The Enemy of my Enemy

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Chapter 5: New Friends
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A/N:) Here it is! Another chapter produced by the ever elusive me! I hope that this may appease my readers for awhile. I have another fic I promised to update before I started on chapter 6 for this one. Don't kill me!
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any characters there-in. I don't own Koga or his show/manga of origin. I don't own Tyr or Harper or their show of origin, (even as i'm editing these, I realize what a travesty it is that they didn't make it into the chapter! Don't worry though! I am still planning to use them in the story. And if you don't know who I'm talking about then look up and watch 'Gene Rodenberry's Andromeda', but if you watch the whole series, don't say anything to me. I still haven't gotten up the guts to watch the last episode. It's an If-I-Don't-See-It-End-It's-Not-Over sort of thing...)But ohhh, if i did!

Chapter 5: New Friends_

When Harry rounded the corner and entered the main room of the small building he was met with complete silence. Everyone had turned to face the new arrivals. Most just gave them a quick once over and returned to their previous activities. However, a group of four men approached them.

"Derrick, we were unaware that you would be bringing company." The man's voice was stern, but the look he gave Harry was far from one of anger. The way his eyes slid over his body almost seemed...ravenous.

Harry repressed the shudder that the mans lingering gaze produced and quickly scanned the group. That man that had spoken was tall, hell they were all taller than his own 5'3'' ('and a half' said a petulant voice in the back of his head), but bulkier than Derrick. He was not as big as Hagrid, but his mucles made him seem almost as wide. He had shaggy, dark blonde hair, smooth and slightly tanned skin, a solid jaw, dark brown eyes, and thin lips. All in all, he was ruggedly handsome.

The man standing next to him seemed to have brown hair but everytime he shifted it glinted red. His pupils were a deep red that would have been frightening had it not been for the friendly grin on his pale face. He wore no cloak but instead had on dark brown robes with long, tight sleeves. The neck of the robes would have loosely hugged his throat if not for the slit in the front that went halfway down his chest. On either side the resulting flaps were folded over to reveal a tight black t-shirt. Despite the flaps the mid-section of the robes outlined the curve of his waist before flaring out at the hips to allow his legs movement without restriction.

On the other side of the man who spoke stood a man with light brown hair that was pulled back in a high ponytail. Thick, shaggy bangs fell across his forehead and dark green eyes studied him. He was dressed in loose jeans that hugged his hips and a white button up shirt thats was tucked in. The material was just thin enough to give the veiwer an idea of the mans muscled abdomen and chest. He wore an open, black robe over the outfit.

Finally, to the right of Ponytail was a man with short shaggy black hair that was slightly thicker than his own. If he turned his head the right way you could see that some of the hair at the base of his neck was sticking out from a tie in a pale imitation of a true ponytail. He had a slim jaw and deep blue, almost violet eyes. He was wearing a long, black robe that hugged the top of his chest and arms. A deep purple sash tied around the lower part of his waist made the material crimp before the rest of the robe flowed loosely around his legs. On his right wrist he wore a silver chain bracelet that had another, more delicate silver chian that reached up to connect it to a ring on his middle finger.

"I do apologize, Roarke." The stranger - Derrick - replied. "It wasn't exactly planned. I helped this young man as he was being accosted in Knockturn and by way of thanks he offered me a ...bite to eat. It would have been rude to decline."

"Phht! Yeah, I'm sure!" said Ponytail, recieving a glare and 'Quiet Koga!' from Roarke.

"And since you happened to be on your way here, you decided to bring him along?" Asked the red eyed stranger, sounding playfully annoyed. On first impression, he didn't seem like the kind of guy that took many things seriously.

"Well-"

"I actually happened to be heading this way as well." Harry interrupted. "And I do believe that Derrick, if not all of you as well, are exactly who I was looking for."

The atmosphere changed as each man registered what he had said. They looked him over more carefully, and he didn't need to see the slight shift of their robes to know that - even being in Haven square - eacn man habitualy grabbed their wand, ready to defend themselves at a moments notice.

Harry sighed. The worst thing about the instant suspicion was that he wasn't entirely sure that the war was to blame. Being what they were, these men had most likely been hunted even before Voldemort initially rose to power. He raised his hands in fornt of him in a gesture of peace. "I'm not here for trouble. I just want to talk. I have a few questions and you guys might be the only ones that I can get a straight answer from any time soon."

A long silence followed his statement and Harry hoped against hope that they would listen to him. This was an integral step in him breaking away from the old man and his schemes. If they refused to talk to him, then not only would all this have been for nothing, but it would look like he had just thrown a giant temper tantrum. As if the wizarding world didn't already think he was nothing more than a mentally unstable brat!

Finally, Derrick relaxed his stance and the others followed suit. "Alright. We'll hear you out, but if one threat leaves your mouth I won't be able to insure that you'll make it home alive." Harry nodded his assent. "Very well. C'mon. We reserved a private room for our meeting. We can see to your questions there." Harry found himself being lead into a narrow hallway. With Derrick in front of him, the rest of the group behind him, and little to no room to maneuver, he was quite nervous.

They eventually reached an odd black door decorated with crimson designs. Derrick waved Harry in, quickly followed by Roarke and the others. Everyone took a seat and the first person to talk was Roarke. "How did you know what Derrick, all of us, were?"

"It wasn't that hard really. There was the impressive amount of strength Derrick used when helping earlier. Then the behaviour of everyone after they saw I was with him." All eyes turned to Derrick who was squirming in his seat. Harry couldn't help but smile at his embarassement. He could tell from the looks the man was recieving that this wasn't the first time he'd had trouble keeping a low profile. "But the most telling thing was when you said his name. The last couple days I've paid quite a few gallions (sp?) for information on anyone who could answer my questions. I wound up being pointed towards a Vampire named Derrick who is known to frequent Knockturn alley. I just figured by your reactions to seeing me earlier that you guys were the same."

"Damned greedy buggers! Can't keep their mouths shut for anything!" muttered the black haired vampire.

"Don't be too hard on them. I offered alot of money. Anyone in their situation would be hard pressed not to accept."

"Okay, young man. What do you want from us?" asked Derrick. Harry was preoccupied having started to see an established pecking order in the group. Derrick was obviously the leader. His second-in-command was Roarke no doubt. Ponytail - Koga, as he had been called earlier - wore clothes that didn't allow for alot of movement, but allowed him to exude a 'calm and confident' air. While his vampire abilities would make him someone you would want in a fight, Harry would bet his entire inheritance that the mans expertise was strategy. The red eyed member of the group was cocky and probably a bit of a joker. A laid back kind of guy, but his clothes were loose but not baggy, allowing for a full range of movement. And what moves too! He moved with a sort of grace that was reminiscent of a tiger stalking its prey. He was probably an assassin. The same went for his black haired counter part. "...well?"

Harry shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts, "As I have said, I sought you out because you are the only one who I know will give me straight answers. The only one who, from what I've heard, will answer with 100% fact instead of sliding in bits of old rumors or half formed ideas. Before I ask I will need to know that this is indeed the truth."

Derrick tilted his head to the side a little, obviously interested in Harry's intensity if nothing else. "I will attempt to do so to the utmost of my ability."

"Then I'll be blunt: Is it true that the vampires sided with Voldemort in the first war?"

A strained silence instantly befell the room. Chair legs minutely scraped across the floor as everyone save Harry and Derrick shifted in their seats at the uncomfortable subject. The two merely stared at each other for what seemed like forever, Harry refusing to look away and Derrick re-evaluating his opinion of the child - perhaps not so much a child as he had thought - before him. "At first we chose to remain neutral, but he did eventually persuade us to aide him. But that was a long time ago."

"Yes, it was. However, not long enough to have been forgotten. Isn't that why vampires are treated as they are today?"

"Hunh! Is THAT how they justify themselves? We were being treated like lepers and monsters long before he was even born! That was the reason we joined him in the first place!" the black haired vampire commented, ignoring the glare he recieved from both Derrick and Roarke.

"What exactly does he mean?" even as he asked, Harry had a good idea what the answer would be. He felt one last desperate hope rise in his chest that Dumbledores grandfatherly facade was more than a facade, only to have it crushed as the leader replied, "Its true. We have never been treated fairly by the Ministry. When we joined Voldemort, it was because he promised that when he gained control of the wizarding world we would be treated like citizens rather than aminals."

".....And that bastard knew! He had to have known, as old as he is! And he not only helped support a government that would oppress and abuse an entire species, he helped spread the propaganda that would prepare the next generations to do the same! How much of what we learned was lies?" Harry felt so betrayed. When he had taken that first step down Knockturn Alley that morning, he had had a good idea about what he would find. But sitting here, in a room with a bunch of men who had most likely lived through the times and events that they were discussing... Men who had no idea who he was and therefore no reason to lie to him, hearing them confirm his suspicions... He had trusted the man! For two and a half years, he had looked up to this lying schemeing son-of-a bitch!

A cold, detached voice in the back of Harry's head told him that he should have expected this on-slaught of emotion. The entire time that he had suspected the old man, he had been strictly analytical about the situation. Now, however, he remembered everytime Dumbledore had touched him - a pat on the head, a comforting or approving hand on his shoulder - he can remember the rush of warmth he had felt. Those few times he had felt like someone had cared about him! Had everytime just been part of a scheme to make him trust him? Had he even once felt guilty about manipulating him? And - he HATED to think it but...- did Ron and Hermione know what Dumbledore had been doing? Mabye not Ron, but Hermione was smart. Could he really have been the only one to suspect something?

"You alright kid?" Harry looked up into the wary - and somewhat concerned - eyes of the group. It was the black haired vampire (he really needed to get all their names) who had spoken.

"Um... Yeah, I'll be fine. Can't say that it comes as a shock, but I was hoping..." He shook his head. "I've just learned alot of disconcerting things in the past few days. Thank you all for being blunt with me. I appreciate it. I still have alot of questions and I don't mean to be rude, but honestly I'm not sure I can stand to hear anymore today. Uh, if you would be willing to meet me here some other time?..."

The group exchanged glances, silently coming to an agreement. The kid had sparked their interest, to say the least, and as he was now, there was no guarantee that he would make it back to wherever he was staying. It was too dangerous to let him go alone. "We'll do better than that. Where yah staying?" asked the red eyed man.

Harry was so... worn out and overwhelmed that he didn't even think before answering. "The Leaky Cauldron."

"Koga here will walk you back. We have some things to take care of first, but we'll meet you guys later. Perhaps you'll be feeling better enough later to join us for dinner!"

"Sure." He rubbed his eyes as he stood and sent a grateful smile to the group before making his way outside, closely followed by Koga.

A/N) It hasn't been beta'd and I don't have spellcheck or grammarcheck, so I will apologize for those mistakes first. Yes, Koga is the one from Inuyasha. As you can see his personality is different and he is not so gung-ho. I was gong to wait another day to finish it, but after a while the story just started picking up pace. Good Bye writers block! Anyway, I hope you guys like it. Remember to reveiw! It helps me figure out where the story is going to go next!