Disclaimer: I do not own Witch Hunter Robin or Harry Potter

Chapter 9: Brotherly Love

Nagira desperately wanted a camera. He knew it wasn't exactly proper to make light of the situation, but he couldn't quite get that thought passed the hilariously high number of emotions being illustrated on the face of his usually stoic brother. His younger brother's current emotional state seemed torn between ignoring him and crying at the foot of the stairs. Even though Nagira would thoroughly enjoy the latter, he guessed that wasn't going to be the result.

Lupin was looking curiously at their exchange. He probably didn't understand Japanese, but the general air of the one-sided conversation should have clued him in. The two girls on the landing looked to be equally confused. Apparently Amon didn't talk about his personal life. What a surprise.

Amon shifted uncomfortably on the staircase. "You're the relocation specialist, then?"

"Sure are. Though I don't know how you fit into this picture."

"Amon." The cute petite girl with pigtails seemed strapped to Amon's side. "Who is he?"

"I'm his brother," Nagira said in a more positive manner than he would normally usewhen admitting any relation to Amon.

"Half-brother."

"If you insist on being technical, then yes."

Lupin, looking as though he struck gold, gently grabbed ahold of Nagira's arm. "I'd like to introduce you to the others before you two catch up on old times, if that's okay."

Nagira nodded and let Lupin drag him away. Winking as he passed the two girls, Nagira smugly grinned at Amon's indignant expression. Satisfied with his day's work, Nagira found himself only a few feet away, standing before the dining area. More teenagers in black were seated closest to him and by the looks of the other witches, it wasn't too hard to conclude that they were with Amon.

Nagira's flashy fur coat and green suit seemed to be attracting everyone's attention, though mainly because they weren't robes and not because his clothes were examples of his atrocious taste in fashion. No one could say that he didn't make a memorable first impression.

"Molly, do you know where Dumbledore or Sirius are?" Lupin asked.

The woman merely shook her head, seemingly terrified by the new guest. What did Amon do while he was here anyway?

"Okay," Lupin said, pretending to not notice the tension in the room. "Oh, and this is Syunji Nagira. He'll be helping with the relocation of wizards."

"Wait." The woman got her voice back. "A muggle will be doing it?"

"Yes. He's been doing it for some time in Japan and is rather good at it." The group of hunters seemed to perk up when "Japan" was mentioned. "He's done a few services for me while I was traveling in that area for research on werewolves. It's quite hard to find anyone willing to house you when you're a wizard, much less a werewolf."

Lupin turned around, smiling at his friend. "If you could wait here, Nagira, I'll go and try to find Dumbledore and Sirius. Please make yourself comfortable."

Trying to imagine which seat would garner the most excitement, he plopped down next to the blonde-haired woman. She, unlike the two he had seen earlier, had much better fashion sense - if he were in any position to judge.

"So you must be Solomon hunters. Pleasure to meet you." The hunters simply stared at him. "You know, this is where you introduce yourselves."

"Why are you talking to us?" The boy with glasses asked boldly.

"Well, there's no need to discriminate. Besides, you're obviously not hunting any of these witches...currently. There's no need for me to ignore you."

"We happen to be from the Japanese branch of Solomon," the blonde girl said. Nagira tried to look surprised. "I don't think you should try to get acquainted with the people you are hiding witches from."

"Common sense was never my forte, or so my secretary says. I don't know what's happened recently, but you don't seem to be the ones causing the problems here."

"We're merely working with these witches to catch a more dangerous one," the girl said. She seemed to be the designated talker of the group and for good reason. Even Nagira couldn't tell whether she was telling the truth or lying. She was the worst type of girl to get involved with, and therefore, Nagira's favorite type of woman. "After this, we're going back to what we've been doing."

Nagira nodded with his eyes closed in fake thought. He opened one eye. "Seems odd, that's all."

The girl frowned. She obviously hasn't met many people who were smart (or cynical) enough to get passed her original statement.

A loud crack notified Nagira that Lupin had re-entered the room. The five-foot jump from the hunters meant that was the first time they've heard it before. Nagira was very thankful that Amon was not in the room. Otherwise, he'd have to worry about disposing a body. Sometimes his little brother is more trouble than he's worth.

"Dumbledore and Sirius are upstairs."

"Please tell me we don't need to apparate up there."

"Well, it is faster."

"Yeah, but it's really weird for me."

"I think it's better that you don't see your brother again quite yet."

Nagira paused. "Good point. Okay, Remus. Beam me up." Nagira grabbed Lupin's arm and waved boyishly at the blonde, who looked rather confused that the mention of a brother. Tagging along others apparating was the worst experience he's ever had, and it never got any better. The trip sent his stomach lurching. Nagira leaned over and grabbed his side. "I'll never get used to that."

"So you are Remus' friend from Japan," the old man said. "I'm Albus Dumbledore and this is Sirius Black, current owner of this house."

Nagira managed a curt nod but didn't trust himself enough to risk opening his mouth.

"From what Remus tells me, I believe you are associated with one of the hunters."

Nagira straightened up and nodded again. "Yeah," Nagira said, now somewhat mastering his stomach. "The tall, dark and emotionless one is my younger brother."

Dumbledore looked at the two other witches. "We're only half-brothers," Nagira clarified. "We grew up separately, which explains the two very opposite opinions." The last thing Nagira wanted right now was to spy on his own brother. Unfortunately, the task seemed inevitable.

"Don't bother asking me anymore," Nagira strongly urged. "The past is between me and Amon and is not really anyone else's business, with all due respect."

"Of course," Dumbledore said. "Consider the subject done with. How did you plan on relocating some of our more prominent wizards?"

"I don't really know," Nagira admitted, changing into business mode. "I've only been to London when Remus asked for help, and I'm not familiar with the area. That being said, I'm also not sure what is going on here. I'd like to have some information if you're willing to tell me."

"I'm not sure how much Remus has told you, but we are currently in a war against Lord Voldemort."

Nagira didn't bother commenting on the ridiculous name. He supposed "Dumbledore" and "Remus" weren't exactly ordinary themselves. "The little missy downstairs alluded to some big baddie. I didn't imagine that you and Solomon would join together, though."

"It was a surprise to us too," Sirius said. "Not really a good surprise either."

"I'm betting my brother has something to do with that."

"I don't understand why they joined us," Remus said. "Has Solomon ever asked for assistance from wizards before?"

"I've never heard of Solomon asking anyone for help." Nagira looked at the door and back at the three witches. "I need to understand the whole situation before I can start moving witches around England. If I don't know everything, I could be putting someone in mortal danger without realizing it. I think I need to speak with Amon before I get back to you with any concrete plans."

"Do you think he'll actually tell you anything?" Sirius asked.

"Probably not, but maybe I'll be able to pester a few things out of him."

Something about Amon had changed since the last time he's seen him. He was as cold as ever, but something was off. The fact that he was even in this situation was a good indication that Amon had changed for one reason or another. Nagira folded his coat over the backside of the chair and sat down facing his younger brother. They had taken over the reading room for now, and the other hunters were ordered to hang around somewhere else until Nagira was finished with his questions, or until Amon became too annoyed to answer any more.

"You've got a new member since the last time I looked you up. Cute girl, though not my type."

"You wanted to talk to me about something important, didn't you?"

Nagira sighed. That was unusually aggressive. "I'd like to know why your organization is suddenly cooperating with witches."

"I'm not going to tell you anything about Solomon protocol."

"You know, it's easier to just lie than to evade the question like that." Receiving only a huff as a response, Nagira continued. "I have no intention of informing Remus or the others about what's happened with you or your crew, but I need to know what's going on-"

"So you can hide more witches."

Nagira straightened in his chair. "The people I agree to house are innocent, you know that."

"The witches here are ordering you to hide certain witches that they want hidden. It won't be up to your discretion."

"I trust their instincts. They're good people." Amon folded his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. He was reverting back to being professional and placing the mask back on. "There are people worse than witches in this world, Amon. You may have to deal with the worst of all witches, but I've seen many who are no different from the humans I know. I don't see a difference between the two anymore."

Amon stared at him. Nagira could guess the response. Nagira was human and couldn't possibly understand the power unleashed by a psychopathic witch, especially when Amon was exposed to it at an early age.

Instead, Amon said nothing.

"What is it?" Nagira asked, obviously confused by Amon's lack of a depressing response. "Have you finally realized the good side to these witches?"

"That's not it," Amon said sharply. "It's just...I didn't want to call you into this or even get you involved now, but I'm running out of options."

Nagira narrowed his eyes. "What the hell is going on? If there's something wrong, I'll help you."

Amon half-smiled. "Is this an older brother's guilt for not being able to do anything for the past two decades?"

Nagira got up, walked over to Amon and put his hands on his younger brother's shoulders. "I want to help you if you're in trouble. We are family, no matter how hard you want to deny it. Tell me what's going on." Amon shifted in his seat. "I swear I'll hug you if you don't."

Amon rolled his eyes and pushed Nagira's hands off. "I'll need you to help my hunters disappear from Solomon radar."

"What?"

"We've run into some difficulties with Solomon."

"I'd say. That does explain a little of why you're here. What happened?" Amon's lips pursed. "I promise, not a word to the others," Nagira said raising his right hand.

"Solomon covered up information on our investigation of the murders at the England branch. They blew up the severity of the situation, which isn't really abnormal for Solmon, but..." Nagira leaned in closer. "Something's been bothering me for a while. I should be notified of all parts of the investigation, and I've been kept out of the loop for some time now."

"What made you suspect that?"

"Little things. Zaizen's behavior toward me changed. Sources from Solomon headquarters in Italy have stopped corresponding with me."

"Any reason for this?"

"Only reasons given by Solomon, mainly an overload of cases."

"So total crap then."

"That's about right."

Nagira flopped back down on the chair. He really needed a cigarette. "Does this mean that headquarters is after you?"

"Usually when an entire branch goes AWOL, it would be in Solomon's best interest to eliminate them."

Nagira put his head in his hands. The situation was worse than he thought. "How soon do you want me to start searching for hideouts for your hunters."

"As soon as possible, though they may be sticking it out until we get this witch."

"The witches will need you on this one." Amon huffed. "Can I ask why you suddenly joined the witches' side after being betrayed by Solomon?"

Amon thought through his response. "The only lead we had was a name and an address. As I can't ensure the safety of my hunters virtually anywhere else, I decided it would be best to work here for a while."

"Has your opinion of witches changed?"

Amon bit back from immediate replying "No." Nagira looked closely at him. "I can't honestly say I don't still feel animosity toward witches or hate the blood that flows through my veins, but...I'm just not sure anymore."

Nagira laughed. "There's a woman, right?"

"What?"

"A woman. The appeals of the fairer sex tend to confuse the most stubborn men." Amon sighed in exasperation. "So who is it? The blonde woman downstairs is quite the fox."

Amon held himself back from choking on his own bile. "Doujima is not my type, and she's only 18 - far too young for you."

Nagira shrugged. "As long as they're legal, I have no qualms about my actions. Miss Pippi Longstockings may be out of my league, though. I'll leave her to you." Amon glared at Nagira. "Ho ho. Is she a touchy subject?"

"She's my partner," Amon barked.

"C'mon, Amon. If there's one thing that I've learned from every cop show ever made, it's that partners are the first to get it on in any situation."

"She's 15."

"She'll get older."

"You're psychotic."

"You're in denial."

Amon tightened his crossed arms. "Why did I even agree to talk to you?"

"Because, A-chan, you need big brother's help, and you know there's no one more trustworthy than me."

"I don't know about that."

"Well, no one more trustworthy when it comes to getting things done secretly. I guess I'm not too trustworthy around other people's women. Though, I'm not the one with the Lolita complex."

Dumbledore, Remus and a new witch were staring at him. Nagira fixed his jaw. Amon had a better left than he remembered. He smiled at the witches anyway.

"Are you okay, Nagira?"

The ever-selfless Remus. It was nice to have guys like him around, even if half of the female population more than just appreciated the man's understanding of a monthly torture. "It's nothing, Remus. I got most of the information I needed."

"Which was?"

The new witch had sharp, angular features, which was a sure sign of a bad guy in any work of fiction. His snappy response wasn't growing on Nagira, either. Lucky for him, Nagira was a forgiving man - or at least, a man who preferred to pile on the sweet talk to annoy people he couldn't stand.

"Not much more than my dear brother wanted you to know. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"This is Severus Snape, Nagira."

Nagira paused. "No introduction for me, Remus?"

"Oh, well, he already knows who you are."

"The attention would still be acceptable, though I much prefer it coming from a good-looking woman. Say, Remus. Who was that bird downstairs with the pink hair?"

Remus flushed bright red, and Nagira held back a laugh. Apparently Amon wasn't the only one into much younger women.

"If we could get back to business," Snape began, shrewdly pointing back to Dumbledore.

"Hmm...oh yes." Dumbledore sat down at the quickly constructed mini-table in the room. "We have some important decisions that need to be discussed."

Nagira frowned. "Shouldn't one of the hunters be here then?"

"I'd like to appoint you as a sort of mediator," Dumbledore said. "I'd rather not have to deal with them too much."

"I'm not a part of Solomon, and my status as brother does not make me Amon's guardian. I'm in no position to make decisions without his approval. He hasn't told me every detail of what's going on."

Dumbledore readjusted his glasses. "For now, I don't want their involvement, and I would appreciate any discretion on your part."

Nagira leaned back in his chair. "You have my discretion, but I don't agree with your methods. You'll only cause more harm than good."

"I'll deal with that when the time comes. This is a decision I've come up with, and it is our only chance for all of our order members to be safe." Dumbledore straightened his glasses and laced his fingers together. "Severus is a double agent supplying us with information we need to fight Voldemort. However, a few things have arisen that need our attention. Because of my decision to close Hogwarts, Voldemort feels that he needs stronger leaders to fight as a sort of general in battles against good wizards spread across the country. Since Voldemort trusts Severus, he has been chosen."

"Another problem is that Voldemort may already be clued in to our efforts to destroy him. Seeing as I must be the leader in any action taken against him, Voldemort would expect Severus to leak information. Before today, I had advised Severus not to tell Voldemort anything about the new order. However, it is inevitable that he would find out, and that would only endanger Severus' life if the information did not come from him.

"What I'm proposing is risky, but making sure we still have contact through Severus is our best solution. I'm planning to let Severus leak information pertaining to our movements and current address to Voldemort."

"Dumbledore, you can't be serious," Remus said as forcefully as he could.

"There's no way I can move all of these witches in time," Nagira added.

"Don't worry. The order will move headquarters to Hogwarts. It's safer and we'll have more room for all of our members. Remus, we still need Severus, and Voldemort will want proof of his loyalty. A few names of the Order members will be released, but none of the aurors will be identified. Severus plans to take extra precautions when speaking of the hunters and the horcrux. I'm not putting this up to discussion. I've informed Sirius about our plans to move locations, but I will tell the others once this has been set up."

"Why tell me now?" Nagira asked.

"I wanted a reaction from the hunters as quickly as possible, without having to confront them about it myself. Your brother seems rather agitated when it comes to me, and I don't approve of his methods. I prefer to have a mediator for our correspondence."

"I can definitely understand that. I'll notify you of his reaction." Nagira rubbed his jaw. "Hopefully it won't be anything too noticeable."

"Thank you, and Severus, good luck. Contact me whenever you can, but don't risk it for a while yet. The trick to catching Voldemort will be to surprise him. Without that, we may not be able to defeat him and risk the entire world living in fear."