"Well… at least people don't really think it's real," Sam said as the group vanished to another part of the restaurant.
"Except in some instances," Jack corrected, reminding her of the whole reason they were there in the first place.
"True." Sam turned her attention back to Harry, who had been watching the two of them speculatively. "So… Harry… what were you telling Colonel O'Neill about your school?"
Harry looked at Jack.
"She can't call you Jack?"
O'Neill smiled, slightly, and shrugged, looking over at Carter.
"She could – if she wanted to."
"It's habit," Sam said, flushing slightly.
Aware that she was struggling just a little, Jack took the attention off Carter.
"Harry was just starting to tell me about his classes."
Harry nodded.
"They're okay – most of them. I take charms, and transfiguration and-"
"I don't have a clue what any of that means," Jack admitted.
"Charms is for learning how to do spells," Harry explained. "Transfiguration is for turning one thing into another."
"Like turning someone into a frog?"
Harry smiled and shrugged.
"We haven't gotten that far, yet. Professor McGonagall has only been having us-"
"Minerva is your teacher?" Jack interrupted.
Harry nodded, surprised at the familiar form of address – although he didn't say anything about it.
"She's one of them. She's also the head of Gryffindor House, so she's my house head, too."
"You're in Gryffindor, huh?"
Harry nodded.
"You really haven't read any of the books, have you, Jack?"
It was Jack's turn to smile, now.
"Not a word. I'm getting all my information second-hand."
"First-hand, really, sir," Sam said, gesturing to Harry.
"Good point, Carter. So. You're in-"
"Good morning."
Again they all jumped at the sound of a new voice – and Harry spilled his hot chocolate. Looking up, Jack saw that Minerva was standing beside their table, looking as though she'd been up for hours.
Sam smiled a greeting.
"Good morning."
"May I join you?"
Harry moved over without a word, and Minerva sat down beside him, looking at Jack for a moment – obviously wondering how he was doing, but unwilling to ask a personal question such as that one with Harry (and possibly Sam) sitting there.
"Good news, Jack," Minerva told him, taking a napkin and wiping up the chocolate Harry had spilled. "I managed to locate that young man you were looking for."
"What?"
Jack didn't have a clue. But then, it was still early, right?
She smiled.
"The boy who startled you in the elevator."
"Oh." Now, of course, he knew exactly what she was talking about. The kid whose stick he'd broken. "How did you…? Never mind..." It was probably some magical thing or something, and he probably wasn't ready for any more weird happenings.
Minerva seemed to understand, because she didn't explain. Instead, she folded her hands on the table in front of her.
"We'll arrange for him to 'accidentally' find a new one – a much nicer one."
Jack nodded. That would save him the trouble of searching the kid out and apologizing. Assuming the kid didn't run off screaming the minute he saw him in the first place. Which was probably a possibility.
"Thank you."
She nodded and looked at Sam and Jack both, now.
"Are you staying for the remainder of the convention?"
O'Neill shrugged, looking at Sam.
"Are we?"
She shrugged as well.
"There's a Defense against the Dark arts workshop this morning, and then the Quidditch match – each house playing the others, divided into age groups, of course… but I was thinking that Teal'c probably wouldn't want to participate – and probably shouldn't even if he did want to."
"Who's Teal'c?" Harry asked, curiously.
"A friend of ours," Jack said, somewhat evasively. There was no way he was going to tell Harry anything he hadn't already been told, after all. Even if he was a wizard kid. "Nice guy."
"He has a tendency to be competitive, though," Sam said, smiling. "And he's fairly large."
Which meant they probably shouldn't allow him to get into the middle of a Quidditch match. Images of kids and adults flying in all directions across the banquet room floor went through her mind – and probably O'Neill's from the expression on his face.
"We'll stick around as long as Teal'c wants," Jack said. Teal'c probably wouldn't want to join in on the Quidditch game, anyways, and he was almost certain Daniel wouldn't. "Unless you want to stay for that?" He asked her, making sure she knew that she had some say in the matter as well.
Carter smiled, but shook her head.
"I'd rather not."
She had plenty of things to do at home, after all.
Minerva gave them a tight smile, making Jack wonder if she ever really smiled.
"Then I'll take my leave of both of you," she told them, giving Jack another look, but once more not saying anything. In response to the look, he smiled – not much of a smile, just the upturning of one corner of his mouth – but it told her that he was okay without her needing to ask, and the slightly concerned expression in her eyes faded a little.
"It was nice meeting you, Professor," Sam said.
"Yes," Jack agreed. "It was."
"Likewise," Minerva told them both. "I hope we get a chance to see each other again."
"Under better circumstances," Jack said.
"Yes."
