Chapter 7

Hogwarts

"Uh," Daniel looked around. "Are you talking to me? He pointed at himself.

"Of course my boy. Say now, aren't you a bit old to be a student at Hogwarts, and what is that you're wearing? You look like a common muggle in that getup."

"Muggle?" Daniel said in confusion but the painting, or whatever it was, didn't seem to be listening to him and continued its' rant.

"What is the Wizarding World coming to? In my day a proper wizard would never be seen in such ridiculous clothes. Why I tell you…"

"Oh shut up Bulsifer," interrupted a feminine voice.

Daniel looked to the left and slightly up from the picture of the old man in a chair to see the picture of a woman in an apple orchard. She wore a long simple blue dress and had her brown hair up in a bun.

She was currently looking down in the direction of the old mans painting as though she could see him, although Daniel didn't know how that was possible what with her being flat and all. Then again these were moving, talking, and apparently sentient paintings, so why not?

"No one cares what happened in your day." The women continued. "Why don't you do us all a favor and go back to sleep."

"Well I never," Bulsifer huft. "Fine, but the next time Sir Kudugen tries to save you from a bumble bee he thinks is a dragon, don't come to me for help. Hmpf, old indeed." He grumbled slouching back in his chair and pretending to go back to sleep.

While the paintings conversed Daniel had concluded that maybe eating in the base cafeteria hadn't been the smartest thing in the world, because he was either hallucinating or this was some weird technology.

Who knows, he thought, maybe I didn't really go through the Quantum mirror at all. Maybe this is all some fever- induced dream. That chicken did taste a little off now that I think about it.

If this wasn't a hallucination, he had gone through the mirror, and if he was still on Earth as he thought, then this was one strange version of it.

"Hello there, Deary. I'm Janice and who might you be?" the women in the painting addressed him.

"Oh, I'm Daniel…Daniel Jackson," he replied.

Hey if this was a hallucination he didn't have anything to lose by playing along, and if it wasn't…well he didn't really know enough to do anything yet.

The other painting had mentioned Hogwarts and something about students. Did that mean this place was some sort of school then, and what was that he said about wizards and muggles (what ever they were)?

"A pleasure, Mr. Jackson. So, what brings you to Hogwarts? Are you here to see the Headmaster, one of the Professors?"

Headmaster…boarding schools often have headmasters, so this is most likely a school then.

"Yes, actually I do need to speak with the Headmaster. The thing is…", Daniel said looking down the long hallway. "I haven't been here before so I'm not really sure…"

"Oh, of course you don't know the way. Well, you wouldn't now would you. There are students about to graduate that don't even know where the Headmasters office is, and with the feast being over that is where he's most likely to be. Well then why don't I show you the way then." The painting said cheerfully.

"Thank you, I would appreciate it," said Daniel while wondering exactly how a painting was supposed to show him the way to anywhere. He had just been hoping for directions.

"Well let's get going then. This way," said Janice and walked straight off the side of the picture and disappearing behind the frame.

Daniel blinked in surprise. Where had she gone, should he look behind the painting, or …surely she didn't expect him to somehow get in side the painting did she? Daniel leaned forward a little and to the side trying to see past where the frame was.

Maybe it went in like a 3-D box, but no, leaning closer only confirmed that it was indeed a painting when his nose bumped the canvas. He stood back and rubbed his nose a little.

"Over here Dearie, this way," he heard the woman's voice again, this time from farther down the hall.

He followed the sound until he found the woman from the apple orchard looking very out of place in a jungle painting.

"Ah… there you are. Keep up now," and with that she walked through this painting and off the side again. This time Daniel moved as well trying to figure out what painting his guide would appear in next, but mostly just following the bits of her broken dialogue.

"It really is quite easy for new comers to get lost in Hogwarts….as I'm sure you can understand….Things are always moving….around on you, so that…it's hard to keep them straight…You get use to it I suppose but…those poor first years. They're always in a mess…some of the older students have trouble…too, what with all the secret passage ways…trick steps, passwords, moving stair cases…not to mention the paintings, ghosts, statures, and armor….It's just disgraceful the way some of them act…giving those poor students false directions…It's amazing they manage at all, all things considered. Don't you agree?" Janice paused for a response.

Daniel was in a bit of a daze, trying to keep up with everything she had just said. It took him a second to realize he'd been asked a question. He was also a little disoriented from all the turns they had just made, and knew there was no way he would be able to find his way back to the room with the mirror on his own.

"Oh… yeah," he replied. Though he wasn't quite sure what the question had been. What ever it was his answer seemed to please Janice because she gave him a big smile and continued through another painting.

"Ah…It's so nice to have some decent conversation." Janice said with a sigh, while Daniel wondered what exactly her definition of a conversation was. As far as he knew it usually involved at least two people speaking, and he wouldn't call his oh…yeah as being involved.

"Not many people wonder by our part…of the castle often…" Janice continued to talk, about what…well Daniel wasn't all together sure but it did help him keep track of her as she moved from painting to painting.

"Here we are!" Janice exclaimed in a sing song voice.

Daniel broke free from his thoughts to look around the hall. It looked like every other hall that he had been down so far.

"Where's here?" he asked. There weren't any doors near by that might be the Headmasters office.

"You see that painting there?" she pointed across from her. "The one of the rose bush?"

Daniel looked over and found the painting half way up the wall. "Yeah," he told her.

"Well that's one of the secret passage ways. This place is riddled with them. The password is 'briar patch'. Just follow that and when you come out the other end you will see a large Stone Gargoyle. It's the guardian for Headmaster Dumbledore's office. The password is...oh what was it.", she thought for a moment.

"He's always eating them. Oh, yes Lemon Drop. His office is just at the top of the stairs behind the statue. You can't miss it.", she concluded.

"Ok,…'briar patch' and 'lemon drop' right?" he asked.

"That's it Deary, good luck," with that she walked out of the painting back the way they had come.

Daniel turned back to the picture of the rosebush. Secret passage ways, he could deal with that. I mean, after talking paintings a secret passageway seemed very normal in comparison. He didn't know how a password opened it though. Usually you would press or turn some hidden latch, but that's not what was currently troubling him.

The painting was no more than a square foot, and at level with his head. If there was a passage way behind it how was he supposed to fit? He was thin but not that thin, and height would be a problem as well.

He wouldn't be able to pull himself up, and there was nothing around to climb on.

Maybe Janice hadn't realized the problem of getting through, not being anywhere near life size in her picture. The passage way would probably seem large to her.

Well might as well give it a try he thought. Standing directly in front of the rose bush painting he said the password in a questioning voice.

"briar patch."

After a second, in which time he had begun to feel very stupid for saying random words to a picture of a plant, vines burst out of the center of the painting growing out along the wall in all directions.

"Whoa", Daniel jumped back as the vines spread. He watched as the painting seemed to melt into the vines. A black hole where the vines originated appeared and expanded as the vines weaved themselves around the hole and up the wall until there was nothing left of the original painting and still it continued.

Daniels mouth hung slightly open and all he could do was blink a few times. He had seen some weird things in his time with SG-1, but this was defiantly a new one.

The vines had finally stopped and instead of a small rosebush painting, he now stood in front of a large archway, bordered with intricately woven vines covered in white roses all in various stages of bloom.

"Wow", he said looking at the archway before him. "That's some secret passage way."

He slowly mad is way to the arch, the scent of wild roses heavy in the air around him.

"Ah…Ah..Choo!"

"Ah Choo!" Daniel pulled out a handkerchief and loudly blew his nose. It never failed, across the universe or in a parallel world his allergies continued to haunt him.

"Gesundheit," said an empty suite of armor next to the archway.

Daniel gave it a strange look. "Uh…thanks." Daniel said, but received no reply.

Shaking his head, he moved into the passageway deciding the sooner he reached the Headmasters office the better off his mental state would be.

AN: So what did you think? I finally gave you reviewers asking about Daniel a chapter. What was that? What do you mean, what about Harry? gives the audience an evil smile

So anyone else excited about the next HP book that's coming out soon.