Magic Reveal
A character's hidden magic is finally exposed — by accident, by sacrifice, or by choice — and the story reckons with everyone who was lied to. The defining trope of BBC Merlin fandom, where Merlin's secret from Arthur powered a decade of fic, though it appears wherever magic must be hidden.
What is Magic Reveal in fanfiction?
A character's hidden magic is finally exposed — by accident, by sacrifice, or by choice — and the story reckons with everyone who was lied to. The defining trope of BBC Merlin fandom, where Merlin's secret from Arthur powered a decade of fic, though it appears wherever magic must be hidden. With over 20,000 works on Archive of Our Own, Magic Reveal is one of the most beloved tropes in fanfiction.
Why readers love Magic Reveal
Years of secrecy compress into one detonating moment, and readers love both the catharsis of the truth and the messy fallout of trust rebuilt or broken.
Examples of Magic Reveal
Merlin revealing his magic by stopping a blade meant for Arthur, or a hidden witch caught mid-spell by the one person they most needed never to know.
Best Magic Reveal Fanfics
The highest-rated Magic Reveal stories across all fandoms on AO3.
When Hope Withers
by Trialbyname
“𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘳, 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬!” No… he had been in it. “𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘯? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵?” He had been in it. He was sure of that. “𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘢, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦.” And he had not been alone. “𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘺�
The Eternity of Life
by DragonTraining101
Merlin attempts to take his own life, but instead sets in motion a series of events the gods did not plan for. The gods are now scrambling to force a new prophecy. Faces from the past and present blur together as Merlin tries to save the world he wanted to leave.
Recipe for Disaster
by reclaiming_erebor
“Gwen is dead and to our knowledge, Arthur has no living relations. There is nobody to claim the throne. Not legitimately, at least. That makes Camelot vulnerable to outside attacks from people who want to take the throne. There’s going to be people from within the kingdom fighting amongst themselve
The Weight of What He Carries
by KillingButterlies88745
When Arthur starts sensing magic, he assumes the worst. After all, magic is evil. Magic destroys kingdoms. Magic killed his mother. At least, that's what he's always been told. But as Merlin helps him investigate the truth behind his strange new ability, Arthur begins to realise that magic, and perh
space and time takes violent things, angry things, and makes them kind
by fromfriendstothis
Arthur had been saved by Merlin.By Merlin, by Dragoon, by the man on the mountain.By magic.Merlin's magic, apparently.
I’ll walk after the fog settles
by The_sleppy1
Merlin was in a rush to pack his and Arthur’s bags after they left the court meeting. His mind was running at a million miles a minute. Not only did Uther just announce that Arthur and the knight had a quest but they needed to go find one of the most dangerous magic users to complete said quest. Or
Who is going to defend you?
by Secret_rose1
“You defended a Pendragon! Who is going to defend you?”[...]"I will." orWhat if fate was a person? What if the prophesy of Arthur's death, was not destiny but a choice. And what if Camlann was never meant to be the fatal battle.orBasically what would happen if the real danger for Camelot had appeare
A Legend that Begins With a Crush
by Clearwater96
Arthur Pendragon and Merlin were literally from two different worlds. One is a prince from a great kingdom and the other a common farm boy from the next kingdom over. These two should have never met.But that was before they realized their parents were once friends and arranged the two of them to mar
The new round table
Completeby Jxck_h
Merlyn is the ward of Uther Pendragon. Arthur Pendragon and Merlyn are chaotic siblings and Sir Leon being a tired older brother. If Leon, first knight of Kamalot and soul mate of two Pendragons, had been told in advance how chaotic his life would be, he probably would have laughed or fled. It all b
You should Never have let me Believe
by Heyup_bro
PLEASE READ THE TAGS!! I will make sure to put warnings on each chapter so you can try skip the violence but please still beware. ✧*̣̩⋆̩☽⋆༉‧₊˚✧ When the round table crew get captured by a vengeful noble while on a hunt, things quickly turn sour with their captors and Merlin is forced to choose betwe
Prince of Enchanters
by RenaRougeS23
In the land of Camelot, Prince Merlin has a deadly secret. Merlin, the son of a magic-hating king, has magic itself. For Merlin, there's only one reason for it: to protect his family. But Merlin, his brother Arthur, and his foster sister Morgana face many challenges, ranging from assassins to goblin
No matter what happens
by Eez_fan_works
“If you so much as touch us, Emrys will-“ Merlin's heart nearly stops.“Emrys?” The king cuts off in turn, confusion in his voice.“He’s only the embodiment of magic, last of the dragon lords, and is the most powerful warlock that has ever roamed the earth.” There is only silence as the girl's words h
the knife's edge
Completeby bi_focal
"Tell me it was Lancelot who felled the beast." Arthur's voice is unwavering but Merlin feels in his soul that he is begging. "Arthur," Merlin entreats, hands flattening and curling restlessly against the desk in front of him, shifting forward in his chair. "I- the griffin-" "Yes or no," Arthur seet
touch my ribs, torch them
by writerplayground
uther earns the anger of a goddess, and as usual, arthur pays the price and merlin loses his mind trying to protect him. this does not stop morgana from treason and gwen from sweet talking her way into the journey. [ a rewrite of 'human once again' - f i r s t d r a f t }
Like I lived my whole life before the first light
by Once_Im_Reborn
Something was wrong. Not the “the world is ending, and we’re all going to die” sort of wrong, but an odd, humming some kind of wrong that Merlin could feel threading through the halls of Camelot like an intruder. He reached out with his magic more than once, trying to taste the disturbance, but noth
Always the Past Controls Your Mind
by aNerdyWhovian
When Gwen returns from her disappearance, something is clearly wrong, worse than the trap set by Morgana and Morgause. For Arthur, this is a mission to protect his love. However, for Merlin, it's a reminder of his life long before Camelot. One he hoped he'd never have to relive.
Right Stick, Wrong End
Completeby thisisforyou
Gwaine laughs so hard he needs to sit down, landing heavily on the rickety chair in his chamber, and then so hard that he actually can't breathe and he's momentarily afraid he might die from it. "Well," he says when he's recovered enough to speak. "Our King has finally managed to get hold of the rig
Eye-fucking across a round table
by TheElizaRoza
Eye fucking: to stare at someone with nefariously explicit intent and for them to do it back is a bonus. Arthur Pendragon has a problem. He cannot stop staring at Merlin. At first he blames the fact that his servant is irritating, mysterious, and seemingly incapable of acting like a normal person. T
Dark World Acadæmia
by xXWolf_Boy_EMOXx
This fantfiction takes place in an alternate reality where the school in hometown is actually a school for magical abilitys, that only monsters have. Kris is (one) of the only human's here and stands out for their they cant do magic.. until one faceful day. (And no its not hogwarts :¬. Fuck jk brown
Worth the wish?
Completeby someLokivariant
No summary provided.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many Magic Reveal fics are on AO3?
There are over 20,000 works tagged with Magic Reveal on Archive of Our Own.
What fandoms have the most Magic Reveal stories?
Popular fandoms for Magic Reveal include Harry Potter, Merlin BBC, The Owl House.
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