Introduction to Muggle Studies by Yagami Light

[1 October, 2004]

"Do you have anything to add, Light?" McGonagall asked. Light hummed, still lost in thought. "Light?" McGonagall asked again and this time, Light looked up from the pamphlet on magical breeds on flowers he was reading. He was running out of pretty and meaningful blooms to send to L and the magical variety seemed promising. Especially the fact that they had blue roses. Not dyed. But actual, real blue roses.

L would like those. Blue seemed like his color. Maybe then he wouldn't glare at the flowers and actually give them a second look?

"Do you have anything you'd like to share?" McGonagall asked, and her eyes fell on the cover of the parchment he was reading. There was a slight twitch at the corner of her lips but she didn't mention anything. Light just blinked, because yes, there actually was something he would like to share. Or report, as the term would be. It was the first monthly staff meeting after the start of the school year and time for all teachers to sync up on the status and potential of their students.

"Yes, McGonagall-sensei," Light said and nodded at McGonagall. "It seems Ginerva Weasley has something against well dressed, well spoken, charismatic individuals." Now it was McGonagall's turn to be taken back. So were the rest of the professors. 

"The youngest Weasley?" Flitwick asked with interest. "Why do you think so? She has never shown any such indication before. I mean," Flitwick pointed at himself, McGonagall and Snape. "Three of the most well dressed individuals in castle. We haven't had any problems till now." Light shook his head.

"Well dressed, well spoken, charismatic individuals she finds herself attracted to," Light corrected himself. "Now, Weasley-san is thirteen. My sister, Sayu is fourteen. If this was merely teenage infatuation, I could handle it. But," Light paused. "Sometimes. She gets this look in her eyes. As if she's not looking at me, but someone else in my image. She goes pale and resorts to fight instincts. Gets snappy and rude at anything I ask beyond that point. Now, infatuated students, I can handle," Light repeated. "Traumatized teenagers? That is a bit beyond me. And not my place to handle either."

"So the great Light Yagami has something he admits he cannot do?" Snape sneered. Light just looked at him and frowned, making sure it conveyed more disappointment than anger.

"This is a student's mental health we are talking about, Severus-san," Light pointed out. "I would rather not try my hand at something I'm sure at least six other people in this institute have more experience handling." Snape looked at him curiously at that statement.

"Like whom?" He asked. "Whom do you suggest?"

"Like the four Heads of Houses. Yourself included. If you don't, then I'm not sure what you're doing as a Head of a House," Light said mildly. There was suddenly a series of awkward coughs around the table at the veracity of that statement. "Madam Pomphery, as the resident medical expert. Headmaster Dumbledore, having lived through two muggle World Wars and two Wizarding Wars, being the previous Head of Gryffindor, ex-Deputy Headmaster and Headmaster of Hogwarts for the past several decades." Light shrugged. "Pick one."

"I will look into it, Light," McGonagall interjected before Snape and him could get into another verbal debate. Light wished she would not. Snape and him needed to get this argument over and done with, whatever it really was about. It was clear to Light by now that Dumbledore's orders were just an excuse.

The man really had something he was holding against Light. And McGonagall breaking up their fights before they started meant the simmering antagonism and resentment never got brought out into the open and resolved. If the current pattern continued, it would only escalate.

Light really didn't want to start his teaching career with mentally breaking apart a fellow professor. It would be too obvious- Well no, not if he took a roundabout route. But Snape hadn't really done anything wrong except being a reformed terrorist. Not exactly a good reason to do a character assassination. But he would come up with a few plans just in case for the time Severus Snape did step out of line. Being prepared was always better than otherwise.

"Anything else?" McGonagall asked, breaking Light's line of thought on how to destroy Severus Snape in such a way that all the king's horses and men couldn't put him together again.

"Oh yes," Light nodded. Then, he took out a scroll from his moleskin pouch and slid it along the table to Snape. "Pucey-san got his 'well structured, well defended, logical argument' essay on British pureblood superiority to me this Monday. I'm not impressed. There was nothing structured, nor logical in his words. It was a rant. If I wanted an opinion piece, I would have read the Daily Prophet. Not whatever that was supposed to be."

Severus Snape scowled as he reached for the scroll. And then paused, just before his fingers touched the parchment. Black eyes raised from the table to Light's amber gaze.

"This is cursed."

Now it was not only Snape who was staring at Light. Mad-eye Moody's revolving eye fixed on him, and so did the rest of the professors. Light pushed down the surprise he felt and raised one brow as if to say 'So what?'

In hindsight, certain things made so much sense now. Like why Adrian Pucey had looked so smug while handing over the essay. Or why he hadn't even made the slightest bit of effort in researching his subject. Why he had looked so surprised when Light had continued to teach classes every day since that Monday without the being the slightest bit affected. Or Ryuk's laughter when Light had picked up the parchment, remarked on it's rough texture and low quality, and then continued to mark it down.

Light's all-purpose magical shield in the form of an invisible Shinigami had once again proved his usefulness. Times like these reminded him why he even put up with the apples and games obsessed Being.

"Is that what it was?" Light asked blandly. He spread his palms helplessly. "Whether Pucey-san handed in cursed homework or not doesn't matter to me. What does, is what he has written in it." Then, Light stood up and leaned across the table to pick the scroll back up. The parchment felt rough under his fingers as he rubbed it with his finger tips and slowly opened it.

Placing the now-open scroll in front of Severus Snape pointedly, Light gestured to his red marks on the page. "No logical structure, no examples to back his claims, no numbers, no citations for what he has 'heard from his father', or what 'everyone knows'. I expected better of him. Especially since he is one of the students under your care and this is shite." Light paused.

"In fact, calling it shite would be insulting shite. I wouldn't even call it manure. Manure is at least useful. This just-" Light shrugged. "Isn't."

Harsh, but true. Having this essay handed to him as homework to be graded was just an insult to Light's intellect. Pucey hadn't even tried. "I'm going to take points off for this. One hundred points from Slytherin. I expect my students to hand in quality work, irrespective of whether it is written on a cursed piece of parchment."

Light was pissed and he wasn't going to mince his words. Now that he had made it clear to everyone present, Light sat back on his chair and waited for the silence in the room to break.

The whole room just stared at him for a moment. Then, Severus Snape took a handkerchief out of his pocket and threw it on top of the parchment. Light wasn't sure whether it was to hide that atrocity from view or to try and pick it up without skin contact. But whatever it was, failed as the cloth turned black and crumbled into dust. 

"My word!" McGonagall looked scandalized. Moody, on the other hand, now looked infinitely more interested in the parchment. So did Flitwick. Snape's scowl just got worse.

"And you just touched it?" Moody asked, revolving eye moving between Light and the cursed homework. Light nodded and picked up his cup of coffee again. "That's handy. A Gift from your Being for your Service? Albus did specify it was a Higher Being. A God level spirit? One of the Fae Court? A Greater Elemental? Or a Heroic Spirit?" Moody paused to take another swig from his flask. Flitwick took that chance to ask his questions.

"Is it just limited to certain types of curses? What about hexes and jinxes?" Flitwick stopped speaking and then suddenly started laughing so hard, he fell off his chair. "If curses don't work on you, does that mean you're one of the few people able to hold the DADA post for more than a year without it affecting you? Ha! Albus should just hire you for DADA instead of Muggle Studies then."

Light didn't answer and just drank his coffee in silence. Moody and Flitwick were free to keep guessing, just as Light was free to not answer. He certainly wasn't going to go around telling anyone Ryuk was a Shinigami, nor that even Potions like Veritaserum, and spells like the Imperius won't affect him.

"I will take care of it, Yagami," Snape said, and for once, he didn't speak Light's name with that horrible pronunciation of his. Snape didn't move to touch the open scroll sitting right in front of him. He simply took out his wand started casting spells on it. Light ignored it in favor of turning back to McGonagall.

"Other than that-" Light paused in thought. "I was wondering when Dumbledore-sensei would be available for a meeting. I have a number of proposals lined up. A request to use his Pensive for educational purposes, that chess match he owes me and several other concerns," Light trailed off. "Or would you be able to approve them in his stead, McGonagall-sensei?" McGonagall sighed.

She wasn't the only one aware that the Headmaster was avoiding Light. For what reason, she was not aware and neither was Light. But the excuse he always gave was the same and so McGonagall repeated it for Light.

"Professor Dumbledore is busy due to the upcoming Triwizard Tournament. I can sign off on your proposals if they are an emergency." McGonagall offered a compromise. Light gave her a relieved smile and nodded.

"Then that is all I had to ask, McGonagall-sensei," Light said. 

"Then," Babbling asked from where she was seated besides Light. "I have to ask. How was your IOWLs? It was yesterday, right?" Light nodded.

"It went well," Light replied. "I'm sure I will score as usual." Which was full score. Light never scored below full. It just never happened. The only question was how much would the examiners give him for the extra credit questions. Would he set a new high score or would it just be an Outstanding? Light looked forward to finding out.

"So I should expect to see you in my NEWTs class?" Babbling asked eagerly. Light shook his head in amusement.

"Our classes take place at the same time," Light pointed out. "I do hope that you will still be available when I have any doubts about NEWT level questions?" Babbling nodded and well, that was that.

McGonagall moved on to asking Moody how his classes went, Snape continued detoxing that horrible piece of homework and Light continued thinking about how he could go about getting blue roses and whether he should pair them up with white or red ones.

In the end, he decided that would depend on L's reaction to his last bouquet. Oddment still hadn't got back to him about it and Light-

Light just hoped it would work out this time. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold onto hope.

What if L had really forgotten him in these five months? Was Sayu right? Was it really too late already?

*****

[2 October, 2004]

"So?" Light asked Oddment eagerly that Saturday morning. Oddment gave him a beaming smile and a thumbs. Light felt his heart stop for a moment. "Really?" He asked again, hope unfurling in his chest. Oddment nodded.

"Your sirs bes taking flowers to his room and bes staring at them," Oddment said. "Oddment bes hearing he bes asking abouts old flowers. Sos Oddment bes putting them back in room too." Light beamed at the elf.

"So it worked? Was there any message left?" Light asked desperately. Oddment shook his head and Light sighed. There was only so much he could hope L would infer from flowers mysteriously appearing in the work room. Magic certainly wasn't it.

Did the man think Light was somehow sneaking in or had someone doing the sneaking for him? Was that why he didn't go the obvious route of leaving a message on the table the flowers appeared on? Or was he hoping that holding back on a reply would make Light establish a more permanent method of contacting him?

Everything was always so complicated when it came to L. Light wouldn't have it any other way.

"Did he-" Light asked again just to be sure. "Are you sure he liked it? Was he happy? Did he figure out it was from me? Of course he would have, but- was he just as happy after he figured out it was me as he was before?"

Was it the fact that he got flowers from an admirer that made L stare at them, or the fact that it was Light who sent them? That was a very important distinction Light needed to know about.

Oddment nodded. "Yes. Sirs bes happy, Oddment bes sure. He bes keep smelling the flowers." Light felt his heart flutter again. He had picked Heliotropes and clovers specifically for their scent. Cherry pie and vanilla. Light figured if he liked sweets, then L would like sweet scents too. 

"Did he smile?" Light asked. That small, sharp smile. A threat and a promise all rolled into one, whenever L found something interesting. Oddment nodded. Light stared at the elf blankly, picturing L holding the flowers, giving a smile and just sniffing them before thinking of him. Light had never figured himself to be that much of a sap but well- L finally appreciating something he did for him was high praise. 

Light tackled the elf in a hug. "He liked it, Oddment," Light said and laughed. Was this how people felt when their crushes returned their affection? Was it this flutter in his stomach, a lightness of the heart, mind spinning in joy and the world suddenly a shade brighter? This sudden urge to laugh and smile and hug and tell everyone he had L?

"L remembers me! He liked it! He smiled and he kept it in his room and he wanted the others too! Oddment!" Light looked down at the trembling elf he was holding up. "Thank you, Oddment. I won't ever forget this." The elf started trembling, eyes wide.

"Oddment bes happy too," the elf started crying. Light quickly put him down. As much as he liked house elves, Light would still prefer to stay away from any sort of crying beings, be they elves or humans. Unless it was Sayu and L. But then, Light couldn't imagine L crying, so he was safe for half of that list.

Instead, Light just patted the house elf again. "I really, really, truly appreciate your help, Oddment. Would you-" Light knew he was pressing his luck, but this was his best chance, while Oddment was emotional and distracted. "Would you like to help me with more deliveries? Letters and gifts. To L and my sister?"

"Oh, yes!" Oddment sniffed and pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket. Light stared. Just how was there an actual pocket in those threadbare clothes and how did a big kerchief like that one hide in it? Light almost suspected it was made of pashmina silk, except it was obviously a table cloth. "Oddment always bes happy to help young loves. And family loves too. Oh, so wonderful! Oddment bes so happy!"

So, the elf really was invested in Light's love life, regardless of family or romantic. Well. That was- odd. But whatever works. Light never claimed to understand Beings, and Oddment definitely was one. A minor Yokai whose existence depends on service. But a powerful Yokai, nonetheless.

And Light would never go around telling a Yokai what they should be interested in, or what they should do. Yokai business should be left to Yokai and if they offer to help, then you should shut up and accept it.

"In that case," Light asked with a bright, hopeful smile. "There's this shop at Hogsmeade that has blue roses. Could you get me a bouquet from there? Blue and red roses. Lots of them." Light paused. "At least fifty?"

Oddment nodded and happily popped away.

For a moment, Light just stared at the empty space the house elf had occupied. And then he grinned once again.

"L said yes," Light whispered to himself in the silence of his room. "Not yes, but close. So close. And he liked the flowers and-" Light pumped up a fist in the air. "He liked the flowers, he remembers me, he likes me, there's no one else, it was me. L likes me." He collapsed on the bed and laughed.

Light was pretty sure he looked insane but he didn't particularly care. L liked him back. Possibly more, if he wasn't creeped out by all the persistent flower giving. Light could take him on dates, and maybe feed him cake, pull away his thumb when he pressed it against his lips so insistently that it always grabbed Light's attention and finally, give in to his impulse to just lean in and kiss him instead.

Wait- was that what he was feeling that one time? Was that why Light was always so annoyed whenever L brought his thumb to his lips and why his gaze always, always fell there? And those cherry stems. Knotted. Was the rumor true? Would L really be good at kissing because he could tie a cherry stem into knots with his tongue?

Light really, really wanted to try. Right now. Right this moment.

But L wasn't here and Light wasn't there and this was just so frustrating-! How was Light supposed to date L and kiss him if they were continents apart? L had nice, pale slender fingers and Light really wanted to hold them and trace the veins there. Hugs too. L was too thin to be healthy but, Light could imagine holding him would feel nice. Solid. Especially with the muscles that were outlined whenever L's shirt pressed against his torso occasionally. 

Was this, Light realized in wonder, what other people their age felt like when in a relationship? It was straining his logical thinking processes, but Light just didn't care at this point. Right now, Light was simply going to bask in this feeling of a successful confession and make plans for next steps. And for once, give in to his urge to brag. Light tried to get up from the bed in a hurry, tangled his legs in the covers, and collapsed on the floor.

It didn't hurt as much as it was supposed to. There was something much more important he had to do than give in to the pain.

"Ryuk!" Light called out as he laid on the floor on his back and laughed. "Ryuk, you won't believe what I just heard! Ryuk, Ryuk, Ryyyy-uk, L said yes! Ryuk, he likes me back! Ryuk, are you listening? It really was just flowers! Ryuk, you bastard, where are you?! I need to show off my new boyfr-" No, that word didn't suit what L and him were. "I need to show off my new partner! Ryuk, come here!"

*****

[3 October, 2004]

"So, I sent him red and blue roses," Light told Sayu. Sayu, for her part, nodded sagely while combing through her imaginary beard. "That should count as a confession, right?" Sayu opened one eye and looked at her brother thoughtfully. "And he kept smiling and smelling them and takes them with him everywhere, even when he's just changing rooms. Just picks up the vase and drags it with him, like it weighs nothing. That counts as a 'yes' from him, right?"

"Kinda," she admitted. "But has he sent any messages back yet? Then it's not a 'yes'. It's a 'maybe'." Sayu pointed out. Light shook his head.

"No," Light said. "But Sayu, how would he? I'm pretty sure magic isn't the first thing that pops up in a person's mind when they see 'mysteriously appearing flowers' in the middle of a highly secure building." Sayu nodded because she had to give that point to him. "Pretty sure he thinks I've hired someone to break in to his building and is at the height of paranoia right now. So," Light concluded smugly. "It's not a 'maybe'. His actions say it's a 'yes'."

"It's a 'maybe' till he opens his mouth and fucking says the words," Sayu temporized. She took in a few deep breaths to calm herself. "On the other hand, he deserves the paranoia. Do you know how many sleepless nights I've had because of him and that red guy? He deserves all the sleepless nights." Sayu was right but Light was sure sleepless nights didn't bother an insomniac like L. 

"If I knew the man's name, I could kill him for you," Light offered, changing the topic. Sayu snorted. The red guy, whose name she now knew to be Beyond Birthday, had come over for dinner on one of those days Sayu was at school and ingratiated himself with their mother. Him dying now would just hurt Sachiko even more. She knew better than to tell the guy's name to Kira. Or how Beyond Birthday was trying to wiggle into their family.

It hurt Sayu how easy it was for him, for their parents to use Beyond Birthday to get over Light's 'death'. But she still didn't want him to be subjected to Light's justice.

"No thanks, Kira-nii-san," Sayu said dryly. "I hate the guy but not that much. I might punch your Ryuga in the face though." Light sighed.

"Please don't," he said with exasperation. "Be a bit more civil for your onii-san's sake. You love me, don't you, Sayu?" Sayu pouted.

"You're talking like I'm going to meet him soon." Sayu paused as the look in Light's eyes changed. "Am I? What are you thinking, Light?" Sayu was too perspective when it came to Light's thoughts these days. Then again, after his sister revealed she had suspected him of being Kira and still didn't say anything, Light hadn't tried to hide that part of himself from her. Things between them had been restored and then improved to a level higher than before.

"Since L doesn't know how to contact me, then he might ask you to do so for him," Light explained. "So," he turned a wide eyed, begging look to Sayu. "Present a good image for your nii-san, yes? I haven't met him in person since months now. Please don't make it so that he'll kill me rather than kiss me at our next meeting?"

"What's in it for me?" Sayu asked bluntly. Light winced. He had expected this. Once Sayu knew she had something he wanted, she would get downright vicious. They both shared the penchant for going for a mile after getting an inch. "I'm going to have to make nice with the idiot who's responsible for the break-in, threatened to kill you on TV and then stalked you to your uni." When she put it that way, even Light felt guilty about the upcoming interaction.

"How about this," Light offered, wheels spinning in his mind. He had a few ideas, but he had to trick Sayu into offering those up on her own. Negotiations always started with low-balling on the buyer's side. "Magical sweets."

"No," Sayu refused almost immediately. "I love you, Light, but a sugar high in exchange for talking sweet to your Ryuga? This would, at most, buy you a guarantee that I won't strangle him on first sight. I mean, I invited that guy to my birthday party and that was how he repays me? By having his lackey break into my room in the middle of the night?"

"A sugar high and a magical camera?" Light offered again. Sayu hummed thoughtfully and then shook her head.

"I want to meet you," she replied, getting straight to the point. Light blinked, because that was not in his plan. He opened his mouth to say refuse, but Sayu raised a hand. "Look, dad just told me and mom that the Kira case is being closed. He's serious. So, it's less dangerous now, right?"

That was news to Light. The Kira case was closed. That would mean Mikami had been caught and L had got his message. Perhaps Light should have sent more purple hyacinth for apologies than roses for confession? No, it was too late to change that now. Instead, he focused on the implications of the case being closed.

"I still need to lay low for a while, Sayu," Light said slowly. "The case might be closed, but that doesn't mean L can't reopen it again-"

"That's ridiculous," Sayu scoffed. "If you're so scared your boyfriend is still bent on catching and executing you, from across a continent away, then you have no business dating this guy. I mean sure, you like each other, but it won't go anywhere if you can't follow it up with a real life meetup. Either you trust him, or you don't."

That was a very good point Sayu made. Did Light trust L enough to meet him face to face? Despite having no confirmation that he wouldn't just kill him on sight, or have him assassinated?

Ryuk could protect him from most means of death, but it was conditional. if Light got caught, or convicted, then Ryuk would kill him. L might want him to be on Death Row in prison but Ryuk- the Shinigami would get bored and kill with within 24 hours. Via heart attack, if Light was lucky. And a particularly convoluted, embarrassing death, if Light was unlucky and Ryuk wanted to use him to relieve his boredom one last time.

As much as it pained him, Light couldn't meet with L yet. Not right now, not while the situation between them was unresolved. Despite the case being closed, Light was still the first Kira, the one who started it all. A serial mass murderer. L was L, the world's greatest detective. Despite being morally defunct, L still stood for justice. And Light just- he wasn't a good person. He was the world's best-worst criminal, at this point. And he hadn't given up, just decided to plan better to rid the world of its filth.

Would a relationship between them even work?

No, the question was: Did Light want to try to make it work? Would L want to try and make it work?

"I'm not sure," Light said slowly. "I do want to try and make it work, but it's too soon to tell what L thinks about it right now, Sayu. I can't visit you in Japan-"

"Then I will visit you there," Sayu announced. Light stared. "What? If you have a way of getting off Japan and going wherever you are under everyone's nose, then you have a way of letting me visit you without anyone knowing too." 

"I-" Light hesitated. Sayu was a muggle. But Light was a Possessed Human. Just how much information would Sayu be safe with? She wasn't wrong. Light could arrange an international Portkey for her. Tokyo International Airport was one of the centers for international wizarding travel for those who preferred living in muggle Japan, so Sayu could travel to-and-fro without any suspicion from their parents. And-

"I might be able to arrange something," Light said as he remembered the reason he even was at Hogwarts in the first place. "Tell me, are you free this winter? Say, from 20th to 31st December? There's a ball on the 25th."

*****

[4 October, 2004]

"Am I seeing things?" Fred Weasley asked his brother. George shook his head. "I see the same. Hey, Ronnikins! Take a look at the points for Slytherin. Are we seeing things?" Ron looked up from his pumpkin juice to stare at his brothers blankly. Then, blinking sleep out of his eyes, he looked at the Slytherin hourglass.

"Oh," Ron said and rubbed at his eyes. "I'm seeing things too. Hey 'Mione! Look at the Slytherin score and tell us what you see? I think someone put a Confundus on us." It was Hermione's turn to look up from her morning copy of the Daily Prophet and squint at the green hour glass.

"Huh," she noted idly. "Slytherin is even more in the negatives. A negative hundred and twenty?" She turned to look around at the table. "Does anyone know what happened?"

"No," Fred and George shook their heads. "Gotta get to the top of this. Hey, Lee!" Lee Jordan waved from the other side of the table. George pointed at the Slytherin hourglass and Lee turned his head to follow. Then, he turned back around to George, shook his head and mimed asking around. Fred and George nodded.

"At least it's the Slytherins this time," Harry sighed in relief. "And not us. Remember first year?" Ron and Hermione nodded empathetically. For once they were glad it was not them who had screwed up. 

*****

[4 October, 2004]

"Does anyone know what the best defense against curses is?" Barty Crouch, acting as Mad-eye Moody asked the class. A few raised their hands. "Yes, McLaggen." The Gryffindor smirked as he answered.

"You dodge like hell," he said. The class laughed but McLaggen continued. "Uncle Tiberius knows Rufus Scrimgeour, from the Aurors office and that's what he told me this summer." Barty nodded. This was one thing everyone who had experienced the last Wizarding War agreed on. Curses were better dodged than shielded. 

"Ah yes," Barty said. "Scrimgeour's a good one. Of course he would know. That was correct, McLaggen. Five points!" The class quieted at that. "You think you need a fancy shield charm? A Protego Maxima, for instance? Or a Protego Horriblis? What if the curse coming your way isn't an entrails expelling curse but an Unforgivable, eh? You gotta dodge, not shield! Don't take the chance it's curse you can shield against. Constant Vigilance!" Then he grinned.

"Unless you're Light Yagami, eh?" That one had been a pleasant surprise. Barty could remember that staff meeting as if it had happened only yesterday. "That one's got one hell of a resistance against curses. Doesn't even blink at a class two illegal withering curse and his only complaint was that it was on an insulting piece of homework."

To think Pucey got his hands on a cursed piece of parchment by complete accident and used it to write homework on. A waste, really.

"Figure he can take on anything below the Unforgivables. That's why you keep a respectful distance from Possessed Humans. You never know what Gifts they might have or when their Being might take an offense." Barty laughed, the scars on his face stretching painfully. He had to live with them for a year, inside Moody's aching body and he didn't know how he was going to do it.

But the pain helped. It helped focus his mind, to remind him that he was alive and in control of his mind once more. That today wasn't just one more day, week, month, year, decade spent under his father's Imperius, hidden beneath an Invisibility cloak like a dirty little secret. 

"Especially one bound to a Higher Being." Barty said theatrically. Moody was one to be as dramatic as possible, fortunately. So, Barty indulged himself and acted out as much as possible. It helped he himself was both fascinated and interested in Yagami's apparent immunity to most curses. 

Dumbledore and Snape had already confided in him the fact that Light seemed to be immune to Legillimens. Now, class two illegal curses? Does that mean he would not feel as much pain under the Cruciatus as anyone else?

Barty really wanted to experiment. Maybe he would ask his Lord to give him the man after their conquest of Wizarding Britain? It helped that Yagami was easy on the eyes as well and that he seemed to dislike Snape as much as himself.

"The ones bound to High Elementals can call forth tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The Fae Court and their Bound Humans were so powerful that their legends are passed off as fake stories in most cultures. Certain communities in Central Asia are known for Heroic Spirit possessions as a last case resort during war times. Calling on their honored ancestors, they say."

Possessed Humans were rare in Wizarding Britain. Sane Possessed Humans even rarer in the world. And one bound to a Higher Being? Either Yagami was a rare, sane exception or he was the best actor Barty had ever seen, hiding his insanity behind a mask of sanity so finely crafted that it fooled everyone. 

"Nothing good comes out of a Higher Being's interest. You pay your respects and hope like hell they don't deign to give you more than a passing look," Barty warned them in a low voice. Dumbledore had asked him to pass on a warning to all his students to stay away from Yagami's Being and Barty had done so, in a way Moody would. By tying it in with a lesson on constant vigilance.

Didn't mean Barty himself was going to stay away from Light Yagami. He was going to get closer, unravel the mystery that was wrapped in a sharp mind, and find out everything about the young man. Would he, perhaps, be interested in joining the Dark Lord? Their cause could use one such as him. There was only one way to find out. Luckily, Dumbledore even supported him in 'keeping an eye on the suspicious young man'.

It was a good year to be Mad-Eye Moody.

"So don't try looking around for a Being to Possess you as well. Your best bet against curses is still to dodge like hell!" He paused for a moment and then barked. "Constant Vigilance!"

The entire class jumped. It felt good, the way everyone jumped when he shouted out his trademark phrase with Moody's face and voice. Barty could get used to this. He laughed and continued his lecture.

*****

[4 October, 2004]

"We figured out what went wrong with Slytherin," Lee Jordan announced at dinner. "Pucey's suspended. There were talks of expelling him, but since no actual damage was done, they settled on a month long suspension. Slytherin is lucky Quidditch was cancelled this year."

"And it has something to do handing Professor Yagami a piece of homework cursed with a class two illegal withering curse," Katie Bell finished. "Professor Moody told us all about it in class today."

"Both the fifth and sixth years, it seems," Fred Weasley noted. "We had a similar story telling session today. Dodge a curse, and don't try to take it on unless you're Professor Yagami and your Higher Being gives you immunity to every curse below the Unforgivables. And then, the 'Higher Beings are dangerous and don't go looking for one' lecture."

"I don't know," George tilted his head and looked at the staff table at the immaculately dressed and positively beaming professor. "Professor Yagami seems to have no problems with it. In fact, he seems very happy these days." 

"Might be because of his IOWLs score," Hermione said as she helped herself to more pumpkin juice. "Professor Babbling was telling was last class. He set a new record for Ancient Runes IOWLs." Then she frowned. "Setting a new record for OWLs scores doesn't happen everyday. The last one was in 1945 by a Tom Marvolo Riddle," whom the three of them knew as You-Know-Who, "for Defense Against the Dark Arts. So," Hermione shrugged. "It makes sense."

"It's like spring come early," Angelina refuted Hermione's hypothesis as she kept her eyes on the Professor who was reading a Herbology text at the staff table. A book she vaguely recalled reading herself last year. She frowned in thought. "Do you think its because he got a girlfriend? I mean, the behavior fits." Fred, George, Katie, Lavender, Parvati and Alicia look at her in horror. "What? I'm just saying."

"The problem at home might have been resolved," Ron noted with a scoff. "Bloke's just happy. Don't look at everything like it's gotta do with relationships. Family's important too." Fred and George nodded sagely.

"For once, our brother makes sense. I mean, who at Hogwarts would've asked successfully Professor Yagami out and not bragged? We would have known it within hours." Everyone agreed empathetically.

*****

[10 October, 2004]

Despite L saying yes (Light held on to that opinion, regardless of what Sayu said), and Sayu's grudging acceptance, their problem still remained the same. Light couldn't trust L not to catch him and have him imprisoned at first sight. He loved the guy, really, but L was L and Light had been Kira. Confessing and apologizing wouldn't make the facts go away.

Sending flowers was okay. But a two way mirror? Or even a mere letter? That would be solid proof in L's hands that Light was alive.

It would be easier still to disprove the 5-day rule Light had faked on the inside cover of Mikami's fake notebook. Combine that with Light being alive and having faked his death to escape a continent away? Light would be convicted as Kira faster than he could say 'Kira'.

It was a sad day indeed when the person Light loved could be trusted to treat him well, but not to keep him alive. Light still loved that part of L. It said a lot about his sanity at this point, but Light was done denying himself. He was insane, in love with L and there was no reason he could give himself to stop.

"What do I do, Ryuk?" Light asked his Shinigami, having reached rock bottom. Sayu had a point. Either he trusted L, or he didn't. And if he didn't, then what was the point of their relationship? When he had first thought to send L those flowers, Light hadn't thought this far ahead. He was completely blindsided. In his defense, relationships that Light was actually invested in were a new field for him. "Should I send a letter? An owl? Or just- forget about it all? No, I don't want to. I want to trust him, and I do! But-"

"You know my answer, Light-o," Ryuk said. Light sighed. He did know Ryuk's answer and the Shinigami's next words put it in writing. "For the last time, kill the guy and be done with it. Oh wait, you don't know his name. Yeah, that's a bummer. Hey," Ryuk lightened up. "Now that the Kira case is closed, I can kill him for you without any problem. If you give me apples-"

"No, I don't want to kill him, Ryuk," Light snapped. Ryuk just shrugged, as much as a Shinigami could, and went back to his game. Light sighed again, even more weary than before. "Should I trust him? With my life? Can I trust him to be something other than The L, for once?"

And would L trust Light to not be Kira for him? To not write his name at first chance? It wasn't just Light who was taking a chance here. L was too. And if Light reached out, opened a channel of communication between them, he would be making a decision for the both of them.

"To be, or not to be, that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles-

And here he was, talking Hamlet about troubles of the heart. So pathetic. Light almost couldn't recognize himself. Should he, or should he not?

"Damn this," Light decided and stood up. Ryuk looked over in interest, but Light ignored him in favor of walking over to his desk. "Shakespeare was 15th century. What would he know? Love is war. To win, one must attack. Theirs is not to make reply: Theirs is not to reason why: Theirs is but to do anddie."

"And what if your L betrays you, Light?" Ryuk asked, yellow eyes fixed on his human. "Human feelings are quick to change." Light heard Ryuk's words but focused on writing a letter to the nearest Owl Emporium. Owls capable of being both inconspicuous and capable of intercontinental travel were expensive and few in number. He had to be quick about it, and hope there was one available. Maybe one with large, dark eyes, like L? That would do for irony.

"If L betrays me?" Light wondered. Well, he was taking Tennyson's advice to start with, so he would end with it as well. "I hold it true, whate'er befall; I feel it, when I sorrow most; 'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." 

If L betrayed him, then it would hurt. There wouldn't ever be anyone who would mean as much to Light as L did. Yes, Light loved L, but he valued his own life too. He had already disappeared inside the Wizarding World once. Next time, Light would make sure it was permanent.

*****