Request!fic time
For laurus_nobilis, who wanted Clow-in-Potterverse!fic. This turned out to be just as much of Dumbledore-in-CLAMPverse, though. And to have lots of gratuitous Yuuko. Hope it'll do anyway.
"... and then if we add it to the spell, the result would improve greatly," Clow finished his explanation.
"Huh," Yuuko muttered.
"Of course, we have to try it separately once first, too make sure it does work like it's supposed to. I'm quite certain it will, but it's still best to make absolutely certain, we wouldn't want anything to go wrong..."
"Yeah, yeah," Yuuko muttered boredly. Her head was leaning on the table, and there was a far-away look in her eyes.
"And then you need to give me the content of your liquor cabinet."
"'Course. Wait, what?" Her head snapped up and she glared at Clow.
He grinned. "So you were listening after all?"
Yuuko waved her hand dismissively. "Whatever. I'm bored. Your explanation was boring."
Clow looked affronted. "It was not boring. It's quite fascinating. The work that could be done in this area alone..."
"Yeah, yeah, that's fascinating, sure. It's just your narrative skills that have a lot of room for improvement."
Clow sighed and put down his papers, knowing that arguing with Yuuko in this mood would be useless. Possibly a source of entertainment for a while, granted, but ultimately useless. So instead, he asked what he knew she wanted him to. "Is there something else you'd like to talk about, Yuuko?"
Yuuko grinned, pleased. "Actually, I'm expecting company in a while."
"I see. Anyone I know?"
"I invited Albus Dumbledore over for dinner tonight. I have a... professional matter to discuss with him. I think it might interest you as well."
"Oh," said Clow, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "It's been a while since I've seen Albus. What's it about?"
"Make the dinner and I'll tell you," Yuuko said, her smile positively evil.
Before Clow could answer that, however, there was the loud, familiar crack of someone apparating from the other room.
"Must be him," Yuuko said and waltzed out of the room, suddenly all energy again. Clow rolled his eyes, got up from his seat and followed her.
They found Albus just putting his wand back into his pocket.
"Albus! You look well. And I love the outfit. You should wear more green." Yuuko beamed at her guest, eyeing the green robes with the white stars and moons that he was wearing.
Albus smiled at her, and came to greet them both. "Yuuko, Clow," he said warmly. "It's been too long."
"It has," Clow agreed. "But you've been dealing with more pressing matters lately, I hear."
His friend's face turned serious for a moment. "Ah," he said. "Yes. Even with him gone now, the business with Grindelwald is still taking up much of my time."
"A lot of cleaning and clearing up to do," Clow said, and Albus nodded.
"And that," Yuuko interrupted happily in a sing-song voice, "is why I have present for you! To take your mind off things."
Albus, who was quite familiar with how receiving what Yuuko called "gifts" could turn out, raised an eyebrow at her, but the gleefully expectant look on her face didn't change. He turned to Clow instead, but Clow just shook his head apologetically. "She's been like that all day. Just play along."
"Hey!" Yuuko sounded indignant, though she was still grinning.
"It's just that your gifts have a tendency to add to the things on my mind, not take it off them," Albus told her.
"Ah well. At least I'm not boring. Come," she said, and led them into her storage room. She stopped by a tall object covered in cloth that was leaning against the wall. It reached almost all the way to the ceiling. "Here it is. I got it from a client only recently. And it's for you to take care of."
She pulled off the cloth. Clow hardly noticed the amused look on her face as his eyes widened and he gave a soft gasp seeing what was under it, and noticed absent-mindedly that beside him, Albus seemed equally awed.
"The Mirror of Erised," he breathed.
"The very one," Yuuko agreed.
"You want me to have the Mirror of Erised," Albus said.
Yuuko's face grew serious for a moment. "It has nothing to do with wanting you to, Albus. It is just yours to take care of, now."
Albus gave her a searching look. "I see," he said quietly.
Clow blinked. "Yuuko," he said, eyes still on the mirror. "You had the Mirror of Erised right here, an you didn't tell me before now?"
"Yes," Yuuko said.
"The Mirror of Erised. You had it here and you didn't tell me. This thing is unique! One of a kind. Just imagine all the things we could learn if we had the chance to study it." Clow trailed off, staring wistfully at it.
"There are more important things you could learn," she told him.
"I agree," Albus said, still in the same quiet voice.
"But it's fascinating... Just think of the possibilities..."
"I'd rather not, actually," Yuuko said. She studied his face for a while, and then perked up again. "So! Dinner, anyone?" She headed back out the door, clearly expecting them to follow.
Clow finally tore his gaze away from the mirror and turned to Albus.
"She is actually expecting something in return from me for this, isn't she?" Albus asked as he noticed.
Clow smiled. "Probably."
Albus turned to look at the mirror for a few seconds. "It is treacherously nice, isn't?" he asked as he looked back.
"Seeing them happy."
Clow was silent for a few moments. "How are you going to get it back to Hogwarts?" he finally asked. "You wouldn't want to break it somehow when you apparate."
That train of thought was interrupted as Yuuko stuck her head back into the room. "Coming? At this rate, there's never going to be a dinner and I, for one, am hungry."
"Yuuko," Albus said, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "Would you like me to prepare something for dinner for us?"
Yuuko beamed at him. "Why, Albus, I thought you'd never ask!"
Albus chuckled and headed after her out the door. Clow gave the mirror a last look and then turned to follow him. "Hold on, I'll help you," he said. "Why don't we try making one entirely without magic?"
"That would take a really long time," Yuuko whined in front of him.
"Right," Clow said angelically. "I never thought of that."
Yuuko snorted. "Right. This is why you never get any presents, you know." She gave him a glare before hooking her arm with Albus and led him to the kitchen.
Clow shook his head in amusement, and followed.
"... and then if we add it to the spell, the result would improve greatly," Clow finished his explanation.
"Huh," Yuuko muttered.
"Of course, we have to try it separately once first, too make sure it does work like it's supposed to. I'm quite certain it will, but it's still best to make absolutely certain, we wouldn't want anything to go wrong..."
"Yeah, yeah," Yuuko muttered boredly. Her head was leaning on the table, and there was a far-away look in her eyes.
"And then you need to give me the content of your liquor cabinet."
"'Course. Wait, what?" Her head snapped up and she glared at Clow.
He grinned. "So you were listening after all?"
Yuuko waved her hand dismissively. "Whatever. I'm bored. Your explanation was boring."
Clow looked affronted. "It was not boring. It's quite fascinating. The work that could be done in this area alone..."
"Yeah, yeah, that's fascinating, sure. It's just your narrative skills that have a lot of room for improvement."
Clow sighed and put down his papers, knowing that arguing with Yuuko in this mood would be useless. Possibly a source of entertainment for a while, granted, but ultimately useless. So instead, he asked what he knew she wanted him to. "Is there something else you'd like to talk about, Yuuko?"
Yuuko grinned, pleased. "Actually, I'm expecting company in a while."
"I see. Anyone I know?"
"I invited Albus Dumbledore over for dinner tonight. I have a... professional matter to discuss with him. I think it might interest you as well."
"Oh," said Clow, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "It's been a while since I've seen Albus. What's it about?"
"Make the dinner and I'll tell you," Yuuko said, her smile positively evil.
Before Clow could answer that, however, there was the loud, familiar crack of someone apparating from the other room.
"Must be him," Yuuko said and waltzed out of the room, suddenly all energy again. Clow rolled his eyes, got up from his seat and followed her.
They found Albus just putting his wand back into his pocket.
"Albus! You look well. And I love the outfit. You should wear more green." Yuuko beamed at her guest, eyeing the green robes with the white stars and moons that he was wearing.
Albus smiled at her, and came to greet them both. "Yuuko, Clow," he said warmly. "It's been too long."
"It has," Clow agreed. "But you've been dealing with more pressing matters lately, I hear."
His friend's face turned serious for a moment. "Ah," he said. "Yes. Even with him gone now, the business with Grindelwald is still taking up much of my time."
"A lot of cleaning and clearing up to do," Clow said, and Albus nodded.
"And that," Yuuko interrupted happily in a sing-song voice, "is why I have present for you! To take your mind off things."
Albus, who was quite familiar with how receiving what Yuuko called "gifts" could turn out, raised an eyebrow at her, but the gleefully expectant look on her face didn't change. He turned to Clow instead, but Clow just shook his head apologetically. "She's been like that all day. Just play along."
"Hey!" Yuuko sounded indignant, though she was still grinning.
"It's just that your gifts have a tendency to add to the things on my mind, not take it off them," Albus told her.
"Ah well. At least I'm not boring. Come," she said, and led them into her storage room. She stopped by a tall object covered in cloth that was leaning against the wall. It reached almost all the way to the ceiling. "Here it is. I got it from a client only recently. And it's for you to take care of."
She pulled off the cloth. Clow hardly noticed the amused look on her face as his eyes widened and he gave a soft gasp seeing what was under it, and noticed absent-mindedly that beside him, Albus seemed equally awed.
"The Mirror of Erised," he breathed.
"The very one," Yuuko agreed.
"You want me to have the Mirror of Erised," Albus said.
Yuuko's face grew serious for a moment. "It has nothing to do with wanting you to, Albus. It is just yours to take care of, now."
Albus gave her a searching look. "I see," he said quietly.
Clow blinked. "Yuuko," he said, eyes still on the mirror. "You had the Mirror of Erised right here, an you didn't tell me before now?"
"Yes," Yuuko said.
"The Mirror of Erised. You had it here and you didn't tell me. This thing is unique! One of a kind. Just imagine all the things we could learn if we had the chance to study it." Clow trailed off, staring wistfully at it.
"There are more important things you could learn," she told him.
"I agree," Albus said, still in the same quiet voice.
"But it's fascinating... Just think of the possibilities..."
"I'd rather not, actually," Yuuko said. She studied his face for a while, and then perked up again. "So! Dinner, anyone?" She headed back out the door, clearly expecting them to follow.
Clow finally tore his gaze away from the mirror and turned to Albus.
"She is actually expecting something in return from me for this, isn't she?" Albus asked as he noticed.
Clow smiled. "Probably."
Albus turned to look at the mirror for a few seconds. "It is treacherously nice, isn't?" he asked as he looked back.
"Seeing them happy."
Clow was silent for a few moments. "How are you going to get it back to Hogwarts?" he finally asked. "You wouldn't want to break it somehow when you apparate."
That train of thought was interrupted as Yuuko stuck her head back into the room. "Coming? At this rate, there's never going to be a dinner and I, for one, am hungry."
"Yuuko," Albus said, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "Would you like me to prepare something for dinner for us?"
Yuuko beamed at him. "Why, Albus, I thought you'd never ask!"
Albus chuckled and headed after her out the door. Clow gave the mirror a last look and then turned to follow him. "Hold on, I'll help you," he said. "Why don't we try making one entirely without magic?"
"That would take a really long time," Yuuko whined in front of him.
"Right," Clow said angelically. "I never thought of that."
Yuuko snorted. "Right. This is why you never get any presents, you know." She gave him a glare before hooking her arm with Albus and led him to the kitchen.
Clow shook his head in amusement, and followed.