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

A/N: Just wanted to thank all of my lovely reviewers who have kept me on task for this story. It's getting down to the wire with only a few chapters remaining. I hope all you readers enjoy it.

Chapter 13: On Your Doorstep

Sakaki looked on as Robin burned a series of candles within a couple of seconds. It was similar to the tests Robin was given at Solomon, but the whole thing felt weird to him. For one thing, the size of the audience was considerably larger than normal.

To tell the truth, Sakaki really couldn't see much of anything. All of the hunters with the exception of Amon had been pushed to the back of the room. Of course he would have started a giant ruckus about being pushed aside had Miho not held him back. Sakaki seriously believed that if Miho weren't there, the hunters and witches wold have killed each other a long time ago.

So now he was in the back of an overcrowded room sitting next to the children who had also lost out on front row seats. Children? He was sure they would have been classmates under any other circumstance. That thought, however, didn't necessarily make him trust them.

Sakaki wasn't sure what he should think anymore. The witches were helping them, sort of. At least there seemed to be a dark and light side to the witches in England. Voldemort was bad, that he was sure of. Judging by Miho's scryed memory and the description the witches gave them, the guy was definitely a part of the other hunters' deaths.

Though the villain was a no-brainer, that didn't mean the other witches were the good guys. He worried for Robin and what they might do to her if she proved to be too valuable an asset. He was sure Amon could do something about it, and Miho was also an S-class hunter. But he felt pretty useless here. Research wasn't his thing, and he wasn't that good of a shot to make up for it in field work. He didn't know why Miho hadn't completely given up after being his partner for a week.

However, not only had she stuck it out with him, but she also agreed to stay with him when they decided to run from Solomon. Sakaki wasn't as young as Michael or Robin when he first started, but he honestly couldn't remember a place he could run away to. He couldn't put his family in danger and God knows what lies Solomon must be telling them now. Enough to disown him to say the least. It was a little more comforting knowing that the others were probably going through the same thing.

Michael was probably in the best situation. He was captured from his home, and he doubted that Michael's family would trust anything Solomon said. Though he despised giving her compliments, Doujima seemed like she could live through anything thrown in her direction, even a nuclear blast. She'd probably get through it, most likely with Amon's brother, which Sakaki dreaded to imagine.

Miho and himself were probably having the same troubles. They'd have to avoid friends and family and doing that on their own would have been incredibly difficult, though more so for Sakaki. He never thought as far ahead as Miho, and he would have been caught early on if he were on his own. He could have been dropped in Timbuktu and still managed to mess it up and attract Solomon attention.

Sakaki looked over at Miho. She had been staring at her gloved hands the entire time. She wasn't the type to open up to anyone, and he was surprised that she had done so in the common room. He had never really been alone with her except for hunts and stakeouts. He doubted that many people have ever really talked to her, even Doujima.

"She's that interesting, huh?" Sakaki spun his head to one of the red-haired twins who was sitting next to him. "Most people are looking ahead at your firey friend's spectacle."

Sakaki looked around then back at the twin. "Why are you talking to me?"

"George is getting a better view and will report back with the goods. So, I need something to do."

"Oh...um...Fred, right?"

"Yup."

"What do you think about all this? I mean working with us."

Fred overexaggerated a thoughtful pose. "Well, I don't know. You guys did kill a lot of witches."

"We didn't-"

Fred slapped Sakaki on the back. "Just joking, mate! You're a good enough bloke. You just gotta lighten up a little. Thought you're a right shy better than that captain of yours. He's quite the nutter isn't he?"

Sakaki laughed nervously. "I guess crazy is one word to describe it."

"Thought as much." Fred paused. "You know, no one's formally introduced us. You know my name, as George and I try to make that the first thing people learn when they come to Hogwarts. Can't say I know yours, though."

"Oh." Sakaki looked around to see if he was actually allowed to do this. No one was going to help him out. "I'm Haruto Sakaki."

"Ah, Haruto, pleasure's mine."

"Uh...yeah." Sakaki wasn't about to correct him on being so casual by using his first name.

"And who's your lady friend?"

"She's my partner, Miho Karasuma." Miho seemed too entranced by her hands to register that her name had been said.

"So the younger members get paired with older partners?"

Sakaki stubbornly turned to face the front. "She's not that much older than me."

Fred laughed and slapped him on the back again. What was with these British kids? "Didn't mean any offense, mate."

Sakaki looked down the line of teenagers. "Where did the boy with glasses go?"

"Huh? Oh, Harry must be sulking somewhere. That bird up front is taking away attention from Boy Wonder."

"Why exactly is Harry Potter so famous?"

"Because he lived." Sakaki looked at Fred expecting him to finish the sentence. Fred's smile widened.

George ran over and pocketed one of the many instruments Sakaki had seen the two building at meals. "The session's over, and they don't seem that impressed. We'd better get set up before they get to the 'secret' meeting room."

"Indeed." Fred turned to Sakaki. "Lovely chat, mate. We should do it again some time." Both Fred and George saluted and quickly stomped out the door.

Startled by the loud noise, Miho looked sharply at Sakaki. "What was that?"

Sakaki turned to her. "I have no idea."

Nagira marched over and flashed a less than exuberant smile. "The witches want to hold a private meeting, so I'm afraid you four have to go back to the common room. Amon and Robin will be up shortly."

Miho stood up. "What's going on? Why aren't they letting us into the meeting?"

Nagira glanced behind him. "I don't really know. They probably have to talk about the situation with as few interruptions as possible."

Miho took another concerned look toward the front and turned around. "We'd better get going then."

Sakaki made sure to walk alongside Miho out of the room. Once they were out of earshot, he turned to look at her. "Do you think everything's OK?"

Miho looked sullen but continued to walk. "I don't know. Having to guess what position we're in all the time is taking a toll on everyone. I'm starting to wish I never brought us here."

"We didn't have anywhere else to go." Sakaki smiled at her. "We probably wouldn't have lasted this long if it wasn't for you. I don't know how many times we've been in situations like these over the past couple of days, but we've pulled through. You and Amon-san seem to have a good handle on things."

Miho weakly smiled back. "I think both Amon and I have hit a will. I haven't seen Amon so tired before."

Sakaki blinked and faced forward. "How long have you known Amon-san?"

"He was the team leader when I joined the STN-J. I was 16 then. I can't believe it's only been three years."

Sakaki glanced over at her. "Were you and Amon ever close?"

Miho raised her eyebrows and looked at him. Sakaki very sheepishly tried to keep a serious face. She raised her hand to her mouth and laughed. "If you're implying what I think you're implying, then the answer is no. Amon is an attractive man, but he's not really my type." Miho slowed down her pace and looked down at her feet.

"I think I was afraid of him for a while. On one of my first hunts, I hadn't secured the perimeter properly, and the witch escaped. Amon eventually caught him, but the man had somehow impaled Amon with a stick through his shoulder. Since it was my fault, I offered to bandage his wound. I honestly didn't want to touch him because of the anger I thought I would feel. But when I took care of his shoulder, I felt nothing. There was no anger toward me, and no pain from his wound. My power wasn't as developed as it is now, but I should've felt something. I think that's when I started to fear what he was capable of. Amon was a man who could kill an innocent person without even blinking." Miho shook her head. "I'm sorry. I sound like an old woman rambling about the past."

Sakaki grabbed her shoulder and stopped her from moving any further. He turned to Doujima and Michael who were a few feet behind them. "Why don't you two go on ahead first. We'll be right behind you." The two looked questioningly at each other, but continued on to the common room.

Miho looked just as confused. "Sakaki-"

"Haruto."

Miho's cheeks reddened a little. "Haruto. What's wrong?"

"Should I be worried about where Amon-san is leading us?"

Miho smiled. "No. My first impression of him was wrong. If Robin never came, I may have still worried, but Amon is no longer just a soldier. You don't have to worry about his judgment."

"What does Robin have to do with it?"

Miho looked surprised. "You don't know?"

"Know what?"

Miho started laughing again. Sakaki's ears flushed bright red. "What's so funny?"

"It's nothing." Sakaki frowned. "We should get back before Amon and Robin. They'll worry if we aren't back by then."

Sakaki nodded and continued to walk. "So...you're not going to tell me what's so funny."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually, Haruto."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Remus watched as Dumbledore paced across the room. He did that a lot. It either made someone very nervous or very sleepy, as his footsteps sounded like a metronome. Remus felt neither.

The full moon was two days away, and he admittedly felt a little charged. He was always at his strongest during the week before a full moon. Wolves thrived on moonlight and for whatever reason, a full moon gave him the same strength. Although the very thought of a full moon frightened him, he was somewhat relieved to feel his strength returning, albeit for a little while. He didn't appear as sickly and his pale skin had a little bit of color.

However refreshing it was during the week, it also scared him to think that this time was perfect for Voldemort to strike, if he wanted to use the other werewolves. In this state, werewolves were strong, even in human form. Remus could even take on Sirius in Padfoot mode. If that was the case, then the other werewolves could easily take down a few wizards. He wasn't sure what the others were capable of, but one more person like Greyback was too many.

Harry shifted in his seat next to Remus. The children and the rest of the Order were allowed to attend the meeting. Dumbledore had looked very concerned when he watched the girl's powers. Remus only hoped that everything would be OK, and both the hunters and the wizards would come out of this unscathed.

Remus did, however, worry about Harry. His best friend's son would probably be questioning his purpose in the Order. Harry had always been the last defense against Voldemort. But now with Voldemort's power over Lily's magic and the presence of a new girl arguably more powerful than Harry, the boy had to reevaluate how powerful he really was. Remus dug a chocolate bar out of his pocket and handed it to Harry. Chocolate solved every problem for a little bit of time. At least it was healthier than alcohol.

"Albus." Minerva could always be counted on to incite Dumbledore into action. "What do you think about the girl?"

Dumbledore sighed. "I still have my reservations. She has an extraordinary gift, but I was expecting more from what the Solomon scientist had told me."

"He said that she will become a powerful wizard," Remus added. "We don't know when that will occur or if the girl needed training to become such a wizard. Prophecies generally lack a time frame."

Dumbledore looked to Sirius. "How hot was the fire she was creating?"

Sirius sighed. "It's a hotter flame than we can create with a wand, but not nearly strong enough to destroy the horcrux."

"We also have another problem," Kingsley Shacklebolt said. "I did some research on the horcrux. It has to be an object from one of the founders of Hogwarts, and I think this one belonged to Helga Hufflepuff. However, the pocket watch may be a time turner. I don't know what will happen if we destroy it."

Dumbledore closed his eyes. "Unfortunately that's going to be a risk we have to take. Defeating Voldemort comes first, and the destruction of every horcrux is vital. If we do not destroy it, everything Regulus had accomplished would be in vain."

Remus glanced at Sirius. Although he was the older brother, Sirius had never really taken care of Regulus and had shunned him altogether when he became a Death Eater. Though Sirius never said anything to him about it, he was sure that Sirius was proud of what Regulus had done and regretted not spending more time with him. A kind-hearted Black was a rarity, after all. Sirius and Nymphadora's family were the only examples from a long line.

"What are our options on destroying the horcrux?" Dumbledore looked to Minerva.

She pinched his nose where her glasses were. It was more bad news. "As of right now, I see no way in which we could make a fire stronger than that of a phoenix. Even if we used Fawkes, we could not use a spell to make him any stronger."

"I want you to continue searching, Minerva. Alastor, do you know of a way to make a wizard stronger?"

Both of Moody's eyes were fixed on Dumbledore. "I know of a few ways, but I can't say for sure that any of 'em are going to work on a wizard like that. It's never really been done before."

Dumbledore seemed to be getting older each time another wizard gave him bad news. "We can't afford to put a spell on that girl. Right now she's our best chance at destroying the horcrux. I don't want anything back firing on her in case it doesn't work."

"Are you going to ensure all the hunters safety or just hers?" Nagira had been allowed in the meeting since he had successfully moved many witches out of harm's way. Remus could understand Nagira's wish to protect his brother, but many of the wizards did not share that same feeling.

"All of them will be safe, Mr. Nagira. Right now, we cannot make any more enemies." Dumbledore turned to Nymphadora. "Tonks. What news do you have on the Ministry? Will they side with us?"

Tonks also looked as though she were about to disappoint him. "That doesn't seem likely. The higher-ups think that the Dark Lord is dead."

Dumbledore looked to Remus. He anticipated the question and shook his head. "With the laws currently in place, the Ministry has made it very clear that werewolves will never be accepted. The werewolves have no motivation to join us, and we have nothing to offer them."

"Do they know that Voldemort is lying to them? He will never give them the freedom he is promising."

Remus looked at his scarred wrists and a strand of graying hair that had fallen out of his ponytail. "To them, a lie is better than the lives they have now. A man's only hope, even if it rationally seems futile, cannot be crushed when you have nothing to go back to."

Dumbledore nodded and went back to pacing. Remus' fear of the werewolves renewed itself. Not only would they be stronger now, but they will continue fighting until they die.

"Remus. Sirius. Continue teaching the children on how to defend themselves. I want the rest of you to keep researching. We no longer have anyone else to depend on but ourselves and six outcast hunters. Be prepared. I fear that time is no longer on our side."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Amon leaned on a desk in the sterile white room. The room had been dark before when Robin's power was being tested, and he hadn't noticed how blank it was until the candles were lit. Amon hated totally white rooms. They were too much like Solomon's experimental rooms on certain prisoners. He would've left ten minutes ago had it not been for Robin. The only good thing about the room was that it had no picture frames, and Robin probably needed the privacy more than ever.

She hadn't said anything since the old man called a meeting for all of the witches. He couldn't tell what was on her mind or even make sense of what happened within the last hour. Robin was a manufactured witch. She could be, quite possibly, the thing that he hated the most - a witch so powerful that even a trained hunter is no match. This was what Zaizen and Solomon had been afraid of. This is why they asked him to watch her.

Robin walked over to the desk and rested her hands on top. Strands of her hair were tangled with the frayed ribbons. Amon couldn't remember when she had slept last, though he guessed it was around the time he had slept a few days ago when they were in Japan. Robin was not taking the loss easily. She looked tired and much older than 15. He wouldn't call Robin sluggish, especially after what she just did, but she was barely moving now. He reluctantly admitted that making her cry all night the day before had not helped her present condition.

Amon looked back at Robin who was still staring at the desk and not making any move to look at him. Even though she had seemed comfortable around him before, Amon couldn't say that Robin wasn't feeling a little awkward being a witch next to an elite hunter. Amon stood up. "We should get back. Everyone else must be in the common room by now."

Robin grabbed the arm of his coat. She still wasn't looking at him, but Amon could tell she was debating saying something to him. Amon decided to keep silent until she asked him. Robin's hand dropped and she turned around. "Let's go."

Amon sighed. He never met anyone worse at talking about themselves than he was. Amon side-stepped around her and stood in her way. "If you want to say something to me, you should say it."

Robin looked away. "It's nothing."

"Robin, people who grow up in convents don't lie very well."

Robin pouted but still didn't turn to look at him.

Amon, slightly uneasy about a pouty Robin, looked at where everyone had been watching her. Pushing her to talk was not going to work. Or maybe she just didn't want to talk to him. Amon wasn't exactly unaware of his ominous features. Looming over her probably didn't help. "If it's something you want to talk to Karasuma about, we should leave now so you can get an answer quicker."

"She's too nice." Amon stared at her. "Karasuma won't give me a straight answer because she won't say anything that would hurt my feelings." Amon now understood why she wanted to ask him. After all, his callous behavior indicates that he's not one to care about others' feelings.

She looked up at him. "Amon. Can you truthfully answer a question for me?" Amon nodded, but hoped that his truthful response wasn't going to make her cry again.

Robin looked closely at Amon as if to gauge his response. "What am I?"

Amon blinked. "Nani?"

"If I was created through an experiment, then what am I?" Robin's eyes drooped a little. "Am I even human?"

Amon stared at Robin. He had been thinking about what Robin was on a regular basis since he had received the order to report on her every move. He supposed that the same conclusion he had come up with then, is the same now.

"People are born from various means whether it be natural or from a test tube, but one is not necessarily more human than the other..."

"They weren't genetically engineered clones, though."

"Technically, no. But finding out how you were born now doesn't change who you were yesterday. You're still the same Robin I met two months ago."

Robin's hands gripped the front of his jacket. "Is that really the truth?"

"Before we left for England, I was ordered by Zaizen to watch you. The Inquisitor believed you were a witch, and I was to find evidence that would convict you of being so." Amon paused, unsure of how much he should be saying. "You may have powers similar to other witches, but I can't think of you as one. I decided that before we got here, and that hasn't changed."

Robin slipped her hands underneath his coat and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you, Amon."

"I wouldn't worry too much, Robin. I'm sure the others feel the same way."

Robin looked up and smiled. She only smiled like that at him. It's not like Amon hadn't noticed. He had always thought of it as adoration, but now it was plainly obvious that this wasn't it. He never gave her any reason to feel like that. He had probably done the exact opposite so she would feel any other emotion except that. Even though he had pushed her away, she had somehow seen right through his actions.

Her ability to do so affected him more than he wanted to admit consciously. He wasn't the type of man to respond to a woman simply because she happened to show interest. Robin confused him and turned everything upside down. One could only look at the situation he found himself in now and wonder how he ended up here. He awkwardly put both of his arms around her. It was painfully obvious to him that he never really did anything like this before, at least not since he was young. Though Amon felt like he was in some terrible after school special on lecherous student teachers, he knew that no matter how hard he tried to ignore them, his feelings weren't going to change or disappear.

Robin's smile broadened, and she hugged Amon tighter, burying her face in his shirt. Amon, not really knowledgeable of these types of situations, decided that standing still was probably the best thing he could do.

The building shook and knocked Amon and Robin against a wall. Amon's grip on Robin tightened. "Are you all right?" Robin nodded.

Amon's cell phone rang in his jacket pocket. Amon glanced at Robin and picked it up.

"Amon!"

"Michael. What's going on?"

"There was an explosion outside. I think the Voldemort guy is attacking and breaking through the barriers. Everyone's heading down to the Great Hall. That's where they think he's going to end up. Is Robin with you?"

"Yes. We'll meet you at the Great Hall."

"OK."

Amon put the phone back in his pocket. "We have to go." Robin nodded again though slightly dazed about how quickly everything was happening. Amon grabbed her hand. "Stay by me, Robin."

"I will."

Amon pulled her out of the room and the two ran to the Great Hall. Only a few figures were left in the portraits, most of them knights. Another explosion sounded outside, and Robin's hand tightened in his. Both of them arrived at the Great Hall only to get pulled into a line of waiting wizards and hunters. They had already made a few lines, the most powerful in the front.

Dumbledore walked over to Robin and placed the horcrux in her left hand. He didn't need to say anything. Robin nodded and stared at the watch. Amon withdrew his gun and pointed it toward the doors. He looked down the line of intermingled wands and guns, all shaking. No one knew what was coming through those doors, and they didn't know how to defeat their enemy. The only people he wanted to protect - his team, Nagira, Robin - were all in this room. He'd be damned if he failed any of them this time. Amon stared straight ahead.