Feeling both confused and unsettled about the entire demon-hunting conversation, Magnus allowed himself to be distracted by the piece of cookie that Alec offered to him. It was a small gesture, yet it made him break into a smile that took the place of the pensive frown he'd previously been wearing. "Thank you, dear," he said softly to show his gratitude without interrupting the flow of conversation.

"If magic only exists in stories," he said, lifting a hand and stirring the spoon in his cup merely by twirling a finger through the air a few inches above it, "Then clearly, at least some of the stories are true. The ones involving magic, for starters." He made to say more, but Clary's outburst startled him into silence. His concentration gone, the spoon handle bent itself in half and sank below the surface of his tea. Slouching down in his chair, he pushed the cup aside.

Seeing the shadow of doubt in Alec's eyes, Magnus reached out to rest a hand on his shoulder. "There's still a lot to process, and even more that no one at this table knows. We may remember sooner or later, but for now, perhaps we shouldn't strain ourselves to answer every question in one night."