Stephen arrived at Strange Academy almost in an instant - though he did let Clea and Wong know before he left. He hurried down the path and to the school where, on the steps, Zelma was waiting for him. Though he saw the students staring at him while they were outside studying with The Ancient One, Stephen ignored them and carried on walking - he was the Sorcerer Supreme and well used to stares now anyway.

'Zelma. What happened?'

'It was last night. I was with Jericho in the French Quarter. He was taking a break from scrying and so we went to get beignets. There was a lot of people screaming and running for cover and we saw one of Dormammu's lackeys chasing a young girl,' Zelma explained as they walked through the halls of the school. 'The Scarlet Witch and Agatha Harkness showed up and began fighting. Jericho told me to protect the girl and so that's what I did. I think Wanda, Agatha, and Jericho banished him back to the Dark Dimension.'

'How do you know it's my daughter?' asked Stephen.

'Well. She has your nose. And your chin. And your black hair with white streaks. And Clea's eyes. And she said her name was Sofia. And she could do magic. So I took a guess that it was your daughter,' said Zelma. 'A very educated guess.'

'She has pink eyes?'

'When she does magic.'

'And you brought her here?'

Zelma nodded. 'We did. We left her with Rintrah while we discussed what to do with her.'

'What… what do you think we should do with her?' asked Stephen.

'I think she should stay here,' said Jericho, emerging from his office. 'But that's really up to you and Clea, isn't it?'

Stephen looked inside Jericho's office. Standing by the desk were Wanda, in full Scarlet Witch costume, and the elderly, but no less powerful, witch Agatha Harkness.

'Thank you for saving Sofia from Dormammu last night,' said Stephen. 'I really do appreciate it.'

'I know you do, Stephen,' said Agatha. 'Clea wouldn't like it very much if I let her daughter die. Come to think of it, she wouldn't like you very much either. Would she?'

'Uh. No?' Stephen took a step inside Jericho's office. 'How do you know she's my daughter?'

'Stephen, I'm a very powerful witch,' said Agatha. 'You think I can't scry something like this?'

Stephen opened his mouth to say something.

Agatha smirked. 'But I actually overheard these three talking about it.'

Stephen chuckled nervously. 'So. Um. Agatha. Wanda. What happened to the woman my daughter was with?'

Wanda shook her head. 'Already dead, Stephen. Sofia was inconsolable.'

'It's true. She was hysterical. I had no choice but to put her under a sleeping spell,' said Zelma.

'Wanda, Agatha, how did you get there so fast?' asked Stephen.

'Agatha picked up a magic signal in the French Quarter. When we got there we saw this, I don't know, a demon thing from the Dark Dimension, fighting with a teenage girl. We thought it was after a student from the academy - you know yourself, they tend to get out a lot,' said Wanda.

'That was when I got involved,' said Jericho. 'It was a lackey of Dormammu come to take the girl to the Dark Dimension. We couldn't let that happen. So Wanda and Agatha cast a spell of banishment. Once Dormammu's henchman was gone, the girl told us who she was.'

'She said her name was Sophia Sanders,' said Agatha. 'Does that name mean anything to you, Stephen?'

Stephen didn't react. Of course the name meant something to him. Thanks to Eternity in the late 60s, he'd used Stephen Sanders as his alter ego for close to twenty years. Of course it was much more complicated than that. But it made sense that Clea and Vesper would remember.

Agatha simply nodded. 'That's alright. I know it does,' she said. 'She told us that she was an orphan and her aunt, her only guardian, had been killed by that thing, the Dark Dimension demon we banished. It was that moment she became inconsolable, the poor girl.'

'Stephen, she's incredibly powerful,' said Zelma. 'She invoked the bolts of Balthakk to destroy a street vendor's food truck in her grief. That's when I had to put her under the mists of Morpheus.'

Stephen nodded. 'You did the right thing. All of you, thank you.'

'She is awake now,' said Jericho. I'm sure Zelma's already told you that Rintrah is watching her.'

'Yes, she did,' said Stephen. 'Where is Rintrah?'

'He was last in his office,' said Jericho.

'Does he -'

'He knows Sofia's your daughter. She does not.'

Clea appeared in the doorway. 'Sofia is here?'

'Sofia is with Rintrah,' said Stephen.

'Dormammu has tried to kidnap her already, hasn't he?' asked Clea.

'He has,' said Agatha, stepping forward. 'He sent a henchman to do his dirty work. Wanda and I banished him back to the Dark Dimension. It's not hard to see why he wants your child. She has such raw power. Power I haven't seen since I started training Wanda.'

'What about Vesper?' asked Clea, though if Sofia was with Rintrah rather than Vesper, she already knew the answer to that.

'Vesper was killed,' said Wanda. 'I heard she was a friend of yours, Clea, and I'm sorry for your loss.'

Clea closed her eyes and allowed herself a moment of grief. 'Okay. Okay.'

'Clea, are you okay?' asked Stephen.

'Does it matter if I'm okay or not? I doubt you'd care either way, Stephen. Nobody ever gives a fuck about my feelings,' Clea snapped.

Everyone looked at Clea in shock, while Stephen glanced down at the floor. Nobody had ever heard Clea swear like that before. Or at all.

'Emotions are running high right now, I understand,' said Jericho. 'But your daughter is safe. And that's all that really matters right now. She is safe right now. So how do we keep her being safe?'

'You can't take her back to the Dark Dimension, Clea,' said Wanda.

'I could-I could ask Illyana if she's willing to host Sofia in Limbo for just a little bit. While we deal with this,' Stephen suggested.

'No. No way, Stephen.' Clea shook her head. 'I am not sending my daughter to hell!'

'Our daughter!' Stephen corrected, rather aggressively.

'I heard shouting. Now if I may get involved,' said a voice in the doorway.

Stephen gasped slightly and put his trembling, aching hands together to bow. 'The Ancient One, of course, Master. Your wisdom is always welcome.'

Jericho nodded, an indication to come in.

'Stephen. Clea. I should congratulate you on your child, but it seems, perhaps, a bit too belated,' said The Ancient One.

'By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth,' Clea said through gritted teeth.

'Clea, that is my master,' said Stephen. 'You will respect my master.'

'She doesn't have to, my boy,' said The Ancient One. 'Though it would be nice if she did.'

Stephen nodded, bowing his head just slightly. 'Yes, Master.'

'I understand there's trouble involving your daughter and Dormammu,' said The Ancient One.

'Yes, Ancient One,' said Jericho. 'Dormammu is after the child. He sent a lackey to the French Quarter last night. It was only Wanda, Agatha, and myself who were able to stop it. And Wanda and Agatha who banished him back to the Dark Dimension.'

'I suppose the question we must ask now is what does Dormammu want with the child?' said The Ancient One.

'Um. Ancient One,' said Zelma, uncertainly. 'Sofia is a powerful magician already. Perhaps Dormammu wants her power for himself.'

'Ah. An excellent hypothesis, Zelma,' said The Ancient One. 'Yes, Sofia Strange is indeed an incredibly powerful magician. I could feel her tapping into her powers as I meditated last night.'

'I didn't,' said Stephen. Wasn't the Sorcerer Supreme supposed to feel magic?

'My boy, you were not looking in the right place,' said The Ancient One, as he put a hand on Stephen's arm. 'You were casting spells of communication yourself last night. Very busy. It stands to reason that you did not feel your daughter's magic because you were distracted. Or perhaps it was the concealment spell Clea placed on her that hides her from you.'

'Ancient One. Yao. I know why Dormammu is after my child,' said Clea. 'Yes, she was born of two Sorcerers Supreme, giving her innate magical abilities. She is part Faltine, boosting those abilities. However, it is not about Sofia's aptitude for the mystic arts.'

'Wait, it's not?' asked Zelma.

'This goes back to my grandfather Olnar. He was a Mhuruuk who was king of the Dark Dimension until he was usurped by Dormammu many cycles ago. My father, Orini, is now dead. That leaves me as the true ruler of the Dark Dimension, a position I have served in before. If I am the true queen -'

'Sofia is the true princess,' Wanda finished. 'And with her innate magical aptitude, she could train it, much like I did with Agatha, and refine her powers. And with refined powers and her heritage, it's more than likely she'd end up dethroning Dormammu himself.'

'Shit.' Jericho said. 'Of course. It's self-preservation. That's why he tried to kill you too, Clea. He wants to hang onto that position of power.'

'Of course he does,' said Stephen. 'He's Dormammu.'

'Okay. We know why Dormammu is after Sofia,' said Agatha. 'Now we need a plan to protect her.'

'She's with Rintrah. He won't let anything or anyone hurt Sofia,' said Zelma.

'But can he go up against the Dread Dormammu?' asked The Ancient One. 'It might be prudent to have a more powerful sorcerer watch over Sofia.'

'No,' said Stephen. 'I trust Rintrah.'

Clea nodded. 'Me too. But a powerful sorcerer should train her.'

'I nominate Agatha,' said Wanda. 'She has significant experience training people with immense powers. Myself, and Franklin Richards for a start.'

'I have to admit, Clea, Agatha was at the front of my mind too,' said Stephen.

Jericho nodded in agreement. 'The Ancient One is a great teacher. But he does not have the experience Agatha does with training people to use their vast powers. He teaches from the bottom up, not like Agatha who teaches from the top down.'

'Yes. It is true. I build skills, not refine them. That is Agatha's specialty,' said The Ancient One. 'But that choice is not up to me.' He turned to the elderly witch. 'Agatha, would you be happy to train Sofia Strange?'

'Yes,' said Agatha. 'I would be happy. Stephen, Clea, I will train your daughter to use her magical abilities.'

'Okay. But who's going to keep her safe from Dormammu?' asked Zelma.

Stephen and Clea exchanged glances.

'I assumed that would be us,' said Stephen.

Clea nodded in agreement. 'Sofia is our daughter and Dormammu is our problem.'

'I'm more than willing to help,' said Jericho. 'That is, if you need it.'

'So… where is Sofia?' asked Stephen.

Sofia was in bed. A bed she didn't recognise. With sheets she didn't recognise. In a room she didn't recognise. And with a bull man minotaur thing she definitely didn't recognise. Thoughts ran through her head that she'd been captured or something, and she scrambled back in fear, falling off the bed in the process.

'Are you alright?' asked the minotaur man… thing.

'Stay away from me!' Sofia pulled herself to her feet and backed away.

'No, no, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I know the Sorcerer Supreme - he used to be my master.'

'What's a Sorcerer Supreme? What are you? Who are you? Where am I?' Sofia demanded.

'Oh. Sorry. I didn't introduce myself. My name is Rintrah, and you're at Strange Academy. It's a school for magicians.'

'Like Hogwarts?'

Rintrah smiled. 'Yes, exactly like Hogwarts. Except we're in New Orleans, not Scotland. As for what I am, have you ever heard of R'Vaal?'

'Uh…' Sofia shook her head.

'That's where I'm from.'

'You're an alien. I always thought aliens were supposed to be little green men. Not…'

Rintrah let out a light chuckle. 'I'm from another dimension - not a parallel universe. I'm part of your reality. Our reality.'

'What do you mean? Other dimensions, parallel universes?' asked Sofia.

'You should ask one of the Sorcerers Supreme about that,' said Rintrah. 'I'm not as knowledgeable as they are about the multiverse.'

'That's alright. I don't think I will,' said Sofia.

'I think you must,' Rintrah countered. 'You are a child born of two dimensions. Someone from another dimension wants you for your power. Not to harness for his own, but to ensure you never grow into it.'

'It's you, isn't it?'

'No, I -'

'Bullshit!' Sofia exclaimed. 'Look at you! You're a… I don't even know what you are. A minotaur or something. You're a monster! You're green! You're clearly trying to get my trust so you can murder me and eat me!'

'Eat you? Why would I -'

'It's not going to work! You probably killed my Aunt Vesper last night! You - I bet you killed my parents too!'

'Your parents aren't - who told you your parents were dead?' asked Rintrah. He shook his head. 'They're not dead.'

'No! They're dead! They died when I was a baby! That's why I was with my aunt!'

'They're alive. They're here.'

Sofia didn't have time to process her emotions properly before she bolted past Rintrah and out of the room. She sprinted barefoot down the halls and past a group of teens in uniform, laughing with each other, not all of them clearly human. She slowed down in her surprise. So this really was a school for magicians.

'Hey,' asked one of the teens, a black girl. 'Are you okay?'

'Uh… I don't - I don't know,' Sofia admitted. 'I just escaped from a green giant minotaur thing -'

'That's just Mr Rintrah,' said another of the teens. This one was definitely not human. She was red and had horns and hooves. Was she a devil or something?

'Wait. What?' asked Sofia, distracted by the girls.

'What's your name?' asked the human girl.

Sofia debated giving her real name. Then again, these teens were magicians and if they were anything like her, they could probably cast a spell and find out her name anyway. 'Sophia. Sophia Sanders.'

'You must be a new student here,' said the devil girl.

'Dessy, Sofia isn't a student here,' said Rintrah, having caught up. 'She's a visitor.'

'In that case, we hope you enjoy your visit on campus,' said the devil girl, now identified as Dessy. 'I doubt you will. I sense much sadness from you.'

'Wait, is she the one Ms Harkness, Doctor Voodoo, and Ms Maximoff saved last night?' asked the human girl.

'How did you hear about that, Zoe?' asked Rintrah.

'People are talking about it,' Zoe shrugged. 'How they saved a girl from one of Dormammu's evil flame-y minions in the French Quarter without destroying most of New Orleans.'

'There was no fire,' said Sofia. 'There was a lot of lightning though.'

Dessy gave a sympathetic look to Sofia. 'I'm sorry for what you're going through.'

Sofia said nothing, but nodded in return.

'You two better head to your classes. You don't want to be late,' said Rintrah.

Dessy and Zoe said their goodbyes, waved at Sofia, and carried on down the hall.

'As you learned from Dessy and Zoe, of us here may look a bit scary, but that doesn't mean we're evil,' said Rintrah. 'Would you like to see more of Strange Academy?'

'Uh… you said my parents were here?'

'I did. And they are.'

'That means you know them, right?'

'I do. Quite well.'

'You can tell me who they are.'

Rintrah's jaw tightened and his fingers flexed nervously. 'I… I believe that's their place to tell you. Not mine.'

Sofia frowned. 'Why won't you tell me -'

'Come on. Let's see more of Strange Academy. Meet some more students.' Rintrah walked past Sofia, who lagged behind just staring at the giant bull man creature thing.

Then she walked after him.

'Alright. Now, here's where we would ordinarily begin the tour,' said Rintrah, stopping in a large room with several adjoining rooms, hallways and staircases. 'This is the foyer, and -'

'Why is this place called Strange Academy?' Sofia asked, cutting across Rintrah.

'Because it was named after its founder and principal - co-principal,' Rintrah gestured to a portrait hanging on the wall. 'Doctor Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme of the Earth Dimension, master of the mystic arts. And my master.

'Your master? What do you mean by that? Are you his pet or something?'

'No. Doctor Strange taught me magic through the 1980s and 1990s.'

Sofia stepped forward to take a closer look at the portrait. Something about the man looked familiar. She'd seen him before, surely. But it was a weird sense of deja-vu. Like she already knew him, even though she'd never heard of him before fifteen minutes ago. She studied his facial features; his hair, his nose, his chin, his eyes.

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before realising it was white. She'd had white in her hair since before she could remember. Streaks of white in her bangs, and under layer that she hated and always did her best to dye out.

But the white in her hair seemed to match that of the principal of this school. And the Sorcerer Supreme.

Sofia put it down to coincidence. After all, she'd always had white in her hair. This guy was probably just old.

'He looks like an interesting guy,' she said, after a while.

'He is,' said Rintrah. 'He's a very interesting guy. Very complicated. But he is not boring.'

Sofia nodded.

'It's his job to defend the world from magical threats like Dormammu.'

Sofia turned to Rintrah. 'He's the one that's after me, isn't he?'

'Yes. That's why you are safe here. Not forever, but at least for now,' said Rintrah.

'I want to meet Doctor Strange.'

'You will, in due time. I believe he's quite eager to meet you too, Sofia.'

But why? Sofia thought. What could he want with her? There were plenty of reasons she could think of - she was intruding on his school, he wanted to debrief her on what happened last night, he wanted her to join the school…

'Shall we continue with the tour?'

'Um… okay.'

'The foyer is the main room, the hub, if you will. All hallways lead from here,' said Rintrah, 'as well as outside. The classrooms, the dorms, the library, the cafeteria. Doors to other dimensions -'

'Other dimensions? Can you show me one?' Sofia asked eagerly.

'I… cannot,' said Rintrah. 'But I can show you the library. Come on.' He took a different hallway than the one they had come down.

Sofia followed him and caught him up at his side. 'So why won't you show me another dimension? You say they exist.'

'I cannot because it is not my place to show you,' said Rintrah. 'It is the place of your master to show you, just as my master did for me.'

'Doctor Strange?' asked Sofia. 'But I thought you were supposed to be from another dimension.'

'My first master,' Rintrah clarified. 'Enitharmon the weaver.'

'Right, right.' Sofia nodded. 'And who is he?'

'He makes items and imbues them with magic,' Rintrah explained, 'such as the Cloak of Levitation used by Doctor Strange - my second master. I learned magic from both. It is a good thing to learn magic from different sources. If an enemy attacks, you can defy their expectations by using a different magical discipline.'

Sofia nodded, not quite understanding what Rintrah was saying. 'Yeah. Of course.'

Rintrah led Sofia into the library. 'Here is the library,' he said.

Sofia looked around. There were many shelves stocked with many types of books. So many books. 'And these are all magic books, right? No novels?'

'Yes, but not every magic book in existence is here,' said Rintrah. 'There are books we can't acquire for whatever reason, but you'd be better off asking our librarian, Zelma Stanton, about the books that are here.'

'Zelma.' Sofia frowned. 'She was there last night.'

Rintrah didn't say anything to that.

'Can I look at the books?'

'Yes, but don't touch them.'

Sofia nodded and went over to one of the shelves. She turned her head to look at the spines of the books. Nearly all of them had titles relating to the Purple Dimension. She crossed the library to look at the books on another shelf - these books were about Limbo. She looked on the shelf to the side. Books about demons.

'What the hell kind of library is this?' she muttered to herself.

Sofia walked further into the library, conscious of the sound her bare feet were making every time she'd peeled one of them off the varnished wood floor.

She almost jumped in shock when she saw a group of teens in uniform sitting at a table, with some weird giant, bulky, and rocky looking creatures roving around.

The two teens at the end of the table, a chunky pink skinned girl with dreadlocks and wings, and a crystalline humanoid, turned to look at Sofia. The other two, a girl with dyed green hair and a dog boy gave a curious look, but ultimately ignored her.

'Oh. Um. Hi.' Sofia waved awkwardly. 'I was just… leaving -'

'Oh no! It's okay! You can stay with us!' The girl said enthusiastically. 'We were just doing some reading for out History of Mystical Objects class, but you're more than welcome to join us. So what's your name? I'm Shaylee and I'm a fairy from Otherworld, and this is my boyfriend, Toth!' She gestured to the crystalline humanoid across from her. 'He's from Weirdworld!'

'Um… I'm Sophia. From New Orleans.'

Shaylee stood up and put her arms around Sofia. 'It's so nice to meet you, Sophia!'

Toth gave Sofia a thumbs up.

'Uh, is he…?'

'He doesn't talk, like ever,' said Shaylee. 'But that's okay because I can do enough talking for the two of us, isn't that right, Toth?'

Toth nodded.

'Okay. Well… it's nice to meet you both too,' said Sofia. 'But I have to… go.' A lie. They were starting to freak her out. Everything was starting to freak her out.

'Oh. Well, in that case, bye, Sophia! I hope you're in one of my classes!'

Sofia bit her tongue. She knew she wasn't going to stay here. She wouldn't be studying alongside the loquacious fairy, the mute crystal boy, the weird dog guy, the dyed hair girl, or anyone else in the library or the school for that matter. So she walked away, back to Rintrah, who was reading a scroll.

'Let's go,' she said.

Rintrah rolled up the scroll and set it gently on the shelf. 'Are you alright?' he asked.

Sofia shrugged. 'When will I meet my parents?' she asked. 'You said they were here.'

'Come on. You must be hungry. I'll take you to the cafeteria. You must try Mindful One's gumbo. It's the best, or so I'm told,' said Rintrah. He began the walk out of the library to the cafeteria.

Sofia followed him. 'If I eat something, will you take me to my parents then?' she asked.

'It depends if they're ready to see you or not,' said Rintrah.

'They should always be ready to see me. I'm their kid!'

'Sofia, they were quite unprepared for last night's events. Now they must protect not only you, but everyone else in this school from Dormammu,' Rintrah explained. 'It is not your fault, Dormammu is your parents' greatest enemy. It is for this reason they would rather ensure your safety first and then meet you, than meet you and potentially have that meeting broken up by someone who wants you dead.'

Sofia nodded. 'Yeah. I guess that makes sense,' she said. 'It just sucks, you know?'

'I imagine it does,' said Rintrah.

'Or you could be lying to me about my parents being alive,' Sofia reasoned. 'I mean, you're a complete stranger to me. I haven't even known you an hour yet. And my Aunt Vesper had no reason to lie to me.'

'You can believe what you want to believe,' said Rintrah. 'You will see the truth soon enough.'

'Will I? Or are you just saying that?' asked Sofia.

'Does it matter?' Rintrah shrugged slightly. 'I suppose it does. Locked up, the truth always finds a way to free itself.'

'What's done in the dark will come out in the light,' said Sofia.

Rintrah looked down Sofia, who was still walking at his side. 'Yes.' He walked into the cafeteria, which was mostly empty, save for a few more of the weird rock beings, and he approached one of them. 'Mindful, do you have any food left over from breakfast?'

Another one of the weird rock looking things pointed towards a tray with leftovers. 'Over there.'

'Thank you, Mindful One,' said Rintrah as he walked over to it.

'Is no problem,' said Mindful One. 'Enjoy day, Rintrah.' It turned to look at Sofia. 'Hello, student.'

'I… I'm not a student.'

'Hello, visitor.'

'Sofia,' said Rintrah. 'There's a breakfast burrito here if you want it.'

Sofia walked over to Rintrah. 'What's that mindful thing's deal?' she asked.

'Mindful One. Is one of the staff here at Strange Academy,' said Rintrah. 'He is a Mindless One from the Dark Dimension who is… he has gained intelligence and free will and we shall leave it at that. His story is not mine to tell.'

'What's a Mindless One?'

'Beings from the Dark Dimension under the influence of Dormammu. They are like his puppets to do his bidding - killing, pillaging, enslaving, and conquering.'

Sofia picked up the breakfast burrito. 'Starting not to like this Dormammu fella,' she said.

'He is not to be trifled with, Sofia. He is a threat to this, and all dimensions.'

'Yeah.' She bit into the breakfast burrito.

'Agatha, I can't shake this feeling about Strange's daughter.'

'What kind of feeling is it, Wanda?'

'A bad feeling.'

'A bad feeling,' Agatha repeated. 'What kind of bad feeling?'

'Dormammu related,' said Wanda.

Wanda and Agatha were both standing in Agatha's office. Wanda was slightly agitated, while Agatha was leafing through notes.

'You're worried Dormammu will come here and look for Sofia himself, aren't you?' asked Agatha. 'That is a legitimate concern. I'm not going to tell you it's impossible. It's completely possible.'

'Thanks. You really assuaged my fears,' said Wanda sarcastically.

'Wanda, my dear, you must be prepared for that eventuality, but you cannot let that fear overtake your life,' said Agatha. She set down her notes. 'If Dormammu comes here, then he comes here and we fight him off together. If Dormammu does not, then there is no point fretting about that circumstance because it will not happen.'

Wanda nodded. 'I understand, Agatha.'

'Good,' said Agatha. 'I must prepare for my class and then I must prepare to meet with Sofia.'

'I should prepare for my class too,' said Wanda. 'I'm glad you stepped up for Stephen's daughter. Stephen is a very dear friend of mine and I know how distressed this news of a child has made him.'

'I am most qualified to teach Sofia to manage her powers,' said Agatha. 'The Ancient One said it himself. The question with Sofia is whether she grows up to become the next Sorcerer Supreme, or a conquerer like Umar and Dormammu.'

Wanda felt her heart sink. 'Maybe that's the bad feeling I'm getting.'

'Maybe,' said Agatha. 'But you don't know it will happen until it happens. I'm sure even all the psychics on the various X teams will tell you that the future is not written.'

Wanda nodded. 'But should I plan for Sofia to turn… conquerer?'

'It never hurts to have a contingency plan, though I'm sure it won't come to that,' said Agatha. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I have a class to teach.'

'Yeah. No. We can pick this up again later,' said Wanda.

Agatha picked up Ebony, her cat familiar, and her briefcase and headed out the door.

Sofia was sitting alone at a table and watched as the cafeteria slowly filled up with more students. Some stared at her curiously as they passed, others just ignored her. But nobody sat at her table. Until someone approached, that is. Or rather two someones - a boy and a girl.

'Hola. Haven't seen you around here before. Are you a new student?'

Sofia shook her head. 'Just visiting.'

'It's nice to meet you anyway,' said the boy. 'I'm Germán.' He took a seat next to her.

'And I'm Eva,' said the girl, as she sook a seat opposite Sofia. 'What's your name?'

'Sophia,' she said. She was getting tired of telling everyone her name - she was debating whether or not to just put a name tag on that read "my name is Sophia" and be done with it.

'You picked a good day to visit,' said Germán. 'It's gumbo day. Have you ever had gumbo before?'

'I'm from New Orleans. So yes,' said Sofia.

'You're from here. What neighbourhood?' asked Eva.

'Um. Bywater,' said Sofia. 'But I'm not originally from here. I've moved around a lot.'

'Where are you from originally?' asked Germán.

'New York - Brooklyn,' said Sofia. 'But I've also lived in Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Tampa, Jackson, and Topeka.'

'Ah Kansas!' said Germán excitedly. 'You'd get along with Emily - she's from Kansas.'

'Maybe. I don't know.' Sofia shrugged.

'Germán and I are both from Mexico,' said Eva. 'Not the same part, obviously.'

'Obviously,' said Sofia as she stood up. 'Look, it was nice meeting you both. But I should be going now.'

'It was nice meeting you too,' said Germán. 'Take care! There is a lot of things here that could harm you.'

'So I've noticed,' Sofia muttered to herself as she walked over to Rintrah, who was eating.

'Have you had the gumbo?' he asked.

'I don't want the gumbo,' said Sofia. 'I'm confused by all this. And I hate it. I don't know what's going on. Or who you are. Or where I am. And my aunt died last night and as far as I was aware until then I was an orphan!'

'You're an orphan?' asked a short, pudgy boy carrying a tray. 'Me too. Hey, I'm Calvin. Nice to have something in common with someone here.'

Sofia nodded sympathetically to the boy, Calvin, and then turned to Rintrah.

'Calvin, Sofia isn't a student here, she's my guest,' said Rintrah.

'Can she still eat with us?' asked Calvin.

'I've already eaten,' said Sofia curtly. 'Rintrah. Can we go? I want to go.'

'Of course,' said Rintrah as he stood up 'Where to?'

'Out. I want to get out of here,' said Sofia. She was overwhelmed with the entire situation and was beginning to panic.

'Yes, of course,' said Rintrah. 'Come on.' He put his hand on Sofia's shoulder and led her out of the cafeteria.

Sofia was breathing heavily and she could feel her heart beating rapidly. She was close to crying by the time she made it outside. She sat down on the steps and Rintrah sat down next to her.

'Are you -'

Rintrah didn't even get to finish his sentence as Sofia burst into tears. Everything and everyone was getting to her. She was upset, annoyed, and absolutely, utterly terrified.

Rintrah didn't comfort Sofia. He didn't think, as practically a stranger to her, he was best suited to comfort her.

'Are you okay?'

Sofia wiped her eyes and looked up to see a…

Frost Giant?

'Yeah,' she said, shocked out of her crying. 'I-I'm fine.'

'Mr Rintrah?'

Rintrah nodded. 'She's overwhelmed.'

'It is overwhelming here,' said the Frost Giant.. 'But you'll get used to it. Everyone here is nice.'

Sofia just nodded.

The Frost Giant smiled at Sofia and gave her a nod of acknowledgment before walking away.

'Sofia,' said Rintrah. 'Are you feeling any better now with fresh air?'

Sofia shrugged. 'I… I don't know. Why was there a Frost Giant? What's going on?'

'Oh that was Gus. He's a student here.'

'See, I don't understand anything.'

'It's okay. Your emotions are all well and valid. Truly, they are. I know well the difficulties of coming into a place and relationships are well established. When I first arrived at the Sanctum Sanctorum, I -'

'Oh shut your hairy green mouth,' Sofia snapped. She stood up. 'You don't understand what it's like being me! The one person I was brought up by is dead! She was the only person who ever truly loved me! She raised me! She did this because my parents were dead and now I'm being told they weren't even dead in the first place! What in the ever loving fuck am I supposed to believe, minotaur man? Do I trust you, a complete and utter stranger, or do I trust the woman I knew my whole life - who'd never lied to me before?'

Sofia went down the steps. 'You say you're the good guy, but how am I supposed to believe that when you have a demon and a Frost Giant here? I'm starting to think you're the bad guy!' She narrowed her eyes.

Rintrah stood up. 'Sofia. Please calm down,' he said as casually as possible. The last thing he wanted to do was further alarm an already traumatised teenage girl. 'We can discuss this calmly.'

Sofia quickly got her fingers in position and, realising she was going to use magic against him, Rintrah followed.

'Shield of the Seraphim!'

'Bolts of Balthakk!'

Both Sofia and Rintrah both called out at the same time.

As an orange shield with intricate runes appeared in front of Rintrah, blue lightning bolts erupted from Sofia's fingertips.

'Sofia, please. I do not wish to fight you. Your father is one of my closest friends,' said Rintrah.

'Why won't you take me to him?!' Sofia asked. 'You can't! You're lying! You're lying!'

'Sofia, I -'

'Flames of the Faltine!' She shouted. Orange flame came from her hands.

Rintrah strained, trying his hardest to keep up the shield, but Sofia's magic was extremely powerful.

'Hey! You - girl! Stop it!'

A guy in a school uniform ran over to Sofia and grabbed her arm. At least Sofia thought it was a guy. He seemed to be made of flame and radiated magical energy.

'What the hell?' Sofia asked. Distracted from her spell, the flames stopped and an exhausted Rintrah collapsed to his knees.

'I could ask you the same question,' said the flame guy. 'That was the Flames of the Faltine. Where did you get that? And how is it so powerful?'

'I… don't know,' Sofia admitted. 'I just… I've always been able to-to channel it. Make it do what I want.'

'But you're human.'

'Yeah.'

'That shouldn't be possible.'

'Doyle, leave her alone,' said a girl with brown hair, wearing a blue pair of headphones around her neck. 'She's just magic. Like us. Or else she wouldn't be here.'

'I'm not a student,' said Sofia. 'Just visiting.'

'It'd be a lot better if you were a student here,' said the flame guy, now identified as Doyle. 'But seriously. How are you so powerful with the Flames of the - you're not even Faltine, like me. You're… I just don't get it.'

Sofia shrugged. 'I don't know.'

'I think I do,' said Rintrah, pulling himself to his feet.

'Are you alright, Mr Rintrah?' asked the girl.

'I'm just fine, Emily, thank you,' said Rintrah. 'I earnestly appreciate your concern.'

The girl, Emily, reached out for Doyle's hand and squeezed it. 'If you're sure, Sir.'

Rintrah nodded. 'I'm sure. You two should be getting to the cafeteria for lunch now.' He turned to Sofia. 'And as for you, Sofia, you should come with me. It's time for you to meet your parents.'

Rintrah led Sofia down an unfamiliar hallway and to an unfamiliar area, that Sofia guessed was an office. Sitting outside, were two teenage boys that looked identical to one another, only one had messy blonde hair and a more casual look about him, while the other had his blonde hair in a man bun, wore glasses, and had an overall more formal look.

'What are you here for?' asked the messy hair boy.

'What?' asked Sofia.

'You're here outside the office of the principal having been escorted by a teacher. So what did you do?'

'Nothing,' said Sofia.

'Come on, Iric.' Glasses boy rolled his eyes. 'We've never seen her before. Therefore, she must be enrolling.'

'Sofia is a guest. She is visiting,' said Rintrah.

'Oh. She's enrolling next semester,' said messy boy - Iric.

'No,' said Sofia. 'Just visiting.'

'Huh,' said glasses boy. 'Well, my name is Alvi and this is my brother Iric. It's nice to meet you -'

The door to the office creaked open and a man emerged at the door. He had dark skin and dreadlocks - black hair except the white at the top. On his forehead was a symbol that looked like the letter V in a circle - a tattoo, maybe? He was wearing mostly black, but had a red waistcoat and tie, and a grey shirt, and he was carrying a staff. Sofia recognised him as one of the people who saved her last night, but she didn't get his name.

'Sofia. Please come in,' he said. 'You too, Rintrah.' He stepped aside to let them in his office.

Despite her apprehension, Sofia crossed the threshold into his office, and Rintrah followed.

Inside, the office looked like a typical principal's office. Except for some magical artefacts. There were three other people in the office - a man wearing a blue tunic, a yellow sash, and a red cloak. He had black hair and white at his temples. Sofia had seen him before, earlier, when Rintrah showed her his portrait. This was the Sorcerer Supreme and founder of the school, Stephen Strange.

'Rintrah. It's good to see you, old friend,' he said.

'Likewise,' said Rintrah, 'Master.'

The second person, Sofia recognised as another one of her saviours, Zelma Stanton. She was wearing a Nirvana t-shirt, a skirt and leggings, and a beanie hat. Zelma gave Sofia a small wave.

The third person, Sofia did not recognise. She had white hair and was wearing a lilac leotard with silver and dark purple circles all over. She was also wearing dark purple boots and a single lilac glove - the other hand was bandaged up.

The man closed the door. 'My name is Jericho Drumm, or Doctor Voodoo. You may call me either. Do you know why you're here, Sofia?'

'It's got something to do with these people,' Sofia said. 'You're admitting me into Hogwarts? Don't you have owls for that?'

'Sofia,' said Jericho, taking a serious tone. 'It's important you understand what is happening.'

'What is happening?' asked Sofia.

'This is Dr Stephen Strange. He is the Sorcerer Supreme of the Earth Dimension,' said Jericho, gesturing to the other man. 'And this is Clea Strange. She is the Sorcerer Supreme of the Dark Dimension.' He gestured to the woman in the leotard.

'You're married?' asked Sofia.

'Yes,' said Clea. 'But we're separated and we have been for a few years.'

Sofia nodded. 'Okay. What does this meeting thing have to do with me?'

'Sofia…' said Stephen.

'I'm your mother,' said Clea.

'And I'm your father,' said Stephen.

Okay. I couldn't not have a chapter set at Strange Academy and not include the characters, even as cameos. In order, we have;
Zoe Laveau
Despair "Dessy"
Shaylee Moonpeddle
Toth
Howie
Heidi
Germán Aguilar
Eva Quintero
Calvin Morse
Guslaug "Gus"
Doyle Dormammu
Emily Bright
And Alvi and Iric Brorson.
Yes that does make Sofia and Doyle cousins once removed.
Stephen Sanders. That's a complicated one to explain, but yes, he did use that name in the comics. For around twenty years.
Clea's f-bomb - it just felt right.
When Sofia gives her name, it's spelled as Sophia - this was intentional. Her given name is Sofia Strange, but her assumed name is Sophia Sanders. Another reason Tony Stark couldn't find her in the previous chapter.