Two Saviours and a Maniac Chapter 10, a Harry Potter + Death Note Crossover fanfic

Chapter 10

When Watari returned to the hotel suite where L and Ryuuki were staying, he paused just outside the door as he heard the sound of raised voices; or more to the point, one raised voice in particular, and he couldn't help but sigh as he wondered what they were arguing about this time. He quietly let himself in, careful not to alert the two. From the sounds of things, he wouldn't need that camera in the kitchen after all.

"Are you even on the same page here? We are talking about a magical castle, a once in a lifetime opportunity for a muggle-"

Both were standing in the middle of the room facing each other, and were far too involved with each other to notice his arrival. Ryuuki was waving his arms around and sounded rather incredulous, so L had been invited to this castle? Why could he smell roast dinner...?

"I refuse to believe that a being that lives in a forest half way across the planet could have information relating to Kira! It's implausible! There is enough to do as it is, without-"

"-L, they can read the stars! We're not talking about reading a stupid horoscope column here! What's more-"

"-If you would let a person finish their sentences-"

"-Look who's talking! Don't you find it slightly hypocritical-"

"-That's it! I'm not going!"

There was a pause, and they both glared at the other. Watari saw a roast dinner steaming away on the table, so at least that explained the smell, but what was that rectangular thing... was that a door? Why on earth would someone have a door frame, a door, and yet no wall? If he was a gambling man, he'd be placing bets on it having something to do with Ryuuki, especially since it looked like a door that wouldn't be out of place in a medieval setting.

"What do you mean, you're not going? You have to go! I've got no hope in hell of understanding a word from his mouth, and you're meant to be good at that sort of thing! You like cryptic stuff, right? It's your job!"

"This not a matter of whether or not I like solving puzzles and mysteries, but more a matter of it being rather inconvenient at this particular moment, since certain events are in motion which should all come into alignment soon-"

"-See! You're talking like a centaur already!"

"WILL YOU STOP INTERRUPTING ME?"

Watari stared in fascination, eyes wide open for once. Ryuuki looked to be rather shocked himself, but that was nothing to how L looked. If Watari had to describe the expressions on his face, he'd have to start with 'stunned' and 'lost'. L turned on his heel and slouched stiffly towards the bedroom, looking rather pale in the brief glimpse that Watari caught. Strangely enough L seemed to operate exactly the opposite of mostly everyone else on the planet, and tended to go rather pale when embarrassed.

"Uhm, sorry?" said Ryuuki, quietly.

L ignored him and continued into the bedroom, slamming the door.

"Give him time. It is a lot for anyone to process, and he tends to process things more than most."

Ryuuki whirled around and relaxed when he saw that it was only Watari.

"I didn't see you there. You can be really quiet, huh..." said Ryuuki, with a small smile. He sat down and fiddled with his hands. Watari nodded.

"Like I said, give him time. He is also rather unused to having company. I shall go and speak to him," said Watari, kindly.

"Can you tell him that I didn't mean to offend him?"

"Of course." Watari bowed slightly, before crossing the room and letting himself into the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him.

"Watari."

L was lying on his back on the bed, which was rather unusual for him; his knees were bent and his feet lay flat on the sheets, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

"I wasn't sure if you were aware that I had arrived, you seemed rather involved..." He trailed off, glancing at the young man's face, disappointed when he found nothing but the usual vacant expression.

"...I was aware."

There was silence for a few minutes, and Watari took a seat on the edge of the bed, knowing that L would speak when he was ready. Either that, or he would bring out a laptop from somewhere and ignore him, but he had a feeling that it would be the former today. Sure enough, it wasn't long before L began to speak.

"Watari... Why did I do that? I know better. I have stood and brushed aside other people's words as if they were nothing, and I have walked away from people far more infuriating than him in the past; and yet I have never felt the need to raise my voice to them."

Watari sighed. Yes, it was his own fault, he supposed. This whole Kira business was bad enough, without having to teach a reclusive genius what friendship means. Truthfully, he didn't really want to answer L's question, not knowing whether or not the detective would be ready for what he had to say, or even if he would understand it. He had to say something though.

"He asked me to tell you that he didn't mean to offend you. If I may say ... Perhaps that is just the way he and his friends... communicate." There. A small hint that hopefully might set him on the right path...

"It is frustrating. How can I discuss things seriously if he will not listen to what I have to say? He wants me to go with him to a magical castle, to speak to a centaur, and he tells me that we will be using a spoon to get there. He has a house-elf who thinks I'm vile and disgusting, a snake who doesn't think much better of me, and he expects me to drop everything here and follow him to a forest... I can't. I do not have the time. I will admit that I am... intrigued to say the least. I have seen proof with my own eyes that magic is real, and the thought of a whole different world, hidden alongside our own... Ordinarily I would grasp every opportunity to learn more. At this present time though... I have a duty, and it is here." If his lips hadn't been moving slightly, Watari would not have been able to tell that it was L speaking.

"I understand completely L. I truly do not think that the young man was seeking to offend you. He seemed genuinely surprised that you wouldn't be jumping at the chance to go, from what I saw." L was silent, and Watari couldn't even begin to guess at what his ward was thinking. The two sat in a comfortable silence, Watari knowing that L would speak when he was ready.

"Perhaps that was the issue, Watari. Ordinarily I would, but I feel the need to stay here. There is an eighty-two percent probability of Yagami-san making the announcement tomorrow, and I must be present otherwise I will lose my chance to convince them to trust me."

"I see." Watari nodded his understanding, "In that case, perhaps if we all sit down and talk things through, we can find a solution. Perhaps we can convince him to wait a couple of days until things calm down. It is rather unfair to expect you to take all of this in without there being a few issues, and I'm sure that he will understand."

Watari waited patiently for the reply, and when it eventually came, it definitely wasn't the reply that he had expected.

"I shouted. I lost control." It was said quietly and with no emotion. Nevertheless, Watari was surprised that it had been said at all. L's almost inhuman ability to be completely calm and rational in any situation was something that the detective took great pride in, and it really was amazing, if not slightly disturbing in many ways. There were a few situations where he'd almost been sick himself, even with his decades of experience, and yet L would act as if it were nothing. Good for his line of work, but terrible for his development as a properly functioning adult.

To admit out loud that that there had been a loss of control was different from what he had come to expect. Watari would have guessed that L would pass it off as acting, or that he'd create a simple lie to cover it up, and that as usual he would nod and smile, knowing better and yet knowing not to press the issue. Cake would be requested, and L would literally chew his way through his thoughts, working through any issues on his own. Any unwanted interference from Watari was simply and effortlessly ignored, and it always turned out that L was right. He had an uncanny knack of doing completely the wrong thing, and yet it ending up being exactly the right thing to do.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing, you know. Everyone has their limits, including yourself."

"My limits with him are different."

That was the crux of the matter, and here is where things would get difficult.

"What do you think of our Wizard friend?" Watari inquired, expecting a simple answer. The reply truly threw him off balance.

"Irritating, strange, idealistic, contradictory, unpredictable, and yet intriguing. Untouched and untouchable. On the outside he is scarred but I think that on the inside there is a person that nobody has seen, and that he protects with many layers. There is a book that you should read, Watari. That is no ordinary person out there. I tell the world that I am justice, and yet I could not have done what he has done." L turned and looked him in the eye for the first time since he entered the room. "I have read an entire book on his life; I know his age, his friends, his accomplishments, what he excelled at in school, and yet it's as if I know nothing of him. I will say that he wasn't sure about telling you this, but his people are recovering from a war. It is rather frightening thinking of people with such powers, battling against each other to the death, but that was the situation, and that man... you will have to read the book Watari. He doesn't know you like I do, and I know that you will see things as I did, and read between the lines." L turned his head slightly, staring back up at the ceiling pensively, before continuing.

"I have no magic of my own, I know nothing of his world, and all I have done is restrict him, suspect him, and hinder his own efforts, to the point where I was willing to have him confined rather than risk that he would discover something else, and pass it on to someone with less honourable intentions. I am wondering whether or not I am rather out of my depth. If he had done that to me, and I could retaliate with magic, I think I would have done more than make his tea disappear, and yes I would probably waste no time in voicing my displeasure. I can't really fault him..."

"You did what you had to do. If he had been a threat, it would be a different story. From what you have said, and from what I have seen, he is a reasonable young man who understands our situation completely, and who doesn't hold any of that against you."

"I agree. For some reason though, my mind will not let me rest."

"When was the last time you slept for more than three hours?"

"..."

"I see."

"I know, Watari." L continued to stare blankly at the ceiling. "There is so much information to think about, and I simply do not have the time."

"That is not the only reason. Can you at least say that it has been less than two weeks?"

L's eyes instantly found Watari's, and his gaze was as sharp as a blade.

Clearly this topic was closed.

-xXxXxXxXxXx-

As soon as the bedroom door had closed behind Watari, Ryuuki had been itching to bring out his Extendable Ear and listen in on the conversation, but he had refrained. He sat with one elbow resting on a knee, and his chin resting on his hand. His other leg bounced rapidly, and his eyes continually darted towards the door, and away again. Finally, he stood up and walked over to his Portable Lab, sticking it to a wall and opening the door.

Where there had been a blank outside wall with just enough space between two windows for the Portable Lab to fit without having to shrink it, there was now a doorway leading to a fully stocked Potions laboratory. Walking inside, he selected a few potions that he would likely need; Magic Replenisher, Pepper-Up, Stomach Settler, Headache Draught, and a few others in case things didn't go to plan.

He assumed that the forest residents that were giving the Headmistress the most trouble were the Acromantula. Since the death of Aragog, his eldest children had fought amongst themselves before splitting into smaller nests, meaning that the Aurors had been called on several occasions to 'convince' the giant spiders to keep well away from the school when their fights over territory would get out of hand. The last he had seen or heard, there was a massive section of forest that even Hagrid wouldn't dare go near because of the giant spiders, and a sizeable chunk of forest was now practically deserted, except for the occasional click click of an acromantula's pincers. Most animals had moved far away from the castle, with very few moving closer, hoping for protection.

Suddenly he had a fantastic idea, which so brilliantly happened to coincide with recent events, that it couldn't possibly go wrong. For once, he did not curse fate.

Unfortunately that was only the beginning, and he had many more problems to solve. If only there was a simple way to find out what L's problem was, without all the flowery words! Glaring through the open doorway at the closed door across the room, he growled to himself before roughly digging in his pocket, and bringing out his Extendable Ear.

"Probably just talking about technical stuff..." he reasoned quietly to himself as he watched the flesh coloured string creep just far enough under the door so that voices would be heard. Unfortunately it seemed that L and Watari were just sitting in silence, and Ryuuki tried to remember whether or not he had perhaps forgotten to take down a previous charm. Just as he was about to call himself a prat and rip the thing out, he clearly heard L's voice, and he paused with his hand inches away from his ear to listen more carefully.

"Perhaps that was the issue, Watari. Ordinarily I would, but I feel the need to stay here. There is an eighty-two percent probability of Yagami-san making some sort of announcement tomorrow, and I must be present otherwise I will lose my chance to convince them to trust me."

Ah, he suspected that things would kick off at the NPA tomorrow. That would explain things slightly. Luckily there was such a thing as magic. If it happened tomorrow, then that would actually fit quite nicely...

"I see. In that case, perhaps if we all sit down and talk things through, we can find a solution. Perhaps we can convince him to wait a couple of days until things calm down. It is rather unfair to expect you to take all of this in without there being a few issues, and I'm sure that he will understand."

Fair enough, old man. After all, he had just sort of shattered any thought processes that happened to involve the laws of physics. When he was eleven, he was just glad to be away from the Dursleys and therefore he had wholeheartedly embraced the idea of magic, just because it was his ticket out of there every summer. L however, had probably grown up surrounded by periodic tables and scientific theories, and had been rather comfortably entrenched. Yes, he may act like a spoilt brat, but the man was far from it, and his childish enthusiasm for sweets and cakes was an insanely effective distraction. Yes, he'd probably knocked him clean off his perch, if not out of the tree altogether. He could be questioning the meaning of life at that very moment.

Perhaps it hadn't been the best idea to tell these particular muggles. Perhaps Arthur was right after all, and he'd constantly need to keep watch. He hadn't really considered the mental ramifications on a purely logical person like L. For all he knew, this revelation could affect the rest of the man's life, especially with being a detective. What if he started seeing magic where there was none, with no way to tell for sure? He was already paranoid enough to shut himself away to the extent that the NPA was under the impression that they were dealing with a well refined, middle aged gentleman.

Wouldn't they get a shock when they encountered the scruffy, shuffling, cake-eating, thumb sucking, bare-footed, wide-eyed walking corpse? The guy looked like a rogue inferi that was trying to fit in with normal society, and even then he wasn't trying very hard.

It was quintessentially L.

"I shouted. I lost control."

Yes, it happens. People get grumpy or fed up, and have a nice shout about it. No major breakthroughs there. Didn't see it coming, but still.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing, you know. Everyone has their limits, including yourself."

Really? His overall impression so far was that L would do anything to solve a case.

"My limits with him are different."

Really...?

"What do you think of our Wizard friend?"

Great. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear this, but his curiosity being what it was, he doubted he'd convince his hand to remove the Ear anytime soon.

"Irritating, strange, idealistic, contradictory, unpredictable, and yet intriguing. Untouched and untouchable. On the outside he is scarred but I think that on the inside there is a person that nobody has seen, and that he protects with many layers. There is a book that you should read, Watari. That is no ordinary person out there. I tell the world that I am justice; and yet I could not have done what he has done. I have read an entire book on his life; I know his age, his friends, his accomplishments, what he excelled at in school, and yet it's as if I know nothing of him. I will say that he wasn't sure about telling you this, but his people are recovering from a war. It is rather frightening thinking of people with such powers, battling against each other to the death, but that was the situation, and that man... you will have to read the book Watari. He doesn't know you like I do, and I know that you will see things as I did, and read between the lines."

Well, it could have been worse, but it was disturbing that L knew that much as it was. He didn't really mind Watari knowing either, since he was a genuinely nice man. L thought that he didn't know him? For someone that doesn't know him very well, enough of L's words hit close enough to home to force an uneasy blush upon his cheeks.

L's voice continued to sound in his ear, and he knew he shouldn't be listening, but he still didn't really think that this would be a good place to stop. Quite frankly, if he could convince L to leave for just one day he could get New Year, the Weasley dinner that L and Watari had been invited to and the acromantula problem dealt with fairly quickly, with perhaps enough time for a tour of the castle before the New Year feast. They could both be completely hidden in shadowed cloaks that would hide their features, let the students believe that they were Unspeakables... It would all fall in to place so nicely...

Firenze said to bring 'Him'. The only 'Him' it could be was L, and Ryuuki was certain that without L's presence, anything that came out of the centaur's mouth would sail straight over his head. His thoughts were cut short as L continued.

Ryuuki paused. It was difficult to be annoyed at all now. L had lied when he said he didn't feel bad... He really was a professional liar. He hadn't been looking into L's eyes as it had been said, and so had been unable to tell from just his mannerisms alone. Also, alerting him to the fact that he was occasionally able to block his thoughts from being scanned would not help in that regard.

"You did what you had to do. If he had been a threat, it would be a different story. From what you have said, and from what I have seen, he is a reasonable young man who understands our situation completely, and who doesn't hold any of that against you."

Bless that man. What a lovely fellow... although he would have to be careful, since it appeared that he could read people like books, much like L. It was always the quiet ones...

"I agree. For some reason though, my mind will not let me rest."

"When was the last time you slept for more than three hours?"

That explained the black lines under his eyes, that were even slightly worse than his own; but then at least he had the Dreamless Sleep potion to fall back on, and other energy replenishing potions that got him through the rough days. From what he had heard from the muggle men that he had trained with, muggle medications didn't really do much for severe insomniacs, and it would seem that L fell into this category. However, with Dreamless Sleep, it was guaranteed to work. He'd have to call Hermione to check the correct dosages, or even if it was safe in the first place...

His train of thought paused itself upon hearing Watari's quiet voice.

"I see."

"I know, Watari. There is so much information to think about, and I simply do not have the time."

"That is not the only reason. Can you at least say that it has been less than two weeks?"

Silence.

Merlin... Less than three hours a night for more than two weeks? This was long term? That was... insane. How in Merlin's name could he perch everywhere and not keel over?

"I shall take my leave. I suggest that you speak to Ryuuki, now that you have both had time to think."

That was his cue. He quickly recalled the flesh coloured string and stuffed the Ear back into his pocket. Feeling rather strange, and giving the bedroom door surreptitious glances, he shrunk his potions pouch and added it to his pocket. Bringing out his phone, he dialled Hermione and waited for her to answer.

"Ryuuki! I'm surprised to hear from you! Isn't it rather late over there?"

Ryuuki had to wandlessly remove the translation charm as he realised that he couldn't understand a word of what Hermione had said.

"Sorry 'Mione I didn't catch that, still had the charm on, but listen! Is Dreamless Sleep safe for a muggle?"

"Oh, I... Yes, it should be entirely safe for muggles, but Ha-Ryuuki, you really shouldn't!"

"I know 'Mione, but this guy really needs some sleep, and I can't just..."

Ryuuki began to pace up and down the length of the room, smoothly stepping between different benches in a random pattern.

"Don't worry, I understand. Give him a sip at first, because everyone reacts differently, and depending on his weight, giving him too little is better than too much. If it doesn't last long enough he can always take another sip. I'd say that because he is a muggle, trial and error would be the best way. His dosage should be nowhere near yours, remember, just one sip at a time until you know the effects!"

"I know 'Mione, we're looking for a result that involves sleeping rather than being in a coma, so a sip at a time."

"Do you have a fresh batch there? I'm assuming you have your Lab."

Stepping up to the correct cupboard, he checked that the potions wouldn't be expiring any time soon.

"Yes, the previous batch is still alright, and I'm fully stocked. I apologise if Kreacher lifted some from your stores, but it's your own fault since you did give him a free pass. I haven't exactly had the time for brewing."

"Quite frankly it's the only way that I can keep an eye on how much you are taking!"

"Spying on me for the good of my own health, hmmm?" He said tiredly. Turning to pace to the front of the room, he noticed that Watari was standing in the doorway, looking around the Lab curiously.

"Would you expect anything less?" was the fond reply.

"I suppose not... 'Mione I'd better go, I think I have some explaining to do, since I sort of set my Lab up on an outside wall between two windows, and I'm being stared at. Tell Molly and Arthur I'll be round at nine tomorrow evening will you?"

L appeared in the doorway slightly behind Watari, slouched in his regular manner, nibbling his thumb, with his other hand stuffed in his pocket.

"You should bring-"

"'Mione, I know, Arthur has already extended an invite, and we shall wait and see. I'm still ironing out the creases. We should meet up earlier, you'll want to see what I have in mind for the acromantula; it's going to be amazing. Of course an old friend has to agree first, but you will seriously not want to miss this. Oh and I suppose Minerva will have to let me into the Chamber-"

"HA-RYUUKI WHATEVER YOUR GOD DAMNED NAME IS! DON'T YOU DARE GO DOWN THERE AGAIN!"

All three men winced, even L, although his was a mental wince. He was more focussed on the numerous jars of ingredients, and various pieces of equipment that were dotted around the lab, some of which looked as if they were made from precious metals.

"'Mione I swear it's for a good cause, you know I wouldn't go there unless it was necessary. Anyway, I know you get a kick out of seeing me use my brain, and I really could use the extra wand in case Plan A fails miserably. Anyway! I really must go because I have one person staring at me suspiciously, and the other is trying to – No! L, that used to be sterile! – Yeah, my Lab is no longer safe, so bye! Expect a call later!"

Ryuuki hung up the phone, hoping that she wouldn't call back to give him an earful about hanging up on her.

"So... How's it going? Hi! Welcome to my Portable Potions Lab!" He said, sweeping his arms out grandly. "Don't touch stuff; like I said, a lot of it is sterile, and contaminants make pretty potions go boom. I would not like to lose my eyebrows any time soon." Ryuuki pointed his wand at the tainted utensil, firing a quick sterilising charm at it before levitating it back into its place.

"You sound very different when you speak English, Ryuuki."

Ryuuki was startled; he hadn't even realised that he had still been speaking in English, since it all sounded the same to him, but hearing L speak English without the charm translating it first was very, very strange. He had a mix of all of the different accents, and Ryuuki couldn't even begin to guess where he had lived, for he had to have lived there for a time to speak so fluently, but then again, this was L, so nothing was certain. It was as if he had listened to people from different regions, and picked out his favourite sounds to create an accent that was all his own.

"You sound really different without the translation charm too. Just how many languages do you speak?" Ryuuki asked curiously. He worked as an international detective, so he was guessing he would know a few.

"I... suppose I would say somewhere between ten and fifteen, fluently."

"Merlin's balls... You any good with Latin?"

"I am. After a few languages, you can't help but pick up a working knowledge of Latin."

"I suppose that's true enough. Look, I'm sorry about pushing you before... I guess I've forgotten what it's like when magic is new."

"I must not leave the case unattended."

"I know, and that is not part of the Master Plan."

"Master Plan? Do I even want to ask?"

"Of course you do, although can you step to the side for a moment? I have a roast dinner calling me."

The plate of roast dinner floated through the doorway and landed on the workbench in front of him. He took perverse pleasure in noting that if Hermione ever caught him eating in his potions lab, she would probably kick him out of it before proceeding to bash his skull in with the door.

Next he conjured a large piece of parchment, and summoned his quill and inkwell.

This made L raise his eyebrows.

"I know, I know, it's terribly old fashioned, but when in Rome..."

He wrote, 'The Master Plan' at the top, and underlined it.

"Ryuuki, I am giving no guarantees, but what exactly would be involved in this side trip?" L asked curiously, studying Ryuuki's handwriting, which didn't do the art of calligraphy any justice at all.

"Wait and see... I tell you what; you phone Misora, and then I will start what will probably be a lengthy discussion which will explain why you have nothing to worry about time-wise. We'll have all the time we need in fact. Trust me, I'm a Wizard! I have to talk to Seth too, and convince him to agree to something."

"Ah, yes, I should not leave it much longer..." L frowned slightly and bit his thumbnail. "Did she mention anything of interest?"

"As a matter of fact she did, and it all points towards a certain teenager. It's not looking good for him. Ah, she gave me a note to give you, so here. I haven't looked at it," said Ryuuki, digging around in his pocket for the sheet of muggle paper, and handing it over.

Just relative to my previous accommodation. R showed ID to passenger, male. Not just HtAt. Inc w/store Dec. It closes at 12.

"I see. There is a snake related issue." Ryuuki's fork paused halfway to his mouth, and he looked at L, who was dangling the note by a corner, certainly not looking like he had an issue with anything.

"Apparently he wondered where I was, and assumed that you would be able to tell him. Complained that you woke him up," said Ryuuki carefully.

"Yes, some files fell to the floor, but I wasn't expecting to be hissed at every time I moved."

"Seriously, he was just trying to get you to tell him where I was. He even tried slowing down, but you would just hear lots of hissing so I can see how you'd think he was out to get you. He likes our hair, by the way. He thinks it would look nice with his scales."

L noticed that even though it had been long enough for the food to be cold by now, the roast potatoes were still steaming.

"...Will it help matters if you tell him that I think his scales make a nice pattern?" Studying the pattern had kept him from being completely bored after all.

"You know, I'm not sure. Owls like being told they have nice feathers, and Hippogriffs are always open to a compliment or two, so I don't see why not. I'll move him somewhere else if you want. That woman 'recognised' me by the way, so why in Merlin's name would you send me, knowing that would happen? She almost thought I was some kind of criminal. Although I suppose turning up on her balcony can't have helped... but still! You almost got me shot! Do you have any idea how much paperwork that is? Seriously. It would have been an I-triple-M. Not funny."

"I-triple-M?"

"Incident of Mass Memory Modification. If she had shot me, thinking I was a lunatic, that's what would have happened." L looked sceptical. "The bullet would have bounced off. Lady would have had a screaming fit."

"Bullets bounce off you?"

Ryuuki nodded. "Amusingly enough I actually got accused of being a robot once, but then that could have been the added 'ding' that I added for effect. In for a penny, in for a pound!" he said with a grin. L had perched himself on a stool, and was staring at Ryuuki intently.

"Explain," L stated. Ryuuki sighed, and stopped pushing food around his plate. He was finished anyway.

"I figured out that stopping bullets would come in handy, as well as avoiding flying bits of pavement in a magical fight, so I worked on a shield that would only activate when hit by something that was moving past a certain speed. It's a specialty of mine I suppose... It's saved my life many times over. It wouldn't stop a truck from killing me, and a bullet would leave a hefty bruise, but I'd still be standing and my insides wouldn't be on the outside." Ryuuki winced and rubbed the back of his neck, seemingly feeling it with his fingers.

"Amazing...The list of things that magic can do must be extensive."

"It is, but you have to trawl through a lot of rubbish to find it. The Wizarding world was actually rather stagnant before the war created a few clever people who got the ball rolling. Information had to be collected from various sources to get a true idea of how it all worked, and people were rather set in their ways even when discoveries were made. It was entirely common that a certain method would work for one person and not another, and they would become discouraged, believing that they couldn't do it, when it was simply a case of finding what worked for them as an individual. Other things that they couldn't understand were immediately labelled as 'Dark Magic', including spells that just needed a certain level of skill to perform so that it wouldn't go out of control."

"This room is for making potions." L stated.

"Yes."

"What kind of potions?"

"There's a bookshelf in the corner with a load of recipes. From the looks of things it would be quicker for you to read the titles and descriptions than it would be for me to tell you. Anything too complicated is sent on to 'Mione. There's no technology, and technically no food allowed in here, but especially technology. Unmodified stuff tends to have a habit of blowing up when in contact with certain kinds of magic, so your laptop could set off a chain reaction in here that would level the hotel at least. I probably should have mentioned it earlier. Hang on; I have to confirm something, just in case I'm barking up the wrong tree."

A smaller piece of parchment appeared, and L shamelessly read what was being written upside down.

Minnie McG,

Acromantula? How long can you wait? There's a slight scheduling issue on this end.

HJP

"Kreacher!"

There was a crack, and the creepy little house-elf appeared again.

"Master Ryuuki be needing Kreacher?" he asked, with a wary sideways glance at L, who didn't bother to acknowledge the elf's presence.

"Yes, could you please take this to the Headmistress and wait for a reply?"

"Right away Master Ryuuki." With another crack the elf was gone. L blinked.

"I have not yet encountered any information regarding acromantula."

Ryuuki chuckled. L's mannerisms really were endearing.

"Giant spiders. Giant talking spiders who don't mind the odd human meal. There used to be a colony of them deep in the Forbidden Forest next to Hogwarts. At the final battle, the Death Eaters drove the acromantula out of the Forest towards the school, and with the recent death of their leader, those who were fighting to take over leadership of the colony decided to start their own in another part of the forest instead." Ryuuki glanced towards L to see if he was following, and received a slight nod.

"Now, after numerous altercations, and having sampled human flesh, the new leaders decided that the patch of forest that bordered the school was the best piece of land, since then they could snack on hapless students who got too close. There are currently four smaller nests, not including the original larger one. For the last few years we've been trying to stop them from getting to close to the school without exterminating them; bearing in mind that when they negotiate, they tend to see the representative as part of the trade."

"That... does sound troublesome. What do they expect you to do?"

"Well, the information we have is from when I went in to investigate. It's tricky, because they can also climb trees. There are not many willing to go in, so they send me. It's sort of expected that I pitch in on these things. I also spoke to their previous leader before he died, and sort of knew what kind of reception to expect. I managed to distract them by telling them about Aragog's funeral and how sad Hagrid was, before wandlessly disillusioning myself and my broom, flying up through the trees as fast as I could, and getting the hell out of there. They eat each other too, so every fight we have with them provides them with more food, until they creep back towards the school. I suppose they just expect me to come up with a solution that doesn't involve having to put the school into lockdown every few weeks. We have to be careful though because they are an Endangered Magical Species."

"That seems unfair. What would they do without you there?"

"Probably keep up the fighting until they ate a few students, before using that as a reason to wipe them out. The thing is; it's the only colony in Britain, and their venom and silk goes for a good price. Hagrid raised Aragog himself and had a bond with him that kept them manageable, but then he died, and they won't listen to Hagrid so..."

L stared wide-eyed and tried to think of a solution.

"What would eat an acromantula?"

"If there's something out there that does, then I don't know what it is. I have a plan though. "

"What are they afraid of?"

Ryuuki laughed heartily, and with a slight touch of incredulity.

"You've got it in one, and I can't believe it... you didn't even know what an acromantula was until five minutes ago, and already you've practically figured it out!"

L was surprised, since it was a rather logical path to take, really.

"Snakes..."

"Basilisks in particular. Anyway, I should speak to Seth first, and you have to phone a good looking lady that wears leather trousers," said Ryuuki with a wink, before rising from his seat.

"Yes. I should speak to her soon, since she will be on the move from twelve o'clock onwards." He hopped off the stool and walked ahead of Ryuuki to the living room, Ryuuki following behind.

*Hey, Seth! Seth! Sorry to wake you, but I when will you be finished with that rat? I've got a rather interesting job for you my friend, if you decide to agree...*

"This is L. I am sorry for your loss, Misora-chan..."

-xXxXxXxXxXx-

Somewhere across the city, a Shinigami floated on its back, crunching through a juicy red apple, and he came to a decision. He watched as the arrogant human wrote name after name after name into his Death Note.

The Shinigami looked like something that was taken straight out of a child's worst nightmare, yet the teenager sat at the writing desk didn't look bothered at all by the presence of the otherworldly creature, and in fact seemed to be ignoring it.

If the Shinigami were standing, his height would be terrifying. If his wings were spread, you would fear for your life. If the painted mockery of a grin that was his mouth were to grin any wider, you would believe that your death was upon you, and that all hope was lost. His eyes were enough to haunt you for life, and his careless attitude made it rather obvious that he saw humans in general as a source of entertainment. He was enjoying this game immensely. Never would he have imagined that someone so ambitious, so clever, would pick up his Note! Then there's this guy, L, who comes along and joins in the fun!

However, this new entity could spell disaster. He knew that if his human was not extremely careful, that his game would be over, and he would be stuck once again in the Shinigami Realm, bored out of his mind, and craving these sweet, juicy apples... so delicious...

He didn't think much of his human, if he were being honest. He was rather full of himself. Reckoned he was a God, of all things, but as long as he still had apples to eat, he couldn't really care less what he thought of himself. Still though, without Raito, things wouldn't be anywhere near as interesting!

"Hey Raito... Hyuk hyuk hyuk...I wasn't going to say anything... Hyuk... but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you that there's a new player in your little game! Hyuk hyuk hyuk!"

Raito looked up from the list of names that he had been writing, next to their time of death.

"What are you going on about Ryuk? A new player? What exactly do you mean by that?"

Usually the Shinigami had nothing of worth to say, but Raito knew his moods by now, and knew that Ryuk wouldn't be telling him this information unless this person could spell trouble for his dream of a new world.

"Exactly what I said, kid, there's a new guy in town! Just wait 'till I tell the Old Man!"

"Are you going to tell me who this person is? And I've told you before Ryuk, this is no game. I'm building a new world!"

"Yeah yeah so you keep saying, and I've no idea kid, I'll just tell you that when I was out flying around, I felt something that I haven't felt in a long time! Hyuk hyuk hyuk! This is gonna be fun! I'm so glad I dropped my Note! Hyuk hyuk hyuk!" The Shinigami rolled around in the air, laughing hysterically and clutching his thin stomach.

"Human or Shinigami?"

"Human. Hyuk hyuk... Yup! Some sort of human."

"What makes you so sure they're after me?"

"Well, they're in Tokyo, and Kira is in Tokyo, so I just assumed... I guess they could be taking a holiday or something..." said Ryuk offhandedly.

"Well if they are planning to make a move, it seems like I have no choice other than to wait. I will be even more careful, however, in case I am still being watched."

Raito admitted to himself that Ryuk's chuckles sounded far more creepy and sinister than usual, and that if what the Shinigami said was true, then perhaps he was in more danger than he originally thought. Yes, he would have to be much more careful. After all, if Ryuk could somehow sense this person, and had felt the need to share this information, then this person had to be important somehow.

Unfortunately it really would seem that he had to wait for this mystery person to show themselves, before he decided what to do about it. Until then, he needed to make doubly sure that he hadn't made a single mistake that would lead to his identity.

-xXxXxXxXxXx-

Back at the hotel, L hung up the phone after successfully gaining Misora as an ally. In exchange for a small sum of money, she would remain in the area for the duration of the Kira case, for anything that needed to be accomplished without alerting the Task Force. It was underhanded, but with the prime suspect being the Chief's son, an ally in the shadows could be rather useful, if not critical at some point in the investigation. He was brought out of his thoughts by a loud thud, and when he turned to see what had happened, he noticed that Seth was on the floor, swaying slightly and hissing in a disjointed fashion.

"Uhm, he fell out of the tree, and now he's laughing," said a grinning Ryuuki when he noticed where L's attention was focussed. "From the looks of things, Seth is more than willing."

"That explains it... Will you now explain how I can keep an eye on things here?"

Suddenly there was a crack, and Kreacher appeared.

"For you, Master Ryuuki," he said, passing him a piece of parchment.

"'Dear blah blah blah... Next time instruct your house-elf to wait until I am available, rather than interrupting my lecture regarding'... oh they didn't, those little horrors... Anyway, ahem, 'Hope things are going well in Japan'... get to the point... Aha! Huh? 'Fawkes has appeared and has graciously agreed to lend his assistance, and Hogwarts has been locked down for the night. The situation is not dire, but as you can see, the students are becoming restless'... Right, so that gives us a bunch of time to play with. I didn't think I'd ever be seeing Fawkes again... I wonder what has brought him back." Ryuuki stared at the letter in his hands, and L watched Ryuuki.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore's Phoenix."

"...Yes. Do you seriously remember absolutely everything you see and hear?" Ryuuki asked, staring intently at L.

"...Yes."

"That's cooler than talking to snakes."

"It is useful," he stated emotionlessly. "Will you now tell me what you are proposing?"

"Ah! Yes, I just had to make sure that I didn't have to leave right away, you see. I have an insane plan which involves getting absolutely everything out of the way, leaving us better off in the long run, whilst hopefully getting some sense out of that centaur. If a centaur requests that you speak to them, you don't ignore it. The problem is, you only really understand what they were talking about after it's happened, and by then it's usually too late. That's where you come in."

"I see. However I must remain here in person, especially since you mentioned that technology does not mix well with magic."

"That, will not be a problem. You'll want cake for this."

L shuffled over to his desk and pushed a button.

"Watari."

"Yes L?" was the immediate reply.

"I require cake."

"Understood. However, there was no cake."

"No... cake...? Explain."

"There is no cake. However, I did purchase the necessary ingredients."

"Ask him to bring them, and you'll have your cake," interrupted Ryuuki. L glanced at him suspiciously, before once again pressing the button.

"That will be sufficient, Watari."

"I shall bring everything you need. Will that be all?"

"Yes."

"Doesn't he ever refuse, on the grounds that your manners are completely non-existent?" asked Ryuuki.

"No."

"Hey Kreacher!" Ryuuki called over to the elf, who had been staring suspiciously at Seth. "Would you mind making a cake?"

"I is not knowing how to make muggle cake, Master Ryuuki."

Ryuuki glared slightly at the elf.

"Come on now Kreacher, he's perfectly harmless! What is it that you think he's going to do to you?"

"Nasty muggles, spewing their filthy fumes, with their nasty cars and aeroplanes, and their nasty toasters... They is taking up too much space, Master Ryuuki, and I is not liking it."

"Kreacher they are just doing the best they can with what they have. This guy isn't driving a car, isn't anywhere near an aeroplane, isn't holding a toaster, and just wants some cake."

L shuffled forwards slightly.

"Excuse my interruption, but how do you know that Kreacher makes good cake? I do have rather refined tastes after all. I won't eat just any cake."

Ryuuki turned to L, fighting a grin, but before he could say anything Kreacher caught his attention.

"Master Ryuuki, did that muggle just... disgraceful, knows nothing of house-elves..." He turned to L and jabbed a knobbly little grey finger at him. "I'll have you know, ignorant muggle, that we house elves can make cakes that would put your muggle treats to shame, yes they would... Doubting house-elves' cooking..." he muttered, walking away.

"I'm not sure about that Kreacher," said L pensively, playing with his bottom lip. "I've tasted a lot of muggle cakes, and I have to say that I find it difficult to believe that you could make a cake that is better than them all."

Kreacher sputtered indignantly, as L continued.

"However, I cannot be completely sure, as I have never tasted one of your cakes, and therefore have no basis for comparison." He stared into the distance disinterestedly.

Kreacher paused, and Ryuuki added, "The sweeter the better by the looks of things Kreacher! I reckon you should give him a demonstration; after all he's got a point. How can he know that house-elves make the best cakes when he's never tried one?"

Kreacher nodded stiffly with a determined expression, and disappeared with a crack. Ryuuki swiftly dissolved into giggles.

"That," he stated emphatically, "was brilliant!" He giggled some more. "I have never seen a house-elf look so insulted in my life!" He was almost struggling to breathe at this point as he kept remembering the look on Kreachers face. Priceless.

Even L had to crack a small smile.

Watari knocked before entering the room with the bag of ingredients, staring curiously at Ryuuki who was still giggling, and he could have sworn that L had been smiling amomentago...

"Here you are. Would you like me to set everything up for you in the kitchen?" asked Watari, itching to have everything set up...

L looked at Ryuuki, who straightened and quickly reassured L.

"Don't worry, Kreacher has his own 'domain' shall we say. He's already got everything he needs. You'll be eating the cake he brings, and staying out of my way as I turn this bag of stuff into a cake, and fill your head with exciting concepts. Don't worry about setting it all up Watari; I know my way around a kitchen, but thanks anyway."

L stared incredulously at Ryuuki, as Watari nodded slowly and reluctantly handed over the bag of ingredients, inwardly lamenting the loss of the opportunity to fit a camera.

"You can make cake?" L asked innocently. His thumb was resting on his bottom lip and his eyes were wide as he stared at Ryuuki.

"Yes. Nothing special I suppose, but it can definitely be classed as cake, and it will give me something to do when explaining things."

Watari left the room quietly, and they made their way to the kitchen, L sitting at the table and watching wide eyed as drawers and cupboards opened and closed themselves seemingly at random.

"Right, now I know roughly where everything is..."

When everything had stopped opening and closing, and things had stopped flying around his head, he raised his eyes and noted that everything Ryuuki would need was already on the table.

"Ah, hold on, I'd better hide all this for the moment," said Ryuuki, before everything on the table abruptly vanished. L felt the urge to rub his eyes.

"Why?"

"A certain elf would be insulted."

Just then there was a crack, and Kreacher appeared holding what looked like a chocolate cake.

"Triple Chocolate Fudge Melt!" he stated proudly. L stared hungrily at the cake, seemingly devouring it with his eyes.

"I must say that I am impressed. So far I have learnt that house-elf cakes are extremely fast," said L, glancing sideways at Kreacher, who had folded his arms and looked as if he was waiting to pounce on any and all criticisms. L decided then and there that it wouldn't be wise to insult the little elf. Digging in his pocket, he brought out his cake fork and made to dig in.

"Hang on L, you can't just start tunnelling your way through, at least wait until I cut a slice!" said Ryuuki incredulously.

L looked a bit disgruntled, but he waited quietly until Ryuuki had summoned a plate and a large knife. He was more than slightly wary when the knife started doing its own thing and cutting the cake without a hand to guide it, and he subconsciously curled up a bit tighter. Soon enough though, a slice of cake that he would be allowed to eat was in front of him, and he happily stuck his fork in it. Perfect sponginess, not too dry, and not too soggy... nice bounce...

"Kreacher... you truly are a master at your craft. You made this by yourself?" said L, through a second mouthful of cake. Kreacher tilted his head slightly.

"Of course!"

"And you can make other cakes that taste just as good as this one?"

"Any cake that you've heard of, and many more that you haven't!" stated Kreacher proudly.

"Then I have to say that house-elf cake is definitely among my favourites."

Kreacher looked as if L had just stated the most obvious thing in the world.

"Hey Kreacher, tell L exactly what you think about aeroplanes!" said Ryuuki, changing the subject as he started digging in to his own slice of cake.

"They is screaming metal flying death traps, Master Ryuuki," Kreacher stated obediently.

L smiled slightly at the small elf's description, thinking that he wasn't far wrong. L of course did have a couple of aircraft in storage but he wasn't about to tell that to the elf.

"I like you Kreacher, you have the funniest way of describing things!" said Ryuuki, grinning around his fork.

"I must tend to the Isle, Master Ryuuki," said Kreacher, bowing in Ryuuki's direction.

"Of course, Kreacher. Make sure you get plenty of rest, you've done rather a lot today as it is."

"Master need not be worrying, Kreacher knows."

The elf disappeared with a crack.

"He'll warm up to you. He lived with the Blacks for most of his life, and they filled his head with all sorts of horror stories about muggles."

L decided that he didn't particularly care, as long as the elf didn't click its fingers anywhere near him.

Ryuuki's plate floated to the sink, and all of the utensils reappeared on the table. L carefully picked up the dormant knife, and cut himself another slice of cake that was twice as large as the slice he had just eaten. Ryuuki gave him a funny look, but said nothing.

"Right, since you have your cake, I will begin." Ryuuki started weighing ingredients.

"I am telling you here and now, that no matter what you believe, time travel exists, it is real, and I have personally travelled back in time on two separate occasions."

"I suspected you meant... but I dismissed it as impossible... you mean to tell me that you propose that we... time travel... it is possible to exist in two places at the same point in time? Is it-"

"Eat your cake. I'm really sorry for interrupting, but I will explain everything as best I can." L nodded slightly and rapidly ate a large chunk of cake.

"I have a device called a time turner. There are only two left in existence, because my friends and I accidentally destroyed the rest in our fifth year, but there were two that were on loan at the time. They are working on a few more as we speak, I think... Probably the best way to tell you would be to tell you the truth of my third year at school, regarding Sirius Black."

"Your Godfather."

"Yes. I told you that Pettigrew was a rat animagus. He was actually my friend Ron's pet rat, and lived with us in the dorm, and we never knew. Sirius saw a picture of Ron's family in a newspaper when he was in prison, and 'Scabbers' as we knew him was sat on Ron's shoulder. Sirius recognised him and saw that the paper mentioned Ron as being my best friend, so Sirius escaped from Azkaban is his animagus form of a dog, since in that form he was thin enough to slip through the bars, and the Dementors take no notice of animals. He came to Hogwarts. Let's just say he knew of Wormtail's betrayal and wanted the rat dead.

"On the day in question, Buckbeak – a Hippogriff – was due to be executed, and we left Hagrid's hut just in time, due to a pot smashing and drawing our attention to the fact that people were on their way. We stood on a hill, and watched a man raise an axe before letting it fall. Scabbers bit Ron and ran away, Ron chased Scabbers, we chased Ron, and next thing we know, this huge black dog comes out of nowhere and drags Ron into a tunnel under the Whomping Willow."

L watched as Ryuuki switched on the electric mixer, frowning as the noise filled the kitchen. With a flick of the finger, the mixer was silent, and yet obviously still working.

"Why didn't it blow up?" L asked curiously, his fork hovering in mid-air.

"The spell isn't on the mixer itself, and it's far enough away to have barely any effect on the electronics," answered Ryuuki.

"Anyway. 'Mione and I follow this dog into the tunnel, trying not to get killed by this crazy tree, and we come to the end to find ourselves in the Shrieking Shack. Then we find out that the dog is really a man, there's a small fight involving a couple of teachers, and we find out that Sirius is innocent and that the rat that Ron is holding is the real traitor. It gets proved, we tie him up, and we all exit the tunnel. But! One of the teachers was a Werewolf, it was the full moon, and he hadn't taken his Wolfsbane potion so he wasn't able to keep his mind when he transformed. Sirius fought the Werewolf as a dog so that we could escape, Pettigrew turned in to a rat and escaped in all the fuss, and being the twit that I was, I ran after Sirius when I heard him yowling. I found him beside the lake, almost overcome by the Dementors, who then also turned on me. I tried to repel them with the Patronus Charm, which I'd been trying to learn for months, but it didn't work."

L had stopped eating cake, and was listening avidly, eyes wide and cheeks pouched, his mind racing to form conclusions.

"The next thing I know, I'm lying on the ground, a Dementor about to suck my soul out, and I see the massive great huge shining stag, and I truly believed that my father had come back from the dead in his animagus form. It chased off over a hundred Dementors, and I passed out."

"It was you, wasn't it? You went back in time, and that stag that you sent yesterday is the same one, and you saved your own life?" Ryuuki shook his head slightly as he poured the batter into two separate cake tins.

"No no no... That's not the point here. I have to tell this in the right order so that it makes sense. Ah... I didn't put the oven on." Ryuuki sighed before turning the dial on the oven, and sitting down opposite L. Behind him, dishes were washing themselves in the sink.

"Right, so I woke up in the hospital wing, and I found out that Sirius was locked in a tower, and that the Minister at the time had ordered that he be kissed by a Dementor. Dumbledore walks in and tells 'Mione that 'seven turns should do it, and more than one life can be spared. You have until the last chime' or something like that, and the next thing I know, the bells are ringing out and she brings out a time turner, puts the chain around both our necks, and turns this hourglass. Time starts speeding backwards around us, and when it slows, it is daylight again, and the room is empty. She tells me that we mustn't be seen, and that the consequences would be disastrous. We retraced our steps to Hagrid's hut, to just before our other selves left. We hid and watched our other selves through the window, and were concerned when we noticed the executioner, the Headmaster, and the Minister walking towards the hut, and yet our other selves were not leaving. 'Mione got our other selves attention by smashing the pot, and they looked out of the window and noticed that they had to leave. We watched ourselves go, and then listened to the conversation taking place in the hut."

"Buckbeak was the other life."

"Yes, you're right. We waited until everybody had seen Buckbeak, and then set him loose when they weren't looking. Dumbledore knew we were there of course, and he helped by talking nonsense and distracting everyone else. When we had seen the axe fall from on top of the hill, what we didn't see was that the executioner had embedded it into a pumpkin, not Buckbeak's neck." Here Ryuuki paused, as he once again rubbed his own neck, and glanced towards the oven, noting that it was at the correct temperature. L sat in silence, eating yet another slice of cake as Ryuuki floated the two cake tins into the oven, before realising that he would have to get up to set the timer. He huffed slightly before smirking and clicking his fingers.

L tilted his head curiously.

"I've set an alarm for fifteen minutes time."

L nodded in understanding, and continued to inhale cake at an astonishing rate. It had been a while, after all.

"What happened next?" demanded L. He didn't intend for it to come out that way, but oh well. It was an interesting story.

"Well, we had no choice but to wait until everyone came out of the tree, so we waited with Buckbeak just inside the forest until everything played out. The plan was to wait until Sirius was locked up in the tower, and then break him out. So, long story short, the first Harry followed Sirius who was getting pummelled, the second 'Mione distracted the Werewolf, who ran towards us instead, Buckbeak helped us out, and I ran to where I thought I had seen my 'Dad' appearing. 'Mione tried to tell me that my Dad wasn't coming, and if I had stubbornly waited much longer I would have been too late. As it was, I realised that I was standing in exactly the same place, and everything clicked together rather rapidly after that. I didn't have to worry whether or not I could cast a fully corporeal Patronus, because I'd already done it. Of course, we got Sirius out, and got back to the Hospital Wing just in time to see ourselves disappear, and time went back to normal from there. I think that pretty much covers how it all works. As you can probably guess, I'm not very good with technical explanations."

"I have sufficient information. For example, your Headmaster would have no choice but to help you, since he already knew that you had both gone back in time; and you didn't change events that had already happened. All you did was make sense of several oddities. Seeing yourself was indeed a bad idea, but if your first self had known that you would be time travelling, there shouldn't have been a problem. With you planning to be in different countries at the same time, there shouldn't be any chance of us meeting ourselves unexpectedly."

"Exactly."

"How far back is it possible to go?"

"I'd rather not risk more than five hours at a time, which would be ten turns, and I'd rather not risk more than two of ourselves existing at any one point in time. Nobody can know we're doing this, mind you. Especially those at Hogwarts. As far as they know, there's no meddling involved."

"Why exactly do you have one of these devices?"

"In case there was an emergency back home, but I still had to maintain a cover here. Also in case I found myself having difficulties managing to investigate magically in my spare time."

L sat and contemplated, and Ryuuki allowed him some time for things to sink in. A few minutes later a shrill alarm sounded, and Ryuuki waved his hand before wandlessly opening the oven door and bringing out the cake tins.

"I want it planned down to the last second."

"Naturally."

The two spent the next hour planning in great detail, with L deciding that he wanted to ice the cake himself along the way. Ryuuki of course ended up having to double the supply of icing to compensate for the amount that L repeatedly managed to sneak away on his finger. It was difficult to tell when he sneaked some, as his finger practically lived on his lips anyway, so seeing it there wasn't the giveaway that it should have been. They did, however, come up with a plan that would cover everything that they needed to do, and that they were both happy with, and they also managed to eventually finish the cake.

"I can't wait to see the look on 'Mione's face!" Ryuuki laughed some more. From the sounds of the woman on the phone earlier, L didn't think he should be laughing.

"She can do magic too, right? What is she likely to do to you with that magic when she finds out?"

"Ha ha... aaaah. Way to kill the mood," said Ryuuki, sulking.

"Just a thought."

"You've got a damn good point. I might have to think on how I'm going to deliver this one. She hates brooms."

Ryuuki looked so worried that L was almost tempted to laugh. If he had ever decided to imagine a Wizard for some reason, it would not have been this one.

"L, just out of interest, where it says 'Sleeping' for what we should be doing in five minutes, that includes you, right? In fact, have you even slept at all since I got here?"

L glared.

"It is not necessary for me to sleep at this time."

"You can't stay awake forever, especially with the extra time we'll have to go through, and it's going to be really busy. Walking through Hogwarts can be tiring when you're not used to navigating a castle, and I'm not floating you everywhere! Honestly you need to sleep if we're going to do this, and this is the only chance you've got!" Ryuuki stated emphatically. "Especially with Poppy as the Mediwitch; if you end up in her territory, she won't let you go until she's satisfied."

L shifted his glare to the floor.

"If it helps, I asked 'Mione if the stuff I take is safe for muggles, so you can try that. I'll even knock myself out first if that stops you from being paranoid. If you do, I'd suggest getting Watari to check on you every hour or so. It's called Dreamless Sleep." A potions book floated through and landed on the table in front of L, opening to an obviously well used recipe.

"No."

"I can spell you to sleep, but I can't guarantee that it will be dreamless."

L glared at the book, which promised a full night of dreamless sleep.

"Look, I know that with you being a complete Slytherin that you trust absolutely nothing, but even Slytherins trust this stuff. So you can't sleep properly. So what? I can't either. You saw me the other night, and quite frankly that was nowhere near the worst of it. I'm going to happily knock myself out with this potion, and if you need me, I suggest finding a taser and shocking me with it. That's what the guys at my training did. I will give you a vial, tell you to take a sip at a time, and tell you to get Watari to make sure you're not breathing funny. If there's a problem, tell him to taser me and I'll sort it."

A vial of bluish-purple liquid settled on the table in front of L.

"When you say a sip, would you say that roughly translates to about 5ml?"

"Roughly. I take a full vial for 8 hours sleep, but it's different for me, I'm on a rather extreme end of the scale. 'Mione says it will be trial and error to find out what works for you, but to start small. Now if you'll excuse me, I appear to be five minutes late for my sleeping appointment." Ryuuki grinned before standing with his own vial which appeared to be twice the size of the one in front of L.

"I've got a half vial, you have a quarter vial," explained Ryuuki, seeing the look and interpreting it correctly. "I won't be drinking a full dose; I know we don't have enough time for 8 hours of sleep." L nodded, turning back to the book as Ryuuki left the room.

Dreamless Sleep...

L stared at the vial, feeling rather sad for a reason that he couldn't quite put into words.

A/N: Can anyone guess why L is sad there at the end? Poor L.

Monster chapter as promised! Feel free to leave your feedback, as it is all appreciated! I try to answer them all but I apologise if I miss a couple by accident! I think I replied to them all for the last chapter for sure though.

Again thanks for adding me to a whole bunch of lists! If everyone who read this reviewed, I'd need my own PR department. So go nuts, but not too nuts, as I'm no L! Although I'd love to pull a super secret Headquarters out of nowhere. Awesome.