Disclaimer: All recognizable Harry Potter characters, places, etc. belong to JK Rowling. The recognizable Stargate characters, place, etc. belong to MGM, Scifi and the creators Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright. Dialogue borrowed from the episode "The Curse."
A/N: I would once again like to thank my beta Periculum for all her help with this story. I am also not an archaeologist or an expert in Ancient Egyptian and the theories about translations are purely guess work (and most likely complete nonsense).
Rushing out of the hotel, Hermione got into her rental and merged with the morning traffic. She still felt jet-lagged, but hoped that the complimentary continental breakfast would help fix that. Reading the directions she had received from the administrator, she slowly made her way to the campus.
Pulling her light jacket closed against the morning chill, she grabbed her bag from the car and made her way to the main office. It was the beginning of spring, but a noticeable cool wind could still be felt coming off the lake. It was a nice change from the desert heat of Cairo she had become accustomed to.
Giving her name to the clerk, she was met with a friendly undergrad who would be escorting her to Dr. Jordan's office. Taking an interest in her companion's conversation about the school and its history, Hermione tried to relax and not think about the upcoming meeting.
Archaeologists were notoriously competitive and territorial about their work. She knew that her presence would be threatening to the team already at work on the collection. It also wouldn't be taken kindly that she was coming from Egypt, whose government had already set a deadline for the return of the artifacts. Her age didn't help either, but she hoped they wouldn't be too patronizing.
Entering a building, her escort led her to an office at the end of the hall. Sitting behind the desk was a white haired man in his mid-fifties. His sweater and khakis gave him the typical professor appearance, but a deep tan offset the impression that he spent all his time behind a desk. Standing he greeted the pair, "Dr. Granger, it is a pleasure to meet you. I hope Julia gave you ten cent tour."
"It's an honor to meet you, Dr. Jordan and don't worry, Miss O'Brien was a brilliant guide." Hermione said courteously.
Dr Jordan nodded. "Good, very good. Thank you, Julia. I'll see you in class later." Sensing the dismissal, the girl turned to leave, closing the door behind her. Turning his attention back to Hermione, Dr Jordan continued, "Now, lets get down to business, Dr. Granger. I understand that you have been researching the Stevart Expedition for some time now."
"That's correct, sir. I have spent the better part of the last year trying to gain access to the original excavation site. So far I have only begun the initial survey of the chamber. I'm waiting on the chemical tests of several samples to determine if any of the hazardous mold spores remain. I have been able to take some photos of the chamber and have found some unusual carvings on the walls, which appear to be an obscure form of writing. I haven't had much luck in the translation so far and would like to see if any pieces of your collection may provide a larger text sample." Staring at Dr. Jordan, she knew his interest was piqued.
Sitting forward in his chair, Dr. Jordan gave her an assessing look before asking, "Do you have any copies of this writing?"
Giving him her own searching look, she pulled out some of the photos she had taken, "As you can see, it shares distinct similarities with the hieroglyphs of the second dynasty, but displays ideogrammatic elements previously unrecorded. My guess would be a divergent regional dialect of the time, since the symbols remain closely related to other writings of the period."
"Fascinating. I've never seen the like before. How have you gone about getting a translation?" Dr. Jordan enquired, curiously.
Pointing to several symbols on the image, Hermione replied, "If you look closely," prompting the professor to take out a magnifying glass, "there are several key similarities to other writings we have recovered during this period. The unknown symbols used have elements of the ones used in later periods, but don't necessarily fit into the context of the rest of the text. By comparing the root of each glyph and cross-referencing others which developed from the same base symbol, I'm hoping to find something more workable. If I can find any more of this writing amongst the collection it could give me a large enough sample to finishing a translation."
Looking up from the photos, Hermione caught the ghost of a smile Dr. Jordan was giving her. Noticing her look, he let out a small chuckle, "Forgive me, Dr. Granger, but I have not had the pleasure of seeing someone with such an intuitive feel for the subject matter in a long time. I have to admit I was uncertain about having you come all the way here and not waiting for the artifacts to be sent back to Egypt."
Smiling now, Hermione replied, "You mean that you were reluctant to allow a young upstart to come charging into your domain and mess up the whole investigation."
Dr Jordan was equally candid. "Actually, that was only part of the concern. I have spoken with some of your old professors and they have all expressed that while you are a capable researcher, you have had problems working on teams in the past. They conveyed you seemed to keep yourself at a distance, preferring to conceal your own opinions until the very last."
Uncomfortable, Hermione tried to change the subject. "Well, I'm not too sure if that's wholly accurate."
Noticing her discomfort, Dr. Jordan brushed it aside for the time. "How about we head down to the lab and you can take a look," he asked rhetorically. "My colleagues, Dr. Gardner and Dr. Rayner, should be finishing up the preliminary scans."
As they strolled down to the lab, the professor continued to explain what work had been done so far. The artifacts were in remarkably good condition for having been stuck at the bottom of the ocean for seventy years. It was hard to say if anything was missing, as the original inventory report might have inaccuracies. The 1930's had been a dodgy time, and it wasn't uncommon for something of value to have been pilfered by a less than trustworthy worker.
The lab was a typically generic set-up with boxes strewn across all the available surfaces. The two occupants of the room, a man and woman, seemed to be arguing as they approached. Breaking up the conversation, Dr. Jordan made the introductions before excusing himself to go meet his next class.
The woman, Dr. Sarah Gardner, who appeared to be in her mid-thirties and had a head of curly blonde hair, seemed to be friendly enough, even through the initial wariness Hermione's presence caused. The other occupant of the room, Dr. Steven Rayner, was very combative and seemed to be trying not to outright insult her. The restraint probably had something to do with how he kept surveying her out of the corner of his eye.
Over the course of the rest of the day, Hermione once again had to explain her reason for flying all the way there to examine what had been recovered, and why she hadn't waited for the Egyptian government to reclaim them. She brought out samples of the writing to compare with any inscriptions they had found.
Any wariness Sarah (who waved away the Dr. Gardner, "please call me Sarah; it looks like you will be here for a bit,") had was lost as she delved into the mystery Hermione presented. Dr. Rayner also became very charming all of the sudden. He would stop by the workstation she had set up to observe her progress and discuss any new finds.
She couldn't decide if he was genuinely interested or was using the opportunity to stare down her shirt. Neither left Hermione feeling too inclined towards him. Dr. Rayner seemed to be an "armchair scientist", writing books which merely reiterated other peoples' ideas, with no original material. If he was interested in her work, it could be for less than honest reasons. Although that could just be paranoia and all he was interested in was getting into her pants. Judging by her conversations with Sarah he had been trying to get with her for years.
It was all a bit annoying to Hermione, who had only been able to arrange two weeks leave from her classes to examine the collection.
Making his way out of the cafeteria with a cup of coffee, Daniel made his way back to his lab. At the moment he was working on several translations that SG-6 had brought back from PX-517. Turning a corner, he was met with the sight of his teammate, Jack O'Neill. "Morning."
Looking up from the paper he had been reading, Jack's only response was a distracted, "Hey."
Getting a closer look at the section, Daniel asked, "What's that?"
"Um, this. Teal'c's into this stuff. I don't get it...A great week is in store for you...You'll be goin' on a trip." Jack said reading from a horoscope.
"Lemme see that," said Daniel.
"Okay," Jack replied handing the paper over.
Quickly flipping back to the current events section, Daniel felt his insides freeze. "Oh my God," he exclaimed, looking at the headline of the paper.
"What?" Jack asked with some alarm.
In astonishment Daniel replied, "He's dead."
"Who?" A completely confused O'Neill asked.
"My archaeology professor," said Daniel, looking up from the paper in shock.
It was sunny when Dr. Jordan's funeral took place eight days latter. Hermione felt detached from the other mourners. Surrounded by his family, friends and colleagues, it was hard not to feel like an outsider. She had barely known the man, but had come to respect him greatly in that short amount of time.
She had been approaching the building late at night four days earlier with a midnight snack, when a loud explosion shattered the silence of the campus. Falling to the ground, an icy cold fear began to eat at her insides as she turned to find smoke billowing out of the building she had been headed for. Rushing inside, Hermione was confronted with the still-burning lab and the downpour of the sprinklers' ineffectual attempt to beat back the flames.
Covering her mouth to smother her coughs, Hermione searched for Dr. Jordon. Feeling dizzy, she finally found the man and tried to drag him from the room. The heat was stifling and the smoke was choking her. Darkness had been closing in, when arms caught her before she collapsed and she was ushered her out of the building, as another figure grabbed Dr. Jordan.
As she was administered oxygen by a paramedic, she watched as the firefighters tried to stop the blaze. Looking over at Dr. Jordan, she could see that her efforts had been in vain. The professor was missing an arm and most of his chest had been seared off. He was declared dead at the scene.
Another firefighter approached at that moment, blocking her view. "Ma'am, could you tell me if anyone else was in the building with you?"
Shaking her head in the negative, Hermione wheezed out, "Dr. Jordan was the last...I just came back...with coffee."
Frowning, he asked, "Do you have any idea what could have caused the explosion?"
Again she shook her head in the negative. He asked a few more questions, before she was taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Hermione tried to focus on the present. At the moment, Dr. Rayner was giving his eulogy. "Dr. David Jordan was a teacher, a celebrated author, a much revered expert in the field of archaeology, and yet to the end he remained first and foremost a student guided by the simple desire to discover and understand. It's fitting then that a man who dedicated his life to reviving the wonders and majesty of long dead civilizations should himself gain a measure of immortality through that very accomplishment. I worked with Dr. Jordan for close to fifteen years. He was like a father to me. Through his many successes and some of his bitter disappointments, I'll remember him always as a, dedicated archaeologist, a kind and generous man, and a true friend."
As Dr. Rayner finished his eulogy, guests began to approach the coffin to pay their last respects. Hermione felt awkward when her turn came. Despite having lost many people in the war, she had never actually been to a funeral, except for Professor Dumbledore's.
Sensing her unease, Sarah kept close once the service ended. Since the explosion, the older woman had taken the effort to make sure Hermione was alright and could still pursue her research before her deadline was up. It was a sweet gesture, considering that Sarah was grieving over the professors death and trying to keep up with her own work.
Dr. Rayner joined them as another gentleman approached. It was obvious that both her companions knew the man, as they both noticeably stiffened at his presence.
A tone of resentment entered Dr. Rayners voice. "The prodigal son returns." Hermione remained quiet, noticing the air of hostility that had suddenly settled onto the group. She took the time to look over the stranger. He appeared to be about the same age as her companions, perhaps mid-thirties, well-built with brown hair and glasses.
Appearing a little puzzled, the mystery man exclaimed "Steven?" and with a searching look at Dr. Gardner, "Sarah."
With a voice conveying barely controlled emotion, Sarah answered, "Daniel. It's good to see you."
"Yeah. Despite the circumstances." Offered the now named Daniel.
"I know. I still can't believe he's gone," replied Sarah.
Trying to change the subject, Daniel asked, "So. What exactly happened? I mean, uh, the paper I read attributed his death to the Curse of Osiris."
At this point, Dr. Rayner decided to interject. "According to the police, there was a slow gas leak in the lab and something must have caused a spark. The whole place went up, he was killed instantly." Nodding at Hermione, he continued, "Dr. Granger said that the blast was pretty big, but she hadn't noticed any smell of gas early that night."
Noticing his confusion, Sarah made the introductions. "Daniel, I'd like you to meet Dr. Hermione Granger. Hermione, this is Dr. Daniel Jackson. He used to work with Dr. Jordan." Turning back to Daniel, she continued to explain her presence. "Dr. Granger is here working on a research project at the moment. Dr. Jordan was providing another set of hands."
Offering his hand, Daniel said, "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise, Dr. Jackson." Hermione voiced, as they shook hands.
Introductions finished, Sarah turned her focus back on Daniel. "We would've called you, but nobody knew where to find you."
Evasively, Daniel responded, "That's, uh, that's okay."
"I'm glad you're here. So how longs it been? Four years?" Sarah questioned.
"Five." He corrected.
"What've you been up to?" Probed Dr. Rayner.
"Uh, I've been busy," hedged Daniel.
Pushing for him to elaborate, Sarah asked, "Really? I've looked for signs of you out there on the fringes. There've been no papers, no research projects. It's like you fell off the face of the Earth."
Hermione could tell that the continued interrogation was making Dr. Jackson uncomfortable and that he was determined not to give a straight answer. "Yeah, it is a little like that, isn't it?" was his only response.
Dr. Rayner took the opportunity to question Daniel. "As I recall, the last time I saw you, you were giving a lecture to an empty room."
"Oh... yeah, well it was full when I started," he said with a slight smile.
In a disdainful tone, Rayner continued to mock. "Well, maybe the world just wasn't ready to hear that the Pyramids were built by Aliens, or was it men from Atlantis?"
"Steven, please." appealed Sarah, hoping to keep the peace.
"Yes, Steven, please." Repeated an annoyed Daniel.
"You managed to stay away all this time. If you're looking for closure, Daniel, I'd say you're a little late." With that said Dr. Rayner turned and began to walk away.
Daniel called after him "Always a pleasure, Steven."
Giving his full attention back to Sarah, he asked "So are you doing anything?"
"Well, I'm not sure," replied Sarah pointedly turning her gaze to Hermione.
Taking the hint that Sarah wanted some private time with Dr. Jackson, Hermione said, "Well it was nice meeting you, Dr. Jackson, but I need to head back to the campus." Giving Sarah a smile, she added I'll catch up with you later?" Before they knew it, she had already turned and started trudging across the cemetery back to her rental.
On the way back to her car, she thought about the mysterious Dr. Jackson and decided to look him up. His theories sounded interesting and were out of the box enough for her to wonder what else he had found out about the pyramids. Did he know about magic?