Shorter chapter, this one, but as compensation it's the second one in a day. Enjoy!
177A Bleecker Street was a small but still very elegant mansion. It had that ageless look about it, like it could've been built in the seventies, or the 1770's. The people on the street seemed to avoid it like the plague, but it didn't look like they were doing so intentionally. More like a subconscious response.
Nico knocked once, and the door opened itself immediately. "What, no security?" -I asked.
Ginny chuckled. "Trust me, there are enough spells and wards in this place to put a nuclear bunker to shame."
Nico nodded, entering the manor. I followed suit. The interior was pretty much what I pictured; a long, narrow hallway leading into a larger room. The walls were lined with paintings and tapestries - some of them were moving, oddly enough - and guarded by armors of various periods in human history - as well as others I did not recognize.
Nico led the way, and we walked into a large hall. The place was dark, but there were windows here. A huge, ancient globe of the Earth was in the middle of the room, slowly turning. Hundreds of tiny light sources seemed to emanate from distinct locations in the world.
"Oi Doc, we're home!" -shouted Ginny, making Nico cringe slightly.
In response, the floor sprouted floating wooden steps, leading all the way up to a second floor which I could swear did not exist a second before.
"I am upstairs." -answered someone up there. The voice sounded calm, patient, and mature, like that of a good teacher.
I looked at Nico, who shrugged. "Sometimes, he's in a bad mood."
Ginny ran up the stairs fearlessly. I floated after her, with Nico in tow.
The ginger chose a door and went inside. I followed, and found myself looking at a rather glum scene.
There was a large bed, with a rather beat up young woman on it. A man in lush black and red robes stood above her, passing glowing golden hands mere inches above her prone form. The woman seemed calmly asleep, but every so often her face would contort in pain, likely due in part to the angry red wounds all over her body. She wore only white undergarments, and not the modern kind, more like cloth wrappings, which stood out against her darker skin tone. I turned away in embarrassment after my initial shock.
The man turned to us, stopping his hand gestures. He had a proud, narrow, stern face, with high cheekbones and blue eyes, though he looked tired and sober. His hair was somewhat short, and so was his goatee, mostly black but flecked with white, betraying his age.
His visage illuminated slightly when he saw me. "Greetings, child. I am Stephen Strange, Earth's Sorcerer Supreme." -he said.
"Hi, I'm Danielle. Though I guess you already knew that?"
He nodded. "Through your brother, yes. Daniel has worked with me for some time. His knowledge and experience has proved invaluable to our...project." -he said, looking sadly at the woman behind him.
"I don't wanna sound rude, but...what is your project? Your messenger wasn't all that keen on the details." -I said, glancing at Nico, who just shrugged.
Strange sighed. "Yes, that does sound like Mr. Di Angelo. The people you see assembled before you are part of an Initiative pitched by the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. to combat potential paranormal threats to humanity and the Earth as a whole."
"I was approached first. As Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, I have been tasked with protecting the world from rogue magical phenomena. It was only natural that I partner with the agency, making use of their extensive surveillance network to more effectively fulfill my obligations. It also led us to your two new acquaintances."
Nico rolled his eyes. "You didn't find anyone that didn't want to be found. Thanks to the Battle of Manhattan, the power of the Mist was severely depleted. People's belief in the supernatural threatened to boil over, and with that would come the shocking revelation of the existence of greek gods and monsters. My uncle decided to send me to secure a transition that wouldn't have the government blowing up the Empire State Building. That's Olympus, by the way." -he said, annoyed.
Ginny shrugged. "I'm just a random witch. I used to play on a...sports team across the pond. Retired early, settled down. I was always one for adventure, though, and my fiancée suggested I visit the States for a couple of weeks. Picture my surprise when I arrived at the airport to these two nutters and your brother wanting me for a warrior."
I felt my stomach drop at the mention of her imminent marriage. Now that I knew what to look for, I could see the band on her left ring finger, mostly concealed by her fingerless gloves.
Strange gave me an odd knowing smirk. "Miss Weasley does not like to brag, but she is a decorated war hero, and a significantly skilled witch."
She crossed her arms. "Bloody Rider proved that wrong, eh? Anyway, I'm on an extended vacation, I suppose. Wizarding Britain isn't all that worried about the muggles finding us out. They took the elves and Thor duking it out fairly well, so we figure wizards secretly living among them can't scare them too badly."
I hummed. "And her?" -I asked, nodding at the unconscious girl.
Strange sighed sadly, before managing a small smile. "The unlucky young woman in the healing trance would probably wish to introduce herself, so I shall leave that pleasure to her. She should be on her feet soon enough; I only needed to figure out how to counteract her magical injuries."
It didn't look like it was healing to me, but I was far from an expert on magically induced wounds. "Alright, I guess."
Ginny put a hand to my shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Ellie. She's tougher than she looks."
I nodded. I didn't know the bedridden woman, but I'd been in her spot before. Fighting for my life against an enemy you couldn't just punch. Her, with her magical wounds, me when I used to be an unstable mess of ectoplasm. I looked back at my two new friends. Nico nodded at me. "Come on. Let's get started."
So, who's the girl in the bed? What did you think of Doctor Strange? I'm going off what little I know about him, images of Benedict Cumberbatch as him, and my own imagination on what he'd be like. Doc Strange is a little arrogant and sometimes callous, but he'd want to make a good impression, I think. Next chapter should contain a bunch of world building and the next stage in plot development. Exciting! Until next time! - Darthkvzn
