Rated for language, violence, and mild sexual references.
Disclaimer: If you recognize any names, terms, or concepts, that's because they are not mine.
CHAPTER 7 - Excursion and Empathy
Harry opted not to go to work the next day, which admittedly had something to do with how he didn't wake up until two o'clock in the afternoon. He woke up slowly, relishing the feel of his bed and stretching luxuriously. He hoisted himself up, took a very long and very hot shower, and ordered some take-out for lunch.
As he sat waiting for his food to arrive, he tore open the letters from Ron and Hermione, and Andromeda. He read Ron and Hermione's first, grinning widely and somewhat disbelievingly at the news that Ginny had been invited to join the Holyhead Harpies reserve and that George was apparently going steady with Angelina Johnson. Ron had graduated to a full Auror with Neville as his assigned partner, and Hermione was now a personal assistant to the director of the Office for House-Elf Relocation in the Being Division of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. She was making waves there, apparently, encouraging the elves who came through to select their own assignments and pushing her superiors to pass legislation requiring payment for them. Harry snickered to himself. Let the rest of the world take on S.P.E.W., see how they manage.
Andromeda's letter was full of tuts and tongue clicks and passive aggressive guilt tripping. Teddy's new training broom was just lovely, dear, thank you for buying him such an…exciting gift with absolutely no expectations attached at all, and oh, Teddy's been asking about you, but it's quite alright, dear, I know you're quite busy not feeding yourself. He snickered at her tone, and smiled a bit as he read the post-script, which stated rather imperiously that they would be visiting to inspect his apartment in the middle of May.
He stood up when he heard a knock at the door, eager to eat. He was simultaneously disappointed and pleased to see Ryou in place of the delivery boy. The other man offered him a bright smile.
"Good afternoon, Harry-san. Yugi-kun mentioned that you didn't look well yesterday, but you seem fine now!"
"Ha, well, I only woke up a few minutes ago. Um, did Bakura tell you about everything?"
"Yes, he told me about the unfortunate end, too. I'm sorry you couldn't find anything."
"Yeah, me too… Hey, look, I've just ordered some take-out, so we can't go now, but I was wondering if you'd like to see the magical district in Tokyo?" Harry asked on a whim. He didn't particularly want to think about the hunt at the moment, and he'd been meaning to make the offer. The sooner he could introduce the magical world to the shadow users, the sooner he could introduce them to the magical world.
Ryou's eyes grew huge. "Oh, really? I'd love too! Um, did you mean just us, or…?"
"Ah, no, I mean, put the word out. Whoever wants to come is welcome. Say we meet at the game shop at 3:30?" Ryou nodded excitedly, and they chatted in Harry's doorway until his take-out showed up. He waved Ryou and the pimply pizza boy off, then settled in to waste an hour.
Harry stepped into the shop an hour and a half later and was immediately greeted by whoops and calls from at least eight people. Sweet Circe, looks like everyone showed up. Atem, Yugi, Anzu and Honda were all crowded behind the counter, upon which were seated Marik, Bakura, and Otogi. Jounouchi and Mai were leaning against the wall beside the front door. Even Isis was there, standing beside Sugoroku and Ryou.
"Er, wow. I… didn't quite expect a turnout like this," Harry stammered out.
"Heh, come on, Harry, like I would turn down the chance to spend time with you," Otogi winked, and then gasped, wincing. Harry couldn't quite tell from his angle, but it looked like Bakura had just elbowed him sharply in the ribs.
"Um. Okay. Well, before we go, there's a few issues we need to cover. First is clothes. 'S not that uncommon for wizards to wear t-shirts and jeans, but for the most part wizards have really different fashion compared to muggles. It's probably best if you guys don't stand out, or it's gonna seem like I'm running some kind of magical world tour for muggles. Which is, you know, very illegal. So, robes for everyone," he said, pulling out his wand. "What colors d'you guys want?"
"Jeez, do wizards even have to spend money on anything, if they can just pop this stuff out of nothing…?" Jou muttered, slipping on his dark blue robe. Beside him, Mai was sticking her arm through the sleeve of her feminine-cut amethyst robe, her nose wrinkled in distaste and a small frown building between her brows.
Harry shook his head. "No, these are just conjured, they won't last. These should be good for about two weeks. We have to make stuff from raw materials and buy it just like muggles. 'Less you're really powerful, I guess. Some wizards could make their conjurations last for years," he said, putting on his own black robe, summoned from his trunk, rather than conjured.
Isis hummed thoughtfully as she examined the cream-colored robe Harry had handed her. "Is it possible to magically alter pre-existing items to make them better? Such as you did with these."
"That's called transfiguration, but you can't really do that with clothes. Most magical tailors enchant their stuff to be resistant to altering charms so people don't buy cheap things and transfigure it into better things. Not that transfigurations are permanent or anything, but a lot of people would find it worth the effort to keep charming stuff just to save money," Harry answered, eyeing Honda's forest green robe critically before taking two inches off the hem.
He turned his attention to the others hanging around the counter and snickered at Atem and Yugi's identical disgruntled expressions. "Would you guys prefer leather?" At their frantic nods, he made the appropriate transfiguration. Otogi was plucking at the fit of his black robe, apparently satisfied with the way it hugged his shoulders and waist, and Anzu was spinning in her baby blue one. Ryou and Marik were examining each other's cerulean and dark purple robes. Harry staunchly ignored how well Bakura's rust red robe suited him.
"You said there were other issues?" Marik prompted. Harry nodded.
"Mm. Transportation. I was going to Apparate- "
"Fuck no," Bakura interrupted with a furious snarl. Harry shot him a scathing look.
"But. I think there are too many of you for that. I'm going to make a portkey, instead," he finished, pulling out the Elder wand. His holly wand would unfortunately not be able to do this – it was quite illegal to make a personal portkey without official permission, and there was a whole division of the Department of Magical Transportation dedicated to tracking the unique, highly distinct magical signatures left by illegal Portus charms. If he used the Elder wand, however, he could supersede those tracking spells and the creation of his portkey would go unnoticed.
He looked around for a moment, before his eyes settled on Mai's purple jacket, which she had had to remove to wear the robe. "I promise I won't hurt it," he added reassuringly when she eyed him suspiciously. He tapped it with a murmured Portus and watched as it glowed faintly blue for a moment.
"Right, everyone, grab hold. This'll transport us to an alley next to the entrance to the Ministry." They all stepped forward to touch the jacket, Bakura with distinct caution. Harry counted down the seconds three, two, one… before he felt the sudden hook behind his naval and the world disappeared in a whirl of color. Wait for it, wait for it… There! Harry let go just before they appeared in the alley, allowing him to land on his feet instead of in a crumpled heap on the ground. Rather like the shadow mages just had, he snickered.
"Alright?" he asked amusedly over a chorus of groans (and caustic curses from Bakura, damning all magical transportation to the Shadow Realm). "We're just outside now, but remember not to stare around too obviously." Harry moved to the back of the alley and tapped a musical pattern on the four trash bins lined up against the back wall. He heard several awed exclamations as the dirty concrete wall drew aside like curtains, revealing the brilliantly colorful Maho-Chome. He stepped through, followed by his wide-eyed, gaping entourage.
"Well, here we are. Anything you guys want to see in particular, or just, you know wander a bit? Keep in mind I'm not terribly familiar with this magical district."
"I really want to see the bank! You said before that magical banks are run by goblins right? That's so cool!" Yugi exclaimed. Harry winced. That was precisely the last place he ever wanted to go, and they had to ask for it first.
"Er, sorry, but I can't really go there. Um, I can show you where it is though, if you like," Harry said, hoping desperately they wouldn't ask why, but knowing it was a more than futile wish. The question came immediately.
"Why can't you go to the bank, Harry-san?" Ryou frowned. Harry shrugged, uncomfortable.
"I am… not what you'd call a friend of the goblin nation. Can't say for sure what they think of me in Japan, but based on their attitude back in the UK, I didn't think it was worth it to risk provoking the same response here."
"Um. And what exactly would they do to you back in Britain?"
"They'd definitely kill me immediately on sight if I stepped foot in the bank there," Harry replied, voice deadpan. He hoped they'd all take that as a wild exaggeration, rather than a promise.
Honda snorted. "What, did you rob them or something?"
Jounouchi snickered. "Or maybe he knocked up the bank manager's daughter."
Anzu knocked them both on the head. "You guys, don't be so insulting. Harry-san would never do either of those things!"
"Erm. Yeah, right," he laughed a bit awkwardly. "I, um. I just insulted them pretty badly a few years ago, and goblins are pretty notorious for holding grudges, is all," he said. It wasn't a total lie, after all.
"Perhaps we should just walk around, then," Isis murmured. "I am anxious to see what sort of stores are common fare among the magical community." Harry nodded, eager to divert attention from his crimes against the goblin nation.
They continued slowly down the street, chatting and gasping and asking Harry questions. He noted with amusement that as struck by the wizarding world as they were, the other shoppers were equally struck by their strange, colorful band. Atem and Yugi were drawing at least half of all attention, with their ridiculous hair and leather robes. Harry was absurdly grateful to their odd sense of fashion; with everyone focused on them, they weren't paying Harry and his bland, serviceable robes any attention.
In such a large group, interests quickly diverged. After agreeing to meet in front of the bank in two hours (which was one of the most recognizable buildings on the street, with its massive gold-filigreed steel doors and the strange, twisting spire that rose from the roof), they split ways. Bakura disappeared almost immediately into the crowd, but not before Harry saw him eyeing the bank with interest. Anzu and Mai were insistently pushing towards the first boutique they saw, boyfriends caught tight in their well-manicured grips. Isis was instantly attracted to the street's major bookstore, Tomes of Heaven and Earth, Honda was drawn in by the Quidditch Supply Shop, and Atem and Marik were curiously examining the wares at the apothecary. That left Harry to escort Ryou and Otogi down the street, both of whom seemed more interested in window-shopping at the moment.
This general interest became laser-focused after an hour of touring the street, the second Ryou laid eyes on the magical confectioner. He snagged Otogi and Harry by the wrists and pulled them inside, following the cloying scent of hot sugar. He gasped delightedly at the colorful displays, and Otogi followed at a more sedate pace that was betrayed by the broad grin stretched across his face. Harry let his own smile appear at their excitement. He found a short stretch of unoccupied wall in the crowed store and settled back to wait for them.
While the two only seemed to become more excited as time passed, Harry was becoming rapidly worn down by the crowd and noise. He waded through a knot of teenagers over to Ryou and drew his attention away from the display of magical foreign pastries – he seemed particularly focused on the Operatic Oliebols. "I need to get out of here for a bit," he murmured quietly, then had to repeat himself as Ryou strained to hear him over the din. "I- people, you know," he finished awkwardly. Ryou gave him a small smile and nodded, and Harry pressed a bit of wizarding money into his hand, disappearing before Ryou could object. No sooner had he stepped out of the shop than Otogi was there at his elbow, sighing.
"Whew, crowded in there, huh Harry-san? How about you and I head over to that quill shop? It seemed pretty empty in there." Shit. I just wanted to be alone. Harry couldn't exactly refuse, though; that was where he was headed in the first place, as the shop was, in fact, almost entirely empty. He shrugged halfheartedly in Otogi's direction and made his way across the street stiffly, doing his best to avoid being touched by anyone. He was having a surprisingly easy time of it, he noticed after a moment. Otogi appeared to be paving the way for him through the crowd, using his own body to press others out of Harry's path.
When they reached the shop, Otogi shot him a quick grin before moving towards the only two other customers, leaving the empty back of the shop to Harry. He frowned, vaguely confused. The man hadn't even tried to flirt with him, and was even going out of his way to give Harry space; why had he followed him if not to ingratiate himself? He couldn't believe that Ryou would have told about his anxiety. Maybe Harry was just too obvious, and Otogi was both more observant and more considerate than he appeared. Harry decided it didn't matter. He had relative solitude now, and was content to wait for Ryou to finish up before they headed back to meet the others.
The white-haired man appeared twenty minutes later, fist clenched around a bag of Chroma Creampuffs, which tinted the world a variety of colors when eaten, as though looking through colored lenses. Harry accepted a treat – grinning as his world turned to shades of purple – and they set off back in the direction they had come.
As they approached the massive doors of the bank where Bakura and Atem were already waiting, a heavily armed and armored goblin guard turned his attention on Harry.
"Well, well. If it isn't a most valuable customer. Please, Master Potter, won't you step inside?" he leered, scarred lips peeled back obscenely to reveal savage teeth, glittering black eyes stabbing at him murderously. Harry took a step back. He was mildly gratified when Bakura turned his own venomous glare on the goblin, who settled back with a ferocious scowl on his sharp, leathery face.
Otogi whistled lowly. "Wow. You really weren't kidding about those goblins hating you, huh?"
Harry just shrugged, terribly uncomfortable, mentally begging the others to show up so they could leave. His wish was granted as the crowd parted a bit, revealing several familiar faces.
Honda had apparently picked up Jounouchi and Isis at some point, and Yugi was following closely behind Marik where they had just emerged from one of the side streets. Anzu and Mai appeared several minutes later, apparently having a deep discussion about the inexcusably tame state of the wizarding world's popular culture. They all offered greetings and began to expound on the incredible things they'd seen, alternately bragging to the others and bemoaning what they'd missed. Harry listened with half an ear, pleased that the outing had gone well, leading them back out to the brick alleyway so he could portkey them home.
Harry returned to work as usual the next day. Ryou had walked with him and stayed for a few hours, chatting with him about the wizarding world and about Duel Monsters. Harry had yet to summon again since the time with the Venom Cobra, but resolved to try it again later in the evening. Ryou left around lunch, when Honda showed up loudly proclaiming boredom and stayed until the end of Harry's shift. They spoke a bit, but Honda mostly just took egregious advantage of his position as 'friend of the owner's grandson' to scour the merchandise without purchasing any of it. Harry was just closing up shop, waving Honda off, when Yugi came running out of the house.
"I'm glad I caught you, Harry-kun! Grandpa wanted me to go grocery shopping tonight at that store near your place and I thought we could walk together, since we'd be going in the same direction." Harry nodded, recalling the small specialty grocery store three blocks past his apartment building. He vaguely wondered what Sugoroku wanted at Turkish Ethnic Delights, but decided it wasn't his business.
If there was one thing Harry liked about Yugi, besides his happy-go-lucky personality, it was his indomitable ability to put people at ease. The smaller man chattered happily along beside him, filling the air with pleasant conversation and not expecting reciprocation from Harry.
Harry tossed a quick goodbye over his shoulder when they approached the apartment complex, and was a bit bemused that Yugi didn't leave until Harry was at the elevator door. He shrugged it off and continued up and into his apartment.
He settled down on the couch and immediately drew out his slim stack of Duel Monsters cards, flicking through until he pulled out the Fool of Prophecy. The earlier conversation with Ryou had inspired him to try his hand at summoning again, but now that he was here about to try, Harry realized he had quite the conundrum. He had no idea how this was supposed to work. Venom Cobra had emerged before he had the chance to summon it, so now he was at a loss.
He held out the card and tried to funnel his magic the way he did with his wand, but nothing happened. He frowned a bit, then closed his eyes, expanding his senses. He stoically ignored the gray whispers drifting across his ears that he knew were unrelated to the Shadows. He concentrated more, focusing on the warm feeling emitting from the card, and was rewarded when he felt a small flicker of magic, not from the card, but from the air around it. It seemed…hungry, he decided. Like he was supposed to offer it something. He tried directing his will and focus on that hungry feeling, thinking about the Fool, thinking about the vague connection he felt to the monster, thinking about how he really just wanted to meet him, and there was a sudden smear of color across his vision.
Harry blinked against the unexpected intensity, and when his vision cleared of spots the Fool of Prophecy was standing before him, a vague smirk on his lips. Harry grinned broadly. It worked! Merlin's pants, it really worked! The monster looked quite amiable with his round cheeks and curly hair, staring alternately at Harry and around the room with unabashed curiosity.
"Hi! Thanks for coming," Harry said. The Fool nodded, uncrossing his arms from his yellow-and-green robed chest and twirling his staff in the air. "Um. Can you talk? Or, I mean…" Now that it was here, Harry wasn't quite sure what to do.
The summon shrugged yellow-clad shoulders, then shook and then nodded his head. Harry frowned, contemplating the action. "So, you can talk, just not my language?" The Fool grinned widely, pointing a finger at Harry and nodding with a jovial wink.
He skipped forward and plopped next to Harry on the couch, bouncing for a moment on the plush cushions, before grabbing Harry's cards and flipping through them. He didn't seem particularly interested in any of them, Harry noted, as he adopted a surly pout then dropped them on the couch and turned his attention back to Harry. He made an odd gesture, pinching the forefingers and thumbs of both hands together and drawing them apart, as though describing a line. It was only when the Fool pointed to his staff and then to Harry himself that he got it. He pulled out his wand and handed it over for inspection.
The Fool took it gently, turned it over in his hands before shooting Harry a mischievous smirk. He twirled the wand in a stupidly elaborate maneuver before jabbing sharply at the door, mouthing the word 'boom.' Nothing happened, and he fell back with a pout before snickering and handing the wand back to Harry. Harry grinned back and chuckled a bit, feeling quite comfortable and peaceful in the presence of the cheerful monster.
"It really is good to meet you. You'll be willing to help me out if I need it, then?" he asked. The Fool's cheerful face fell into serious, grave lines beneath laughing eyes, and he brought up a finger to tap against his chin and disguise his quivering lips. He pretended to deliberate for a moment before shrugging and grinning widely, nodding at Harry.
"Well, I didn't really have anything planned when I summoned you. Just wanted to meet you, I guess. Um. You can go, if you like," he said. The Fool's smile softened into something less mischievous and more friendly, and he reached out to pat Harry's shoulder. He puffed out his chest comically and offered a goofy salute before disappearing in a blur of yellow and green. Harry smiled, pleased with the meeting.
It was probably just the satisfaction of a successful summon, but Harry felt remarkably calm now, more than he had in a very long time.
