L Lawliet stood above his body watching Light Yagami pull a mask of remorse over his triumphant features. It still had not settled onto Light's face when the pull started. There was no resistance, like gravity had reasserted itself on his spectral form. The second of standing above Light holding his now dead body was comparatively ages to the amount of time it took for his spirit to launch in the direction the shinigami had disappeared to. The world went white.
Harry Potter stood slowly from the bench when Dumbledore finally disappeared from his view. He was thankful that the decision to return or move on was his, but it seemed to be a bit of a non-choice all the same. If he stayed dead, the people of the magical world may just let Voldemort take over. His closest friends would fight and other friends might, but most everyone else was content to lay all responsibilities on his shoulders. Without him, they would think, the prophecy was fulfilled in Voldemort's favor, so why fight against the darkness?
"You've chosen then?" a genderless voice sounded from over his shoulder.
He jumped away from the new being that had appeared. It had no form, was seemingly made from a complete lack, the whiteness of its shape somehow standing out from the whiteness of the imagined King's Cross Station.
"I have to go back. I need to finish Voldemort for good?" Harry started confidently, but trailed into a question as a large smile ripped across what would be the being's face creepily.
"How wonderful. I had worried about this happening, but it seems my fears were unfounded." The being circled Harry, seeming to size him up.
"Wait, what? Who are y-" the wizard found himself cut off.
"Yes, I think everything shall work out well, Harry Potter. I have need of your assistance. Please hold on to this for me, for now. Get well acquainted and I will be back in touch. Please be ready before November 2004." A shiver raced down his spine as the mouth moved around those words and it took him a bit to process them.
"But, what?" Harry had been in many confusing situations before, but he had never been as bewildered as he was in this being's presence. He found himself staring, slack jawed, at the space that returned to the whiteness of his surroundings. Whatever it was, it was gone now and his surroundings were becoming hazy. The wizard hoped that things became more clear when he returned to his body. Hermione would probably be able to help at least.
He was jarred from his thoughts as a force slammed into him from behind.
'Ugh, what a way to return,' he thought while trying not to so much as twitch a muscle. Harry cracked his eye. He jolted as he realized it was still white and twisted around to see what the weight that had settled on his back was. When the dead weight began to shift, Harry quickly reacted to stop their movement. He found himself with his arms full of a skinny, unfamiliar, dark-haired man. The wizard blushed, the man was in the same state he had arrived in himself, namely: naked.
He was in the process untangling their legs, his arms still wrapped securely around the other when the man's eyes opened. Their eyes met for just a second, charcoal and emerald. The ground fell out from under them.
**Thank you for reading. This is my first time trying to write a longer story (no estimate yet) so I hope you'll bear with me as I try to work things out. I won't be including a solid pairing for Harry or L (I'm still working on normal interactions so I don't want to ruin a romance), but I will be leaving things a bit open. I'm going for the bro-lmates type relationship Sherlock Holmes and John Watson have.
