MKDC-HP

Magic Trick

By: Lighted Candle

chp 3- Shadows of Asphodel

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Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan, Magic Kaito, Harry Potter or any Wikipedia info.

Author's note: The starting prompt: What if Harry Potter had been shrunk by the APTX 4869, and while found by a certain non-violent thief, does not want to live with the other survivors of the poison.

This was supposed to be posted two weeks ago, but I kept having trouble finding the stopping point to this chapter.

Note- I have a very good reason why Harry was shrunk, despite being immune to poison.

Merry Christmas.

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Harry awoke with a deep inhale, slowly exhaling a dazed breath of pain. His hands flexed, reaching out for the ground beneath him. It was not the hardhearted wood of an old musty closet. Nor was it the unforgiving cement of a basement or the magically elf-cleaned stone floors of Hogwarts or a pureblood manor. At first, upon clutching fabric, Harry thought he was once again in Madam Poppy Pomfrey's domain. Rubbing the blanket with his fingers, Harry deduced that it was not one of the thicker quilts from Hogwarts or the Weasley's. Perhaps he had managed to make it to a safer location, but Harry could not remember doing so. As the wizard's mind and memories cleared, Harry's ears picked up the sound of someone sleeping lightly. Green eyes cautiously opened, ready to shutter close if the light proved to be too bright. It was a dimmer setting than Harry had expected, but the runaway british lord doubted it had to do solely with headache prevention. It was certainly not a hospital room, muggle or magical.

Actually, it reminded Harry of a tiny safe room as he spotted caches of food, camping equipment and medical supplies. Additionally, there was no obvious door either, just a peephole the size of one of the surrounding bricks. Finally Harry spotted the sleeper.

The man slouched in the corner of the room, half-supported by the junction of the walls. A white top hat was tilted over his face, and the body slightly shivered in the chilled air. With a start, Harry recognized that he was not only carefully wrapped in a blanket, but had an oversized white formal coat as a second layer of protection from the cold. A white coat that matched the rest of the slumber's outfit. His magic and instincts were not declaring any danger from the stranger, so Harry turned his attention to himself.

Gingerly, Harry stiffly sat up. His arms wobbled from the effort, but the wizard was distracted by the various aches and bruises from his latest brush with disaster. Clearly, Harry had not been treated with potions, something that relieved him because it decreased the likelihood of his captor or rescuer being from or knowledgeable of the wizarding world. On the other hand, it felt as if molten lava had declared war on his physical body and tried to reshape him like some advanced transfiguration gone wrong. Any sort of pain reliever or, even better, phoenix tears would be a blessing.

An attempt to recall the latest Halloween life-threatening events faltered as Harry stared blankly at his child-sized hand. After a few moments, the wizard decided it was unimportant for the moment. Unless he had gotten thrown years back in time or he was being 'escorted' back to England for nefarious private use or blind devotion for a public saviour- then he would panic. So the green-eyed youth focused instead on his memories. Eventually Harry puzzled out a possible scenario. Even though he was immune to snake venom (thanks to events in the Chamber of Secrets), the transfigured venom fly had succeeded in making the adult him a little feverish and nauseous. Assuming both murder attempts involved poisons, the two may have combined for an unusual magical or muggle-ish side effect. Or while his immune system was taking care of the first poison, the second drug could have influenced the wizard's size. Another impossible survival for the Harry Potter. He lamented. Not that Harry was ungrateful that he was alive, if only for the Teddy's sake, but the irony that the Man-Who-Conquered was in a child-sized body didn't escape Harry's notice. Once again he appeared the part of the Boy-Who-Lived.

He scowled, a thick sludge of frustration sending waves of nausea through his soul. Would fate never leave him to simply exist?

"What do you want?" Harry could probably deduce it on his own, given time, or with magic, which he was currently trying to avoid using. But bone-weary tiredness didn't help either.

"I have a number of questions," the de-aged man's wary eyes narrowed further, "Among them, what is your favorite flower?"

Not having anticipated this particular inquiry, Harry blinked and automatically responded, "Asphodel."

Purple eyes closed, and the man in the white suit bowed in apology. "I did not intend to bring up sore memories." But as the stranger straightened his posture, a lovely white lily unfurled in his hand.

Harry wore a troubled frown as he accepted the flower. Green eyes betrayed his increased wariness and confusion. Did the Japanese have another way for conjuring items into existence? There was no trace of any magic within the small hideout.

"Does it offend you?" A quiet whisper apologetically interrupted

Harry shook his head, realizing he had taken too long to respond, "No… It's lovely." He inhaled, regathering his shaken confidence. Looking directly into violet eyes, Harry debated on what he should ask first. "Who are you?"

The man blinked,"I am Kaitou Kid,"

"The prankster thief?"

Kid roguishly grinned in confirmation, "And magician." He swept off the white hat, his lithe body dipping into a bow.

"...So how long was I out?"

Kid made a fist. When he opened it, a pocket watch flipped open. "Five hours, two minutes and six seconds."

Harry eyed the antique, "Was that Hakuba Sagura's family heirloom?"

"Hai. How did you meet Tantei-san? He doesn't usually arrive with anyone unknown to me." Despite the pleasant tone, Harry could easily pick up the spark of warning in Kid's eyes. How could he not? The wizard tended to get protective of those who were his as well.

"Traveling." Harry hummed, "I was hiking in the mountains when I came across someone hunting with a Harris hawk." His green eyes shifted away from the watch. The wizard refused to let memories associated with a similar time-piece overwhelm him. First off, he was with a stranger. Second, he needed to be with Teddy again. And lastly, he needed to fix his barely defensible size.

"I already have plans to return it." The phantom thief admitted, "However…"

Harry sighed and reached up to rub his eyes, "You have no idea of what to do with me do you?"

"I've had some ideas, but really you deserve to make your own life decisions."

"And those ideas are?" The green-eyed lad asked, a mixture of curiousness and gratitude warming his heart despite himself. Rarely had anyone, even a stranger, recognized that Harry could and would make his own path. The spark of nervous hope was quickly smothered by a rising tide of suspicion. Afterall, Harry would prefer to trust his shadow more than a reputation.

"Well, to start with, I was unable to locate your younger family member when I was tracing your steps."

Harry's heart skipped a beat before remembering the portkey, "He's with someone I trust." Depending on how well Kid was able to trace him, the thief may have noticed that Harry arrived with a fox and not a child. And then later how the wizard had a toddler and not a fox.

"Very well. Aside from the fact that you obviously have a family to look out for, I could forge the papers you would need for an orphanage or foster care."

"Not an option." Harry immediately refused, "I am grateful for your consideration and protection, but you don't need to do anything more for me."

"A child on their own draws attention."

Harry's green eyes shuttered, "A foreigner alone draws attention. If I was of japanese nationality, I'd easily find ways to remain out of sight and mind." In reality, if it wasn't for his own blood betraying his location, the de-aged wizard would have evaded both muggle and magical society with only marginally more effort than Harry had been exercising first as a teenage and then later on as a young man on the run.

But since Harry couldn't know if his enemies were tracing his location through his DNA, there was no place on Gaia that was truly safe. So, that meant that he need to say goodbye to the thief, make his way to a magical center, gain access to his Gringott vaults, get a new wand, and hope against his typical terrible misfortune that an aging potion might cure his inadequate height. Failing that (or… actually... even if it succeeded), Harry would have to take the time to research and chase down any knowledge about rituals that would neutralize any blood samples or tracking devices that were currently out there.

Failure to eliminate the threats to his godson's life and well being was not an option. That included the emotional challenge of growing up without supportive family members.

"So what plans are you plotting? I feel that I owe you some assistance." The moonlight magician inquired.

"Giving me a chance to recover was quite enough, so as soon as you let me out of your safe room I'll be out of your hair."

"So you aren't going to worry about a cure?" Kid asked with a neutral sort of tone.

"No" Green eyes blazed with single-minded determination. Being reunited with his godson was a higher priority than regaining his proper height and age.

"You are handling the... age change rather well."

Harry shrugged bonelessly, sinking into a more comfortable resting position. (Although… it was really just to reach his only weapon better), "Something always happens to me on Halloween."

Kid shifted, pulling out a small deck of cards. He started shuffling idly, "Your disarming skills are impressive."

"Didn't you arrive at the end the fight… I was losing? The only time I've seen you was when I was taking a nap on a random roof."

Kid hummed, and waved a dismissal hand, "I found a recording. The crows chose to ambush you."

"And that is suddenly my fault?! I was just inspecting the poorly made traps set up for just anyone to stumble upon."

"You did destroy them rather artistically. In such a way that no one would get hurt." The thief smirked, "I approve."

Harry deadpanned, "I didn't know I was seeking the approval of a thieving prankster."

"I prefer the title of magician."

"I'm sure you do."

"How long have the crows been chasing you?"

"Just to ensure I understand, who exactly are the crows?"

"The men and women who tend to wear black or grey overcoats. They have two main divisions that wander outside of their compounds, the assassins and snipers. You were ambushed by the snipers yesterday."

Harry couldn't hold back a lion-sized yawn, "A month or so? To be honest, I've only run into them a couple of times."

"Still, it's a couple more times then most people who have run into the Black Organization have survived."

Harry somberly stared up at the young man, "Does that make you a vigilante or a survivor?"

Emotion flickered in violet eyes, "A bit of both."

Slowly, the green eyed child nodded in acceptance, "My apologies." Harry's eyes flickered to the lily clasped gently in his (tiny) hands.

A moment of mutual mourning lingered.

Pasting on a smile (that did little to hide the grief in his eyes), Kid murmured, "So... where do you want to go?"

Reluctantly realising that he might need a smidgen of direction from a guide, Harry told the Japanese native, "Kidoairaku Kona." It would be a simple matter for the thief to lose track of him there.

….

...

Apparently, Harry had underestimated the magician. Fortunately it wasn't a fatal mistake.

Despite his protests that he would be fine alone, Kid had followed Harry past the wards guarding the dispelling doorway. It was very distracting to any of the sensitive magical users who were paying attention, mainly Harry. The layers of magic simply slid off the thief. While the de-aged wizard was in the process of puzzling out possibilities, the magician's eyes glinted with mischief. Kid simply stared at the newly revealed world for a few seconds before seamlessly switching disguises to better blend in. And with one smooth movement, the prankster resettled the petite youth on his shoulders.

Harry yelped, his out of balance reflexes causing him to flail harmlessly rather than automatically injuring the person misfortunate enough to startle him.

"I can walk!"

"You were just going to leave me behind!" The thief's pout lost any effect it could have had, due to the fact the unimpressed victim couldn't even see his facial expressions.

Harry scowled, only resisting the urge to pull Kid's hair (or wig) because he didn't want to cause a scene in the middle of one of Japan's magical districts. Great. At least Japan had better magical and non-magical relations than Britain. Even if it turned out that the disguised prankster was a squib or that a glitch in the Asian school system had bypassed the man, Harry didn't want to risk causing a fuss and getting imprisoned or shipped back to Britain in the process.

"So? I thought that is what we agreed upon for saving your life."

"I was under the impression I already returned the favor. So I was your guide to here and now you can be my guide while here." The falsely innocent tone betrayed his 'guide's' curiosity.

The wizard rolled his eyes, "Whatever."

"Where to?" Kid cheerfully stepped forward.

Grumpily, Harry pointed toward the entrance of the local bank. Then his brain caught up and his hand faltered, "I would recommend heeding the goblin warning on the doors. I don't want to come back in ten years to retrieve your corpse."

"No worries. I can appreciate the poetry… but are riddles and rhymes intrinsically intertwined with magic?"

"They can be. It depends on the magic user's culture and preferences, as well as on the type of magic and how lasting it is supposed to be."

Kid hummed in acknowledgement.

...

After proving his blood and magical claim to the vaults, Harrison (if that was his real name) was clearly pleased to discover that magic still recognised his correct age of twenty years..

Meanwhile, Harrison's companion hid his unease and distaste as the de-aged wizard's blood raced through the tip of a scroll and started forming words. As soon as the blood had formed the letters, it dried a dark reddish brown. To Kid's lilac eyes, the information on the magical parchment was blurry. Some sort of safety/privacy feature, the magician assumed.

Then Kid was asked to step to the side. The account manager touched an engraven Japanese character with the most direct english translation meaning 'silent room'. Suddenly, but not surprisingly, the international criminal could no longer hear anything from the toasted Ash-wood booth where Mr. Potter(?) and the goblin were doing what was probably a routine asset or money review.

Becoming bored after thoroughly examining the interior architecture and noting all the various visible Asian characters engraved in the various types of stone, Kid started shuffling through his magic tricks. When Harrison turned away from his accountant, who was busily starting on a hefty stack of paperwork, Kid spotted a glimpse of fascination in those emerald eyes and wondered why. How could his skills as a magician compare to even an ounce of being accustomed of using and being around real magical talents?

Akako had her jealous red energy. She had only been interested in him as a challenge or threat due to his neutralising presence when they met. Even now, having eased up, she rarely expressed interest in his talents except when they benefited her in some way or related to some warning for his life as an international criminal.

After reviewing his observations of the wizard, Kid came up with the hypothesis that the former twenty year old man's amazement with such a simple trick may perhaps had to do with a skill that Akako had yet to learn. As an older wizard, surely Harrison had come across more magic than the witch in his class.

Fortunately, Harrison's business didn't take much longer and appeared to be bowing farewell to his accountant. The wizard wandered over and stared up into Kid's eyes, visibly debating something in his mind. "Would you like to take a heritage test? It would give you something to do while I visit my vault."

Kid blinked, his brilliant mind switching tracks, "...how different is it to a regular dna test?"

"It's instantaneous for one, it tells you if a person is alive or dead and in some localized cases if the person knows about magic or not. Depending on the ritual and the strength of the heritage test it can tell you what magical abilities or blocks upon those abilities you have and where your magic originates from."

"Originates from?" Kid sank to his knees to be eye level with his guide to the magical world.

"Magic has to come from somewhere. Typically, no matter how distant the relation, it comes from a non-human relative who had a unique connection with nature. The type of connection basically 'colors' their descendant's magical affinity."

"So what would red magic be?" Kid easily shuffled his amusement at the raised eyebrow of the younger appearing man behind his mask of confident charm.

"It could be a number of things, certain blood rituals included." The de-aged wizard looked rather uncomfortable with the topic, "May I ask why that certain type of magic?"

"There is a witch I am familiar with. At an early point of our acquaintance, she decidedly did not like my lack of drooling adoration. So she took drastic measures." Kid shrugged, his facial features twisting into humorless distaste, "I survived. Before proceeding to remind her of her own humanity."

"That sounds like a type of allure. Could she turn into a raging bird of fire?"

"No," Kid thought back, "At least not that I've ever seen. She has mentioned demons, precognitions in the form of riddles and a desire for control.

"Sounds unpleasant."

Kid hummed in agreement, "She's not all bad though. She does express an ounce of regret at times. But taunts and teases are more her style."

"I've met a few people like that." Harry admitted as he stretched his arms.

"About the heritage test, does the bank keep copies and a sample of the blood used for it?" Because if that was the case, Kid would have to regretfully' decline.

"Given that blood literally is tied to your life, magicals do their best not to lose track of any of it. Unless you request it, the bank doesn't keep samples of blood. You would have to be more careful outside of a Japanese Gringotts with your blood so that other patrons don't sneak a sample."

"And copies?"

"Yes they can make copies, but unless you activate an old vault or become a client, Gringotts won't keep any copies." Harry shrugged.

"Okay, then. I'll do it." Kid decided.

"Brilliant. Grillgore will take care of that and I'll be back soon enough." Harry nodded. But it appeared he had temporarily forgotten that his legs had been shortened when he stumbled. The green-eyed wizard bristled like an outraged kitten when the thief reached out a helping hand. Stiffly, the fun-sized adult reluctantly thanked him before swiftly striding after a departing goblin.

Looking for directions from the warrior on his left, Kid followed Grillgore to a wooden beech desk. Refusing to show any discomfort to watching his blood forming elegant Japanese characters, Kid focused on memorizing every aspect of the growing document instead of the pain from the open wound. If he was a little pale, he could blame it on the blood loss.

...

Eventually his family scroll had finally finished. This was mainly because Kid already had to buy one 'blood replenisher' and didn't fancy losing even more of his life-essence to his curiosity about his nth generation. And if he became more interested down the line, Kid now knew where to find the type of answers that some of the non-magical world would kill to know.

As it turned out, he had no claim to any of Gringotts' vaults and while Grillgore offered to help the young man open one, Kid politely declined and informed the goblin that he would keep it in mind for the future. But Kid did have the presence of mind to remember to exchange some of his funds in case he needed the finances for a small amount of shopping. When Grillgore was informed that Kid had every intention of waiting for his de-aged companion, he was directed toward an empty chair facing the direction Harrison should appear.

Time passed…

Kid meditated, absorbing the new information about his ancestors.

More time passed…

The young man's hands twitched and implements for juggling appeared.

He eyed the oversized clock spinning under the magical s' feet. Having walked over it earlier, Kid knew it wasn't sheer plastic tiling that protected the clock face or even glass sheet (it made all the wrong noises… unless that had to do with magic), but as the thief observed the material, he saw it ever so slightly dip and spin with every footstep. Hm…

The floor clock chimed upon the change of another hour.

Tick-tock Hakuba's pocket watch echoed.

Kid leaned back in his chair, staring at the geometric shapes that formed the ceiling. He took note of any changes in the small Asian etching that glowed faintly with power. At this point, Kid could not just draw an imitation of the bank, but create a small replica if he so desired.

Why was he sticking around again? A passing goblin had passed a pamphlet with the directions of how to leave the magical mall. A few glances would have been enough to memorise it if had been written normally, but it was not.

Kid was fascinated with the moving locations. While there was a clear path to the entrance Kid and Harrison had entered through, a small script informed the thief that no matter where one was in the mall all one had to do was take three left turns and they'd appear at the entrance again. Apparently even magicals could get lost with most of the doorways switching location at random intervals, but as long as you started at the westside entrance, you had a chance of finding your way again.

Kid was about to tuck the chart away, when he caught the difference between an upright map and an upside-down map. This side seemed to be geared toward an aerial perspective. And as he slowly turned the map, Kid discovered that when the left side of the pamphlet was down, emergency locations and bathrooms stood out. With the right side of the paper down, there were aquatic routes for the more sea (and lake) traveling magical creatures. Kid made a particular note of these paths in order to avoid running face first into an aquatic terror. The backside of the flier held a scrolling list of advertisements.

Before Kid could immerse himself into magical commercialism, he spotted more activity coming from the direction of the vaults. He exhaled in relief. Harrison had finally reappeared.

Upon examination of the returning wizard, Kid noticed that the appearance of Harrison's wand had changed. As green eyes met purple irises, the thief spotted the veiled mixture of annoyance and reluctant intrigue. Suddenly glad he had waited, Kid's smirk grew. Harrison would just have to learn that it was much harder to get rid of a curious moonlight magician than a long waiting period.

"Did you reach the center of the Earth?" Kid inquired, sounding perfectly innocent with not a hair out of place. One might have thought the thief had only been waiting five minutes instead of several hours with such an impeccable appearance.

Harrison glared at the prankster king of Ekoda."I told you I would be fine on my own. I've told you everything that I know about your crows. I've even guided you to the entrance of Japan's magical world. I owe you nothing and you owe me not a thing." The weary wizard ranted even as he suppressed a few yawns.

It made Kid wonder if, instead of being possibly being lost that Harrison had fallen asleep. At least the false child had returned at all if that was the case.

"Ma, how mean. I simply wanted to make sure you were still handling your sudden dwarfism well." Kid dramatically flailed. "No bout of boredom would keep me from such a noble task!"

"A noble thief? Well at least you are honest about your shortcomings." Harrison scoffed, "If not your intentions."

'Hey!' The miffed Kaitou wanted to protest. Retorting with short jokes wouldn't be helpful in persuading Potter-san to let him stick around. 'Or to be close at any rate, considering my skill in surveillance'. "I've practically stamped my intentions over each heist, it's my motivation that remains elusive to the task force."

"You mean, it isn't obvious?" Harrison stretched, "You make a show of training the police, so when they are assigned to other criminals they are less likely to perish in the line of duty. All the while facing off your crows and searching for something."

"No one else has pointed out those details."

"Yet. I'm sure if they took a step back and ignore the results of your pranks, anyone could say the same."

"And that's why I keep pran-... er, distracting the more interested parties so they don't have reason to reflect on it."

Harrison grunted in disagreement but started to walk away.

Kid 'tsk-ed' "Aren't you trouble."

A choked gurgle of laughter, "You have no idea. Do yourself a favor. As long as you stay far, far away from me, you will live to see the next sunrise."

"Huh. Are you a shinigami?"

"I thought Japanese people were supposed to be polite."

"Now that's a stereotype I'm too gentlemanly to point out." Harrison tried to shove Kid away, off of Gringott's stone steps. The magician easily side-stepped and scooped the deaged Potter into his toned arms.

Yowling, "Put me down!" Harrison managed to push himself away from Kid, only to nearly faceplant into the sidewalk. Belatedly extending his arms as he hovered over the road, the young Potter shook off the thief's saving grip on his ankle.

"So mean!" Kid complained as the wizard scrambled upright.

Potter groaned in exasperation, "What is it going to take for you to stop following me?!"

"Look, I'm not trying to be overtly rude," Skeptic eyebrows creased above Harrison's emerald-jade irises, but Kid kept talking, "But you obviously haven't magicked yourself away, meaning by your wand switch that something is either wrong with your magic or you are trying to not use it. So this 'noble' person is just concerned for your wellbeing. And it's simply not that easy to banish a Kaitou's curiosity."

"But surely you've got better things to do! If not plotting your next series of pranks, what about your family?" The magic-user tried to convince him to turn aside once more. The Kaitou's violet vision easily discerned up the aura of uncertainty underneath the belligerent body language

The thief scoffed, "My family, the few remaining among the living, can certainly take care of themselves. When they falter, I'll be there." Kid's expression softened, speaking more earnestly than any of his pursuers had ever seen, "However, I do believe that the little one you are so desperately trying to reunite with needs his family more. So I will do what I can to help you Harrison."

The de-aged wizard deflated, turning away to kick at some scrap of magical merchandise packaging on the ground. Scandilised by the litter touching her foot, the passing witch vanished the trash before storming off with a unspoken cloud of revulsion. Reminded of the outside world and potential danger, the mage recoiled from the strangers.

"Here." Kid took Harrison's hand, and meeting no further resistance, led him to a building that looked like a bookstore with a cafe.

"Is there anything you would recommend for a prickly witch who is fond of demon-given phrases?"

"I'm really not fond of divination." Harrison dryly remarked, "I'd be tempted to give your acquaintance the Monster Book of Monsters, but that sound like it would only encourage that type of lady."

"I agree." Hiding a startled flinch as a thick tome shuddered to life near his hand, Kid's eyes glinted with fascination even as he snatched his fingers away. The book calmed. "A motion sensor spell?"

Harrison shrugged, "Or something."

"So serious!" Kid complained, ruffling the wizard's unruly hair.

Harrison flinched, "Please don't touch me." Kid let his hand drop, concern lingering in the thief's eyes.

"Okay." The civilian disguise Kid was wearing knelt down to be eye level, "Can I apologise with something off the menu?"

"No." Kid's rescuer mumbled, "I don't like to eat out."

"But that's half the fun!"

"Not when other people consistently try to sneak something into my food."

Kid winced, "My mom and friend have done something of the sort, but i don't think you are referring to vegetables."

Harrison shook his head, "No, unless said vegetables were contaminated. Or rotten now that I think about it."

Kid let himself grimace. That sounded like Harrison had too much experience with both situations. "What about chocolate?" The thief saw the wizard hesitate, green eyes darting to the menu, before shaking his head.

"I can eat later."

"But it's been hours and hours since you last ate!" It had been long enough that Kid felt close to ravenous. (And he had eaten a decent snack while waiting for the deaged adult to wake up). Appalled, he watched as Harrison shrugged,

"I'm used to it."

"What if I taste test the food, would you eat it then?" Before the other male could protest, "Either way I am going to order enough that we can both eat reasonable sized portions."

"And if I don't eat?"

"Then I'll simply have leftovers for tomorrow."

"Then what if you get poisoned?"

"That's what bezoars are for gaki." A cafe worker scowled at the fake child.

Offended on his wizard's behalf, Kid moved in front of Harrison, brandishing a white tulip as if it was a rapier, "I apologize for the insinuations upon your food's quality, but my little brother has good reason to be concerned, considering he has gotten sick several times he has eaten outside of our home."

"So get an allergy exam and stop complaining about my cousin's creations." The waiter's demeanor had not visibly softened but he accepted the flower, twisting his fingers around the stem.

Huh… Kid had forgotten about that possibility, but it made a wonderful excuse. Wide green eyes stared at the waiter before glancing at his 'nii-san'. Harrison was clearly debating something but must have decided against acting on it as the boy shrugged and turned around, darting into the maze of burdened shelves.

The kaitou mentally sighed and try the magical delicacies later. Still, the store itself was enough to keep his attention while he trailed his meandering wizard. Wait, his? He hardly knew Harrison, but something about him reminded Kid of himself, not unlike how Conan's brilliance came close to matching the thief's level of genius. Perhaps, given time, they really would be friends. Until then Kid would just have to prove his reputation as an honest thief, helping Harrison with whatever the shrunken wizard grudgingly admitted (or noticed through observation) needing to be be reunited with his godson.

They were currently in the back of a bookstore when a murky blob darted out of a doorway leading to an alcove, nearly swamping the thief. Kaitou Kid blanched when it turned into a flock of flying fish.

"Bakageta! Sekka!" and the flopping f-finny things turned into a variety of chewable candies, still retaining their former features. Kid angled himself closer to the exit, discretely moving away from the doorway. Harrison snatched one of the lazily floating gummies out of the air in fascination.

"Hey! Don't eat that! It's a piece of a boggart!" A female voice hollered as she summoned the pieces of the boggart into a travel-sized box.

Were boggarts made of boogers? Kid shook the random thought out of his mind.

"I wasn't going to!" Harrison huffed, "I just have never seen a petrified boogart before."

The girl stepped into the hallway, a vision of dark beauty with startling blinded eyes, "It's a clever adaption of the spell of Petrificus Totalus for Tactical Tabletop, a roleplaying game that's lightyears more accurate than any muggle version."

"That's amazing!" Harrison breathed. Kid agreed.

The elven clad lady grinned, "The rooms beyond were actually designed for such a purpose. While weapons are not allowed in the bookstore (can't be giving the patrons a heart attack you see)," she whispered secretly, "There is a reason why there is an armory behind it. Sorry child, but there is an age ward preventing you from even seeing the doorway."

Presenting the lady with a rose, Kid watched as she, without hesitation, reached for the stem, deftly avoiding the ridges where thorns had been cut off, "My name is Ueno Katsu." The thief bowed, "And I apologize for my curiosity dear lady, but is it your character that is blind or the true persona behind your costume?"

"A misdirection for a lie and a truth for the rose. My character name is Fukui Miki. I am truthly blind, and all the better off for it. My allies are uniquely able to understand, given that as I have been game master of a few saga's, and blinded their characters."

Harrison snickered, "Fukui-san's got you there… nii-san."

"If you desire to join, character creations happen on the day or night of the new moon."

"Why then?"

"Because it can take up to several hours to create the basics of your character for the games. Speaking of which, my companions and I have a dragon to tame. Sayonara."

"Sayonara." Kid murmured thoughtfully as he watched the role-playing lady leave. He looked down at his magical guide, "So, are you ready to eat now?"

Harrison shrugged, "As long as I prepare the food."

"What ingredients do you need?"

"Nothing. I have everything in my tent."

"In… a tent." Kid was wondering just how far they would need to travel, as Harrison had arrived to the heist with Hakuba, who had been exercising his faithful female hawk 'Watson' in the mountains. None of his doves would ever have such a name. Each one of his birds were precious white (and grey) gems that soared marvelously alongside his antics. Why did humanity have such trouble understanding that life was infinitely more important than polished rocks? Wait, he was going off topic again.

"Magical tents are different." Harrison shrugged, "We just need to find a remote area like a park and I'll show you."

They spent a few minutes longer navigating to the side entrance before together (Kaitou with his knowledge of Japanese, and Harrison with his experience of using magical maps) returning to the entrance of the hidden mall. There, Kid quick-changed into a new outfit and resettled a stumbling wizard into his arms. Clearly Harrison was too tired to protest as he immediately dropped off into slumber.

A step forward into the crowd of passerbys. A glance a moment later, they were gone.