Author's Note: This fanfic takes place post-Quarter-Moon Convergence! I've had this idea for a while! This first update is more of a concept-piece if anything. And well, going to be working on my character voices. Hopefully it doesn't turn out too bad! Enjoy! Also yes, the title is a Harry Potter reference.

Disclaimer: I do not own Camp Camp, that belongs to Rooster Teeth.

Harrison and the Eternal Custodian

The Little Magician

Isn't magic just wonderful?

If you asked Harrison only a year ago, he would have responded with jubilant glee. He would have smiled a wide, star-dazzling grin before launching into a lengthy tangent about the stage's brilliance. Afterwards, he might have invited you to watch a card trick or eighteen. If you were lucky, you'd be bedazzled to one of his premium shows. The boy would produce fire from his hands or reveal the wallet that you could've sworn was left inside.

"What a talented little magician you have," you'd fondly compliment the boy's parents.

"Y-Yes… He is, isn't he? O-Our Harrison…" They'd nervously respond with strained smiles while observing the show. Occasionally, another child who couldn't be anyone else other than the boy's little brother would be babbling next to them. But more often than not, this other boy would perform along with his sibling as an assistant of sorts, handing the little magician his tools and props.

"Ladies and gentlemen, with me today is my awesome, amazing, best-ever in-the-world assistant, Erich! Tada!" The little magician would boast, pulling away a shimmering curtain to announce the assistant's presence. Such fun these siblings had, entrapping their audience of elementary school students and tired adults with party tricks. However, the unpolished stunts and rehearsals were reserved for their darling parents. What a wonderful family!

Yes, magic is just wonderful! It can do almost anything and everything you can imagine!

"To end off today's brilliant performance, I, Harrison the Illusionist will make my assistant… disappear!" The little magician announced, waving his hands in front of his face with an ominous air. Nervous applause chased after his line and the ever-smiling assistant stepped behind a curtain.

Magic is just wonderful until one day the little magician attempted a trick that wasn't easily reversed.

"Abracadabra!" The little magician shouted, and in one swift motion tore the curtain away to reveal empty space. Nervous applause returned with a kind of frantic force behind them, not that the boy initially noticed. "And now to bring him back! Tada!" The little magician contently nodded to himself as he brought the curtain back. Only at that time, the air seemed to thicken as the space remained void. The little magician stopped smiling.

Harrison caused Erich to vanish into thin air…

And suddenly magic isn't that wonderful.

"Okay, just make the egg disappear. Abracadabra!" Harrison called out for the eighteenth time that day while shooting his arms in front of him. He waited a few seconds before slowly inhaling. "I can do this. I can do this!" Ran through his head. "And now to return, tada!" The brunette recited and paused with bated breath. The sound of an egg cracking caused his patience to shake. He pulled the curtain away with an audible groan. "Not again…"

The broken egg shells sleeping in yolk did little to ease his mind.

Dejected, Harrison fell into a cross-legged position. As he did most days at Camp Campbell, the boy was holed up in his tiny backstage. Honestly, the space was only slightly bigger than his closet back home. But, if he didn't want Preston barging in on their tent halfway through an act, it was the only way Harrison could get some privacy.

"Okay… think positive!" Harrison tried to cheer himself up, grabbing his trusty notebook from the corner. He'd been keeping track of his progress over the Summer. So, even if he couldn't figure out how to bring Erich back when he came home, he'd have something to show his parents! "Out of eighteen eggs, nine have returned!" Harrison mumbled, using a chewed-down pencil from at least David decades ago to mark his newest trial. "That's better than last month at least…" He tried to smile only for it to morph into a painful grimace.

"Harrison, where's Erich?!" His Mother had yelled at him while his Father tore the house apart. "HARRISON, WHERE IS MY SON?!"

The boy felt the flames explode from his hand before he could squash them down. Thus, the next minute was spent frantically patting down his red stage curtains before anyone noticed. Plus, Harrison doubted the camp would buy him a new stage. Even if they could afford it which was already so many levels of unlikely.

Speaking of costs… Harrison sighed while looking over his now-empty box of eggs.

"I should probably switch to pinecones or something before David and Gwen realize I've been stealing eggs…" The boy thought, standing up. He glanced over at his disappearing act set up and felt a sliver of annoyance pulse through him. Shaking his head, Harrison exited his backstage and pondered his next steps. He glanced upwards at the blinding sun-

"T-The people at this camp will teach y-you how to control your g-g-gift…" His Father had explained one evening, shakily passing him the pamphlet. His Mother had stood away, burning holes at the dirty dishes in the sink. "Y-You'll be able to b-bring E-Erich back…"

"Halfway through Magic Camp… and I can only return a broken egg…" Harrison sighed, shaking his head clear of the memory. "Well, I could try bringing Erich back. But, if he's all broken then I don't think the hospital could fix him completely… I don't want to hurt Erich!" His mind jumped.

After a few moments of contemplation, he decided to go visit Preston at his camp.

The two weren't exactly… friends. But, they at least respected each other being both tent mates and fellow entertainers… most of the time. Harrison found the theatre kid shouting at various props on his small, circular stage. When he first arrived at camp, the magician remembered being slightly miffed about Preston having such a larger stage than him.

"-And it is thine right to-" Preston dramatically sobbed to a small sock puppet when Harrison arrived.

"Hey, Preston. What are you doing?" He politely asked, motioning to the various props.

"Oh, Harrison! Perfect timing! I've been needing an audience for my first rehearsal of Sock Puppets: Drama of the Drawer!" The energetic brunette called out, practically dragging him in front of the stage. Harrison didn't protest, relating to the need for an audience.

Once Preston finished his two-hour run-through - when did he find the time to write these things - it was about time to get lunch. The two campers strolled to the Mess Hall together.

"I can't believe it's already been a month! Camp's going to be over before we know it, Harrison! That's crazy isn't it, ISN'T IT?!" Preston shouted into his ear, causing Harrison to sightly wince and lean away.

"I mean, yeah…" He numbly nodded, mind travelling to his previous ruminations.

"Good thing there's next year!" Preston loudly hummed as they continued on their merry way. However, his words resulted in Harrison's eyes comically widening as he gaped at his tent mate.

"Has your mind been freaked? Why would you want to come back here? It's well… well, a shit hole!" The magician half yelled, half-whispered, cautiously looking around for any wandering Davids. In turn, Preston simply smirked at him.

"As a fellow performer of the people, Harrison! You should know as long as there is a stage I can PERFORM! And that is all I need!" Preston shouted, doing an exaggerated jump into the air, nearly hitting him with his arm. "And…" He purposefully drawled. "Our friends are here." The theatre-lover finished in a normal volume, catching Harrison off guard with the earnest look in his eyes.

"Oh… That's a pretty good reason…" Harrison slowly replied, forcing a small smile. He didn't really know if Preston bought it. Probably not since his whole schtick was acting. But, now the magician just had more on his metaphorical plate to think about. "Friends… right. We are all friends." He recalled, feeling a tidal wave of guilt for his earlier ranking of Preston. It was just hard to remember that when there were incidents like the Astronomy Camp fiasco…

No one defended him back then.

"But that's fine. I am over this. I am!" Harrison told himself as he and Preston waited in line for lunch. He suppressed a shiver as he presented his tray to the Quartermaster. Harrison didn't even want to think of that freaky night!

"Mashed potatoes, boy." The old man drawled while dumping said substance onto his tray. In response, the magician wordlessly walked away to take a seat next to Preston. Great, now he was thinking about that night! Harrison channelled his anger into viciously stabbing at his mashed potatoes instead of making french fries. It worked well until his spoon went too far into the white mash. Lifting the utensil upwards, Harrison's eye twitched upon seeing how he'd heated the spoon's metal to bend too far.

"Okay, I guess I'll eat today's mashed potatoes with my fork then…" The boy grumbled, calming himself down enough to not ruin another utensil.

Lunch ended early when Max's posse somehow managed to light the Mess Hall on fire - he didn't ask nor want to know - and so Harrison was at Magic Camp once more. There was a slight breeze. So, the boy chose to enjoy the nice weather while it lasted instead of hiding away backstage. He swung his legs off the front stage as his thoughts swirled around him.

"It'd be nice to come back next Summer…" Harrison inwardly admitted, his face turning glum. "But, I don't think my parents would let me come back if I don't improve much…" He continued, feeling a tablecloth of hopelessness fall over him.

The solution to his dilemma was clear: Harrison needed to learn how to bring Erich back. However, none of the 'materials' Magic Camp offered were any good in helping him. Really, practicing at the camp was no better than practicing in his room back home. The wind slowed to a sudden stop, causing the sun's rays to prickle his skin. Harrison squinted his eyes at the ground as the heatwave rolled across.

"The only time I really learned anything was during Astronomy Camp…" Harrison recalled, the image of the old man's strange book popping into his mind. "But I almost died! And the Quartermaster was fucking freaky!" The magician bemoaned, rubbing his palms down his cheeks. Harrison laid down on his back and stuffed his hands behind his head.

It appeared that the Quartermaster was the only other person at camp who knew anything about magic…

If only Harrison could learn and practice without putting his life in danger. He couldn't bring Erich back if he was dead! Well, maybe he could if his parents were right about Hell. But, Harrison wasn't too keen on meeting the devil yet…

"Wait…" He suddenly repeated aloud, an idea speaking to life in his mind. "What if I can just borrow the Quartermaster's book? Then I can safely learn magic and how to bring Erich back without risking my own personal safety! Tada!" Harrison grinned, feeling quite proud of his plan.

With his mind made up, he endeavoured to locate the Quartermaster and ask to borrow his book. However, about eighteen steps into his trek, Harrison realized he had no idea where or what the old man did at that time of day. Fortunately, David was nearby checking in on the campers so he figured he could just ask him.

"Hey, David?" The magician neutrally questioned the tall counsellor by poking him in the arm.

"Why, hello Harrison!" David cheerfully replied, emphasizing the 'o'. "What can I do for you on this wonderful day?" He piqued with his hands on his hips and a trademark smile.

"Um, do you know where the Quartermaster is…?" Harrison asked, hiding his own hands behind his back. The Quartermaster was technically one of David's employees now. So, the camp counsellor slash owner slash resident overly-cheerful nature-lover should know, right?

"The Quartermaster? Well, whatever do you need him for…?" David tilted his head with a slight frown.

"W-Well, I…" Harrison scrambled for a reasonable response. "I want to ask to borrow his creepy book of magic that he used to almost kill us during Astronomy Camp! Tada!" Didn't sound like something David would accept. "I want to… thank him… for teaching Astronomy Camp last week… yeah." The magician pasted on his performance smile for extra effect. It seemed the stars were aligned in his favour - or David was just that oblivious - that he seemed to believe his excuse at face value.

"Why that's just swell, Harrison!" David beamed. "Unfortunately, I… don't actually know what the Quartermaster gets up to at this time. But, I'm sure it'll be no issue for the two of us if we work together to find him!" The taller of the two noted, bending slightly down to wink.

"Uh… yeah." Harrison awkwardly nodded along as David led the search throughout Camp Campbell.

"So, Harrison! How has Magic Camp been since the last time we talked?" David amiably chatted as they walked.

"It's been… going. I've just been practicing my tricks more, you know?" Harrison reluctantly admitted. "Say David, did you ever get into magic as a kid?" He skilfully deflected, hoping to bait David into doing most of the talking.

Three words: It worked wonderfully.

"Why, I already told you campers about my secret fondness for…" David rambled and rambled and rambled the entire trip.

The two searched nearly the entirety of Camp Campbell. And Harrison was about to call it quits and assume the Quartermaster was doing who-knows-what in the woods until they found the old man in the Mess Hall.

"Quartermaster!" David brightly announced, grabbing the elder's attention. The old man was working away in the kitchen. He had his peeler hook on and was shovelling old potatoes into a steel pot. One of the potatoes hit the edge of the counter instead and blasted into Harrison's face. The putrid smell invaded his nostrils and his face turned slightly green. Harrison quickly picked the mash away before stepping quite a large distance away.

"What d'you want?" The Quartermaster grumbled, not turning from his pot to face them.

"Why, we're very sorry to disrupt your hard work, Quartermaster. But, Harrison here had something he wanted to say to you!" The counsellor excitedly revealed, turning to Harrison with an expectant grin.

"Uh… yeah." The boy carried on, wringing his hands behind his back. "Thanks, David…" He nodded again but found it too awkward to say anything more.

Harrison blinked…

David blinked…

And the Quartermaster continued peeling foul potatoes.

"Well, I'll just leave you two alone! Toodles!" David eventually went with a slightly strained smile, exiting out of the Mess Hall to probably gather the other campers. Still, Harrison couldn't will himself to speak against the silence. The Quartermaster didn't really seem to care, just rhythmically peeling and mashing the potatoes in his pot.

"So… do you want… any help with that?" He offered after the silence prolonged.

"Don't got another stick." The Quartermaster blandly responded. And true to his words, there really weren't any other tools to peel and mash the potatoes in the kitchen. Stupid low costs camp…

"O… kay… Well, I can just…" Harrison nervously mumbled, grabbing an only-mostly clean plate and a bowl. He proceeded to yank a stray potato that didn't completely smell and place it under the bowl. "Abracadabra!" The magician called with a slight twitch in his fingers, but he shook it off. "And Tada!" The boy pulled the bowl away, revealing a broken potato. Slowly, the Quartermaster stuck his hook into the mash and sniffed it.

"Close enough." The old man gruffly retorted before scooping the pile into the pot and saying something else unintelligibly. Harrison took it as a sign of approval to continue. Thus, the two proceeded to silently make questionable servings of mashed potatoes. At least Harrison only needed to lean away due to the smell a few times.

"So…" The boy started after a few minutes had passed that way. "I'm sorry… for calling you a fucking freak during Astronomy Camp…" Harrison forced out, feeling a small flush of shame in his cheeks.

"Heard and will hear worse than that, boy. Didn't even bring up when my goddamn family left me for dead in the Alps. Had to eat my neighbour's damn leg to survive until Summer…" The Quartermaster deadpanned, not reacting as Harrison blanched in mute horror. Pushing that whole quote away in a little black box in his mind to process never, Harrison continued.

"… That book you let me use near the meteorite… before meeting the… octopus… Could I borrow it?" The magician finally requested, looking at the Quartermaster with an almost-pleading look.

"No." The old man bluntly answered, causing Harrison to recoil backwards. "I need that damn thing tonight, night after, week after, week after that, night after that. Can't trust you no-good kids to return it okay. Something goes wrong it's my head on the damn line." The Quartermaster darkly justified while still peeling potatoes.

"Oh…that makes sense." Harrison gulped, although he couldn't hide the disappointment from his face. While the boy was distracted with his own thoughts, he didn't notice the Quartermaster finally turn to stare at him.

"Offer still stands. You could join me tonight to stop another apocalypse." The old man noted. Harrison froze, pivoting to face the elder.

"You mean… like what happened during Astronomy Camp?" He unsurely asked.

"Basically. Can't guarantee you'll be safe, dangerous saving the world." The Quartermaster elaborated with a casual shrug.

"Would I be able to borrow the book then?" Harrison asked.

"If I need it. Can't take it back to camp though. Nosy brats…" The older of the two responded with gritted teeth. He mashed the next potato with a concerning viciousness. Harrison thought he heard him mutter a name? Better not to ask. They both returned to peeling with anticipation in the air.

"I already said I didn't want to risk my life earlier… So, I guess it's a no then. Back to practicing by myself at Magic Camp." Harrison reminded himself with a dejected sigh. However, he found himself reluctant to voice such sentiments. "This is probably the best chance I got to actually learn how to bring Erich back. Aren't I a bad brother if I say no to that because I'm scared…?" Harrison pondered, staring down at the potatoes in his hands.

He kind of thought one of them looked like Erich.

"… Who cares? If it brings Erich back home then anything's worth it. Erich's worth it." Harrison resolved, finding a hidden ball of courage deep within himself.

"-You in…?" The Quartermaster asked him again. And the little magician pushed his fear away.

"I'm in." Harrison answered out of love for his brother.

Author's Notes: And that's a wrap for the first update! I remember watching The Quarter-Moon Convergence when it first came out (was literally the episode I was most hyped for) and being disappointed Harrison didn't keep hanging out with Quartermaster! It was a really funny dynamic that I wanted to explore more! PLUS, the octopus literally mentions Harrison's brother! Like, that alone should've got more attention! So, after a few weeks of ruminating on it, I've decided to try and write it out. It might be a while since the next update since I'm moving cities. But, I'll do my best! Really excited about this one!

Also, Erich is a reference to Harry Houdini, whose real name actually was Erich.

Anyways, have a great day, guys! And until next time!