5 A Magical Revelation

"A Magical Revelation"

After finally completing the rune necessary to recreate the spells of Kamar-Taj, I think it's time to tell my grandparents the truth—something I've been keeping to myself for so long but need to let out.

The next day, Stephen took advantage of the fact that everyone was still seated after dinner, gathered a bit of courage, and spoke to his grandparents.

"Grandpa, Grandma, there's something I need to tell you. I know it will sound crazy, and you might want to send me to St. Mungo's, but please, I need you to listen calmly," Stephen said while receiving doubtful looks from his grandparents.

The Flamel couple exchanged a glance, then, intrigued, turned their attention back to the nervous child. With a smile, they responded, encouraging him to continue. "Go ahead, dear, we're all ears."

"I'm iro... Sorry, that's not it. I've reincarnated here. Twice. That is, I died in another world and was reborn, then I died again and ended up here. So, in truth, I'm not a child… or maybe I am. I'm an adult trapped in a child's body," Stephen said, unable to lift his head.

"Oh, was that all?" Nicolas said, not giving it much importance.

"Nico, don't be silly. Can't you see the boy is worried?" Perenelle scolded her husband before turning back to Stephen. "Tell us everything, dear, don't worry."

A bit surprised by his grandmother's understanding and his grandfather's indifference, Stephen calmed down a little and began to tell everything—what he had experienced on Earth, what happened when he was Doctor Strange, how he studied and how Marvel's magic worked, all the way to how he died and the sensation he had from the moment he was reborn in this body. He spoke for what felt like hours until his throat went dry, prompting the house-elf to bring him a glass of juice.

"Don't worry, dear. Even if that's the case, the day we decided to adopt you, you became our grandson, and that will never change," Perenelle said, hugging her grandson with tears in her eyes after hearing that he had to endure not one but two deaths, neither of which were gentle.

"Mmh, I think I might know why you were reborn here, though it's just a theory," Nicolas said as he looked seriously at his grandson.

"You said that woman… was her name Ancient One? She said that the first time you were born, your soul and Strange's had merged to the point of becoming just one stronger soul, right?" the grandfather asked, looking at his grandson for confirmation.

"Yes. She said that not even she noticed until I appeared before her, and out of fear of disrupting the timeline, she let me train at Kamar-Taj until the day Doctor Strange was supposed to know what to do," Stephen said while looking at his grandfather with doubt.

"Then, when you died the second time, you were already much stronger. I assume even your soul had grown, and your explosion should have destroyed your magic along with your soul."

"Uh, yeah, I think so. I had to stop Wanda at all costs, and I couldn't let her switch bodies or something like that," Stephen said, remembering Wanda's crazed look, corrupted by all kinds of dark energies.

"And here's my final confirmation: you said that magic in that world… Marnel, was it? All magic must be borrowed, with interest, from higher beings who reclaim it after death."

"It was Marvel, Grandpa, and yes, all magic in Marvel is borrowed. Even those higher beings draw magic from other dimensions. Why?" Stephen asked, now curious about his grandfather's reasoning.

"It's because of your feeling of disconnect with your past memories. You said you didn't feel like they were yours but rather as if you were watching them in a Pensieve. I think there might be a theoretical explanation for that."

"Enough beating around the bush, Nico. Just say it already—you're making us all nervous," Perenelle said, tired of her husband's roundabout way of speaking.

"Sorry, sorry. What I think happened is that when Strange exploded, his soul fragmented, separating Strange from the boy from Earth once again, and all the magical power he had tried to reclaim the soul or repair it. Since your soul was so strong, it likely had some influence. But obviously, those beings wouldn't let their magic be wasted on a dead person. So, the magic automatically sent you to a universe where magic belongs to everyone."

"Here, magic is born within creatures and wizards. So, when you arrived here, it was meant to repair your soul, but that didn't happen. Instead of bringing your soul and placing it in another person, I suppose due to the laws of this world—because if universes have laws, according to many ancient wizards who tried to study them—the soul and its remnants created a safe body. Do you remember when we found you, Perenelle? He was perfectly fine, even dressed in very warm clothing," Nicolas said while looking at his wife.

"You're right, Nico. When we found him, he was clean, dressed, and well-fed. It even seemed odd that someone would abandon him," Perenelle said, touching her chin as she recalled the moment.

"There you have it. A safe body was created in a secure environment, in the safest place within the strongest magical barriers in the world, apart from schools and the ministries of magic. But I suppose you weren't sent there for one simple reason—Perenelle's compassion and need. She became attached to you instantly because she had always wanted a child or grandchild, and you appeared. Just like Perenelle said that day: you were a gift from magic itself," Nicolas said with a smile, looking at his grandson and his wife.

"Wait, Grandpa, but if that's the case, what does it have to do with my memories? I have all the memories of both lives."

"Yes, you have the memories, but you don't feel like you lived them. That's because those memories belong to the souls that formed your body. You didn't live those memories, but they are stored in the body that was created. You yourself said that, even though you had those memories, it wasn't like when you were reborn as Strange; rather, you felt like a normal, ordinary child who just knew more."

"So, you're not an adult in a child's body—you're a child who can see the memories of an adult. But in the end, you're just a child who knows many things," Nicolas approached Stephen and patted his head before saying, "So don't worry. Live as a child should, and don't obsess over those memories. Watch them as if they were those giant screens Muggles have—the cinema—and just relax."

Tears fell from the child's eyes as he was embraced by his grandparents. Suddenly, he felt a kind of magical pulse spreading throughout the house, activating some of the magical tools. Even the Philosopher's Stone began to glow.

"Hoho, it seems you've been holding onto this for too long, and when you let it out, you opened the floodgate. You can even feel the magic in the air. Kid, you're going to have a great life in the magical world," Nicolas Flamel said as he observed his grandson, sensing the magical surge emanating from him—so strong that anyone would be amazed. Flamel even compared it to when he first met Dumbledore.

As Stephen looked at his hands and felt the magic coursing through his body, as if greeting him upon finally accepting his soul, he felt exhilarated. With a smile, he told his grandparents, "Grandparents, I want to go to Hogwarts."

"NO!" They both said in unison.

"A Magical Revelation"