Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note although I wished for it. The shooting stars just won't do at all!
A/N: I know the tree thing is completely silly but I just have to put it there or it won't leave my mind. XD Sirius Black will not die unless I say so! But one simply cannot sue Rowling for making Sirius dead. I hope that clears things up. I forgot to mention Chapter 1's title…It's 'The Starting'. XD
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-Chapter 2-
Second Meetings
A medium-sized old scruffy-looking man paced across the floor of a small room. His expression carried those of fear and anxiousness. Turning to glance at the old grandfather clock again, he proceeded to look at his golden pocket watch. Twelve Thirty midnight. Where in the blazing pits of hell is his guest?
Not used to entertaining late guests, he fumed angrily, deciding to give up now and set the appointment some other time. But this matter was of more importance and it couldn't be delayed even more. Glancing at the clock again for the fourth time that night anxiously, he seated himself behind his desk, looking at his pocket watch every now and then to count the time.
The clock stroke 1am and that was the last straw.
"Tom!" He ordered.
A man entered the room, carrying a tray of food for the Minister. "Here's your late night snack. I doubt that you will be needing your break for now but I brought it here anyway." said Tom or also known as the innkeeper of Leaky Cauldron. He placed the tray on the Minister's desk before asking, "You called?"
Slamming his hands onto the desk, he demanded. "Send this letter to Dumbledore! I did like to know what type of disaster had happened to make him not making any appearance now!"
The innkeeper vaguely nodded. A knock on the wide-opened door gained the two's attention.
"That will be of no need, Cornelius." Came a silvery voice.
Tom bowed down to the newcomer before announcing that he will be of no use now and brushed past the 'guest' before disappearing down the stairs.
Cornelius Fudge got up from his seat and asked. "What's the meaning of this?"
"Ah, I thank you for your concern, Minister but this time, it's more of a personal experience." Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling happily. "Am I not offered to sit?"
"Yes! Ah yes! There are plenty of chairs to choose from as you can see. So grab a seat." Fudge beckoned to a comfortable sofa beside him. "Now let's get on to business shall we?" said Fudge, seating himself on a chair opposite of the headmaster.
"Apart from business, I don't think that you will call me out for tea in such a late hour. Isn't that right, Minister?" he inquired politely.
"Yes! Yes. Whatever you say is deemed fit for this explanation." Fudge said. He was clearly annoyed by the headmaster's attitude. Last year, they didn't part on the best of terms so well. The Voldermort incident was one thing that was burned onto Fudge's mind ever since the incident at the Department of Mysteries. And now this? Couldn't Dumbledore just left him in one peace?
Frowning, he tossed a couple of more documents to the headmaster. "The Ministry of Magic had discovered one very disturbing fact while looking through the newcomers list to enroll in your school."
Dumbledore nodded bluntly, helping himself to some fresh-baked cookies. "There will be a large number of interesting faces this year."
"I think you know perfectly well enough what I'm talking about here, Dumbledore." Cornelius said loudly, his expression turning into an angrier scowl. "I do not have time for this! Ever since the you-know-who incident at the Department of Mysteries, the Ministry never had a rest, warning people not to panic and all sorts of related situations. It had been a most tiring holiday unlike some of us."
Ignoring the hint of sarcasm detected in the Minister's words, Dumbledore calmly indulged himself in a cup of tea which Tom had gracefully whipped up for him. The headmaster thanked the innkeeper and said, "Everybody is working hard to make sure that Voldermort won't rise again, Cornelius."
The Minister winced at the mention of the dark lord uncomfortably. That however didn't affect the headmaster in any ways. Pausing in his movements, he said, "Now what is this about the newcomers? I doubt that there is something wrong with the list."
Thinking that that was the most reasonable thing which Dumbledore had said so far, Cornelius Fudge broke into a quick grin. But that was again replaced by a dark scowl once he reached into his robes to pull out two more scrolls, tossing them roughly onto the desk.
"This… This is preposterous!" he bellowed. "You invited two unknown students with absolutely no past of having any sort of magical abilities to here! Just what on earth are you planning!"
"I hoped you haven't forgotten about this but muggle-borns are allowed to be in Hogwarts. Not necessary pure bloods."
"I know but these two children have not even a small pinch of magical abilities in their blood! The Counsel had tried to pry into their past and all they know are that this L is from an orphanage and this Raito is an aced student in the muggle world! And the most ridiculous thing is that this L is now trying to solve a case on a serial killer by the name of Kira and this Raito is part of his suspicions! Are you trying to endanger Hogwarts further?"
"They can be learnt. The spells can be learnt. And as for them, they're just plain muggles so I doubt they will be doing something of equal disturbance here." Dumbledore answered calmly, skimming through the documents. "Besides Minister, what Hogwarts is doing is private and we ensure the safety of all students."
"It will surely run better if you let me place some dementors there and here." Fudge muttered.
"No. I do not wish to cause any more casualties for my students. Parents have been complaining about it."
"Albus! I'm merely expressing my concern! These two muggles-"
"Will be starting their term this coming September. Your concern is my gratitude but surely you don't have to worry yourself over small matters like this. And if that Raito really is a serial killer by the name of Kira, then I will hand them over to the Muggle Investigation Department immediately." The headmaster interrupted politely. "Now if you do not have any more questions, I shall take my leave."
"But!" Cornelius Fudge fumed. "Fine! If there is any casualties from this, I hope you be responsible for it, headmaster! It's late and I shall take my leave now. I bid you Goodnight."
With that and still fuming, Fudge exited the room angrily the way he came in.
Picking up the loose parchments, Dumbledore thought aloud to himself, "Goodnight Minister. Let's just hope that my prediction isn't true."
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"I'm going."
"Eh?.! But Ryuuzaki-san!" Came the loud protests of Matsuda. "You don't know the origin of this letter and you're going to this magic bluff?"
Stacking another sugar cube on to another, Ryuuzaki boredly nodded. "Yes. Is there a problem with that?"
"Of course there's a problem with that! Chief!! Say something will you!" Matsuda protested, throwing hopeful words at Soichiro so that he could stop this madness. The head of the investigation simple shook his head, helping himself to a mug of coffee so that it will ease the pounding headache soaring over his head now.
It was just like a normal morning of the investigation. Matsuda had burst back into the room, handing Ryuuzaki his letter, telling him about the owl and everything. Ryuuzaki had read it saying about a wizarding school named Hogwarts and he is being invited to enroll in the said school to learn magic and stuffs. It was sound completely like a hoax but Ryuuzaki said that he's going! Something must be wrong with him…
"But what if this is Kira's doing?" Aizawa spoke up, yawning and scratching his back.
Matsuda paused. "You're right! What if this is Kira's doing? Won't you be walking straight into his trap?"
"Now that will be trouble." Soichiro said, rubbing his chin. "Ryuuzaki, do you know what risk are you taking?"
Nodding unenthusiastically, the teen said, "I know perfectly well about it. Kira doesn't look like a person who will do something like this. Besides, this magic school is interesting. The headmaster had requested me to go alone so you all stay here and wait for my respond. There's a ninety percent chance that Kira is going to be there."
"Why are you so sure?"
"I have my ways, Aizawa-san."
"Then are you saying that Kira is a wizard? If he is, then all the killings will make sense. He didn't even have to touch them himself!" Matsuda said, seating himself beside Ryuuzaki.
Leaning in to get another sugar cube, the master detective said calmly, "If you think about it that way, I have no objections. The possibility of Kira being a wizard is fairly high. But…"
"But?" Soichiro asked.
"But the possibility of him being your son and making uses of the wizarding world to kill people is also high since he's one of my suspicions." Ryuuzaki proclaimed, stacking another sugar cube, his eyes watching it intently. "If your son also received this kind of letter, please do inform me."
"Chief…" Matsuda started but was cut off when Yagami Souchiro shook his head. "I had enough of this. Do what you want. But we're not taking any responsibilities when something happened to you."
"Chief!"
"I have enough problems already…Matsuda. I'm taking a break." Souchiro said, flinging his coat over his shoulder, opening the door to get out.
"If…this magic is real, I'm one hundred percent sure that this trip will not be a waste. So Yagami-san. Wait for my letter via owl post."
Not bothering to turn around, Yagami Souchiro nodded firmly before exiting the apartment.
"Don't worry, Matsuda-san. I'm sure this will be a very interesting trip."
That signaled the end of the conversation as Ryuuzaki crouched down and took another sip of his tea, rereading his letter again for the second time. His lips curled into a snide grin at the contents.
Dear Mr. Lawliet,
I'm pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts: A School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Along with this parchment, you will find a list enclosed for all the equipments and school supplies you'll need for the term. Since you're a late starter, you will begin as a 6th year student.
Regarding our previous letters, I'm completely aware that you're after a serial killer by the name of Kira. I hoped that you're aware that if any troubles brew out of this, serious actions will be taken immediately. I hoped that you keep your find a secret from other students as well as the purpose you're there. And please keep this a secret from your group as well.
I do request you to come only alone since this is under a special circumstance. Your school supplies have been instantly bought and the measurements you gave me through post for the robes have been made. Also, inside the envelope, there will be a ticket for platform nine and three quarters ticket for the train ride.
Once you arrived, you will be sorted into houses and been granted a feast with your fellow houses. After that, I wished to speak with you face to face inside the headmaster's office. Dear old Professor McGonagall will show you the way. And as you have requested, we'll not address you by your real name.
Term starts this coming first of September. I wished you the best of luck. I will await your owl till then.
Signed,
Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
Order of Merlin First Class
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Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Yagami Raito wondered to himself glumly, how the hell did he get himself into this kind of situations? He was currently in his classroom during English Class. There's a teacher who was asking him to translate the words he spoke, there was an annoying death god who just won't stop staring at the window as well as a large batch of very irritated owls, clawing at the window and trying to stuff the letters into the window.
Some had even tried the better way in, by flying through the main entrance and cleverly found their way to the latter's classroom. The orange-haired boy's desk was buried under the mountains of letters which the owls had dropped, hooting victoriously at their accomplished missions.
Raito wondered. Whoever this person is, he or she certainly wasn't the type to give up easily without a reply. His left eye twitched dangerously, ignoring the surprised looks his fellow classmates were giving him. Cursing angrily, he swore, whoever this person is, he or she would be the next victim in his list!
The next few hours had been a disaster. Owls were flying around the classroom. Students were running amok and teachers were having the fair amount of annoyance. They had tried to shoo the nasty birds out and locked every doors and windows tight. Raito devoted himself to take every one of the letters and held them beyond his friends' reach, as they were equally curious about it.
The death god wasn't helping much at all. Apparently as what he said earlier, he wasn't planning or going to even lend a hand. To put it simply, Raito was very furious. This means war.
Currently, he was in his own room typing away in his laptop. After the mad owls incident in school, he felt that it was time for him to do his work without any more interruptions at last. Fortunately, Ryuk was willing to go with the new rule he had set once they set a foot into this room and to say the least, Raito was very thankful for it.
Making sure that the door was firmly locked, Raito then used his laptop to break into his father's database, noting down the current new wanted criminals as well as what they were planning to get one step closer to Kira. He smirked to no one in particular.
Continuing his business, he ignored the rapid knocking on the door.
"Brother! Open the door please. There's mail for you." Came his sister's mischievous voice. She sounded like she just had a good laugh.
Narrowing his eyes, he stood up and proceeded to unlock the door with a small 'click'. The door to the room opened slowly and in poked his sister's grinning head. It was obvious that she had found something very amusing.
Raising an eyebrow at her, he seated himself on the chair. "Yes, Sayu?" He asked unenthusiastically, more to himself than to his sister.
Sayu pouted at her brother, knowing that she must have unconsciously interrupted her brother doing his assignment. Throwing in another amused grin, she quietly handed him a thick and heavy, made of a yellowish parchment. The sight of this envelope twirled inside the latter's mind. He groaned slightly. This was the same mind-blowing letter that he had received two days before as well as the letters this morning at school.
"I got this out of the mailbox today and find the address very peculiar. But it's addressed to you so I don't think you'll be happy if I take a small peek." She all but sang in a cheerful manner. Giggling again, she exited the room the same way she came in. And Raito had no choice to wonder whether his blood-related sister was completely insane or not.
Yagami Raito
The tidiest bedroom on the first floor
Yagami Household at the end of the street
Kanto Area
Japan
He sighed, his eyes boring into the letter's address again. This guy sure is persistent. He thought grimly.
"Looks like the knowledge of you being a neat freak is spreading around their world." Ryuk spoke up after his apple feast, grinning smugly. "Why don't you open it?"
Raito scoffed. He crumpled up the letter again and threw it into the wastepaper bin not even bothering to open it, let alone even read it. "I don't have to waste my time over little matters like this, Ryuk."
He flipped opened his laptop once more, typing away like there was no tomorrow. The death god stared outside the window, knowing perfectly well that something interesting is going to happen soon. "What if it was different form the other letters?"
Raito looked up from his laptop and spun around to face the smug death god. His eyes fell onto the dark shadow in front of him. "Still, you're not giving me a reason on why should I waste my time to read it, much less to believe in it. Ryuk, we're living in the modern ages. I did rather take my time to clean out my sister's dirty room than to believe in some fantasy and fairytale."
Raito shuffled the things on his desk to one side. He snapped his laptop shut, setting it aside for later.
"You do realize that will be a trouble don't you? Cleaning your sister's messy room that is."
"I'm in no mood to play games now. The owls have been giving me a-" Opening his eyes, he abruptly stood up. "Who are you?" He demanded solidly. It was nothing more of a question but a statement…a demanding statement.
A chuckle was the respond. Raito immediately turned around, just in time to face an old man. Nothing like this man had ever been seen in Japan or anywhere of sorts. He was tall, thin and very old with long silvery beards and hairs. He was wearing a long purple-colored robes and a starry cloak. His blue eyes sparkled and twinkled behind his half-moon spectacles in amusement.
The man was smiling a lot for Raito's liking.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Raito's mind began to spin. Part of his mind was screaming where did this odd man came from and how did he entered his room and his house without anyone knowing. Another one of L's devious tricks? No…It couldn't be. If this was one of his tricks then he would have done this a long time ago but that didn't make sense at all. Watching the now humming old man cautiously, he grimaced.
Was this just an illusion? No…the man looked real enough. His hands clutched the chair tightly and his eyes watching and studying the man's every short movements.
"Pardon me for my imprudence, but you seemed to have a tendency to talk to yourself alone." The old man said.
Raito licked his lips nervously. "That's not much of a problem since most people had developed a tendency to talk to themselves alone too. And that makes you one too."
The old man chuckled mildly, turning to face the bed where Ryuk was sitting on. "Certainly. I do have a tendency to wonder aloud to myself. But somehow, I doubt that there will something specified as a name in the process. Someone by the name of Ryuk, perhaps?" He said, smiling.
Gritting his teeth, Raito is disliking this old man lesser and lesser.
"Is there a problem with having an imaginary friend?" Raito said through gritted teeth. His hands were clenched into fists tightly.
The man chuckled again. "Ah yes. The wonders of having an imaginary friend are still a trend to most children. But I also can't say that someone as old as me won't have one. A gray hippo wearing a ballerina costume and a horde of elves. Funny fellows they're."
Raito couldn't help to wonder…is this man nuts or what? "That still won't get you anymore."
"I trust you received my letter? I stated in detailed that I will be visiting at this hour." The man answered, walking to the other side of the room. "I hope you do not mind on my sudden intrusion."
"What about my family. What did you do to them?" he asked desperately, silently wishing that his family were freed from harm.
"Your parents are now watching their favorite show whilst your sister is having a conversation on the phone. None of them seemed to notice my presence here. And I can assure you that none of them are in danger."
"Who are you?" Raito said, glaring at the intruder. "How do you get here? And what do you want?"
"Very well. A proper introduction is necessary. Unless you read the letter which perhaps you don't, I'm Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." The man said, adjusting his half-moon spectacles before rummaging through his cloak, taking out a white handkerchief. "I do believe that you're Mr. Yagami Raito? Because it will be a shame to know that you're not since I'm quite late for the Frogs' Musical. A wonderful show that is."
Raito stood rooted to the spot. "How…?"
"How I got here? Simple, I appear by disapparation. One simply cannot trust road transport to be on timed again."
"Disappa..what?" Raito asked curiously, his view on the man didn't change as well. There was something not right on this Dumbledore fellow and he couldn't lay a single finger on it.
"Disapparation. A method of transport. Very reliable I should say so myself. We can apparate anywhere we want." He explained, searching over the place for a chair to sit. "Since there's no chair, do you mind if I borrow this spot for awhile?"
Raito stiffly nodded. His other hand was on the drawer where the Death Note was being kept. It was very stupid of this person to give out his name so freely like this but it would be a pity to kill him off.
Dumbledore reached into his sleeves for his wand. Stepping a few steps back, he flickered it and a blue couch appeared in its place. Raito felt his jaw dropped. The man helped himself to the seat, smiling gently at the teen who was completely flabbergasted. "Now do you believe in magic already, Mr. Yagami?"
Magic…Magic…Hogwarts… Thousands and millions of questions flooded Raito's mind. If magic really does exist then doesn't it mean that he can use it to kill people freely? But what if it was a fake? No..it couldn't be a fake. That man had just demonstrated it so it couldn't be a fake…he was still having his doubts. But this will be a great opportunity to extend his criminal-free world. Surely the wizarding world has its fair share of criminals?
He would be helping them a lot by wiping them out slowly and painfully. But sadly, Raito had yet to learn that the wizarding world isn't the best place to stay after all.
"I can assure you that you'll be able to learn spells of many sorts while you're there. Would you like a cup of tea?" He offered. Raito calmly rejected his offer.
"Any…spells?"
"If my memory serves me correct, yes. Any spells suitable for your age. But please be aware that if anything happens, the staff will be force to take measurable actions." Said Dumbledore.
Raito stared at the old man at the comment. He snorted and smirked. "That may prove to be quite of a challenge but I will do my best."
"I hoped that you are completely aware of your doings." The vulnerable headmaster said with a smile. "And I certainly hoped that you will be coming to school?"
Raito visibly nodded. "Yeah. I will be going."
The headmaster flashed a heart-warming smile. "Very well. I will see to it as soon as possible. I'm also aware that your parents weren't included with the information?"
"Yes. They don't know about it yet."
"It will be best not to tell them. Here's the boarding school's ticket to London and the form of the university in England. Once you arrived, a dear friend of mine will be there to meet you. Studying overboard is always a good thing for young minds like yourself." Dumbledore responded. "He shouldn't be that hard to spot. I trust that you'll be able to find your way there?"
"Yes."
"Term starts on the first of September. I wished you the best of luck. I bid good day to you, Mr. Yagami." With that said, the peculiar wizard left with a loud CRACK.
Raito shook his head and touched the forms and tickets which the headmaster had left him with. Yep. It's real all right. He laughed to himself. "Ryuk…I can see it now…everything is forming in my mind."
Silence answered him.
"Ryuk?" This time, Raito raised his voice up more, turning here and there but the death god was nowhere to be found. "Ryuk? Where are you?"
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Answering Reviews:
Faible: I understood clearly that what thee had tried to say and I humbly thanked thee for the words of advice. XD Thanks.
Fallen Phantem: He is skeptical about it unless he sees it for himself. I usually used the quote…"Seeing is NOT believing" But in cases like this then…I will have to retract the words used. XD
Shin-ora: Very unlikely, I know. But in order for the story to move on…I must say that I have to do this…if I manage to get to that point yet.
I know that the reason for the Minister to be angry is…stupid but I will uncover more reasons and plots as I write on. So please do bear with me for now. I will revive Sirius Black for the sake of Black's fan! I will either yaoi-ed this fic or make it romance-less! It all depends on you! So please review!