Chapter 11 October 20th
The week passed pretty fast as Wednesday came, most people where focusing on the coming first Quidditch match of the season in a little over a week or the Halloween parties that would happen the day after the Quidditch match. Harry's mood was higher than it had been in weeks because of what they were doing, however Jack's happiness was lowered.
"Jack is something wrong?" asked Hermione as the four of them sat down for breakfast on the morning of the 20th.
"It isn't important." Said Jack
"Jack do you want to teach the DA today in some tactics?" asked Harry
"Sure." Said Jake as the morning normal amount of owls came flying into the great hall to drop of messages and packages. The normal owl landed in front of Hermione as she paid the owl for her copy of the Daily Prophet before giving it some food however eight large owls came flying down landing in front of Jack all of them with packages. Two where so large that they needed two owls to carry them to Jack.
"Ok what is up with this?" asked Ron
"I would also like to know as well." said a new voice as Umbridge appeared behind Ron. "So, Mr. O'Neill why have you gotten these packages?"
"Don't you know?" asked Jack as he leaned back in his chair.
"Mr. O'Neill do you want a detention?" asked Umbridge
"Please you can put two and two together." Said Jack
"That you are breaking school rules and got a massive order of contraband." Said Umbridge as she snatched one of the packages and ripped it open to find a book, which caused Umbridge's eyes to widen.
"And somehow get seven." Said Jack
"Ancient legends from around the world?" read Umbridge as she looked at the book before looking at a small card "Happy Birthday Jack from Daniel Jackson."
"Today is your birthday?" said Hermione as she looked at Jack
"It is also my Dad's birthday." lied Jack in reality he had two birthday when older Jack was born and when he was cloned. In reality he should go with when he was cloned but it didn't feel right so he took the birthday. "Now Umbridge can I please have my birthday gift back?"
"I guess so O'Neill." said Umbridge as she tossed the book back before storming away from the table.
"Let's take this upstairs." suggested Harry since their first class was their free one. Each one of them grabbed the gifts before heading off toward the empty common room.
"Why didn't you tell us today is your birthday?" asked Hermione
"It isn't that big of a deal." answered Jack as they entered the common room "Besides I didn't want you guys doing anything for me, Hell I didn't even want you to know."
"Why not?" asked Hermione
"I didn't want you to know." answered Jack again.
"Why don't you see what you got." said Harry as Jack looked at the book.
"Just like Daniel to give me a book." said Jack as he looked at the book on the different myths ranging from the Gods of Egypt to King Arthur and Camelot.
"Who is Daniel?" asked Ron
"How should I say this, he is a nerd I think he speaks six or seven languages and can read almost anything in any language. Also he is one of my best friends." answered Jack as he turned to the next one. He opened it to find a large brand spanking new telescope with a note from Sam.
"Jack I hope you like this telescope it is the best on the market and I have made some personal improvements." read Hermione out load as she read the note "Happy Birthday Jack from Samantha Carter.
"Who is Samantha?" asked Ron
"She is a friend." answered Jack
"Well looks like you will do even better in astronomy now." said Hermione as she crossed her arms.
"Don't pay her any mind, she is just upset that you are doing better than her in that class." said Harry
"Well Astronomy is something my Dad and I used to do a lot together." Said Jack as he opened another gift, the second smallest of them all, what he found inside was an American flag which a note from General Hammond.
Happy Birthday Jack
I hope you liked this; it flew over the Alpha site
"Good thing I got this note before Hermione or the others." thought Jack
"An American Flag?" asked Ron
"Well General Hammond has already given me a great gift already." said Jack as he looked at Sarge. As he opened up the smallest gift to find a small stone with glowing writing on it.
"What is that?" asked Ron as Jack's eyes widened.
"An Asgard rune stone?"
"There is a letter, who types a note?" asked Harry "O'Neill place your hand on the stone and think of a place in the stars and it will appear. Thor."
"Thor?" asked Ron
"It's his nickname." explained Jack as he placed his hand on the stone which light up a second before an image of the Milky Way galaxy appeared over the stone.
"Wow…this some impressive magic." said Hermione as she confused Asgard Holographic technology with magic. Jack thought of Earth as the image changed to a full image of the Earth complete with the moon over head. What Hermione and the others didn't know was the fact that this was a map of the current location of all locations on Earth down to the street level, thanks to Asgard satellites that where invisibly to everyone including the SGC.
"That leaves the last thing" said Jack as he looked toward the last gift the largest of them all.
"It has to be a broom stick nothing is that long and as skinny." said Ron as Jack opened it to find a long stick however it wasn't a broom.
"What is that?" asked Harry as Jack lifted up the two meter long wooden pole with two larger parts at the end. The entire thing was craved with multiple symbols on the side.
"It is a gift from an old friend." said Jack as he held onto the training staff weapon.
Flashback
"I hate my life sometimes." said Jack as he tossed his book bag onto the couch in his rented house, he had just survived another week in high school. It was horrible it was boring him to the point of insanity he knew 90% of what they where teaching him and he didn't care who was going out with who or what the latest fashion was. He wanted his old life back, however the nearest he got was a visit from Daniel and his cover story as an orphan of a Special Forces officer who died.
"Hello O'Neill." said a new voice as Jack noticed a large man sitting on his couch.
"Teal'c?" asked O'Neill
"I hope it was ok, that we let ourselves in." said Daniel
"Ya, what are you two doing here?" asked Jack as he sat down on his couch.
"Well we thought you were somewhat depressed." Said Daniel
"Daniel believes that if I teach you Kelno'reem to help you calm down." said Teal'c
"Didn't we try that before and it didn't work?" asked jack as he remembered the failed attempt to learn the Jaffa mediation style.
"Indeed so I have decided on a different system." stated Teal'c as he held up two training wooden staff weapons that Jaffa used to train warriors in close quarter fighting. "This should release some stress."
"Stress…release some stress." Said Daniel as Teal'c looked at him before he and Jack entered the back yard.
End Flashback
"Look a note." said Ron
"O'Neill, use this well." Read Ron "Signed Teal'c."
"Teal'c" asked Harry "What type of name is Teal'c."
"It is his name." said Jack as he looked at the last gift; he figured who it was from. He opened it to find a small letter.
"Happy Birthday …signed Brigadier General Jack O'Neill." said Jack as he looked at the cash inside the letter.
"That is all your dad got you?" asked Harry
"My Dad isn't the best gift giver." answered Jack as he put the cash in his pocket, he couldn't add the fact that General O'Neill had to deal with a lot of things, presidential visits a lock down at the base due to Anubis and other stuff, he was surprised Jack remembered probably Carter reminded him. The thing that neither Ron, Hermione or Harry knew was the note inside the letter.
"One free F-302 ride….I am a general I can do what I want." Thought Jack as he remembered what his older self wrote down.
"Well I better take this stuff up to my room." said Jack as she grabbed his stuff and headed up the stairs.
"Wow…I had no idea he and his dad wasn't that close." said Harry
"I did." Said Hermione "And he signed it Brigadier General Jack O'Neill instead of Dad. His home life must be horrible."
"Well Harry's life with the muggles isn't that good either." said Ron
"We are not trying to see who life is worst." said Harry as he heard Jack walking back down the stairs
"Don't you have to finish your homework?" asked Jack as he sat down and opened his own book and started his own work.
The entire day was awkward as word of what happened at breakfast spread across the school and different students where wishing him happy birthday. It isn't that Jack didn't mind people whishing him a happy birthday it is just every time someone wished him happy birthday he would remember what he had lost when he was cloned.
Finally the time for the DA meeting came around as people began pouring into the DA room however instead of the normal room. The entire room was covered with soft foam mats and the spell books where gone as the walls themselves where matted with punching bags hanging from the wall. Standing in front of the door their dressed in his SG uniform with his base ball on was Jack. After Hermione explained how she jinxed some galleons or in Jack's case a quarter to show the date of the next meeting.
"Alright, today we are going to learn something that has nothing to do with magic." said Jack
"Why isn't Harry teaching us?" asked Cho as she glared at Jack
"Harry knows more spells then me however I know strategy." Said Jack "My father was an Air force special forces officer in the United States before he became a general."
"Jack knows what he is doing." Said Harry
"Now a famous General Sun Tzu once said know your enemy and know yourself and in a 100 battles you will never be in parile. With that in mind what is the greatest weakness of almost every wizard or witch?" asked Jack as the class looked around. Finally Hermione raised her hand.
"We use our wands." said Hermione
"How is that a weakness?" asked Ron
"Imagine if you just got disarmed by Voldemort are you going to stand there and let him kill you?" asked Jack as people linked at the Dark Lord's name "No you are going to fight and I am going to teach you how to fight without the use of wands or magic of any kind."
"How do you plan to do that?" asked Ron
"You get to fight me." Said Jack with a grin
"Ok I just have to ask why are you wearing that?" asked Ginny
"It is my school combat uniform we wear it when we are training for combat." explained Jack as he looked at Hermione, part of the reason why he had decided to where it was to tell that lie to her so that she would have an answer.
"How do we know you can fight?" asked Zacharias Smith.
"Alright if you want I can show you, how about a six on one fight." Said Jack "Would that make you happy?"
"Yes, and I get the pick." said Zacharias
"Alright." said Jack
"I think it is only wise for Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and …Cho to go." said Zacharias "Let's see you fight your friends."
"You coward not willing to fight." said Fred Weasley.
"Alright." said Jack as he looked at all of them before walking onto the mat.
"You six can come in at any moment." said Jack "And I hate to repeat Umbridge no wands."
"Alright here goes." Said Ron as he charged forward fist raised only to have Jack side step him and close line him so that he went flying onto the ground. "Oh….that hurt."
"Keep your balance or else you will lose." Said Jack as the other five formed a circle around him fist raised.
"I don't like this idea." said Hermione
"It's ok." said Jack "It is a learning experience just like getting stunned for the first time."
"Alright." said Harry as he sent his fist flying only to have Jack grab it and using his special forces training and stuff he had learned from Teal'c he sent Harry flying face first into Cho, causing both of them to land face to face on the ground their lips within inches of each other.
"Harry is probably blushing up a storm." thought Jack as he felt footsteps behind him. Instantly he dropped down spinning around sending his own punch. His eyes widened as he realized who he had just punched in the gut. "Hermione?...I thought it would be Neville."
Hermione fell to the ground as she held onto her stomach from Jack's blow. For a moment Jack just stood their looking at Hermione on the ground, it felt like nothing he had ever experienced he felt shame for doing it. However the sound of running footsteps caused jack to side step before grabbing the fist and throwing Ginny over so that she landed hard on her back. He turned to face Neville only to get slugged across the face.
"Nice punch Neville." Said jack before he punched Neville sending him to the ground. "I believe that should be enough."
"Ya. You know how to fight." said Zacharias as Jack glared diggers at him before turning back to his friends who where just getting up. Ron had a very some amount of blood running down from his nose, Ginny was just sitting there with a slight stunned look on her face. Neville had a giant red mark on his face from where Jack had hit him but not as red as Harry and Cho who's entire face was red with blush. Hermione as sitting up but holding her stomic with slight pain.
"I am sorry you guys." said Jack
"That is alright, you where teaching us but did you have to hit so hard?" asked Hermione
"Sorry." said Jack before turning back to the group. "Now everyone pick a punching Bag, I am going to teach you the best way to throw a punch. Then we will work on how to work as a team in combat."
After the meeting with the DA Jack and his closest friends plus Ginny, the Weasley twines and Neville sat by the fire in the common room in the case of Ron and Hermione cooling potions on their body parts where Jack had hit them.
"I am sorry I had to do that." Repeated Jack again as he looked into the fire.
"It is ok." said Hermione "And we have something for you."
"What?" asked Jack as he noticed a small creature walk into the common room carrying a cake.
"Dobby has it Harry Potter." said Dobby as he placed the cake down in front of Jack.
"Happy Birthday Jack." said Harry as Jack smiled as he looked at the cake.
"Thank you." said Jack
"If we had known we would have gotten you something better." said Hermione as she looked at Ron and Harry "We ordered a gift it should be here in a few days."
"Well Jack we have a large supply of our best stock for you." said Fred as he handed Jack a package as Hermione glared at Fred and George.
"And to make it even better." said George as he pulled a small box from his pocket, he opened it to have it start to sing happy birthday at the same time launch small fireworks into the air.
"Happy birthday Jack." said Hermione as Jack smiled. For possible the first real time since his cloning he felt like he wasn't just a copy of his older self, he was his own self with true friends to call his own. He looked at Harry, the boy he was sent to protect who had become his friend, Ginny another friend but one he need to get to know better, Ron the person who hated him at first but where now friends, the Weasley twines with their crazy stuff, Neville shy but good hearted and then there was Hermione.
"Thank you my friends." said Jack with a smile.
Well I hope you liked this chapter and what I did with Jack in this chapter. Now until next time please keep reading and reviewing. Thanks Wilkins75.
