Disclaimer: Inuyasha and Harry Potter belong to their respective authors/owners.

A/N: Busy and/or unmotivated due to personal issues. But a belated Happy Chinese New Year and Valentines! (to anyone who hasn't read my A/N in 'Worth it')

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To the anonymous V.C. West: XD I'm flattered, thank you! :) I thought that since Kagome hasn't had much experience with lying/acting (that's Miroku's area), she's probably have to base it on something that she was familiar with. As for the Kagome/Tom interactions, I wanted it to be a bit different from 'Just a Riddle Away', where in this story Kagome has less experience and is more cautious/aware of Tom. Ah, well, when had love ever been logical? You mentioned I could give you a shout, well, think I'll be needing a hand round about now...since I've spotted the plot bunny, but it's been guarded by possessive dust bunnies. Yeah, it's a reflection of my current situation.

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I use 'Dane' when addressing Kagome as the guy and 'Katherine' when Tom is referring to Kagome the girl. If that's still confusing, please send me suggestions on how to make it not/less confusing. Thanks.

Like Magic and Mice

-Chapter 3-

..:III:..

It didn't take much effort for Tom to hijack enough clothes to disguise Katherine. The smaller clothes were from a few boys, who Tom felt that they owed him anyway, plus one of his old robes and Dane should be almost complete. The hair would need tying back or Dane would appear too feminine and she'd have to learn how to walk more like a guy but otherwise, one goal done.

Tom had already hinted to Mrs. Coles that he had thoughts about getting a summer job and staying elsewhere during the holidays. He hadn't actually intended it to be this year but then the girl showed up. At least his decision wouldn't seem abrupt and maybe he could persuade the matron to give him some spending money...

A hesitant knock interrupted his thoughts. Tom pushed himself from his leaning position on the opposite wall and opened the door to his room.

Surprise. Everything added together to give an illusion of a fair-featured boy, even better than Tom had expected. Most of her hair was pulled back into a low tail, while her fringe was loosely brushed to one side and the overall effect brought attention to her determined blue eyes like he had recommended. As for the clothes, they did their job of hiding her feminine body while not being too baggy or distasteful. To give the final touch, she stood straight and tall, her head tilted back and wore a slight scowl that made the picture all the more believable.

"I hate these bindings." She had also thought to lower her voice slightly.

"It's a sacrifice you'll just have to adapt to, but looking good," Tom nodded with approval as he entered and shut the door, "let's see your walk."

Dane did as told, walking a bit awkwardly at first but then with firmer steps. The arms and hips eventually moved less, while the legs stepped forward in longer, steady and purposefully strides. The overall posture gave an impression of a male who held a casual confidence but could hold their ground. It seemed to fit Dane's character; Tom had half-expected that Katherine would only appear meek and lost.

"Now you just have to remember to apply all this."

"I know, but I'm hoping the 'avoid attention' part of the plan will hold so that no one will notice when I slip," Katherine returned.

"If," Tom instantly corrected. Dane only shrugged his slightly broader (than Katherine's) shoulders, probably due to some sort of padding.

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Dane followed Tom quickly and quietly through old London. The city didn't look as miserable as depicted in the pictures of history books but to make up for it, the miko could feel the stiff tension in everyone's posture. Men walked swiftly with hunched shoulders, hurrying from one place to another while the women only traveled in pairs or more. The children littered in corners and alleyways sat huddled against the wall and watched passersby with hungry eyes. Kagome wanted to help them, but she had nothing to give.

Meanwhile Tom continued on with a blank face and a steady stride. Their destination wasn't very far and he had wanted to look around and make a few inquires before actually going through with their plan. Before they had set off, Tom had asked if Kagome had any useful skills that would help her get a job. Immediately the miko thought of her ability to detect things that most people missed, like the shards or incredibly fine hair, but she didn't know if there were similar objects in the Western world and so had timidly replied that they'd just have to wait and see.

...

Kagome followed Tom to an unusual inn called 'The Leaky Cauldron'. The sign on the outside had a silhouette of a witch brewing something in a cauldron but otherwise the entrance appeared dull and bleak. Passersby seemed to increase their pace as they neared the place, hurrying away while stubbornly refusing to even glance at the inn. The miko shrugged it off and entered.

Even with the time period being somewhere around World War II, Kagome still thought that the interior looked even more old-fashioned but perhaps that was the chosen decor. There were a few customers scattered around the place but she doubted that the atmosphere would've been any different from an empty inn. The mood was depressing and their black robes did nothing to cheer things up.

Tom tugged at her arm and spared her a meaningful look. She blushed, suddenly reminded of their disguises and plans to blend in. She hoped that no one noticed her curiousity and glancing around. The possibility was low and at least Tom had caught her now and not later. Kagome quickly masked her ignorance, very glad that she hadn't sprouted off any questions yet.

They exited the inn and finally arrived at a dead-end. Kagome was very surprised to see that the place hadn't been claimed by any homeless people. Then again, the miko was sure that she had felt a gentle barrier around the area with soft touches of reminders to turn her away. Except that Kagome was stuck in an unfamiliar place and time with little possibility of getting to any of her usual appointments. Except that she was following Tom whose mere presence was commanding enough that few would or could disagree with him. Except that she had a determined mind and wasn't simply going to drop things and run. So the girl kept quiet and only watched silently as Tom pulled out a stick and tapped the bricks in a well-practised pattern.

The bricks jerked, tumbled and opened to reveal a portal to a strange place. Everything, from the buildings' appearances to the people, seemed to reflect the inn's style. She caught glimpses of unusual merchandise and heard snippets of unfamiliar conversation. The miko suddenly felt very small and alienated.

"Stay close to me," Tom urged before setting foot into the odd realm. Kagome responded by clutching onto his arm which made him glance back with an unreadable expression before returning his focus ahead. With every step further in, she unconsciously moved closer and closer to Tom until he whispered curtly, "Plan." Kagome had completely forgotten about the plan, yet again. Dane quickly composed himself and moved a little away from Tom but still discreetly held onto the sleeve of his robe.

"Dane, see any possible jobs yet?" Tom asked casually.

"No," Dane replied softly but in a slightly less feminine tone, "What about you?"

He shrugged, "I'm keeping my options open until we find you one."

"Okay."

They kept walking until the miko felt something spark in the distance, something...bad. Feeling curious and obliged to inspect the occurrence, Dane nudged Tom toward its direction. He complied easily. Suddenly there were successive spikes, with the sensation going from bad to 'very'. So she increased the pace until Tom was the one who had to hold on before Dane completely slipped away.

...

Kagome didn't take notice of the surroundings. The miko was focused on the looming negative sensation emitting from a shiny gold ring. The small cloud of darkness around the ring was pulsing and growing, making the wearer cradle his wrist in increasing agony.

The miko frowned, pressed her lips together in concentration and stepped forward. She grabbed onto the hand with the ring and slapped the other hand away when it reached to interfere. When the cloud moved to stop her, she slapped that away too.

"Idiot," Kagome spared a curse as she studied the ring. The darkness didn't leave with her touch so it must be one of the more complicated curses. However, she did recognise some of the design etched in writhing black. The miko traced the counter and sent the pink emitting from her fingers into the ring. Instantly the trail of pink overwhelmed the black etching, the cloud of darkness was sucked back into the ring and then shattered. All that was left was a small pile of ashes and a distinctive red burn where the ring had been worn.

Now that there wasn't an active curse to worry about, the miko fixed the wearer a smouldering glare.

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The glare that Katherine gave the man was impressive. Right then, her eyes looked more like sapphires. They were hard, glittering and beautiful.

"You idiot..." She spoke with an even calm that sent the man shivers and Tom a barely suppressed smirk. "You obtained that ring through illegitimate means, which activated its curse. So, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Tom quickly surveyed the surroundings. They had attracted a crowd in front of the pawnshop in Knockturn Alley. Although he had aimed for Dane to avoid attention, Tom was pleasantly surprised at Katherine's ability and was going to use it to his advantage.

He stepped forward to address the cowering man, "First, perhaps you should thank Dane for the rescue. Our time is not free."

The middle-aged man stuttered out an apology, shoved a small leather bag in Dane's hands and then hurried off. Dane's frown resurfaced.

"Something wrong, Mr. Dane?" An old man who was been behind the counter of the pawn shop asked neutrally. Mister Dane now...perhaps their job problems weren't going to be as problematic as he had thought.

"More in here," Dane lifted up the bag in question. There wasn't even a need to investigate the contents, which brought up Dane's skill in the eyes of everyone watching.

As the crowd slowly dispersed, with a few still lingering to wait and watch, the owner motioned them to approach the counter. "You both seem like capable young men, how about you work for me?"

Tom mentally grinned as his predictions were confirmed but he maintained his cool facade, "That's very generous of you, sir, but would we be qualified?"

"Well, why don't you clue me in on what you can do? Everything else you can learn."

So the half-brothers Tom and Dane were hired. Tom could also detect Dark objects but he had no experience in removing curses, which would be left to Dane. Instead, Tom had an inquisitive eye and would be trained by the owner to handle most of the buying and selling. Meanwhile Dane would maintain the stocking and delicate cleaning when there were no customers looking to remove or identify curses. Although Dane hadn't mastered the skill, his ability was already far above the average magical citizen.

As for their lodgings, Tom slyly maneuvered the owner to allow them a small room above the shop. The place had been a storage room for obviously dangerous objects, which the owner had left there as bait to severely punish the few who thought they could steal from him. Otherwise, the room and its content were left to collect dust. But now the owner had Dane, so the curses of most objects could be removed and sold at high prices. That pleased him enough to magically clean the room and conjure two beds for the boys. So all Tom and Dane had to do was bring their possessions.

Of course, Tom would be stopping by to buy another wand from one of the shops in Knockturn Alley. He wasn't going to risk being defenseless or even appear defenseless in the more dangerous parts of the town. That would also allow him to perform magic outside of the school period without being expelled. Katherine looked like she could handle herself quite well but Tom still maintained the decision to stay close by. If she had any other ability, he might be able to witness them.

The pay, learning experience and easy acceptance drummed a growing satisfaction in Tom. Yes, keeping Katherine by his side was a good idea.

..:III:..

A/N: Poll on profile page: Who should more of an appearance in 'Just a Riddle Away'?

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Thank you,

Airily