Author's note: The events of this story are taking place after the events of Book 6, and since I obviously don't have any idea what the official story will be like in book seven (since JK Rowling hasn't told me), this story is purely my own imagination and story line, so if book 7 comes out while I'm writing this and is way off from what I put, don't grumble about it. Okay? Good: D
OOOOOOOOOO
Jack was the first to find his voice.
"What are you talking about? How can Dumbledore be dead?"
The pain of Remus' expression spoke quite plainly, and he lowered his gaze for just a moment before answering.
"He's dead, Jack. Otherwise I never would have been able to come here."
"You've been here-"
"Dumbledore would have to be with him, sir," Carter said, looking stricken. "And there'd have to be permission from you…"
"But-"
"How did it happen?" Daniel asked.
"What-"
There was another flash from the fireplace and another figure emerged. Just as the group recognized Sirius Black, he was joined an instant later by Arthur Weasley. It was obvious that Remus was right; any wizard could get to Jack's house, now. Dumbledore was truly dead.
"Did you tell them, Remus?" Black asked, shaking soot from his robes as he walked over to Sam. Wonder of wonders, he didn't flirt with her just then, he just gave her a sad smile by way of greeting, his gaze turning immediately to Lupin and Jack.
"I started to…"
"He told us Dumbledore was dead," Jack said. "He didn't tell us how it happened."
"It was Snape," Sirius said, darkly. "Dumbledore trusted him, and paid for it with his life."
"He thought he was doing the right thing," Arthur said, mournfully. "He seemed so certain that-"
"Well he was wrong," Black said, angrily – although Jack knew that the anger was just a sign of just how much Sirius was hurting just then. "I told him that he couldn't trust Snape. I warned him that once a Death Eater always a Death Eater, but he-"
"We don't have time for that right now, Sirius," Lupin interrupted. "We need to get them to a safe place. It's not going to take Voldemort long to find out where to find Jack now that… now that the secret's out…"
"Wait a minute," Jack said. "Where's Harry?"
They hadn't mentioned the boy, but Jack knew just how close he and Dumbledore were, and he knew that Harry had to be-
"He's back at his aunt and uncle's," Sirius said. "It's the safest place for him right now."
Sam frowned.
"But-"
"We didn't have any choice, Sam," Remus said. "Professor Dumbledore put the protections on that house – and as far as we know they didn't stop with his death. With Dumbledore out of the way, Harry's a target for all the dark wizards, and his uncle's house is the only place Voldemort can't touch him."
""How long will he be safe there, though?" Daniel asked.
"Not long," Sirius admitted. "We don't think he'll be willing to stay there long, in any case."
"Why not take him to your place?" Jack asked. "It's safe, isn't it?"
"Snape's been there, sir," Sam said. "Even if the magic of the Secret Keeper prevents him from sharing the location, Snape knows where it is and can go back there…"
She looked at the wizards for agreement, and they nodded.
"Exactly," Remus said. "We obviously can't trust Snape not to show up, and we don't dare let Harry get into a situation where he might try to fight Snape…"
"Fight him?" Daniel echoed, curiously.
Sirius nodded.
"Harry watched it happen. He saw Snape kill Dumbledore…"
There was a moment of silence in the room while they absorbed that startling and dismaying piece of information, but it was broken by Fawkes, who let out a screech and launched himself off the couch and at Jack, who dodged just in time to avoid the bird's sharp talons. At the same moment Jack dodged, there was a crash of broken glass and a brilliant flash of light whizzed by Jack's ear, just missing him.
Instantly the three wizards had their wands in their hands.
"Get down!" Sirius yelled, pushing Sam off her feet and against the couch. Daniel dove towards the recliner, just in time to avoid another bolt of light, which hit the television and shattered it, sending pieces flying everywhere.
"Son of a bitch!"
Jack rolled, jerking a jagged piece of his television out of his forearm just as the three wizards in the room each grabbed one of the three members of SG-1.
"Hold tight!" Arthur Weasley shouted in Jack's ear, and Jack could hear the others receiving the same advice. The wizard grabbed O'Neill by the waist, holding him tightly against him, and said something that Jack couldn't hear over the sound of yet another bolt of light crashing into something else in his house and breaking it.
There was a loud crack, a bright light, and Jack felt like he was being pulled in every direction all at the same time. Just when he thought he'd fly apart, it stopped, and he found himself tumbling on the floor, grunting when he hit a tree stump.
Tree stump?
He looked around, trying to shake the stars from his view, and saw that they weren't at his house any longer. They weren't at any house. They were on the edge of a forest. And it was much darker than it had been at his house. Before his mind could register much more than that, he heard yelps of surprise as the others arrived.
He looked over just in time to see Carter tumble to the ground, and Daniel being held upright by Lupin, who had obviously deposited his passenger a bit more carefully than Sirius or Arthur Weasley had.
"Where are we?" Sam asked, looking around.
Before Jack could give her his guess, a deep voice spoke from the darkness.
"You are on the edge of what the humans call the Forbidden Forest…"
They all turned, and there was a rustling noise coming from the same direction. A noise that sounded very familiar to Jack, who found himself being pulled to his feet by a very powerful hand.
"Jack O'Neill… it is good to see you again."
"Luminos…"
There was suddenly plenty of light from the tip of his wand, and Jack and the others found themselves face to chest with a centaur. One that Jack recognized instantly.
"Rip…"
