Author's Note: Sorry this took so long! Real life came calling :)

OOOOOOOO

Sirius stopped them on the wide porch that led to the front door of the manor.

"When we get inside, I'll need you to be quiet in the entrance way," he said, his voice just a little bitter still. "Once we're past that part, you can speak normally, just try not to make any noise in the front hall."

"We understand," Sam said.

Daniel didn't, but he wasn't going to make a fuss about being quiet. It was Sirius' house, after all, and if he didn't want them to make noise, then they shouldn't.

Sirius nodded his thanks to Sam and then opened the door, which was well oiled and didn't make so much as a squeak. Then he silently gestured for them to follow him. With Lupin and Minerva bringing up the rear, SG-1 entered the house.

It was impressive. Not just impressive, but down right imposing, and so filled with incredible things that Daniel found himself craning his neck to look around almost immediately after they walked through the huge oaken doors. The hall they walked into was dominated by a covered something or the other on the wall. Daniel wondered if it was a picture, or some kind of window. Of course, it wouldn't make sense to cover a picture – unless they were trying to protect it from any sunlight that might reach it when the doors were opened (but why hang it in the hall if that was the case?) – which made him think it was probably a window. This was confirmed when he thought he heard a rustling noise coming from behind the huge black cover.

There were enough other things to look at to distract him from the mystery, however. He almost tripped over an umbrella stand that was hideously designed to look like something's leg – which was a little disconcerting, even to Daniel, who had seen many odd things in his time as an archeologist, and even more odd and disgusting things working with the SGC. Several other paintings decorated the walls, but all of them looked as if someone or something was missing from them – and remembering that the portraits at Hogwarts had people moving around in them, Daniel wondered if these did as well.

The hall showed that the house was old and had seen better days, but it was easy for the archeologist to use his imagination and see in his mind's eye what the place must have once looked like. Even with the peeling wallpaper and the threadbare carpet on the floor.

"This place is amazing," he said as they walked out of the hall and into what turned out to be the drawing room. "It must have been magnificent when it was being lived in."

Sirius scowled.

"It was a prison I couldn't wait to escape from."

"Oh."

Uncomfortable and uncertain what to say in response to that, Daniel fell silent, but Lupin spoke up.

"It's one of the greatest and oldest of all the wizarding houses, Doctor Jackson," he said. "Unfortunately most of Sirius' family had some rather peculiar ideas about the relationship between Muggles and Wizards, and-"

"They had peculiar ideas about everything," Sirius said. "The best thing about using this place as a headquarters for the order is that my father's probably spinning in his grave in response."

Lupin gave his friend a sad smile, but didn't say anything.

"Where is Kreacher?" Teal'c asked, looking around curiously.

"Who?" Daniel asked.

"The-"

"He's around," Sirius said. "He was the first to be disappointed that I wasn't really dead – which makes being alive even sweeter."

"Kreacher?" Daniel repeated, looking at Sam.

"I'll tell you later," she promised.

"Mundungus should be around here," Lupin said, crossing the room and heading through another door. "He said he was going to – hey!"

There was a startled squeal, and the sound of something dropping with a clatter.

Everyone turned and looked that direction, and a moment later Lupin came back with a ragged-looking man with long, greasy hair and doleful eyes that darted from one person to another as he checked out everyone in the room.

"Sirius! Good to see you, mate!"

"Mundungus was helping you clean house," Lupin said, dryly.

"No doubt one piece of silverware at a time," Minerva said with a piercing look at the little man.

"Now, Minerva…" Mundungus said, visibly putting on the charm. "You should know better than that. I'm an honest man who just happens to find himself in the middle of situations that resemble dishonest dealings."

Sirius snorted, looking at Sam and the others.

"Allow me to introduce you; Major Samantha Carter, Doctor Daniel Jackson, Teal'c… this is Mundungus Fletcher. Mundungus, these are the friends of-"

"You're American Muggles!" Mundungus said, cheerfully, reaching his hand out and taking Daniel's, shaking his hand exuberantly. "It's nice to meet you."

"Um… yeah. You, too," Daniel said, trying to get his hand back.

"I've never met-"

"Dung," Sirius interrupted. "We need to get a move on. Dawn's coming soon and-"

"Oh, I know! I know!"

Despite what she'd read in the books about the man, Sam couldn't help but finding herself engaged by Mundungus' cheerful good nature. The man was downright charming, and not at all as sleazy as she would have expected from what she'd read – although he did dress the part well, and she supposed the more she thought about it that being that charming might be a good way to make it easier to steal from someone.

"That's what we're here for, Mundungus," Minerva said, pointedly. "To find out what you know…"

Mundungus smiled.

"You're always in such a hurry, Minerva…" he said, pretending to pout. "Some day I'll have to show you just how much fun it can be to take some time to enjoy the finer things in life."

"Once you've managed to steal them?" Lupin asked, sarcastically.

"Hey, now, Lu-"

"Dung." Sirius was tired of the banter, and Sam was worried enough about O'Neill that she couldn't help but be impatient as well – despite how charming the guy was.

"Okay, okay." Mundungus gave a mournful sigh, but then suddenly became all business.

"A friend of mine – well, an acquaintance, really – knows a guy who hunts centaurs."

"Centaurs?" Daniel repeated.

"Yeah."

"But what would-"

"Daniel." Now it was Sam who was interrupting.

The archeologist gave an apologetic look to the others.

"Sorry."

"Anyways," Mundungus said, brushing off the apology. "His friend was killed just the other day – suspicious, you know? – although all deaths nowadays seem to be, don't they?" Well aware of the impatient looks on the others' faces, he didn't wait for an answer. "Before his friend was killed, my… acquaintance… heard from him – over drinks, mind you – that he stumbled on a place out in the Forbidden Forest. A place that from the looks of things, appears to hold several prophecies…"

"Prophecies?" Sirius repeated.

"Yeah. And one of them refers to someone being the Dark Lord's brother…"

"Jack," Daniel said, catching that immediately.

Mundungus looked at Daniel and then the others.

"There's no way that you-know-who hasn't heard about this," he said. "And I did a little asking around – discreetly, you understand – and found out that some seedier members of the wizard society were just as interested in this prophecy as I was. And the person that the prophecy is about."

"So Voldemort has had O'Neill kidnapped in order to hear what the prophecy says about him?" Teal'c asked.

Mundungus looked at the Jaffa, surprised.

"Yeah. That'd be my guess. The centaur hunter didn't bring any prophecies out of the forest with him – we would have heard – which means they're still in the forest."

"Any idea where this place is?" Sirius asked. "The Forbidden Forest is fairly large.

Mundungus shook his head.

"No. However… the place is said to have been inhabited by none other than Cassandra Trelawney."

"You're kidding," Lupin said.

"Of course I'm not."

"Then that changes everything," Minerva said, turning towards the door. "We must get to Hogwarts."

Daniel frowned.

"Why?"

"Because we need to find out if Sibyll knows anything about this place in the forest."

As if that explained anything. Daniel was more confused now than ever.

"I'll explain it on the way, Daniel," Sam promised. She didn't know everything, but she at least knew who both of the women were – which was far more than Daniel knew.

"Let's go," Lupin said, heading for the door as well.

"Thank you," Sam said to Mundungus, who unaccountably blushed at her warm, but fleeting, smile. He pulled off his ragged hat and gave her a slight bow.

"I'm glad I could help."

Before Daniel could even gather his wits to make some comment, he was finding himself bustled out the drawing room and headed for the door – and presumably the magic carpet – once more.

Bah.