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Doctor Strange had a secret.
He never admitted to Christine through their years of residency and friendship. He never admitted to the Ancient One, Mordo (thankfully), or even Wong.
In fact, the only one who knew was the Cloak who promised not to say anything. Well, reveal anything.
Stephen was a Witch.
It wasn’t a descriptor of a female magic user like many thought. It was used more like the term sorcerer was. A role or a title. He had been raised in the culture and it honestly was second nature not to reveal any witchy secrets.
It had truly begun when he was eight years old. His father had just died and his mother was now the head of the farm. His little sister was four and was finally getting to the age where she could be sent to a preschool to be watched. Stephen, however, was entirely homeschooled. The boy was quick as a whip and his brief foray with the Nebraska public school system had Beverly Strange pulling her son right back out. He was eager to learn and was properly motivated to learn at his own pace in the afternoon after helping out on the farm in the morning.
It was after Eugene died that Beverly felt comfortable enough to share the family secret with Stephen.
The Good’s, his mother’s side of the family, were witches. Sarah Good and her five year old daughter Dorothy were accused and hanged during the Salem witch trials. The youngest daughter, Mercy, was thought to have died but had been whisked away by a woman named Agatha Harkness. She was likely the most powerful witch on earth and had protected the Good family line throughout the centuries helping those with magical bloodline.
Beverly had never needed to bring Agatha out to the farm before, worried how her husband would take the news, but now that he was dead she could practice peacefully again. Beverly had loved her husband, but never trusted if he could know the secret.
That is how Stephen met Agatha Harkness, or rather Auntie Agatha.
“Beverly, it is a crime that you kept your adorable children from me for so long!” Agatha pinched his cheeks as he sent a desperate look towards his mother who stifled a laugh and left him to his fate.
Traitor.
“Aunt Agatha, you know that I wasn’t sure about Eugene and I was already pregnant with Stephen. I love and respect you but there is no way you are able to fit into mundane society.” Beverly explained. Agatha paused in her manhandling of Stephen to think about the statement before shrugging.
“True, true. Now my dear, let’s take a look at you. You’ve never had a magical checkup before and there’s no time like the present.” The older witch whisked Stephen up like a doll and sat him on the kitchen counter leaving him bewildered.
“Hun, it’s alright. Your Aunt Agatha will never do anything to harm anyone here.” Beverly said, placing a hand on his knee and he gave a weak smile. Agatha’s manic look softened at the boy’s nervousness.
“I know I’m a whirlwind of chaos but don’t you worry my little raven. Auntie Agatha will do everything in her power to make sure you’re protected and loved.” She patted the boy on the head before she lifted her stained fingers to begin a spell.
Purple magic lazily drifted around Stephen who sighed in relief as a wave of calm rushed over him. It felt like a warm blanket had wrapped around him and he could very faintly smell sage.
“Oh my-“ Agatha drawled in surprise, “Beverly darling, your boy certainly will inherit magic. Just not the kind we’re used to. That’s not to say we can’t help him with our kind to give him the leg up but he’s destined for some pretty big things.”
From there, Stephen learned about the history of magic. Rather, the history of witchcraft versus sorcery. Witchcraft required a bloodline and the witch would use her natural energy to tap into the earth, it’s energy, or other living things to conduct their magic. Sorcery focused on drawing power from the universe to use magic. Both groups were private but witchcraft had become more about protecting oneself and one’s family while sorcery was about protecting the world and the universe as a whole.
“A whole bunch of humanitarians they are.” Aunt Agatha groaned, rolling her eyes.
His aunt would not tell him more than that, claiming that he would have his chance to learn about other forms of magic in the future when the time was right. She had trouble saying the word time without laughing, so Stephen was slightly worried but was entirely focused on learning about magic instead.
Now, Stephen had the blood to be a witch (for the term witch was not gender specific) but for some reason his inherited abilities did not seem to manifest. Donna was also likely not to receive the gift either. Aunt Agatha didn’t let that stop her however, claiming she could help Stephen tap into what should be his natural abilities.
She led him to the barn where she pulled out a rather large book that floated next to her. Gray smoke seemed to pour out of it but it didn’t faze her.
“Now Stephen, I am able to do some magic that others cannot. It is thanks to this lovely artifact here called the Darkhold. I want you to promise me that you will never dare to look in this book or use any of the spells yourself.”
This was the most serious Stephen had ever seen his Auntie and nodded vigorously. She gave him a wry smile in response and ruffled his hair with stained fingertips.
“There will always be some things you should not know because the cost is too high. I paid my price a long time ago but it was always worth it to me and it gave me your family. However there are plenty of people out there who use their magic in ways that shouldn’t happen. I have had to step in to take it from them.”
“So you’re like a witch police officer?” Stephen asked and Aunt Agatha was so blindsided by the question that she cackled and had to stop to take a breath.
“Little raven, I am the farthest thing from a good person you will ever find. But that does not mean I will not fight to the death to protect what is mine and your family is mine to protect and nurture. The bloodline will not end with you. You will be one of the most powerful magic users the universe has ever seen. Plus, that’s just from the path the universe originally laid out for you. With this boost and knowledge, you’ll practically be unstoppable.”
It was a ritual, she explained as she laid him down in the center of the barn. It had been emptied for this purpose and his mom had taken Donna downtown so she wouldn’t get scared by all of the loud noises that would apparently happen.
It would go like this: Agatha had taken the magic of unworthy witches over a long period of time and she would reverse the process into Stephen, giving him about forty percent of what she had gathered over time. She would regenerate her magical stores fo what she had before after a few months while Stephen would be able to handle the load as his body was built for magic but just lacked the proper spark
It would turn out that the spark turned into a raging inferno.
Stephen wasn’t aware of anything except pure pain. It was overwhelming and he could vaguely hear someone screaming but he was entirely focused on what was happening to him. It only took a moment but it felt like an eternity for the pain to give way to a wave of warmth and safety to smother him. Everything, from sounds to touch felt prickly and raw. Stephen hadn’t even been aware his eyes were closed but he couldn’t hold back a full body flinch when a hand caressed his jaw.
“I am so sorry for causing you pain, my little raven. I wish I could promise you I will never hurt you again but if it is for your own benefit in the long run I’m afraid I can’t hold back.”
He was cradled in his Auntie’s arms and fell unconscious to her whispered promises of the future.
Work in the farm was much easier when there was now three witches residing on it. Auntie claimed there was power in threes which he committed to memory, like everything she said.
The day to day chores could be easily taken care of via spells leaving Stephen to have his regular school work in the mornings and magic lessons in the afternoon.
Witchcraft had become Stephen’s obsession, other than mundane medicine, and he was quite talented at it. Auntie Agatha often told him stories about how certain parts of his magic came from different people. Apparently different magical bloodlines occasionally carried family magic.
The Goods coven of which Stephen was now a member tended to lean more towards healing. It only fueled his love of healing and studying the human body.
Agatha ended up determining that Stephen had picked up the family magic of at least five others and as she had spent so long interacting in the witchcraft community the woman could pick pieces out easily.
Air elemental magic came from the Fletcher coven, lie detection from the Evans. Shadow walking was one he was excited to eventually learn and had developed in the Bennett’s. Tolerances to poisons appeared due to the Carters for their family tended to focus more on the brewing and potions aspect of witchcraft. Finally, the one he was most excited about was from the Clarke coven.
“Now, animal transformation would be risky if you didn’t have that magic in your blood now.” Auntie always tended to lecture whenever he learned something new. He had been needling her for weeks to teach him how to change into an animal but she had resisted admirably. Until this morning when she said it was finally time.
“So how do I figure out what animal I am, Auntie?!” Stephen asked excitedly, squirming in his seat. Agatha merely chuckled before grabbing the crown of his skull to hold him in place.
“When you transform, you focus on using your energy on yourself with the thought of finding yourself and your magic and it will change you into what is best suited for you. Kinda like healing but instead of mending, it’s like pulling back a curtain to reveal what is already there.”
Stephen nodded and closed his eyes, concentrating but trying not to push too hard. It took a couple minutes, but when a wave of warmth blanketed over him, he knew he had done it.
He opened his eyes and was startled to see that everything around him was just so… big . Auntie Agatha looked incredibly amused and held out her hand for him to jump on. It took a few moments for him to figure out his balance but he stumbled into her waiting palm.
“What a handsome bird you make my little raven. It seems I was correct about you.” She cooed, preening his misplaced feathers. Auntie then held up a hand mirror and Stephen found himself looking at a raven chick. He moved all around, trying to see himself from as many angles as possible. The wings were amazing but hard to get used to while having a beak felt really really weird.
The older witch would later teach him how to fly and how to use subtle magic while in that form. After much begging, Auntie Agatha revealed that her animal form was a crow. The two would fly around the farm together, amusing Beverly and making Donna laugh. His sister was still too young to understand everything that went on at the farm but she was happy as could be.
Eventually life went on. Stephen grew older and smarter and became a better witch. Auntie Agatha stayed at the farm due to apparently stealing an ancient book from the sorcerers who had made it their mission to hunt her down. The woman just grinned at Stephen as she showed off her prize. The boy often wondered if he should worry about his Auntie’s sliding scale of a moral compass but eventually moved past it. Auntie Agatha wouldn’t be Auntie Agatha if she followed the rules and his family wouldn’t be doing so well if she did either.
It was his mother that convinced him to enter public high school when the time came. She made a convincing argument that it would be a lot easier for college applications if he went the more traditional route as well as he did not need the amount of hands-on training anymore. Secretly, Stephen also believed the decision was also due to Donna constantly questioning why she had to go to school and Stephen didn’t. It was an argument rehashed over the past few years and he knew his mother was sick of it.
So, Stephen Strange entered the American education system and pretended he didn’t hate it. Auntie Agatha gave him a crystal ring to wear that was layered in so many protection spells he often wondered how it didn’t turn into a beacon.
Actually, when asked she did admit it did light up like a beacon to her. Something about finding her troublemaking nephews in the future. The main thing was that it kept him safe and disguised his magical signature from anyone not in the family.
More years passed and Stephen passed high school with flying colors before attending Columbia University for his freshman year.
Then tragedy struck the Strange household.
With Stephen at school, Agatha didn’t spend as much time on the farm. Visiting every couple months versus living there full time like she once did. Beverly was still running everything and despite the magic, doing it by herself was rather time consuming so Donna was often left to her own devices. She was only going to go swimming in the nearby lake with some friends.
Beverly was working on paperwork for the bills when there was a knock on the door. Her heart dropped in her chest when she found a police officer standing on her porch.
Stephen had been having a great time at Columbia. Things were going smoothly and for once he felt comfortable with people his own age. His roommate was a relaxed guy and didn’t mind Stephen’s weird habits such as the crystals he tucked away in places or runes carved into the furniture. Things were doing great.
Until he opened his door to find Auntie Agatha looking heartbroken.
The loss of Donna Strange hit the family hard. Beverly never truly was the same. She was morose and quiet. Feeling guilty for letting work take over time she could have spent with her family. Stephen couldn’t fathom losing his little sister. Most of his life was finding new ways to make her laugh from conjuring butterflies when she cried to preening her hair when he was a raven. Agatha proved to be the solid rock keeping the two moored. Relatively.
It was about a year later that Beverly passed. This time Stephen wasn’t so caught off guard. Again, Agatha stood with him as he mourned. He was the last one left of the Strange Family. The last seed of the Good coven. Agatha held her nephew tight and renewed the protection spells on his ring.
While Donna had been buried next to her father in the local cemetery, Beverly would be laid on a pyre and burned as tradition dictated. Her body and spirit would return to the land from which her power originated from. Agatha and Stephen each took a bit of her ashes to create a rune stone. It was traditional to keep a bit of your family magic with you even though they were gone. It was Stephen’s first. It was Agatha’s next in a long line of Good witches.
They spent a week in their bird forms flying around as Stephen silently processed his new universal truths. They sold the farm and Stephen mourned the last bit of his childhood as Agatha gently guided him away. Stained fingers brushing away tears off of his cheek.
He returned to Columbia with a new focus and drive. Used some money from the sale of the farm to purchase an apartment for himself where he could practice his magic in peace to honor his family. Eventually, he finished his undergrad and moved into medical school. He met Christine and the two would have an on again off again relationship for years. Agatha would tease him about starting a new coven if he wasn’t careful and he would gently shove her away. She would cackle in response.
Eventually, he moved to New York City for a residency at Metro General. He became an established neurosurgeon and became famous. His crystal ring traveled from his finger onto a platinum chain around his neck to keep prying eyes from wondering about it and so he would never have to remove it when scrubbing up. Agatha still visited. It would take days to kick her out of his penthouse apartment. It was one of these times that Agatha finally met Christine and Stephen was mortified . The two women got along well enough, he mused. It was after Agatha left that Christine asked about what was wrong with his Aunt’s hands. He deflected and claimed it was a family illness but relatively harmless. He refused to bring it up again.
Stephen grew to love his life. It was not the comfortable fall afternoons spent in his childhood pouring through old books with the most important women in his life, but he could never recapture that magic even with his abilities.
He made sure to sneak out once a week to fly around the city for old times sake.
Then superheroes became a thing starting with Tony Stark. Then aliens attacked the city and he was focusing on trying to keep people alive in a world ending situation. He almost dashed out to use his magic to defend but a well timed message from his Auntie made him stand down. It was not his time yet, apparently. The implied message that Stephen would one day be using his magic in public was slightly worrying.
Finally, the day Agatha had been dreading arrived. It was the middle of the night when all of her wards on Stephen’s ring went off at once. She took a deep breath and tried not to immediately race to New York. The witch had seen this play out so many years ago and it wasn’t something she could stop. This was the beginning of her little raven’s story. The way that magic could finally enter the public sphere without persecution. At least, if that Maximoff girl didn’t ruin it for all of them.
Agatha entered Metro General the next morning to find Stephen was still in surgery. Christine had found her in the waiting room and apologized profusely for being able to track her down to give updates on her nephew’s condition.
His hands were destroyed and it was a delicate process trying to put the puzzle pieces back together. Agatha merely gave a solemn nod and curled up in the waiting room with a disguised spell book and waited for her nephew.
It took 18 hours of surgery overall. Her boy looked like a corpse and if she didn’t already know what would happen next, Agatha would have whisked him away to her cottage up in Massachusetts.
“I know it hurts, little raven, but this is a journey you are destined to be on. I can’t interfere.”
When he woke up, he glanced over at his Auntie with hopeful eyes but she shook her head in response. As Christine wrapped him in a tearful yet gentle hug, he stared at his mentor in betrayal that she would not help him. It would take forty five minutes for Christine to leave before Stephen could confront Agatha.
Agatha silently put up a privacy ward before the explosions would start.
“So you can’t do anything? My career, my magic, my life is all ruined and all you can say is no?!”
“Stephen, you have known me almost your entire life and you think I would let you suffer if I had the choice to end it? This is much bigger than me and bigger than us in general. You were placed on this path when you were born to save us all and I did my best to give you all the additional tools I could to ensure your success. This is your turning point and I will not let you wallow in self pity because you were disabled. Be clever like the raven I know you are.”
They sat in silence as the tv in the room played the news. Apparently the superheroes were having a civil war and were fighting at an airport.
“Who the fuck is that Maximoff kid and why has her coven not wrestled her back yet?”
“Dunno, kid but she looks pretty strong to me. Pretty stubborn too.”
“……okay pinning him with cars was pretty amazing.”
They would never admit to watching superheroes fight like it was a WWE match but it reassured the both of them that their bond was still strong despite the challenges.
With Agatha all but confirming that witchcraft would not heal his hands, Stephen decided to be a bit more tricky about it. He looked at all sorts of trial medical procedures but none seemed to catch his attention. It was a certain nudge to his intuition that led him to look into Pangborn.
At long last, he had finally found the sorcerers.
He was an old hat at pretending magic didn’t exist, acting skeptical that the mystic arts and witchcraft could possibly be real when science was a real answer. He and Agatha would later giggle about Mordo’s speech about forgetting all he thought he knew. His Auntie was absolutely delighted that he managed to get into the very heart of Kamar-Taj. She had only been able to slip into two of their sanctums and had been banned since. Stephen truly didn’t mind indulging his Auntie with the knowledge he was gaining from the sorcerers. He just made her promise that she would not attack any of his new acquaintances without reason. There was a bit of grumbling but she agreed.
He would sneak a book out of the library for her use every time a month went by and she didn’t use the new knowledge to antagonize the sorcerers. They were up to month five.
There was only one moment where Stephen thought his secret might be blown and that was when he first met the Ancient One. She had stared intently at his necklace and asked where he had gotten it. A quick deflection saying it was a family heirloom he received after his mother died pushed suspicion off of him. He had no idea if she registered it as magical but she didn’t confront him about it.
Then Kaecillius happened.
A downside of witchcraft is that unlike the sorcerers who effectively had combat training, he did not know how to fight without just throwing spells and runes out. So he was back to basics and feeling like he was ten again as he faced off against rogue sorcerers.
The Ancient One died and he had to use an infinity stone to save the world.
Mordo left, feeling betrayed about not knowing the Ancient One’s deal with the dark dimension (he very carefully tucked the ring and chain back under his robes) and he became the master of the New York Sanctum.
A part of him felt fulfilled that he could use magic on a daily basis but it was still grating that it wasn’t the kind he had grown up with. He would get there eventually. keeping coven secrets was pretty much ingrained at that point so he held off on laying runes around the sanctum.
The Cloak was rather amused by the fact that it’s chosen was actually a Witch as well as a Sorcerer but it kept his secrets. Bribes of flying around with him in his raven form seemed to work wonders.
The most hilarious part was Auntie Agatha all but demanding she be allowed to move into the Sanctum as any home of a coven member was home to the whole coven. After much pressure, he finally relented.
Now he just had to keep it a secret from Wong.
How hard could it be?