An Ancient Tale
Chapter 1
August 28th 2008
Harry stepped out of the hot shower with a smile on his lips, it felt good to be home for the first time in six months even if it was just for a few days he knew it would be worth getting in all of the hot showers he could manage before he headed back to Atlantis and the expedition where it was touch and go at the moment whether they could get the water to remain hot enough to take a hot shower in the mornings.
In the last month they had been getting cold showers pretty much every morning and evening.
Harry had been in and out of England for a number of years but this was the first time he had been back in the magical world for a number of years, he had a family home in Hogsmeade which he had been using on and of for many years for research and such without anyone coming by to ask what he was doing.
It had been ten years since the end of the war with Voldemort and he had not had contact with his friends in that time or the people that he considered family, they had all been kind to him in the days following the war but he had been itching for something more to do which was when he was approached by the SGC. They had wanted help deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs which was one of his many specialities, it came with having four degrees by the time he left school.
He had been reserved about the idea of helping the muggles at the time, when they had introduced him to the stargate he found a purpose again in his life and work. He had been given a commission by the air force thanks to the president and the ministry of magic in the USA vouching for him, he had thought for the respect of his colleagues for over six months until his work had saved SG-1 in the field.
The respect had been grudging at first by most of the people on the base but Hammond began to rely on him for in depth information, along with Daniel Jackson their work had been invaluable to the project.
Unlike Jackson however he had continued his studies both in the field and in the class room gaining further degrees, more the book worm he had been pulled into combat on a fair share of occasions and had taken over from Jackson when he had ascended in the research department. Eventually gaining gate status with SG-2 as its team commander much to his own shock, in the last days of the Go'auld conflict he had been captured for two weeks by the enemy.
It was still something that he refused to talk about but he had said to those wizards in the group that knew about him that it was akin to being tortured by Voldemort, it was all that people needed to know about the experience not to ask any more questions.
--
He was in diagon alley when he spotted the Weasley's and Draco, he had not seen them in ten years but they had spotted him from a distance and were heading his way, Harry sighed he had been an idiot to think that he could avoid them for the rest of his life. Draco had two boys with him that were about ten in age, their hair and eyes were unmistakable even if they were blond, his mind shattered seeing them was it possible that...
"Harry where the hell have you been?" Draco demanded.
"Around." Harry replied.
"You've been gone ten years you had better be able to do better than around." Molly said glaring at the six foot six tall man in front of her.
Even with his height the man seemed to cower under the glare of his adopted mother, "I can't do better than that." Harry said to her.
"How long are you back for?" Draco asked.
"A few weeks shore leave." Harry said.
"Shore leave are you with the auror's or something?" one of the blond boys asked.
"USAF." Harry said.
"Wicked do you fly fighters?" the other asked causing Harry to laugh.
"I work for their intelligence." Harry replied.
"We kind of need to talk." Draco said softly Harry looked into silver eyes seeing the pain in his eyes Harry nodded.
"You know the family home in Hogsmeade?" Harry asked.
"Yes I do." Draco said.
"Tonight say seven I'll cook for you." Harry said.
"Just like that no explanation as to where you have been." Hermione snarled.
"I thought it was clear I wasn't going to talk about it." Harry said with a raised eyebrow.
"We'll be there." Draco said.
"Good I'll see you later." Harry said walking off.
"His changed." Ron said.
"His grown a lot." Hermione said.
"I wonder why he wouldn't talk about where he has been." Ron said.
"No idea but his in trouble." Hermione said.
--
Seven dead on the dot the door bell rang around the house, Harry walked to the door opening it he smiled at the five people on his door step he seriously didn't think the two men who had remained a constant in his life would stay away if he had come back home even if he was here for a short time Sirius hugged him Remus smacked him around the back of the head.
"No warning Colonel?" he asked mock angry.
"Do I ever give you notice." Harry asked.
"Its good to see you looking so well Harry." Sirius said with a smile.
"You've been in contact with them." Draco asked.
"When I have been in town from time to time." Harry said.
"Twice in the last five years." Sirius said. "The rest of the time its been letters and videos." Sirius added.
"I asked them not to tell you." Harry said softly. "I made it clear that I was happy not knowing what was going on here, they tried to tell me a number of times if I had to guess that I was missing something out." he added.
"Can we have a drink." one of the boys asked.
"Of course come on into the kitchen." Harry said leading the way into the large kitchen diner. "What would you like I have pumpkin, apple or orange juice or milk." Harry asked the boys they said apple he walked to the fridge fetching them cold drinks in glasses that he took from the cupboards. "Thank you Dobby for keeping this place well stocked." he said.
"You haven't asked about them." Draco stated.
"If I had to guess I'd say that they were mine, except for their names." Harry said Draco snorted.
"James Draco he prefers Jamie, that is Lucas Harry both of them are Potters." he added Harry looked at the wedding ring that had been on his finger for many years until he had chosen to take it of and wear it around his neck on a chain like his dog tags. "You took your ring of." Draco said taking it in his hand along with the dog tags around his neck.
"I wore it for a long time, it only came of a couple of years ago it hasn't been of my neck since my lucky talisman." Harry said.
"You know our dad?" Jamie asked him Harry looked at him before patting the chairs on either side of him.
"Yes I knew your dad." Harry said.
"Daddy is sad because our other dad left..." Lucas said his bottom lip trembling. "He didn't love us did he?" the boy continued Harry took his hand in his own massive hand.
"Your dad loves you Lucas." Harry said the boy looked at him with intelligent green eyes. "And would like to get to know you." he added picking him up with little effort drawing him into a hug his own tears threatening to drop from his face.
"How do you know?" Jamie asked.
"I know your dad pretty well Jamie." Harry said looking at Draco for permission the nod was all he needed to say what he had wanted to say. "I'm your dad kid, and I didn't leave your dad because I didn't love him." Harry said pulling Jamie to him for a hug burying his face in the boys hair as he found four arms around his body clinging to him.
"Are you going to leave again?" Jamie asked Harry breathed in heavily.
"I have to, but it won't be permanently this time." Harry said to the boy who looked up at him.
"Can't we come with you?" Lucas asked.
"I wish that was allowed honey but its not." Harry said.
"But you want us right?" Lucas demanded.
"Of course I want you." Harry said to him with a smile Draco grinned at him.
"Can we eat now." Sirius whined causing Harry to giggle with the two boys.
"We wouldn't want your uncle to starve now would we." he said with a wicked grin the boys shook their heads Harry managed to extract himself from his position on the chair before finishing dinner.
The six of them spent a very nice dinner talking about everything and nothing, Sirius could see how much it meant to Harry to have his family around him he knew that Harry had not had a good time in the last couple of years. Though the years of worry and constant battle had been placed to one side for a few short hours, for an immortal man he looked twice as old and battle weary as Draco could ever remember him looking after the war with Voldemort.
Sirius and Remus left around eight the boys were conked out on the sofas.
"Harry I should be getting them home." Draco said.
"Where is home?" Harry asked.
"I have a flat." Draco said looking down.
"Oh god did I really leave you in that bad a position?" Harry asked.
"They bankrupted me with compensation claims from the people my father killed." Draco whispered Harry looked guiltily. "Its not your fault Harry you weren't to know." Draco said sitting down next to the boy.
"I didn't care enough to make sure you were okay." Harry whispered.
"Your here now." Draco whispered Harry looked at him then did what he had wanted to do all night and kissed the blond softly.
"I have to leave in a couple of weeks, your choice whether you move in here or one of the other family homes in the UK or I have a large country house in the US that you can live in and be near by when I come home." Harry said.
"How often do you come home?" he asked.
"Its hard Draco, you don't have the clearance for me to tell you the whole truth right now. All I can say is its helping the world." Harry said the blond smiled.
"You needed something new to fight?" he asked.
"All I have ever known is battle, I wanted something different for my children." Harry said.
"It doesn't have to be that way." Draco said to him Harry laughed the blond.
"I fight so that they will never have to Draco." Harry said.
"Will you put that back on your finger." he asked pointing at the ring around his neck.
Harry took the chain from his neck taking the ring of the chain looked down at it for a moment then handed it to Draco, "I believe that you put it on my ring finger." Harry said with a smile Draco laughed placing the ring on his finger. "Lets get them upstairs to bed." Harry said picking Jamie up like he was a feather the boy curled into his chest as they walked up quietly taking the large bedroom opposite his own Harry nodded his head producing to small single beds for them. "That should do for one night." he added when Draco smiled.
"I had forgotten that you could do stuff like that." Draco said.
"Nice to know that someone can forget." Harry said bending his enormous frame down kissing the boys cheeks in turn. "I have some films down stairs if you'd like or we could go get one out or something." Harry said to him.
"I'd like that." Draco said.
--
The night before he was due to return to active duty Harry was out on the balcony over looking the river, he had been given permission to tell Draco the truth something that he didn't think he would be able to get. Apparently he had friends in the right places to do that, Draco walked out onto the balcony to find Harry looking out into the distance his eyes unfocused and not taking in his environment.
"Harry are you okay your looking distant tonight?" Draco asked.
"Tomorrow I am taking an eighteen day trip, the next time I look out at the stars I won't see them like they are now." Harry said to him.
"Harry what are you on about of course you will." Draco said sounding worried.
"I got permission to tell you the truth about what I do." Harry said to him.
"Well that's cool." Draco said wrapping his arms around his waist.
"Not really, Draco your worry more if you know than if you don't." Harry said still looking into the distance.
"I don't care." Draco said stepping around him Harry placed his hands around the smaller mans frame hugging him close his chin resting on the blonds hair.
"We are at war Draco." he said.
"Yes I know with the Iraqi's." Draco said Harry laughed humourlessly.
"Not quite, the next time I see the stars from a planet it will be billions of light years away from here." Harry said.
"Now your nuts." Draco said.
"I work for stargate command I have done since the day I left, they came to me for help with a problem they were having with a race of people called the Go'auld. Then it was the Ori and then recently the Wraith along the way we have met some nice people out their mostly humans occasionally non humans." Harry said.
"Your saying the muggles have been further than the moon?" Draco asked.
"Yes Draco a lot further than the moon." Harry said.
"Is it beautiful?" Draco asked. "Where your going that is?" he amended.
"Yes... The boys would love it." Harry said.
"How much danger is there?" Draco asked.
"To this galaxy not much the Ori have been defeated the Go'auld are broken but the Wraith are a constant threat." Harry said to him.
"And that's where your be?" he asked.
"Its where I am assigned to yes, Atlantis." he said.
"The city Atlantis?" Draco asked incredulously.
"The one and only, its beautiful and magnificent. The wizards never did it justice, you know we are the living descendants of the ascended ancients, wizards aren't native to this galaxy or this planet I have discovered wizards on pretty much every planet I have been on which has humans on it." Harry said to him.
"We are alien?" he asked incredibly.
"Yes, the Alterran's the first evolution of human in the universe the second being the muggles." Harry said. "I have found some of the libraries in the Atlantis databanks for wizards, Merlin was an amazing wizard." Harry added wistfully.
"I'm going to miss you." Draco said.
"As I am you." Harry said.
"Your coming back though right." Draco demanded Harry laughed and nodded.
"Yes I'm coming home." Harry replied.
"I don't want to see them hurt Harry." Draco said he heard the pleading tone in Draco's voice.
"Draco I'm coming home." Harry said Draco's hands found his holding them tightly to his stomach Harry sighed contentedly, it was going to be hard in the morning to leave them behind, Harry felt his beeper on his belt go of telling him he had an incoming transmission on the radio he kept in the bedroom. "Sorry Draco I have to take this." Harry said entering their bedroom without a word to the blond he did come out a few minutes later ashen faced. "I've been ordered to depart tonight on the Apollo which is basically the fastest ship we have, I'm sorry Draco but this is something that I need to do." he added.
"They'll be disappointed that you didn't say goodbye." Draco said.
"Top drawer on my side has a couple of letters for them, I wrote them just in case this happened, if anything happens to me your get everything till they are of age... I'll write as often as possible." Harry said.
"This isn't fair." Draco muttered Harry laughed humourlessly as he pulled on an Atlantis military personnel jumpsuit his rank insignia on the side. "Be careful." he said kissing Harry.
"Always." Harry said placing a soft kiss on the blonds lips. "Potter to Apollo." he said tapping his mic earpiece.
"Go ahead Colonel." came a crisp reply.
"I'm ready for my pick up." he said picking up his duffel bag.
"Understood Colonel the bridge is awaiting your arrival for departure." the man said.
"Can't keep them waiting." Draco said standing on tip toes kissing his lips once more. "Be careful." he said again.
"Apollo you have a go." Harry said Draco watched as a flash of light took Harry away from him.
Draco went to the bedside cabinet which Harry had mentioned opening it he found three letters one addressed to him he laughed.
Dear Draco
By the time I leave I will hopefully have been able to tell you the truth about what I do, if your reading this then I can only assume I got called of leave before it was time for my departure anyway don't fret I haven't been killed yet so I am hopeful it won't happen this next tour of duty.
I know that the boys are to young to understand the risks about what I do, let them know that I love them and that I will be home soon. I'll miss you all probably more than your miss me, its hard serving knowing that the people you love are waiting for you and possibly the news that every service wife or husband dreads to hear.
Know that I love and that I intend to come home to you and sleep well.
Love
Harry
--
The next morning the twins ran into the room extra early to spend time with Harry, "Daddy where's dad?" Jamie asked.
"He was called into work early." Draco said.
"He left us didn't he?" Lucas demanded.
"No, Luc he really wanted to say goodbye to you properly. He left you both a letter should this happen." Draco said handing them their letters.
Dear Lucas and Jamie
I am sorry that we didn't get to say goodbye properly.
I love you very much and I will see you both soon, be good for your dad and Sirius and Moony we all know that those two need their beauty sleep their getting old you know. Though you didn't hear that from me ok, I'll carry a photo of you both until I come home and think of you daily.
All my love
Dad