Sorry if it seems rushed, I'm trying to hurry up and get to the good bits!
Fourteen
John left the briefing room feeling somewhat deflated. Which considering he'd felt like a dodo flailing around trying to outrun extinction before the meeting, it really was saying something.
To say that the air force was unhappy about him being revealed as a wizard was like calling the holocaust 'a glitch in history', a 'slight moral hiccup' or 'a bit of a kerfuffle'! General Landry was livid, his face a not-to-pleasant beat red colour after Sheppard had brushed of his criticism with a mere 'you wouldn't understand sir."
O'Neill had been rather more kindly, and while he was clearly angry that Sheppard had kept such secrets from the Air Force, he at least understood Sheppard's reason for it.
The whole meeting was an excuse to find out if magics could help in the fight against the Ori and the Wraith. John had refused to expose the wizarding world any more than it already had been. Besides what good would it do muggles? They wouldn't be able to use wands. The best he would be able to offer would be potions, but even then it would mean witches and wizards getting involved. It simply was not his place to open that little can of worms. If the magical community wanted to get involved in the SGC then they could.
Surprisingly the representative from the FBI who was the supposed authority on such things agreed with him. The man dressed in a sharp suit had sat silently throughout the meeting and had only spoken to agree with Sheppard on this one point. John hadn't even noticed the man until that point. He supposed it made sense for there to be someone who knew about magic's existence to be informing the Air Force on the situation.
The FBI man had thin greying hair and an air of bewilderment about him. It wasn't until after the meeting that Sheppard realised that the man had spent the entire meeting staring at his forehead, John could only conclude that the man must have been a wizard himself. It was common practice in England for wizards to infiltrate the political infrastructure, why would it be any different in America?
John smiled to himself when he pictured the look on Landry's face if he ever found out that the so called expert on magic was really a wizard. Walking down the hallway Sheppard was lost in his own thoughts mulling over the ins and outs of the meeting with his superiors. He didn't see the FBI man running straight for him until it was too late.
He crashed head first into Sheppard sending the Colonel flailing and falling onto his arse on the cold, grey floor, slamming his arm into the wall as he fell in an attempt to try and catch himself. John sat for a moment wincing as the pain in his left arm crescendoed into an almighty throb of white hot pain. "Bloody hell, that hurts!" he swore from behind clenched teeth.
"Oh my, oh my! I'm so sorry Mr Potter here let me help you up." The FBI guy, reached down a carefully pulled Sheppard to his feet, "Are you okay?" the wizard was eyeing John critically as if expecting Sheppard to break into a thousand shards of glass.
"I'm fine, thanks" the little man was staring at the vivid scar on John's forehead again and cursing himself for knocking 'the Great Harry Potter' over. "Look mate, I'm fine really, I've had much worse than this!" Sheppard unconsciously reverted back to his British accent at being addressed by his former name.
"Yes, yes of course, I am sorry to bother you Mr Potter." The shorter man stood a little taller as if trying to look more imposing. He continued to look at John with barely concealed wonderment and awe. "I just wanted to let you know how glad we all are that your back, why just knowing your alive gives us all great hope!"
"Er, right thanks. Well erm… I'd better be off, you know how it is." Sheppard stood awkwardly as the man shook his had vigorously before toddling off round the corner. "Yeah great hope… we'll see." John looked downcast for a moment, the weight of the world on his shoulders before mentally pulling himself together and striding purposefully in the direction he hoped his team were.
He looked in the infirmary first but to no avail. The blond haired nurse who had checked McKay over battered her eyes at him, when he asked for the whereabouts of his team members. He flirted half-heartedly back until he got the information he desired. She told him that Ronon and Teal'c had gone off together in the direction of the gym so John headed there first. He heard them before he saw them… as well as the crowd of marines all placing bets and shouting encouragement.
The gym was packed, wall to wall marines cheering on Teal'c or Ronon. Sheppard allowed himself a private wager on the outcome before cursing his senior position and breaking up the fun. "Alright back to work marines!"
There was a round of groans and a shuffle of feet as they left the gym. The pair in the middle were totally oblivious to the comings and goings around them as they pounded flesh in an awesome spectacle of brute strength. The 'game' of choice, boxing with no gloves.
"Gentlemen as much as I hate to break this up, I need Ronon to come with me."
Another clash of fist on face before Ronon and Teal'c both stopped, bowed to each other and exchanged a few words. Sheppard didn't catch it all but he got the gist- this is not over.
Shaking his head as Ronon followed him out into the corridor wiping blood from his mouth Sheppard congratulated Ronon on his fantastic 'Diplomatic' skills!
The rest of John's team were ready and rearing to go, when he and Ronon found them in the commissary eating jello and drinking coffee.
When Carson took in Ronon's appearance he exclaimed with worry, "Bloody heck man, what have ya been doin' to ya self now!"
Ronon looked slightly sheepish before replying, "Making friends."
"Yeah, in the traditional Sadean way!" Sheppard added with a laugh.
"Can we go now?" McKay asked impatience written all over his face.
"Yeah, Rodney, we can go now. Let's split." Without waiting for his team to follow, but knowing they would, John walked purposefully out of the commissary and down the hallway.
"John wait… are you okay?" The tentative, sweet voice of Teyla caught up to him, grabbed his right arm and pulled him around to face her and the others who all looked equally concerned for his well-being.
John almost scoffed at the absurdity of the question, of course he wasn't okay! How could he be? His worst and mortal enemy was after him- again, and was probably killing off the reminder of his friends in England right now! But the look in Teyla's eye told him to lie to her, she didn't need his fears, she had enough of her own. And yet, wasn't that exactly what Dumbledore had told him not to do? He felt torn between his instinct to lie and protect her from himself and his worries about Voldemort stealing more of his soul.
Ginny was the one to catch his hesitation, and spoke on his behalf, "No, he's not okay. But Harry… sorry John being John he'd never tell us that, would you?"
"You know me too well Ginny. Actually I was just thinking of telling you the truth." He held his head high in defiance unwilling to appear weak in front of his peers.
"So, go on then, tell us." Rodney looked fiercely at Sheppard; arms folded waiting for John to answer him.
"Alright, alright Rodney. The truth is that, yeah, I'm shit scared okay, it's just that… so are all of you and I didn't want to burden anyone." He looked down at the floor for a moment and then turned away from his friends and continued on down the hallway.
Carson caught him this time by the arm, swung him around to face the group once more, eyeing him darkly, "Your not a burden lad, don't ever think that."
"Its okay to be afraid Sheppard, only fool are not." Having said his piece Ronon took the lead as the group made their way toward an old storeroom.
Sheppard was surprised to find that he felt better knowing that little bit of 'Ronon Wisdom', as the team crammed into the small ill-lit place. "Er John why are we in a storeroom?" Rodney asked.
Sheppard did not answer at first but pulled out his wand and a casting a short spell on a box of bandages. "Because Rodney, were no going to England on a plane… we're going via portkey. All you have to do is touch this box altogether on the count of three and we'll be transported to Diagon Alley in London." Ginny smiled mischievously and giggled when she caught John eye, he smiled back at her as the team looked incredulously at the box. Unsure though they were they trusted Sheppard implicitly so they followed Sheppards instructions none the less. "Any questions? No? good, one, two…"