Chapter 26

"Ok Jack, this is how the world stands at the moment." Harry started as he sat down opposite the US Colonel in his assigned rooms. "You just got back from poking the hornet's nest and as soon as they figure out you came from Earth, they'll be coming for their honey.

"You also left behind on the planet you called 'Abydos', the key scientist who managed to figure out how to work the portal and the 'address' of both our planet and Abydos.

"Back here on Earth, your government is still refusing to acknowledge you exist. You are in legal and political limbo, as my Prime Minister put it.

"Also, the British non-magical government and their queen has started to make threats against myself and my government."

"And…?" Jack prompted.

"That's up to you. We got everything we needed from you and your men. We intend to head to Abydos and retrieve Daniel Jackson. We will also see if we can't offer the locals some protection.

"Here are your choices:

"One, you come with me and help me convince Jackson to leave peacefully and perhaps act as a liaison to the locals.

"Two, I have you and your men shipped to America. From there you can do whatever you want.

"Both options have major downsides." Harry folded his arms and leant back.

"What downsides?" Jack asked in consternation.

"Coming with me has a high risk of death. Going to America also has a high risk of death, or at least long term imprisonment as they try and figure out how we compromised you."

"Can I talk to my men?"

"Sure. That door leads to a connected room where you can all meet. They've got their own rooms that connect to it." Harry stood up. "Please make a decision quickly. If you aren't going to help then I at least want you out of here so I have one less thing to worry about."

"Blinky, very soon I will have plenty for you to hunt and eat. For now, we are going to see if there is a possibility of a practice run."

Blinky was nearing twenty-five feet and very thick. He hissed gleefully as he coiled around and around himself.

"I'm sorry, ok! How was I to know they would be a bunch of pansies?"

Harry and Blinky had returned after less than half an hour. They had arrived at the acromantula colony only for Aragog and his kids to take one look at the hungry looking basilisk and his human pet and pelt it out of the forest.

Harry and Blinky had chased after them, they couldn't risk them preying on muggles.

Fortunately for Harry they were headed north, they arrived to discover that acromantulas, when faced with a choice between a basilisk and suicide, chose suicide.

They could only watch as the giant spiders threw themselves off the cliff and into the North Sea.

"Anyway, Magorian promised you a feast every year to mark the anniversary of the day you cleansed the forest." Harry said proudly.

Blinky was still sulky. "There had better be spiders. You said they were tasty."

"What did you do to poor Blinky?" Pansy said accusingly as she walked up and gently caressed the snakes head.

"I didn't do anything!" Harry objected. "We were going to clear out the acromantula colony but they cowards all scarpered when they saw Blinky." He grumbled as he sat in his chair. He was soon weighed down by a one Gemma Farley.

"No notebook?" He asked the girl.

"Professor Snape said that he would bring anything of importance to you directly. He suggested that you split your time between relaxing and preparing for the aliens." She smiled.

He gave a laugh of disbelief. "Did I ever tell you what he was like last time and before we started Hogwarts?" He asked the other girls. At their shaking heads he continued. "Severus Snape hated me. You see, he loved my mother but my mother loved my father… obviously. This was all back when they were students.

"Anyway, Severus Snape and Lily Evans were childhood friends. When they got to Hogwarts Severus fell in with the bad crowd. My dad and his friends considered themselves pranksters, which they were, but they were also bullies."

The girls' eyes widened. "But everyone says they were wonderful people!" Tracey objected.

"Sure, but James was a Gryffindor and a Pure blood from an Ancient and Noble house. Severus Snape was a Slytherin and the half blood son of a pure blood witch and a muggle.

"Anyway, the problem was that Severus saw James chasing after Lily when he wanted her himself. Severus was alone against my dad and his three friends, it all came to a head when they severely humiliated Severus in front of everyone. Lily tried to defend Severus but, Severus was angry and ashamed and he lashed out at everyone, he called her a 'mudblood'."

Harry got his expected gasps.

"So, moving forward, James and Lily fell in love and got married. Severus hated my father for getting Lily and himself for driving her away. Halloween of '81 comes around and James and Lily are dead. September '91 begins and Severus Snape sees the same eleven-year-old boy who taunted him when he was a firstie.

"He was filled with so much hate by this point that he took it all out on the miniature version of his old nemesis. He took points for breathing, assigned detentions for the slightest mistake, he took every opportunity to belittle me and my father, especially in public.

"As Gemma and other older students will be able to tell you, he would heavily favour Slytherin and penalise the other houses, more so for Gryffindor as that was the house of his arch-enemy."

"But you said he was a spy for Dumbledore. He died and you saw him-"

"Tracey, just because someone is a bastard, doesn't mean they are completely evil." Harry said softly. "Severus Snape deserved to spend the rest of his life in prison for what he put me and other kids through. Especially for his part in my parent's murder."

"But- then- " Tracey couldn't figure out what to ask.

"Why is he so different this time?" Pansy did know.

"We can never know for sure, Miss Parkinson." The three girls on the couch jumped at the deep and calm voice of the subject of their conversation. They turned and glared at Harry who had a small smile. "I can only guess that it was a combination of a fairly severe punishment and effective rewards and lessons."

"You mean the slave thing for the punishment, right?" Daphne asked.

"I do." Severus nodded as he pulled his wand and conjured a chair.

"But Daphne said it wasn't bad being a slave." Tracey frowned.

"Miss Greengrass was made a slave against her will, but a majority of the… 'unpleasantness' was mitigated by the fact that her 'owner' is someone she knew she could trust."

"I still had nightmares… and bad days." Daphne said with a very depressed and sad look. It was a secret she kept from everyone but Harry. He had kept a close eye on her at the beginning as he assumed she was in denial. "But Harry took care of that too. I still get scared and have those bad days, but…" She trailed off and shrugged.

"You should have told us." Gemma said softly as she climbed off Harry and moved to sit on the couch with the others to comfort the enslaved girl.

"It's not that simple Gem." Harry said with quiet authority. "Just remember how you felt when Flint made his mistake in Great Hall. If you had the chance you would have told no one. Daphne also had that chance. She freely shared it with you three, but it is a whole different kettle of fish to talk about it and the consequences."

"And we did talk about it." Daphne said as she leaned into the older girl. "We would sit up at night and discuss our fate." She looked at Harry sadly. "We weighed the pros and cons of being subservient to you. In the end all we could do was hope you were as good as you appeared."

"As much as I abhor stroking his ego, Harry has clearly proven himself." Severus said with distaste. He ignored the grinning idiot in the armchair. "I am happier, content with my life. My reputation and career has never been better. I am married to a beautiful woman.

"All these are things he could easily have denied me with just a few words."

They were quiet for a few moments as they each contemplated the 'what ifs' of their personal situations.

It was Harry who eventually broke the moment with a muttered comment of self-loathing. "I should've had you churning out felix felicius day and night."

The girls giggled as Severus glared at him. "I did come here with a reason." He said indignantly. "Dudley is aiding us ably with our assessment of the threat posed by the muggles. Whilst it appears that they do have methods for detecting us through our invisibility methods, they have no such techniques that can defeat polyjuice, glamours or… metamorphs."

Harry wrinkled his brow in thought. "Tell Tonks that she is to be replaced as part of Amelia's immediate bodyguard. I want her to report to me-"

"Give me your idea in brief and I will handle it. You must learn to delegate." Severus interrupted with a hint of passion. "Amelia is more than capable of handling herself and the safety of the country. That is, after all, why you appointed her as Prime Minister.

"None of us, however, have the knowledge or understanding to deal with extra-terrestrial threats. You must focus on that."

Harry sat forward and looked at Tracey with a serious look. "Tell me truthfully; Am I really the one in charge?"

"They tell me you've made a decision." Harry said simply as he took a seat at the long table, opposite him were the Colonel and his men.

"We'll help you with Jackson and Abydos." O'Neill said gravely. "But that's it. We can't take any action that violates our military oaths."

"Yeah, I read your oath." He chuckled at their looks of surprise. "I research as much as I can, the Internet is growing at an exponential rate and information is exceptionally easy to obtain.

"Just remember how you end your oath." He said seriously. "'So help me God.' Now, I'm not religious myself, but you need to ask yourselves whether your God is only interested in America or if he cares about the rest of the planet too."

"What about the rest of our oath?" One of the men, Kalwalsky, demanded. "We swore that oath to God to uphold America."

"First of all, I have no intention of asking you to fight for or against America or Britain.

"Second of all, you should bear in mind the following: No planet, no America, oath broken."

At that point, Dudley, who was still their primary source of information on muggles (even though it was mostly from movies), stepped forward. "We aren't interested in America's secrets. We don't care about any black ops you took part in, who you may have assassinated and so on.

"What his Majesty wants, and to be honest, what the planet needs, is your skills and experience. His Majesty is more than capable of handling this threat but that does not mean he won't be in mortal peril."

'Mortal Peril'. Harry had had the Marauders create a new map based on the clock in the Weasley's home and the holographic map in the Chamber of Secrets. In the event that someone on a specific list was in danger or needed aid then they would be highlighted.

What really annoyed Minerva was that it relied on the arts of divination and scrying. Sybil Trelawney was now sober and enjoying her work.

What really got in Minerva's craw was that Sybil's star student at scrying was one Hermione Granger.

Of course, Hermione was a bit embarrassed too having apparently made the same scene in her first Divination class this as she did in Harry's first time through.

"Gentlemen, at this point in time you are in political limbo." Amelia was also present at this meeting. "All we are offering is the chance to do some good rather than waste what could be anything from weeks to the rest of your lives sitting in these apartments."

"Alright!" Harry said as he stood up briskly. "You've already agreed to help with Abydos. We will head out tomorrow so rest up. We will take the future on a case-by-case basis, fine?"

O'Neill looked to his men before turning to Harry. "But we have the right to refuse."

"Deal." Harry hated meetings.

"I thought we were going straight to Abydos?" O'Neill gestured to the portal that Harry had marched past.

"We are!" Harry called back without stopping.

The men jogged to catch up. "You have a second stargate?" Kalwalsky asked.

"Nah, but you said the gate was going to be buried on Abydos. Besides, I'm not a fan of those portals. I tried it a few times and discovered that they aren't entirely safe. For instance, if you were to step through that thing and someone followed but you didn't move, then that person is likely to get knocked back into the portal… they would be killed instantaneously because they are one way only."

"You'd be lucky to still be standing after coming out. You saw how we came through." O'Neill reminded him.

"Erm, Sir, I'd been meaning to ask something."

"What's that, Freeman?" O'Neill asked one of his men.

"When we came back, to Earth. We weren't frozen." The soldier said leadingly.

"Why would you be frozen?" Harry asked as they approached his ship.

"When we arrived on Abydos we were covered in ice. Abydos is a desert planet." Kawalsky explained.

"Maybe the gate you went through was damaged." Harry shrugged.

"A lot of it was jerry-rigged together and they didn't even know how to use it till Jackson came along." O'Neill allowed.

Harry stopped suddenly and turned to them. "What do you mean 'jerry-rigged'?"

"Lots of computers to dial the gate and monitor it."

"You used computers… to 'dial' it?" Harry asked dubiously. "Like… you had a robot arm to spin it?"

"I'm no expert but they were hooked straight into the guts of the rings-"

"Bloody hell! You lot are damned lucky you didn't wind up spread across the galaxy as cosmic dust!" Harry exclaimed. "Honestly! All you had to was give it some power and then spin the inner ring like a telephone dial."

"It didn't exactly come with a manual." Feretti grumbled.

"Yeah, but it doesn't sound like Americans come with common sense." Harry muttered. He ignored the glares as he touched the side of his shiny metallic sphere and the seamless shell revealed a large square hole.

"What is this?" One of the men asked as they followed Harry in.

"My space ship."

"Feretti, before you ask him more, remember that his answer is going to be 'magic'." Kawalsky warned.

None of them had been exposed to the knowledge of magic before they met Harry. It was actually Severus who convinced them it was real. Being left to spend the night as a slug was not something they intended to repeat… but it was very convincing.

Still, the men had to hold their tongues with great effort as Harry led through a 'ship' that looked more like a home. Things got a little easier when they moved through what would be the back door to a garden on a house, a door that led to a large familiar room.

Again, they held their tongues as they tried to accept the fact that they were now standing on the bridge of James T. Kirk's Enterprise.

"How fast will this thing go?" O'Neill asked.

"It can get to the moon in under an hour." Harry shrugged.

"It'll still take years to reach Abydos!"

Harry just chuckled.

"You have a warp drive?"

"Nah. We are still working on FTL."

"FTL?" One of the men asked.

"Faster Than Light." Kawalsky answered. One of the others began explaining a bit more over to the side.

"Where's your crew?" O'Neill asked as Harry sat in the Captain's chair.

"I am the crew." Outside the large window the wall of the cave slid apart to reveal an inky black chasm. "Each station can control everything and I can do the same from here. Feel free to take a seat."

Despite the view outside showing the ship had risen slightly, they felt no effects of inertia. The window was huge though and that made the sight a little disorientating.

"We are about to be moving at speed. I recommend you sit down or hold onto something until we hit space. The sight of the planet rushing past will affect your balance." Harry warned as they slowly moved forward.

"Grab your seats people." Kalwalsky ordered at a nod from O'Neill. Aside from the four main stations on the Enterprise, Harry's ship had a row of seats along the back wall.

And by seats I mean reclining armchairs with seatbelts and lap tables.

O'Neill took a seat at what was navigation on the show and Feretti took weapons. The rest headed for the armchairs.

"Here we go people!" Harry grinned.

The ship entered the black chasm and the screen went dark. A few seconds later…

"Wh- how did we hit space already?" Feretti demanded.

Outside they could see a planet spinning slowly.

"That's not Earth." O'Neill said gravely.

"Nope, that should be Abydos." Harry confirmed.

"Erm… how?" O'Neill queried in confusion.

"That wall we went through? It's my version of a star portal." Harry grinned.

"You managed to reverse engineer a stargate?" Kawalsky asked sceptically.

"No he did not."

Harry was wishing he had had the soldiers stow their guns whilst on the ship. As it was, he couldn't blame them for the unannounced appearance of Ganos.

"Afternoon Ganos." Harry said a little gruffly, but not unkindly.

"Time is relative for mortals." She smirked at him.

"Yep, this is my afternoon. You don't have a real concept of time so we'll stick with mine." Harry said matter-of-factly. "Ganos, meet Colonel Jack O'Neill and his team. They are American soldiers that-"

"Albus informed me of the details." She assured him. "I was just there and upon hearing of your mission I thought I would come to observe your first trip beyond your world."

"Ganos, I've been to Atlantis already."

"But there was little for you to do."

"You mean other than saving the city from being crushed by the ocean?"

O'Neill was getting annoyed by this point. "Ex-cuse me!"

"Oh, right. O'Neill, guys, meet Ganos. She's a… friend and the one who warned me about the evils in the universe." Harry said absently as he began to move the ship closer to the planet.

The Colonel moved closer to Harry and asked quietly. "Are you sure she's not one of those 'evils'?"

Harry looked at him with an unimpressed expression. "A few days ago you came barrelling through my Porta Astria and invaded my home. You refused to explain yourselves. Do you honestly think you're in a position to run background checks?"

"If it involves the safety of the planet then yes. It's my responsibility."

"No. It's mine." Harry said firmly. "And if we wanted to compare track records… I think you get the picture."

O'Neill wasn't pleased to have that brought up again. But he turned his attention to Ganos.

"Why approach the kid?" He asked.

"Are you referring to the High King of Britain?" She asked with a slight glare. "A man who has faced things you have heard of only in horror stories? Who had responsibility thrust upon him before he had even reached puberty? Who has proven himself again and again that he is honourable?"

"Erm… yes?" He looked suitably sheepish at that.

"And you would prefer I approached you and your people?" She continued. "A people known for subjugating those who differ from themselves. For wiping out entire cities of civilians. Who, in their arrogance, ventured through a portal to another world… and carried a weapon that would annihilate all who lived there?"

O'Neill stood there, his mouth opening and closing. "I… I need to check my gear." He said before walking off hastily.

"You enjoyed that." Harry said with a smirk. He didn't look up from the large slab of crystal that acted as a display.

"I have been watching humans since I ascended. I felt it was our responsibility, unlike my fellow ascended." She said with a hint of disgust. "The problem with humans is the same as it was with Alterans. The leaders are always, as your people would say, politically minded. In my time watching humans evolve, the only leaders who do not care about politics are kings and dictators. As the ultimate authority they have no need to pander to the needs of others."

"And them?" He gestured behind him.

Ganos paused, choosing her words carefully. "Many of them are good men. They wish to serve their people and aid others. Unfortunately, ego prevails. As you saw with their leader just now, he felt a sense of entitlement that he should be in charge of humanities safety."

"Instead, you lumped it all on a twelve-year-old."

"Harry, I was not expecting you to have to deal with this for decades." She said sadly. "I told you what was out here because I hoped that it would push you to new heights. I wanted to see you create more wonders and explore the universe. That is why I sent you to Atlantis and the Pegasus Galaxy. The threats there are currently dormant."

"Still… twelve?" He repeated with a pout.

Ganos just chuckled and moved round to the console, nudging him out of the way. "Here, this is where you will find the Astria Porta and the man you are looking for." She said as she manipulated the data.

Harry looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You would have found it soon enough. I am just speeding things up." She smiled fondly at him. "But I should go. I will visit you later."

"Alright men, we're heading to the surface."

Harry had landed the ship a mile out from the tent city that the Abydonians lived in. He didn't want to scare them. This meant that they had to march through a mile's worth of sand.

"Hey, Feretti, look. It's Jackson's girlfriend." One of the men laughed as they pointed to a free roaming shaggy bovine type creature.

"Huh…" Harry muttered and walked off towards it.

"Harry?" O'Neill queried as he followed.

"It's domesticated." Harry commented without stopping.

True enough, the men could see it was wearing a harness that the creature could not have put on by itself.

Harry did stop about twenty feet from it. "Ember."

The little bird, who actually managed to reach its full size this time, flamed in, making the men jump. "Go and ask Luna if she would like to see this." He then reached out and gently snatched the little rascal out of the air by the neck. "Ask!" He reiterated.

Ember clearly pouted before vanishing.

"Do we have time for this sir?" Kawalsky asked his CO.

"It's only polite to bring a gift when visiting someone." Harry answered for him. "Trust me, even if this guy doesn't belong to your friends they will appreciate it and so will he. It can't be easy to survive in this environment but if he has then he can probably show others how to."

Before they could continue Ember returned with two passengers.

"Alright, which of you two invited Hagrid?" Harry asked wryly.

"Ember and I discussed it and agreed that he would both enjoy seeing it and be helpful." Luna said primly, as if she was daring him to challenge her and the flaming nut job's decision.

"Good call." Harry nodded with the same expression. "So, I will leave it to you two to introduce yourselves." He gestured to the nearby animal.

As it was a domesticated animal, it didn't take much for the unusual pair of tiny Luna and giant Hagrid (or 'Little and Large' as Dudley had dubbed them) to get the trust of the animal. It was only five minutes later that they were trundling along towards the tent city with Luna riding happily on her new friend as Hagrid strolled beside them.

"Huh. I was expecting it to be a good deal smaller." Harry commented as they crested a dune and spied the settlement. "Alright. You go ahead and say hi. Warn them we are coming and we will follow when you give us the signal."

"And what is the signal?" O'Neill asked.

"Just wave. I'll see you."

"Feretti, you and Adams stay here. The rest of us will go on." O'Neill ordered.

As they moved off they could hear a very put out Hagrid ask. "'E does know you're tha' king, right Harry?"

Twenty minutes later and the group was back together as O'Neill and Jackson introduced them to Jackson's new father-in-law, Kasuf.

Jackson was a nervous looking man with shaggy hair and glasses. He acted as a translator for the group.

"The Queen is dead?" Jackson asked as Hagrid corrected O'Neill not giving Harry's proper title.

"It's a whole thing, Daniel. Just make the intros." O'Neill sighed.

Suddenly Kasuf was bowing and talking rapidly.

Harry stepped forward and raised him standing straight. He then clasped the man's arm. "I am a leader. You are a leader. We are equals." Harry said firmly.

Jackson translated. Kasuf looked about to object but Harry gave a pointed look to the man's people behind him. Kasuf understood and was grateful. He added his other hand to Harry's arm and smiled gratefully.

Kasuf released Harry's hand and briefly clasped the hands of Hagrid and Luna. He then placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and guided him into the settlement.

"Word of warning." O'Neill muttered as he stepped up to Luna and Hagrid. "The last time Kasuf took one of us off like that, he came back with a wife."

Hagrid just laughed. "'E's got five girls back home trying ta tie him down and he's been friends with them for years. Can't see him being caught by some stranger."

"It will be fun to watch though." Luna smiled happily as she took Hagrid's hand and led him off.

They found Harry and Kasuf sat around a fire as Kasuf handed him a drink.

"Kid- I mean, sir, if that's what I think it is you might want to give it a miss." Kawalsky warned as he caught a whiff of the drink.

Harry gave it sniff… then took a sip.

The soldiers were sub-consciously backing off as they waited for… nothing?

"Not bad." Harry shrugged. He then took a bigger sip.

Kasuf and his people actually looked shocked.

"So, Doctor Jackson, you understand the situation?" Harry addressed the archaeologist and new son-in-law of Kasuf.

"You believe-"

"Doctor, try not to be condescending." Harry interrupted the man whose next words were clear to drenched in scepticism and sarcasm. "You might have managed to decipher the markings on the Astria Porta, but I have met with one of their makers. I've been to their city."

"What?"

"Yeah! What?" O'Neill parroted the man.

"Ganos is an Alteran. Her race created the portals and seeded life in this galaxy. They are our ancestors." Harry lectured.

"Ganos? Alteran?" Jackson frowned. "Can you say some more words related to them?"

"It is the root of Latin, Dr Jackson." Luna spoke up. "The correct name for the stargate is 'portia astra'."

"And you have proof?"

"Well! This was nice." Harry said as he quickly stood, a fake smile on his face. "I think I'll take a walk."

"Skaara!" Kasuf called out. A young man that was very happy to see O'Neill and his soldiers stepped forward. Kasuf gave him some instructions.

"He's told Skaara to accompany you and make sure you don't get lost." Jackson explained.

Harry turned to Kasuf and gave gentle and slight bow, he placed his palm to his mouth and gently swept it away. "Thank you." He said with a smile.

Kasuf hesitated for a moment before smiling back and nodding to both Harry and Kasuf.

It was only ten minutes later that a wave of excitement and amazement rippled back to the group.

"They are saying a miracle man has come." Jackson frowned.

"Harry prob'ly jus' found some things to fix." Hagrid shrugged as he took a sip from his cup.

Of course the cup was tiny in his hands and his sip drained it. He sheepishly held it out for more.

"You're going to drink all their water, Hagrid!" Luna admonished.

Hagrid laughed. "This? This is alcoholic. They drink this for fun, not because they're thirsty."

"But it's liquid." She frowned.

"Alcohol dehydrates you." O'Neill explained. "It's part of what causes adults to wake up with hangovers the following morning."

"Worth it."

The Colonel glared at Feretti.

"I think Mister Kasuf wants to go and see what Harry is doing." Luna smiled as she saw the man stand.

"Ah. I'll, er, just wait here." Hagrid said with embarrassment.

"I'll wait here too. Maybe Hagrid and I can do some of our own miracles." Luna smiled at him. She was well aware that Hagrid was worried that he would get caught on the tents and bring them down.

Kasuf and the Americans were surprised to see Skaara talking animatedly to Harry.

"What happened here?" O'Neill tried not to make it a demand.

"O'Neill! Harry taught me English!"

Colonel Jack O'Neill stood there, nonplussed. The gawky kid who seemed to idolise him and his men, despite not understanding a word they said to each other, had just spoken to him in pure English.

With an English accent.

His head turned slowly as he heard Harry's voice. Speaking Skaara's language with Skaara's accent to Kasuf.

"O'Neill! O'Neill! Can you understand me?"

Jack was broken out of his stupor when he found Kasuf holding his arms and looking at him in earnest.

"Err… yeah, I can." He looked at Harry. "How?"

"Similar to how Sev got contact info from your mind. First I put English in Skaara's mind and then asked him if I could copy his language." Harry grinned.

"You can just make someone speak another language?" Kawalsky asked incredulously.

"It's more like I can teach them. The mind works incredibly fast. I go in, find the sub-conscious, link it with mine and either prompt for teaching or initiate teaching.

"I actually got the idea from my godmother. She can speak German and when I was trying to help her I discovered that I had learnt the language as I tried to learn more about her."

"And anyone of you people can do this?"

"It takes a person trained and skilled in the mind arts." Harry shook his head. "Only Severus, Albus and myself know how. I think Albus wanted to teach his friends as he was big on the international arena."

"Is this the miracle they were talking about?" Jackson asked. He was a little put out that his skill as a linguist was suddenly rendered redundant.

"Miracle?" Skaara lit up with a smile. "Harry healed our wounded!" He led Jackson to a tent that was filled with the injured from when Ra had attacked them.

"I thought magic was a secret?" O'Neill turned to Harry.

"On Earth it is. Welcome to Abydos." Harry smirked.

"I know this is your home, but it is very dangerous. If these monsters come back then you won't stand a chance." Harry was seated around the fire in serious discussion with Kasuf. Luna and Hagrid had already returned home.

"O'Neill will defend us!" Skaara said confidently.

"O'Neill nearly got himself and everyone else killed last time."

The Colonel wanted to object, but he couldn't in good faith come up with a valid and truthful argument.

"Last time he got lucky. There was one ship and one goa'uld. O'Neill had one bomb. When these fools come back they will have more ships, more goa'uld… and O'Neill won't be here."

"Skaara, he is right." Kasuf chided his son softly. "Even if we were to stay and even if O'Neill was to defend us, remember that we lost many when they attacked the city. It is our duty to put the young and the vulnerable first."

"I'll come back tomorrow with a friend." Harry explained. "They will take a group you select to visit a few planets. You can then see if any take your fancy. Sound good?"

Kasuf gave a sad but appreciative smile. "It sounds necessary."

"Sir, I had an idea… about how to get back home… to America."

Colonel O'Neill turned to the man under his command. "Go ahead Adams."

"Well, we only came back through the other gate because it was activated. What if we deactivated it so we would have to exit through the other gate… our gate?"

O'Neill turned to Harry.

"It's possible. But, like I warned you, if they have the gate blocked you will simply die."

"We could send the probe through first." The soldier suggested.

"Adams, if you ever get bored with the Air Force, contact my cousin, Dudley Dursley. You can come work for me." Harry grinned.

"You realise that if you go through with this, your government could put you in a deep hole and throw away the map to find it?"

"You are really really weird." Jack sighed.

The American soldiers were standing in front of the activated portal on Abydos. They had managed to send the probe back through and received permission from the American installation to come through.

"Still. You sure about this?" Harry asked.

"We have a duty to report back. A duty to uphold our oaths. We'll just have to hope that our superiors are men of intelligence and wisdom."

Harry just smirked as several of O'Neill's men snorted.

"Move out!" Kawalsky barked. As the men jogged through the portal he turned to Harry. "It's been… something, kid." He held out his hand and Harry chuckled and shook it.

"Yeah, you're the most well behaved prisoners I've ever held."

Kawalsky laughed as he turned and followed them through.

"Danny, stay out of trouble?" O'Neill wagged a finger at the newlyweds.

"Erm… sure Jack."

As O'Neill stepped through the portal shutdown. Harry walked up to the portal and opened a panel, removing several crystals.

"How will we get to our new home?" Sha'uri asked curiously.

"I have my own portal. It is much more comfortable and safer." Harry assured her. He turned to Kasuf and Daniel. "I'll be back with a friend tomorrow. He will take you to visit a few planets."

The following day Harry introduced them to Frank and Alice. Frank had long since learnt how to use Harry's 'toys', as he called them, now he was going to teach Alice.

Harry spent the next two days just relaxing. He was a bit nervous about the upcoming tournament as he believed that Perenelle would do a better job than the old ministry.

He was actually worried that she would go overboard.

"Harry, it is good to see you relaxing, my boy." Albus smiled as Dobby let him in to the private rooms.

"Albie, it is usually a pretty safe bet that if you are voluntarily coming to visit me, then my relaxation is soon to end." Harry sighed as he turned off the television.

It wasn't really a television. It was a large piece of thin glass that was enchanted. Terry's little Pottering Club had managed to use spells, runes and even potions to intercept various radio signals and transmissions and convert them into something useful. It was similar to the consoles used to control Harry's ship.

"I can't see how the reason for my visit would cause that, but, we both know what they say about the best laid plans." He twinkled.

"Finally found time to read your retirement present form Aunt Minnie, eh?" Harry smiled. "So, your purpose?"

Albus wordlessly handed over a small pouch.

Harry opened the pouch and pulled out a pair of spectacles. He looked at Albus before putting them on. "Erm…"

"You can see the strange creatures?" Albus asked.

"Colourful bunch." Harry said dryly. "And familiar."

"Yes. I am afraid my contacts were able to create a charm to allow us to see what Miss Lovegood sees but not how to help her… not see." Albus was clearly disappointed.

"Albus, Luna knows quite well that these discoveries happen in phases. These things are amazing." He waved the specs at the old man. "These will validate every claim that Luna has ever made. People will finally have to stop calling her 'Looney' and call her what she deserves: 'Gifted'."

"Well, I will leave those with you. Along with this, it details all the spells and requirements to recreate the effect." He handed a leather journal to Harry as he stood. "I'm sure Mister Higgs' Pottering Club can take the concepts further." He smirked.

"Piss off Albie."

"Harry!" Albus couldn't keep the grin off his face. "Is that any way for a noble monarch to talk?"

"I'm the king, Albus. As was so recently pointed out to me, I make the rules. That means I decide how 'noble monarchs' talk."

Albus just chuckled. "Incidentally, how did things go with Colonel O'Neill?"

Harry grinned evilly. "I'm expecting someone from the American Magical Government to contact us very soon."