Disclaimer: All recognizable Harry Potter characters, places, etc. belong to JK Rowling. The recognizable Stargate characters, place, etc. belong to MGM, Scifi and the creators Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright.
A/N: This is the fourth story in my New Life series. This started out as a one-shot, but grew into a multiple chapter story. Warning there is some cursing in this story and there is going to be a lot more action than my other stories have had. There are a few OCs present that are not based on any characters in the series since I can never recall the names of any background characters on the show. I hope you will enjoy it.
Standing in front of the mirror, Hermione made some last minute adjustments to her make-up and sighed. She had never been particularly interested in dressing up when she was younger and the feeling had passed on into adulthood. Sweeping a hand down the sides of her simple sundress, Hermione tried to remember the last time she had ever worn one. Pausing in thought, she remembered with some irony that it had been at Harry and Ginny's wedding. Once again sighing at her appearance, Hermione wished that this wedding would follow the lead of the last and only be a one-day event; sadly, it wasn't meant to be.
Lt. Kyle Lewis came from a fairly well-off family down in Arizona, and his bride-to-be was from Denver, whose family had lived in the town since its founding. The wedding had been shaping up to be the event of the season this past spring before the unfortunate death of the fourth member of the SG team the lieutenant had been assigned to, and whom Hermione had been brought in to replace.
The newly reformed SG-11 had been reassigned as a first-contact team once her initial training had taken place, and had only become active again in the last two months. It was now October, and the wedding was again ready to proceed. Hermione felt a little awkward in receiving an invite, but recognized the gesture as a sincere way to include her more in her teammates' lives. Despite there being no outward signs of hostility to her appointment, she knew that in many ways she fell short of their expectations. She wasn't military, and regardless of how much training she had gone through, she could end up being a liability, something no one on a team that had just lost a member wanted to experience again.
After their first off-world mission and seeing the overly protective nature all three had shown Hermione, she did something which in hindsight probably wasn't the best way to handle the situation: she signed up for more training. The program that Colonel O'Neill had originally come up with had been created to make sure that civilians going off-world would know how to fire a weapon, perform basic first aid, and possess some survival skills and training to actually be fit enough to keep up with the rest of the team. He had added a few more elements to make sure that the experience was a worthy punishment for her assault on Hamilton, and despite a rather rough start, Hermione had flown through the experience with relative ease. She had found that she already knew most of the skills from her adventuresome youth and naturally, being in better shape than the average scientists on the base. In fact, she was shaping up to be an awfully good marksman, probably owning to the fact that her previous dueling experience gave her an excellent aim.
Her new training still fell short of what an officer would be capable of, but far exceeded that of any of the civilians on the base. All the training she had arranged in her own free time and with willing volunteers to help. Her regiment included distance running with Janet three times a week, computer basics with Lt. Lewis (who was a trained program designer), explosives training with Sergeant Nicholas (one of the Marines she had met on base), and hand-to-hand with Teal'c, the latter of which continually left her feeling like a giant bruise. She was still improving, but overall, her teammates had begun to trust her a bit more.
Giving herself one last inspection in the hotel mirror, Hermione grabbed a coat and her gift before heading out the door for the start of the pre-wedding events. Shaking her head, Hermione once again wondered how she was supposed to be getting to know more about her teammates when most of the events for this three-day weekend were split between the sexes. Lt. Colonel Scott Taylor and Captain Kurtis Blake would be spending the day with the rest of the men and the groom; Lt. Lewis paint-balling, playing American football, drinking, smoking cigars and who knew what else, while she would be stuck with the women. The previous day had been spent with Hermione helping the bride and her mother transport stuff from the house to the hotel in her truck.
Mary Holm, the bride-to-be, and Claire Taylor were really the only people she would know, since most of the female personnel from the base who had been invited would only be there for have the wedding itself. Though, to be fair, considering the size of the wedding and the amount of guests Mrs. Holm had invited from Denver's elite, Mary probably didn't even know who everyone was. She had first met Mary at one of Lt. Colonel Taylor's family barbeques, along with his wife; both were genuinely warm women whom Hermione got along with well.
The Taylors had been high-school sweethearts and had been married for over twenty years with three kids. The Lt. Colonel was career military and had a favorable service record before being transferred to the SGC. He had commanded SG-11 for two and a half years with a high success ratio before the death of the fourth member in an ambush last spring. Hermione found him to be a stern taskmaster at times, but would often act more like a father trying to handle a group of unruly kids. After the 45-year-old commander, the next oldest member, Captain Kurtis Blake was a good 15 years younger than the man. Blake had enlisted after graduating from university with a degree in engineering. He was quite the flirt and was had a constantly rotating roster of dates, but had opted to come stag for the wedding.
The third member of the team was Lt. Kyle Lewis, a fairly recent graduate from the Academy who had been on the team for about a year. The rookie was the most openly supportive member of her team about her appointment. He had helped her learn considerably more about using computers beyond simply writing reports and checking emails. At barely 23 years old, he was the youngest member on the team. He had met his fiancée Mary while she had been attending the local university while he was at the Academy.
Stepping into the lift, Hermione pushed the button for the ground floor. The wedding and reception was being held in an upscale resort just outside of Denver, and most of the guests had rooms on the first three floors. Arriving at the correct level, she stepped across the tiled lobby toward the dining area where the bridal shower was about to start. Entering the room, Hermione jumped back just in time to avoid crashing into a group of women hovering by the door; the room was packed.
Taking a deep breath and plastering on a smile, Hermione proceeded into the room, mentally prepared to participate in the social activities of Denver's elite.
"...can you believe the floral arrangements that they have used? At my wedding..."
"...I heard that it was really postponed because Mary was pregnant and lost the baby..."
"Oh, we've known each other since we were five..."
Thankfully, she was intercepted by Claire and ushered over to sit beside her while the bride opened her gifts. "Thank you," whispered Hermione.
"No problem, dear; it looked like you were in need of a rescue," replied the woman, giving her a gentle pat on the hand. Hermione sent her a smile in return.
The proceeding hour was spent opening gifts, taking pictures and eating the gorgeous buffet that had been set up. Eventually, everything began to slow down before the guests began to split up for various activities. Hermione had been invited the previous night to accompany Mary and her college friends for a spa treatment while the mothers finished last minute details for the wedding tomorrow. Saying good-bye to Claire Taylor, who was going into town to visit her aunt for the rest of the day, Hermione followed the group who was going to the spa.
They were escorted toward the changing area first to disrobe before being led to the mudbaths. A little uncertain about participating, Hermione reluctantly pulled off her robe and began to step into the pool. Hearing a gasp, her head jerked up to find one of the bridesmaids, Mindy...Mandy or something, staring at her. "Oh my God, what the hell happened?" The very loud exclamation drew the attention of the rest of the room.
Everyone turned to look at Hermione, who went beet red at the attention and quickly submerged herself in the muck. "It's an old scar," she mumbled.
The woman, perhaps realizing her mistake, also turned a bit red. "Um, sorry about that." She moved away in embarrassment and soon joined some other friends on the other side of the room.
Hermione just leaned back, trying unsuccessfully to relax while old memories began to stir. The scar which had grabbed everyone's attention was a gift from Dolohov back in fifth year during the Department of Mysteries battle. The purple flame had left some real damage, and despite the potions, she still had quite an impressive scar to show for it running from her stomach up onto her sternum. Officially, it was an injury she had received from an attempted murder after she had been witness to a crime. From a Muggle standpoint, it looked serious enough to require months of healing, accounting for her spotty record of schooling which made it essential she redo her last year when she moved to Australia.
At least she had been able to conceal Bellatrix's little gift from the casual observer in a suitably rebellious way for the Yanks to ignore, in the form of a tattoo.
Hearing footsteps, Hermione looked up and saw Mary gazing at her with concern. Sinking into the mud beside her, she spoke. "I'm sorry about Maggie; she has started early today."
Some champagne had been served with the food earlier, but she hadn't taken the opportunity presented to loosen her wits; the bachelorette party was that night. "It's alright." They lapsed into silence and Hermione glanced at Mary through the corner of her eye. Judging by her face, Mary was still worried. Not wanting to spoil her day, Hermione decided she deserved an explanation. "How much has Kyle told you about my past before I came to work for the military?" Hermione knew that her teammates had not learned much of her history beyond reading her official file, but it gave her a chance to gather her thoughts.
Frowning, Mary answered, "Just that you worked at the University of Cairo before getting hired on as a civilian consultant. He doesn't talk about work much, with it being classified and all. Oh, he did mention that his superiors were having mixed reactions about you being hired at all, and that the base gossip was going rampant."
A little shocked that she even knew that much, Hermione took a moment to compose herself before starting her story. "I can't tell you much since it is classified." Mary nodded her head in understanding and Hermione once again marveled at her ability to be so accepting. If their positions had been reversed, Hermione didn't know if she would have been so complacent; her curiosity would have been too much. "The reason my employment caused so much trouble is that my background check had a few irregularities. One of which was caused by being placed into witness protection when I was seventeen. The issue ended up being resolved, but not before I was injured and received that scar."
"That's terrible." Grabbing her hand, Mary gave it a squeeze. "Thank you for telling me, and I'm so sorry about my friend. I know that we don't really know each other that well, but if you ever need to talk..."
"I will. Thank you."
Settling back into the mud, they changed the subject and were soon talking about their respective times in university. After the attendant came back in to tell them it was time to move onto the next treatment, Hermione had relaxed enough to enjoy the rest of the spa experience. The party was taken on to the showers followed by massages and facials. As they sat around with masks on receiving manicures, they were joined by Mrs. Lewis and Mrs. Holm, who had completed the final arrangements for the next day.
Her previous good mood vanished at the sight of Mrs. Holm.
The woman had been civil enough at first, but had become increasingly cold over dinner, reminding her quite a bit of Narcissa Malfoy at times. Thankfully, the woman had taken to ignoring her presence for the moment and Hermione was able to make a quick escape back to her room soon after.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Alright, the florist would be arriving first thing and the catering staff would do the same. What am I forgetting? Oh, yes the band.
Pulling out her PDA, Eloise Holm made a note to herself to call the band tonight to double-check that they were going to be on time. Tomorrow had to be perfect; her baby girl was getting married.
Handing the valet her car keys, she swept into the lobby with her soon-to-be in-law Felicia Lewis. They had gone out for a last-minute check back at her house to see if the wine delivery had come in; the hotel didn't have enough space to store it in their kitchen and they would have to bring it in tomorrow. It had also given Felicia the chance to complete the wedding cake, which would also arrive tomorrow. At first she had been reluctant to allow the woman to make the dessert, even if she owned her own catering business, but had been won over after trying a sample one that had been created.
The two set off toward the kitchens to talk with the staff before dropping in on the last hour of Mary's spa day. She intended to get her nails redone and wanted to go over things with her daughter.
It wasn't until she sat down that she caught sight of Hermione Granger, one of Kyle's co-workers, that her face morphed into a frown. She had first found out about the new team member after speaking to Mary a month ago and being told that she was to be added to the guest list. Eloise had no idea what kind of work Kyle did up in that mountain, but she had found it to be highly unusual to have a female civilian joining a military team. She had kept her mouth shut to her daughter about Kyle's choice in career for years; she didn't want Mary to end up losing him one day, but once she had learned of this new member, her previous suspicions grew. It was then that she finally elected to hire a private investigator to find out more about her future son-in-law.
Kyle was just who he appeared to be: a bright young man from a hardworking family. He wasn't the ideal partner she had expected to one day pair her daughter with, but she wasn't foolish enough to fight her headstrong offspring over that fact. If only he had chosen to pursue those computer skills of his in the private sector. What had worried her was the frequency of visits that the young man had as of late been taking to the apartment of one Hermione Granger. The knowledge had left a bitter taste in her mouth. She had no proof they were having an affair, and in all honesty she didn't believe Kyle would cheat on her daughter, but something was off about the whole situation.
The investigator had looked into the woman's background, and the more Eloise had discovered, the less she liked the whole situation. Rumors of intelligence connections, an old friend who worked for her husband's competitor, a reputation for being ruthless in her work, and talk of a mysterious benefactor for her schooling. Her mind may be conjuring up nothing, but Eloise wasn't about to trust the mysterious Dr. Hermione Granger, especially after last night.
She had been coming back from the bathroom when she had spotted the woman out on the terrace speaking to someone on the phone. She hadn't intended to eavesdrop, but her curiosity got the better of her.
"...Everything is right on schedule...No, I don't need this to be a big operation...They will be gone for a week...Things are going just fine here...You're right. Hopefully, no one will be getting hurt...When are you arriving?...It will be nice to have some backup...Yes. I've only really been around Mary with all of the girl stuff going on and her mother has been hovering about with preparations, driving everyone...Definitely an accurate description...I look forward to it. Bye."
Eloise had ducked out of sight just in time to avoid being caught as the woman went back to the reception hall. She had been frozen, chilled to the bone at the content of the phone conversation. What the hell was going on?
She had stayed out on the balcony, replaying the conversation over and over again in her head; nothing was making sense.
The only thing she could think of was corporate espionage. It had to be; there was no other explanation that she could come up with. That woman was dangerous and wanted to hurt her family.
With shaking hands, she called her investigator once again. She knew Mary wouldn't listen unless she could produce some evidence, especially after that fiasco back in high school that they had promised to never again mention. She needed answers before whatever was about to descend on her family occurred.
Whatever that woman was planning, she would stop her.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Keeping a tight grip on the briefcase, he waited until the driver had come to a complete stop before exiting the vehicle. Buttoning his coat against the wind, he straightened his tie and followed the two agents into the hotel. Scanning the lobby as they walked to the elevator, he ignored the security measures that had already been put in place for this meeting, confident that everything would proceed as planned.
Exiting the elevator, they met the two guards that had been posted outside the room. Seeing him, the one on the left turned and knocked on the door before opening it with a security card. Holding the door open, he waited for his own man to enter first before doing the same after hearing the agent say, "It's clear, sir."
The room was tastefully decorated like the rest of the hotel, and would be a perfect for the deal. Stepping into the room, he was met with his colleague and another man standing to greet him. "Senator Kinsey, what a pleasure to see that you arrived safely."
Keeping his tone business-like, but not fully hiding his disdain for the man's overly-friendly greeting, he answered, "I assure you that it wasn't an issue, Mr. Stern."
His smile quickly turning into a frown, Stern finally seemed to focus back onto business. "Ah, yes; well, I assume that you have brought the samples."
"I have them," was the brisk reply; he hated pussy-footing.
"Good, but I am going to need my associate Mr. Reeves to verify that," he said, gesturing at the silent man who had been standing aside.
"Of course." They had already agreed to this before the meeting had been arranged. Handing over the briefcase to Mr. Reeves, Kinsey waited for the man to confirm the validity of his acquisition.
As he watched, the two vials were removed from the case and a drop was placed onto a glass slide and placed under a microscope set up on the table. Looking up, Mr. Reeves nodded at his colleague before taking the second vial and doing the same. Finishing his exam, he looked up and reported, "Both samples are good."
Mr. Stern's face had taken on a smile again. "Excellent." Sitting at the table, he typed out a few commands before focusing back onto Kinsey and turning the screen to face him. "I have just sent half the funds and will send the rest once the deal has been completed, Senator."
"You remember the arrangements?" asked Kinsey.
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Just remember to stick with the plans; we don't need anything to compromise this deal," ordered Kinsey.
Still displaying his pleasure at receiving the samples, Stern replied. "Everything has already been arranged."
After receiving the confirmation, Kinsey left with his Secret Service detail already radioing ahead to the driver to be waiting at the front. Exiting the hotel, Kinsey let his eyes wander, taking in the added security that had been set up for the arrival of the buyers the next day. Despite his dislike of the man, Mr. Stern had so far proved to be at least competent in his task.
Slipping back into his vehicle, Kinsey finally took notice of some of the signs that had been set up to direct members of a wedding party to their daily activities. Kyle Lewis. Staring at the name of the groom, Kinsey puzzled over why that rung a bell. Still confused, he quickly made a call as his driver began to navigate his way back toward the airport.
Not even completing its first ring, the phone was picked up by Mr. Stern. "Senator."
"I want a security check completed on all of the guests of that wedding party completed tonight. The groom sounds familiar," ordered Kinsey, not bothering to explain.
"...Yes, sir. I am sure that it is just a coincidence. I have already-"
With a nagging feeling that he had heard that name before, he interrupted. "I don't care. If anyone looks suspicious, I want them dealt with. You got that?"
"Of course, Senator."