Chapter 3: Responsibilities

The next day, in Willy-Ann's house, the witches were all already there when Wanda and Strange arrived. The potion witch gave Wanda the truth potion again. Wanda didn't say a word about that and just drank it. She felt the effect of it like the previous day.

"Remember, my dear, we are not looking for guilt, but for responsibility. Witch trials are different," said the potion witch.

"So today is about determined what is Witch Wanda's responsibility in those crimes," announced Willy-Ann. "We will take the list and go one by one from the top."

List of Wanda Maximoff's crimes:

Mind control,

Illusion in order to control,

On going control,

Rewriting reality,

Limit of the town,

On 2000+ people

Sign Wanda Maximoff

"Well, at first, she didn't know she was mind-controlling everyone in town," said Esther, "so her responsibility was null at the beginning."

"We should not pass them one by one," objected the young witch, "she cast all those spells at the same time. After that, it was magic on autopilot that she kept up even though she knew about it. The biggest crime is the on-going control."

"Witch Ursula is right," said witch Ingrid. "I don't usually say that, but this case is totally different. We never had a witch guilty of so many crimes committed all at once. And on so many people."

"Also, those crimes complement each other," said witch Esther, "she wanted to control everything, so she mind-control people, the whole town, but she didn't want them to leave, so she put the barrier and the illusions. Because she wanted, unconsciously, to be in the 50s — at first — she rewrote reality. It all make sense when you look at the whole picture."

"And she was not in control at first, not at the beginning," said witch Ingrid.

"Also, witch Agatha came pretty early to mess things up even more. She's the one to send fake Pietro," said the potion witch.

"So let's split it in two, the first time when Wanda was not in complete control of her abilities, and the second time once she understood what she was doing," announced Willy-Ann.

"For me, as long as she was not totally conscious of what she was doing, she was not responsible. She was grieving and realizing everything she lost by losing her boyfriend," said Esther, the clever witch.

"Everyone lost people in the snap," said Ingrid, "and it did turn some people mad. Look at who the newest Captain America was fighting against not so long ago. Those flag smachers."

"We are not here for the flag smachers or for everyone else," said Esther. "But for Wanda and her crimes in Westview. The loss of Vision — her boyfriend that she had to kill because of Thanos, trying to stop him for causing the snap, might I remind — is what drove her to lose control on her magic. Thanos is responsible for that."

"So do we all agree that, for the first part of her crime, Wanda is not responsible?" asked Willy-Ann.

Every witch nodded in acceptance. Wanda lean to Strange.

"Hum, what does that mean exactly?" asked Wanda.

"It means, my dear," answered Willy-Ann, "that even though you did those crimes, and you are guilty, you will not be punished for them."

"Oh." was all Wanda said.

"Now for the second part, once witch Wanda realized that all of Westview was under her control," announced Willy-Ann, "and she kept it going."

"Dear, when do you realize what was going on?" asked the potion witch.

"When Monica — Geraldine at the time — when she asked me about Pietro and Ultron. That was just after I got the twins. I discovered I could get rid of Monica with my magic, and that I should if I wanted to keep the twins safe. I think that's also when Vision started to suspect things…"

"And you kept the whole hexe intact?" asked the potion witch.

"I had the twins to take care of. I just got sweep up with the sleep strike of the babies. Agnes — well Agatha — was acting weird. I realized she was acting weird, though she might have acted like that before. Vision realized it too. The twins turned 5 shortly after in front of Agatha. That same day, after the twins turned 10 — yeah, they aged fast — Sword sent a drone inside to try and talk to me. I went out and confront Sword. They had tried to shoot at me, so I threat them. Later that evening, Vision confronted me. We had a small fight, but then, fake Pietro showed up."

"Why exactly did you keep the hexe going on? You knew you were responsible, so why not stop it?" asked Ursula.

Wanda opened her mouth, tried to speak, closed it. I don't know, she wanted to say. Then she couldn't breathe. She tried to catch her breath again. I couldn't, she wanted to say. I couldn't stop, tried to say Wanda.

"Wanda, calm down," said Strange.

"This is the effect of the potion, dear," informed the potion witch. "Don't fight it, stop thinking about what you should answer."

Wanda focused on what the witch said. Tears stared coming out of her eyes.

"I didn't want to. I didn't want to put an end to the spell. I wanted to keep my family. I was happy, I had everything I wanted. Vision was there, we had a house, a happy life. I didn't want to stop it. I'm sorry, I just did not want to lose them. I'm sorry, sorry," said Wanda full on sobbing.

Strange took her in his arms and try to comfort her, but nothing was working, she was just crying.

"She had to admit the truth to herself. The truth hurts sometimes," said the potion witch.

"Though it is rare that the potion has that much of an impact on someone," added Ursula, the young witch.

"Once she told the truth, the potion let her breath. She panicked because she didn't know the answer herself," informed the potion witch.

Strange rubbed Wanda's back in an effort to sooth her. Wanda raised her head.

"Thank you," said Wanda to Strange.

"How you ready to continue? 'asked Strange.

"Yes, well, I must, right?"

Wanda raised her head and looked at the witches.

"I didn't want to end the spell and the whole illusion."

"For your family, right?"

"Yes. At Halloween, Vision tried to get out of Westview. Billy sensed something was wrong and then I felt it too. The magic of the city is the same magic that kept Vision, Billy and Tommy aliv…"

Wanda couldn't breathe again.

"Not alive, they were not alive," said Wanda really fast to tell the truth. "They were not real, but they existed inside the hexe, as long as there were magic. My magic kept them from disappearing. Vision, Billy and Tommy. I pushed the boundary when Vision tries to escape so he would not disintegrate. I expand the boundary for him, but also include more people."

"It is unbelievable that she had the power to do that, to take even more people under her control and keeping them all alive," said Ingrid. "In all my life, I only read about someone as powerful as that. Dear, you really are the Scarlet Witch."

Wanda didn't know what to say to that.

"But did you know you had to stop it?" asked Esther.

"Well, the first day, I was kind of hangover. You might have a better word for it. Basically, I did too much magic and I knew I should punish myself. I take a staycation. A whole day just at home," answered Wanda.

"Not really a punishment," said Ursula receiving glares. "When I stay at home, it is a day off, not punishment."

"That day, I was not myself. I was losing control of the magic again. I don't know what was happening. And then, Agatha took my children. Soon after, Agatha released Dotty from my spells and I saw how hurt she was. I tried to stop the magic, free everyone, but my children were... They were..."

"They were falling just like the magic."

"Yes," said Wanda nodding.

"When did you stop it? Why?" asked Willy-Ann.

"I defeated Agatha. Then I went home with my family. They knew what was happening. I retracted the magic, giving me enough time to say goodbye. It was heartbreaking. The next day, everyone was themselves again, they had their life back. I knew I had to leave before the public opinion condemned me. I knew the right people would find me," she ended her story looking at Strange.

"What would have happened if Wanda had released the town when she saw what it was doing to her children," asked witch Ursula.

"Agatha might have succeeded in her endeavor to steal Wanda's magic. We would have a bigger problem then," answered Esther. "But Wanda should have released the town when she realized what she did."

"I know I should. I wasn't ready yet. My grief was not over. But I know I should have ended it sooner."

"Fellow witches, do you think you have all the information to determine the responsibility of witch Wanda Maximoff?" asked Willy-Ann.