Author's Note: No, I know that Seattle isn't always rainy (I live fairly close to there, after all) but Jack and them don't.

OOOOOOO

While the announcement board for the convention was in the main lobby, in order to keep from clogging that most important area of the hotel with convention goers (and screaming yelling children) the powers that be in the hotel had set up several smaller rooms for actual sign up and discussions of the events that would be going on later in the day.

O'Neill and Carter walked to the announcement board, and joined the large cluster of children and adults that were already there. Jack looked for the little kid who had 'attacked' him the day before, but he didn't see him – of course, he probably wouldn't have recognized him if he was standing right beside him, so that was no surprise.

"See anything interesting, sir?" Sam asked, pulling Jack's attention away from the crowd and back to the board.

He bit back the sarcastic comment he really wanted to make, and looked at his choices. One mentioned that there would be a sorting at the beginning of the convention – and everyone was expected to attend.

"Do I dare ask what they're going to be sorting?"

Sam smiled.

"There are four different houses at Hogwarts – that the wizard school in the book – and there's a hat that sorts the kids into their houses their first night there…"

"They draw names out of it?"

This was just getting odder and odder.

Since a number of the people around him were looking at him like he was an alien for not knowing any of this, Jack scowled despite his promise to himself that he was going to be more cheerful today.

Sam's smile grew.

"It talks."

"Oh."

Of course it talks. What had he been thinking?

"In your head," one of the kids standing in front of Jack added, having been listening in on the conversation. "It tells what house you should be in – like if you're really smart it'll put you in Ravenclaw, and if you're loyal it'll put you in Hufflepuff and if-"

"If you're mean it puts you in Slytherin," another said, anxious to share her knowledge with anyone else – and eager to prove she knew just as much as anyone about the magical world.

Jack sighed and once more reminded himself that he was going to be nice, even as all the kids around him and Carter started babbling about houses and which one was best and who had won the house cup and the Quidditch cup and all sorts of stuff. Jack could feel the headache starting to form.

"Why don't we go see the candies of the magical world thing?" Sam said, wondering how he was managing to keep his temper in check with a bunch of kids all talking to him at once.

"It's a little early for sugar…"

"It's never too early for chocolate, sir."

He shrugged, and nodded, and followed her away from the crowd around the information board and hoping none of the kids followed them. The last thing they needed was a group of sugar-infested children running around.

"You've read all these books, Carter?" Jack asked as they walked back to the restaurant to get Daniel and Teal'c. No sense leaving them out of the fun, after all.

She nodded.

"The ones that have come out. There are only four, now – but there are supposed to be seven by the time the series is finished."

Jack shook his head, but didn't ask her why she'd started reading the series. She was an aunt, and it was pretty obvious that kids liked this whole Harry Potter thing, so that was probably the reason. He didn't have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out, after all.

Teal'c and Daniel met them at the entrance to the restaurant.

"We were just coming to find you," Daniel said.

"Well, we're going to go explore the wonderful world of magical candy," Jack told him – only barely controlling the sarcasm. "So we thought we'd come and get you two."

Teal'c gave a slight inclination of his head – not a bow, really, but close.

"I had hoped to have an opportunity to sample some every flavored beans," he said.

Jack didn't even ask.

OOOOOOOO

"I'm not eating that."

"Come on, sir, it's probably good."

"No."

"Daniel?"

"No way, Sam."

"It's not really a frog. It's just chocolate."

"I'm not eating it," Daniel said. He'd already tried a dozen other things at the table, and without a solid breakfast to buffer the sugar he already had roaring through his system from eating jellybeans, treacle tarts, pumpkin pasties and half a dozen other odd confections, there was no way he was going to add chocolate.

"Me, either."

Jack hadn't tried many other candies, either – not being the sort to try new things if he didn't have to – but he definitely drew the line at reptile-shaped chocolate. On the plus side, the frogs in the book – so Sam told him – were magic and jumped around. These didn't, which had disappointed Teal'c. Maybe they were a step closer to actually accomplishing what they'd come to do.

Teal'c had already popped one into his mouth and was chewing it with a look of intense concentration on his stoic face – maybe hoping it would hop around in his mouth – and Sam nibbled the head off one.

"It's good," she told them.

"That's nice."

"Daniel…"

"No, Sam. Thanks, but I really don't want any more candy…"

What he wanted was breakfast, although he was pretty sure they weren't going to have time for that now. The rest of the convention had started getting underway and they were planning on doing that whole sorting thing, soon. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be.

"The sorting's starting!" Came an announcement from one of the vendors.

Immediately the room started clearing – kids squealing excitedly ad rushing for the door, followed by parents who were intent on not losing their offspring in the mad rush.

"We'd better get going, too," Sam said, giving Jack an apologetic smile.

Although Teal'c looked as though he was more than ready to spend the rest of the day munching his way through the exhibits, he nodded as well. They turned and headed for the door, but were stopped just as they reached it by an older man wearing a bright green cloak and an odd expression on his face. He gave them all a greasy smile, and handed them each a small bag.

"A gift to you from my Master," he wheezed.

Sam gave the man an uncertain smile, and Teal'c bowed slightly. Daniel took it, figuring it was part of the whole kooky convention thing, and Jack simply scowled.

"Thanks."

The man nodded and they left the room, heading for the elevator. The hallway was already deserted, although they could hear the murmuring sound of hundreds of people only a few corridors away.

"That was odd…"

"Yeah."

Jack looked back, and saw the old man standing in the hall watching them, and a moment later he had the oddest sensation of something grabbing him behind the navel and pulling on him. He heard a gasp from Sam, and then felt himself dissolve.