A/N: Well, here's the next installment. I thought it turned out pretty good. I don't know why, but I was very nervous about writing the action scene at the end. Hopefully it's all clear. And I'll apologize now for the "were you trying to make us look stupid" joke but I couldn't resist. It just fit in so well.

Chapter 7: Some Days Are Worse

"You told them what!" Harry yelped.

"I said I'd help get ahold of Patrick Anderson," Bill said calmly.

"Why? Why not just Harry Potter?" Harry asked. "I'd almost decided to talk to them anyways. Why the charade?"

"I guess I just thought that it would give you an out if things turned sour," said Bill. "I mean these blokes said they just wanted to talk but we don't know that it's true."

"It could also backfire later," Harry said dryly. "And I can't Obliviate them again so soon."

"What do you mean 'again'?"

Harry went a bit pink. "I sorta bumped into them at the airport when they arrived. Three Aurors were going question them."

"And what else did you do?" Bill asked.

"Just got them out of there and took them to the Vauxhall Interchange."

"Riight… Fine…" he paused. "So you won't go as Anderson… Why not?"

"I just don't think that it will work Bill, " said Harry. "They've already seen Patrick Anderson. Twice if you count the airport."

"When was this?"

"Yesterday at Sotheby's."

"What were they doing there?" asked Bill curiously.

"Looking for me," said Harry.

"How do you know that?"

"They asked me."

"What!?"

"I told them I hadn't seen myself at Sotheby's in a while," Harry smirked.

Bill rolled his eyes. "Typical. Talking with you is almost as bad as trying to get a straight answer out of the twins."

"Oooo- That's a low blow Bill," he paused. "I'm sure I could be more confusing than Fred and George if I actually wanted to…"

Bill groaned, "So… What? You've been following them around as Anderson?"

"I have NOT been following them… Just nudging Scrimgeour's Aurors away," Harry shrugged. "Speaking of which, when you call them back… Do you think we should warn them to change hotels tonight? Those Aurors might be coming back."

"I'll tell them, whether they listen… When and where would you want to meet them?" Bill asked.

"Well, if they're staying at the Mariott, there's Regent's Park just down the street. How about there? Tell them to meet me at the York Bridge at the south end of the park at 5 o'clock. Oh- and tell them to bring their own loaf of bread."

Bill gave him an odd look but walked to the nearby payphone and dialed.

Wood Greene Animal Shelter, Lordship Lane

After a bit of searching, Neville and Colin soon located the Wood Greene Animal Shelter. It was a handsome two-story gray house with a black roof and white trim. Potted plants and flowers filled the corners of a paved courtyard surrounded by a black iron fence and there appeared to be a small back garden area as well. All over a well kept, attractive place.

The Aurors rang the bell and asked the lady if they could see the dogs because they were thinking about adopting. Miss Kent was thrilled and began nattering on about how many unfortunate animals never received good homes.

"Such a shame… And we just never have enough room for all those that come in," she chattered as they walked back toward the kennel area.

"You gentlemen just wait right here, while I get the key."

"Colin- whatever you do- please don't laugh," Neville said, "Because I don't think I'll be able to keep a straight face if you do."

Colin tried not to snicker. "You don't suppose they went and got themselves adopted, do you?" he asked innocently.

Neville valiantly struggled to keep his serious expression. Once his face was back under control he growled, "Merlin Creevey, don't even suggest such a thing. Think of the paperwork!"

Colin grinned, "Not to mention tracking them down and getting them away from some little boy who's thrilled with his new puppy."

"Right, so let's not mention it," said Neville.

Miss Kent soon came back and she let them in to browse up and down the rows of cages. Dogs of all shapes and sizes were soon barking at them.

Neville quickly found Jacobson as the large shaggy Sheepdog was hard to miss next to the smaller dogs in his pen. A discrete Revealo spell showed the wizard's aura around the dog confirming his identity. One down.

Colin found three white Poodles but fortunately only one had a blue bow. At least that silly bowtie came in handy for something and the spell revealed it was indeed Grevins. Now they just needed to find Greene.

The two Aurors searched every cage but there was no trace of the Pomeranian. Finally, Neville asked Miss Kent, saying that his wife had always wanted one. She got rather flustered and confined that they'd had one come in only the previous day.

"But you wouldn't want him!" she said. "Nasty little thing- tries to bite anyone who goes near it. I think it'll have to be put down- poor thing."

Neville and Colin exchanged glances. It definitely sounded like Greene.

"Well, can I at least see it?" Neville asked.

She tutted but agreed.

Tucked away in the backroom were a few more cages. One of which contained a small brown dog. It went rather wild-eyed when it saw them and began to snarl and growl.

"Yes, I see what you mean Miss," said Neville. "Uh… Why don't you go fill out the paperwork for those three dogs that we decided on. Alright?" He hit her with a small memory charm as she turned away.

"Oh yes, I'll do that…" she said in a vague voice and wandered off toward the front.

He leaned over, closer to the cage and softly said, "Greene, if you don't pipe down and act like a civilized dog, I just might conveniently 'forget' you and bring back some other pooch. Now shut up!"

The dog narrowed it's eyes but stopped snarling and growling.

"That's better," said Neville opening the cage door. "Now come along… We'll change you back as soon as we get you somewhere private."

Colin made sure to get lots of snapshots of their new 'babies'. They were soon done with the paperwork including recommendations of nearby Veterinarians for getting their pets neutered. Colin was chortling by that time and Neville hustled them all out the door leaving a slightly confused Miss Kent with three less dogs.

Just down the street, they ducked into an alley and examined the animals.

"What spell do you figure he used, Neville?" asked Colin.

"I'm not sure… Let me do a scanning charm. Hmm… Looks like Verte Canus but very strongly cast."

It took both of them together to get the canine transfiguration to unwind but the Aurors were soon back to normal. Or as normal as they got.

Aaron Greene still looked like he wanted to bite someone.

"Do you know what those horrible- those stinking Muggles did to us!" Greene snarled.

"Yeah! They had a Vegetarian come poke at us! It was humiliating."

"I don't know… I rather enjoyed the bath," said Grevins. The other two stared at him. He turned red and his eyes dropped. "Never mind."

Greene turned on Neville, "You certainly took your sweet time getting here, Longbottom! Probably on purpose."

Neville's eyes narrowed, "We were told to starting looking for you only this noon. You might want to think about that the next time you skip out and don't bother reporting in. Archibald isn't happy with you three."

Jacobson snorted, "Like we care! Minister Scrimgeour'll fix that."

"What I want to know is who hit us at Sotheby's! And then I'm gonna make him wish he'd never been born!" said Greene.

"Riight… Like you could even touch Harry Potter without major backup," laughed Colin.

"Potter did this?! Come on boys. We'll just see about that!" Greene growled and stalked away.

"Well- that was unpleasant," said Colin.

Neville stared after Greene looking troubled. "I don't know Colin. You really shouldn't have mentioned Harry. Who know what they'll try next time."

Charing Cross Road

Auror Aaron Greene had to consciously stop himself from grinding his teeth anymore than he already had. Why did he always have to work with such idiots? They should have seen this fiasco coming and done something.

He glared at Jacobson when he poked him in the ribs. "Hey, Greene. What are we gonna do now?" he whined. "We can't go back to HQ without those Muggles. The Boss, he won't be happy."

"I KNOW! Now shut up and let me think."

The other two quieted down and dropped back behind him where Grevins kept complaining he was hungry. Jacobson softly agreed and said those dog-biscuits just didn't fill a man up! Idiots!

Greene rubbed his aching head as they continued down Charing Cross Road towards the Leaky Calderon. What made him even angrier was the fact that Creevey of all people was right. There was no way he and the two knuckleheads behind him could take out Harry Potter and four other people, even if they were only Muggles.

What they needed was some Muscle. At least three maybe four, to distract Potter while his team did the serious work. Mr. Big-Shot Potter wouldn't look so tough after that. Maybe Knockturn Alley… There were always Bully Boys hanging out near The Rat's Nest.

"Come on, you two. I got an idea how we can bring this off yet."

Regent's Park, London

It was a pleasant day for a walk in a park, thought Daniel, he and Jack strolled along the outer ring of Regent's Park. The sun was shining and the tall trees shaded the paved walkways that wound through the manicured lawns. Some kids with a kite ran across the grass, families were settled on blankets and couples walked hand-in-hand.

The path led southward towards the small waterway that was scattered with ducks and geese. A few boats paddled away from a rental place that also sold ice cream and snacks.

Daniel started a bit when Jack nudged his arm and said, "So… why do you think he wanted us to bring bread?"

"Sandwiches?" suggested Daniel. "Maybe he's like you- and only thinks with his stomach."

"It's one of man's most important parts," Jack threw back, "We should keep it happy."

"That's all you need to keep happy, huh?"

"Well, a new 50" flat panel television for my den would go over quite nicely too… " smirked Jack.

Daniel rolled his eyes. "How do you think we should approach this guy?"

"I was kinda gonna play that by ear, as we don't know much about him."

As they rounded the bend, they could see a small bridge arching over the canal. A young man with dark hair was standing near the middle leaning on the railing. He was wearing black jeans and a T-shirt that said QUIDDITCH PLAYERS DO IT ON THE FLY. Across his left arm was a light-weight jacket and dangling from his right was a loaf of bread.

Jack nodded at Daniel and they started up the bridge. They were only yards away when he suddenly turned and looked unerringly right at them. Both were a little thrown when they realized they were standing next to Harry Potter and not Patrick Anderson.

He smiled slightly and said, "Hello. I heard you've been looking for me."

"Uh… yeah," said Daniel intelligently.

"Great. You brought some bread… It never seems like I bring enough, ya know?"

"Yeah, right," said Jack somewhat agreeably, still wondering what the deal was with the bread.

"Well, come on, I know a good spot on this side of the bridge," Harry said. He turned and walked off down to the riverbank.

Getting their act together, Jack and Daniel hurried after him. He led them to a pair of benches near the water. Potter sat down and opened the twisty-tie on his bread-loaf. The plastic wrapping crinkled and it seemed to send a signal up and down the waterway. Ducks, geese and even a few swans started heading their way. The whole crowd waddling up on the bank and surrounding the benches. Pigeons began dropping in too.

Now realizing what the bread was for, Daniel figured they needed to open theirs in shear self-defense. Things were a bit chaotic but as Potter had said, the bread didn't last very long with that kind of mob. The disgruntled late-comers eventually wandered off when they realized their breadline had run out.

Harry turned to the others, "So… I suppose introductions are first. I'm Harry, Harry Potter." He held out his hand and looked expectantly at Jack.

"Colonel Jack O'Neill, US Air Force."

"The man from Central America with the large gun, I remember," Harry said as they shook hands.

"And I'm, Daniel Jackson."

"The Dr. Daniel Jackson with the theories about aliens and the pyramids? I've read your work."

"Yeah… that's me. Mr. Potter- " Daniel started.

"Just call me Harry, I'm not formal."

"Okay... Harry. We've been looking for you because frankly we had some concerns about why you were in Honduras."

"Such as?"

First off, the information. How did you find that exact ruin? Books? Journals? Did someone tell you about it?"

Potter gave him an odd look. "I believe you know exactly where I got that location Dr. Jackson. You were there before I was. As for the information, it's much closer to your doorstep than mine."

"So your source was Nicholas Ballard."

"Yes, his notes on the Fountain of Youth."

"Where did you get them?"

"That's not important," Harry said shortly.

"It could be…"

"But it's not."

Daniel paused, "Alright, how did you get there? I couldn't find any flight records…"

Potter's mouth quirked, " I believe I arranged for some private transportation." His eyes seemed to twinkle. "Sometimes it's best."

"Best for what?" Jack butted in.

"Transporting objects."

"What objects?"

"The ones that need transporting."

"How do you decide which one need transporting?" asked Jack, starting to get into the swing of the conversation.

Potter grinned, "Why the really dangerous ones that generate a lot of paperwork, of course."

"Of course," Jack grinned back, "Paperwork can be very dangerous."

"Excuse me," Daniel butted in, "Do you understand exactly what was being held in that temple? Do you know how dangerous it could be? Jack said you were alone. You shouldn't be going after dangerous artifacts in unknown places by yourself- "

"Pardon me, Dr. Jackson. I wasn't the one who triggered the temple's defenses and flooded the place. I didn't get kidnapped by the local insurgents and then get shot trying to escape!

And please don't patronize me about my work. I know exactly how dangerous some of these artifacts can be." His eyes flashed and he started to stand up.

"Wait! Um… Harry," said Jack. "We've also dealt with these devices before and I think you know what I mean. They can be deadly in some cases; so I think we're right to be concerned, okay?"

Harry's tense stance eased and he slowly sat back down. "Alright… What is it you want to know?"

Jack smiled his 'let's all be friends now' grin. "So… How many of these… artifacts do you have?"

"I don't know… I never counted."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" asked Daniel.

"Because- counting how many I have wasn't the point."

What was the point, Harry?" asked Jack.

"The point was and is how many are still out there," he said. "Speaking of which, did the Ancient healing device help you with your Kull warrior problem?"

"How did you know- " Daniel stopped. "You were there! After we escaped the guerillas- Jack, do you remember… we were talking and there was a voice, right behind us?"

"Yeah, I do remember that. If that was you, why couldn't we see you? Why didn't you help?"

Harry snorted, "Like you needed any. I didn't have a gun. Actually, I was going to help Dr. Jackson when he was shot, but you showed up in time. And I did hide the other man's trail."

"Infurry?"

"What?" said Potter while Jack looked confused.

"You were behind us and you said that," prompted Daniel. "What does it mean?"

"Oh… Inferi. Yeah, that's a word for the walking dead. Zombies, I think you call them in the States. Practically unstoppable, except by fire or- " he gestured to Jack, "Being blown up by your friend, Burke." He paused, "Is it just me, or is he a little… out there?"

"No, he's out there," said Jack. "And you heard us talking…"

Harry grinned cheekily, "Yeah. Loose lips sink ships. You fellas should be more careful."

The two men grimaced.

Jack's cell phone interrupted and he unclipped it from his belt.

Harry said, "If that's your friends at Sotheby's, you probably should tell them they don't have to stay there all day when you've already found me, eh?"

"Uh… yeah, I'll tell them," said Jack. "Although they're probably on their way back by now." The phone rang again. "Excuse me…" and he stepped away to answer.

Daniel and Harry were left staring at each other feeling awkward, until Daniel blurted out, "Your friend Bill Weasley said he'd taken you to the Bahariya Oasis and you two worked with Dr. Zahi Hawass' team on the community tombs found there. What was that like?" he asked with friendly curiosity.

Potter stared at him for a minute before a happy smile broke over his face. "Absolutely brilliant! It's Bill's favorite and he's been back there several times since it was discovered in '96. So many mummies! A bit too recent for my own studies, only 5th century BC, ya know. I take it you keep up with the most recent discoveries?" he asked.

"I try," said Daniel modestly. "How many mummies have been found so far?"

"About 207, last time I checked. Fascinating how entire families were buried together in a room," Potter's face looked sad.

They chatted quite happily until Jack came back.

"Hey you Rock-Pickers! That was the others. They'd like to meet back at the hotel."

"Well, I suppose I should let you get going," announced Harry. "Let's walk back around the ring and then I think I'll go find something to eat. I was busy and missed tea. It's too nice a day to spend it just sitting." Harry bounced up and started walking. He turned and said, "Are you coming?"

Jack and Daniel stood and hurried to catch up, both wondering how they'd lost control of the conversation.

Back to the Hotel

Harry walked away thinking about their earlier conversation. They hadn't really said anything. Except for their expressions at times. He smiled remembering the gobsmacked look on O'Neill and Jackson's goldfish imitation.

I guess I'm not cut out for this secret agent stuff. He sighed but didn't turn as they caught up with him.

"Look… Harry," said Daniel, "I guess we got off on the wrong foot. We'd like to continue this discussion. We'll probably have dinner in the hotel restaurant. Come and join us."

"Yeah, ya said you were hungry," Jack put in brightly. "We'll introduce you to the others. They're loads of fun."

Daniel eyed Jack, "Yeah, a barrel of laughs." He said dryly.

Harry thought about it before agreeing. He knew they just wanted to continue the interrogation with all four of them there. Maybe he could learn some things as well. He'd love to drop the 'StarGate' bombshell into their conversation just to see their expressions. It would probably draw more questions than he wanted to answer though.

Right! Sooo... all I have to do is figure out how much intergalactic trouble the Americans have gotten the world into, all without letting them in on everything I know. Like Magic, the Wizarding world, the Ancient City of Camelot and Moros. Riight. A piece of cake.

He mentally rolled his eyes.

They met the others about a block from the Mariott and Harry was introduced to Major Samantha Carter and Teal'c Murray. Murray was wearing a bowler hat. Harry briefly wondered if he'd ever met Cornelius Fudge. Yesterday, if he remembered correctly, Murray'd had on a black Fedora. Odd, maybe he just liked hats.

Harry said hello and they shook hands. He was intrigued by the indefinable sense of amusement that went through all of them whenever someone said Murray's name.

"Murray, huh?" Harry paused and couldn't resist. "Sooo… who saddled you with that one?"

Teal'c's eyebrow raised and then they all turned and looked pointedly at O'Neill.

"Oh… of course," Harry said over O'Neill's protests of 'Why're you all lookin' at me?'

Jack gave up, "Fine! Let's get dinner. I'm starved!" and reached for the hotel door.

Harry held the door for Major Carter and they all went inside.

SG1 and Harry had no sooner entered the hotel lobby when seven men surrounded them. They must have had Disillusionment or Notice-Me-Not charms up to have appeared so quickly. All had their wands out and looked none too friendly.

The three men directly in front of them were Scrimgeour's Aurors, apparently back for another go-round.

"Well, well, well… Look what we caught- "

Harry took a step forward. "Auror- Greene, isn't it? Just what is it you think you've caught us at?" he asked. "I see you've picked up a few playmates since I saw you last."

"Yeah, you'll be coming with us Potter. Caught red-handed with your Muggle conspirators. Minister Scrimgeour wants a word with you," snarled Greene.

"Hey Mac," said Jack. "I don't know what your problem is- "

"Maybe you could put your stick… things down and we could talk about- " suggested Sam.

"I didn't ask you Muggle! Your crimes will be examined soon enough. Now be quiet or I'll silence you myself."

"I'm sure this is just a misunderstand- " Daniel tried to say before Greene whirled around and hit him with a Silencio. Jack, Sam and Teal'c all stared… as his mouth kept moving but no sound came out.

"Ya know, that's kinda handy," Jack couldn't help but say.

"I Said Be Quiet!" Greene snapped. "As for you, Potter. You're not getting away so easily this time. The Minister knows all about your plans and he's going to put a stop to them."

"Scrimgeour's been reading too much of his own press if he actually believes that," said Harry.

"I don't care if it's true or not. But I do care about that stunt you pulled at Sotheby's yesterday. I don't appreciate being made a fool of."

"Yeah!" Jacobson said, "Were you trying to make us look stupid?"

"You certainly don't need my help," Harry smirked.

"That's right!" exclaimed Grevins and looked confused when Greene hit him.

Harry glanced over the 3 Stooge's shoulders and saw that the desk clerk, who had ducked down when she realized something was wrong, was now whispering urgently into the phone. He figured Security or maybe the police would be here soon.

Greene was ordering the others to conjure ropes to secure the prisoners when the two idiots on the left made the mistake of grabbing Teal'c. The large man moved quickly. With an easy dance-like movement, he elbowed the first man in the face while swinging the other into the nearby wall.

O'Neill and Jackson took advantage of the ensuing chaos and tackled the two morons on their right. Carter had stepped forward and kicked Jacobson hard in the nuts. He was presently on the floor with a few other things on his mind. Like whether he'd ever have children.

Which left Grevins and Greene to Harry. They'd fallen back to take cover- Grevins behind a large potted plant and Greene behind a support column. Both were shooting spells at the group by the door. So much for keeping magic a secret!

Harry threw up a shield to cover Carter and himself, while alternating with offensive spells between the two Aurors. It was harder to shield the other three. Teal'c spun out of the line of fire as the man he'd elbowed stupidly got back up. O'Neill was having trouble with his moron, he'd taken away his wand but the guy wouldn't hold still and kept running around the couch. Jackson had better luck and knocked his man out when he fell onto the coffee table. Then he edged along the wall trying to flank Grevins.

Jacobson staggered to his feet still holding his bits, just in time for Carter to bust a floral arrangement over his head. That's when things took a turn for the worse.

The team members were now too far apart for Harry to hold shields on everyone. When Jacobson fell (dirt and flowers still in his hair) Carter was left wide open and Greene sent what looked like a bone-crushing hex at her. Harry dropped all shields and pushed her out of the way.

While they were attempting to untangle themselves, Grevins noticed Jackson and threw a red stunner causing Daniel to drop at his feet. Teal'c and O'Neill were moving closer. Potter and Carter were getting to their feet. And the Muggle Security people had arrived and were closing in with orders and questions. Greene grabbed Jacobson and signaled Grevins to bring Jackson and they Dual-Apparated away with a loud 'CRACK'.

Harry decided that now was a good time to get out of there. He groped into his pocket for the bag of new Fred and George specials and pulled out two gray/green ones. Camouflage Clouds- Great for that Secret Getaway or Crowd Distraction the wrapper said. It seemed like a good time to test it and he tossed them in opposite directions.

A cloudy smokescreen billowed up. He grabbed O'Neill and Carter by their sleeves and towed them towards the elevator bank. After a couple of steps they followed on their own, he just hoped Teal'c came too.

The lobby was in total chaos with the smoke and milling people. Harry concentrated on casting a blanket Confundus and hoped it worked. They boarded the elevator and the doors shut out the smoke and noise.

Silence.

"What floor?" he asked quietly. It sounded loud in small room. They were all staring at him.

"Uh… fifth," said Sam.

It was like her voice broke the other two out of their whirling thoughts. The elevator dinged and Teal'c and O'Neill grabbed his arms and dragged him down the hall to their rooms.

Once inside, they pushed Harry into a chair and O'Neill blew!

"Alright! Who are you? And who are they?! Where'd the Hell did they take Daniel?!"