"Can I help you?" Harry asked.
The man who landed in front of him had black hair with lines of white along the sides. He had facial hair shaped into a goatee. The blue robes he wore were similar to, but slightly different from, the kind that wizards like Harry might be found in. His cape occasionally moved in ways that gave away that it had a mind of its own.
"I have reason to believe that you're harboring dark magic," the man said.
"Hello to you too," Harry said. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Harry. So glad you introduced yourself."
"Doctor Strange," the man said. "Sorcerer Supreme. Guardian of the planet, from time to time."
"Should I clap?" Harry asked.
Doctor Strange tilted his head. "I get the feeling you don't like me. Hiding something?"
"Every experience I've had with the sanctums has felt like visiting the Muggle DMV," Harry said. "Forgive me if I'm not excited to deal with more of your meddling."
"Do you deny the presence of dark magic around your house?" Strange asked.
"No, it was here. It came from a creepy book," Harry said. "But it's been dealt with."
"Dealt with?" Strange asked, raising his eyebrows. "If what we sensed was correct, then the item that was here is not something that can simply be HANDLED. It is a book of untold power and ancient age. It was created by Chthon, a demon of extreme power. Are you suggesting that you somehow destroyed that? I don't believe you."
Harry rolled his eyes. "It's a good thing that I didn't destroy it then. She did."
He and Doctor Strange were talking on the front lawn. Fleur was watching from the porch. By now, Wanda had arrived at the front door. Her hair was still crazy; she hadn't had an opportunity to shower yet after her and Harry's wild night. She was wrapped up in a bathrobe.
"Steven?" Wanda asked.
"Wanda. You were here," Doctor Strange said. "I thought that might be possible…"
"Is this about the Darkhold?" Wanda asked.
"You know what it is. Has it been affecting you?" Doctor Strange asked.
"It tried to infiltrate my head," Wanda said. "I think it would have succeeded. But Harry helped me get past it."
Doctor Strange looked at Harry. "You were able to fight the Darkhold's power?"
"Please, try to sound more shocked," Harry said.
Doctor Strange turned toward Harry. The eye-themed amulet around his neck twitched.
"How did you do it?" he asked.
"Wards," Harry said dryly.
"You might as well say "spells". I'm asking for details," Strange said.
Harry smirked, recalling old memories that he never thought he would look back fondly on. "I've dealt with a lot of awful cursed objects. After a while, you realize that stopping them all is a pretty similar process. One spell to block mental manipulation, a hiding spot that stops anyone from being able to see it, and a silencing spell. That's how these kinds of things mess with people's heads. It's always triggered by one out of touch, sight, hearing, or telepathy."
"It would've fought those simple barriers," Doctor Strange said. "It would've torn through your magic."
"You're right. It did." Harry shrugged, showing that it was no big deal now. "It tried to possess Wanda again and she beat it with my help."
"He's telling the truth," Wanda said. She walked forward to the edge of the porch. "That's how it happened. I saw the destroyed book with my own eyes. I SENSED its presence disappearing."
Doctor Strange turned to her, totally ignoring Harry.
"Don't you find it suspicious that you happened to encounter someone who could disrupt its control? No Random wizard could counteract the Darkhold. It would take one of the strongest wizards on the planet—"
"Should I kick your ass then?" Harry said with a smile. "That would prove I'm strong enough, wouldn't it?"
"Or it would prove that you're the Darkhold's puppet," Doctor Strange countered.
"You have a huge ego, don't you? I should've known from the "Sorcerer Supreme" title," Harry said. "You sanctums are ALWAYS putting yourselves first. How can your leader be supreme when he has no say over us?"
"And so the wand wizard inferiority complex rears its head," Doctor Strange said. "Exactly the kind of thing the Darkhold could capitalize on."
"Don't curse eem, honey!" Fleur said from her seat. "Eets not worth ze trouble!"
Harry's grip on his wand had tightened. He sighed and made himself relax. The sanctum sorcerers and wand wizards, as the larger magical world called wizards like him, had a rivalry that went back thousands of years. Traditionally very few wand wizards interacted with the sanctums. Only powerful individuals like Dumbledore or the head of the ICW would be familiar with sorcerers. Likewise, the sanctums chose to stay away from wand wizards who they viewed as inferior, usually on account of needing tools to work their magic.
Harry first met sorcerers during his brief foray into prominent politics. When he got the fuck out of government because he realized he hated it, he'd been excited to never deal with them again.
The Blip was what changed that. Wand wizards stayed out of the fight… but they suffered the same losses. Sorcerers had been on the frontlines. Unable to ignore that, the reclusive wizarding world was starting to pay closer attention to global events, so that the next time the world was in danger they would be able to respond. Sadly, that included maintaining contact with the sanctums.
Fleur was right. If Harry started cursing Doctor Strange here, even if he won their magical tussle, it would only set relations back. Plus, Strange was powerful. Harry was aware of who he was, and his skills were the real deal, whether he was an asshat or not.
Wanda walked to them. Doctor Strange assessed her appearance with a bemused look. It was pretty obvious that Wanda hadn't spent the night in her own bed.
"The Darkhold affected me, but it's gone now!" Wanda said. "How can we prove that to you?"
Doctor Strange's bearing softened. He was a dick to Harry but Wanda was a colleague he fought and worked alongside. Harry got the feeling that he was secretly happy to find her free of that book's poisonous influence. He was just worried that this was all an act. Or he was worried that he would actually have to thank Harry for helping her out.
"Technically, it's not about convincing me," Doctor Strange admitted. "I've been deemed "too close to the matter". An inspection has been set up with an impartial council."
"A trial, in other words," Harry said.
"One that will prove Wanda's innocence once and for all. As long as what you say is true," Strange said.
"Where is this council?" Wanda asked.
"New York. They'll hold it in my sanctum," Strange said. "If you can prove the Darkhold isn't affecting you, we're willing to overlook everything. Even Westview. You're a hero, Wanda! Let me prove it."
"I am not a hero." Wanda slowly shook her head. "But I will prove what I need to to your council. The Darkhold is gone. The sooner everyone knows that, the sooner I can move on with my life."
Doctor Strange looked relieved. He didn't want to fight Wanda, Harry realized. If she had refused to come in, he would've needed to.
"Excellent!" Strange said. "The council will be ready in five days. I could help you travel there."
Wanda looked at Fleur, who had walked over to join them. Fleur nodded at her. Wanda turned back to Doctor Strange.
"I'll travel with these two," she said.
Strange's looked sour. "They're coming too?"
"If Wanda wants us," Harry said.
"I 'ave always wanted to visit ze Beeg Apple!" Fleur said.
"I'll be there on time," Wanda promised. "Don't worry, Steven."
"Very well," Doctor Strange said. "I'll see you there. For a positive result, let's hope."
He moved his hands in a circle and opened a circular hole in the air with sparks around the edges. Inside the circle was a window to a completely different place; a concrete jungle full of towering skyscrapers. Doctor Strange stepped into the portal and disappeared, making pedestrians scatter.
"I have to admit, unless the sensation feels like being chopped to pieces or something similarly terrible, their teleportation has ours beaten every day of the week," Harry said.
"Our transportation methods are very unpleasant, are zey not?" Fleur said.
"You're telling me," Harry grumbled. "None of them agree with me except flying on a broom. I think the Atlantic is pushing it even for my Firebolt."
"Thank you," Wanda said. "For standing up for me. And for agreeing to come."
"Eets no trouble at all!" Fleur said.
"I just told him what happened," Harry said. "I probably let my temper loose more than I should have as well. There's a history between our kinds."
He scratched the back of his head. Suddenly Fleur acted strangely, letting go of Wanda and prowling in a circle around the woman. She touched Wanda's hair and prodded the robe Wanda was wearing.
"Eet ez as I feared!" Fleur said.
Wanda looked concerned. "What is?"
"Your appearance! It needs so much work!" Fleur said.
"I think she looks good," Harry said. Wanda immediately blushed.
"Zis eez not ze time to be sappy," Fleur said. "Eet's not you she 'as to impress. Eets zis council!"
Fleur continued investigating Wanda. She even poked Wanda's neck with one of her nails. Wanda flinched and rubbed the spot; Fleur was already moving on to inspect a different part of her.
"Appearanes are ze most important thing in ze world!" Fleur declared. "Eef you are pretty enough you can get anything!"
"I'm not sure I would go THAT far…" Wanda said.
"If you are to be found innocent, you must look beautiful," Fleur said boldly. "We will not nuzzing to chance. A full makeover eez in order!"
"You don't have to go so far…" Wanda protested weakly.
"It's not a big deal," Harry said. He had figured out what his wife was up to. "She just wants to pay a visit to her favorite store."
"We will go today!" Fleur declared, quickly walking back to the cottage to get dressed. "There is no time to waste!"
"What is this business for her to love it so much?" Wanda quietly asked Harry.
"They sell clothes and makeup," Harry said. "It's not the products they sell that make Fleur love it, it's their customer service. You see, it's run by two old friends of mine…"
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