picture and saw the destruction of worlds. All at the hands of a stranger. He had never seen this.

He had to learn about that boy and find the right opportunity to remove him. Both Wanda and he were too dangerous, but first he needed the Eye.