CHAPTER 10

Hermione, even with their tutor, soon realized that for any of them to understand the energy magic used, they would have to have other experts help them. Magic incorporated many disciplines and that no one expert could help them solve it all. Hermione wanted to tackle it in parts, getting an expert's knowledge in their area before moving on to the next area.

She convinced Harry that they needed a trip abroad to talk to the leading expert in her field of wormhole theory, so they set their course for a small vacation in Colorado Springs, Colorado for the next week or two.

When they arrived they checked in at a local hotel and made themselves comfortable. They checked the phone book and found no listed number for Samantha Carter. Hermione had a picture of her from a University she had applied to but never attended. It was a few years old but they hoped she had not changed much. For two days they researched and could make no head way into locating her. They happened to go to a local eating establishment that reminded them both of pubs found in England. During the meal Hermione looked over and saw Samantha Carter walk into the restaurant.

Harry chuckled "If I had known it was this easy I could have come here two nights ago."

Hermione decided to approach her by having her sign her science paper, like an autograph. Sam sat there shocked while O'Neil began to laugh and snicker. Sam looked at her funny and then grabbed the pen and signed with a smile. Hermione then asked her "Do you know if anyone has gotten past the theoretical application of this theory?"

Sam looked at her for many seconds "Can I ask why you are so interested?"

Hermione looked embarrassed "My Husband and I," Hermione pointed at Harry who waved and smiled at them "are amateurs at this stage but we are Physics students and our studies and research had us do a term paper on your paper."

O'Neill sniped out "Oh no, more nerds like Sam!"

Daniel shot back at him "Jack I know how people with more than two brain cells intimidate you but cut her some slack." He said with a smile "Besides Sam is eating up all of the attention."

Hermione began to chuckle at their banter at each other. Sam smiled at both of them and then took two French fries and threw them at both men "I think the peanut gallery should mind their manners."

Jack stood up "I think I am going over to the British guy and see if he wants to play darts." Unknown to Harry and Hermione both of them were being interrogated for showing interest in Sam papers.

Jack went to the guy sitting and eating "Are you her husband? I think she said her name was Herman-something or other."

Harry chuckled "You know if you had a couple of more pints of the bitter it might help you remember things."

Jack looked at him and smiled "Probable not!" Jack looked into his eyes and was a little put off by the steady gaze that was returned. He expected a younger man that was slightly intimidated. What he got was a calculating glare that revealed someone who evaluated others as threats.

Harry held out his hand "I am Harry Potter and my very loveable but somewhat annoying wife is Hermione. We came over to the states for a vacation for a week or two." Harry gave Hermione a look "I thought we could forget our studies for a while when she mentions that lady with you was a noted Physicist."

Jack looked at Sam and Hermione talking "I think the nerds are having fun in their discussion."

Harry laughed "In primary school we called her bookworm. That woman has more knowledge in her little pinky than I could ever hope to have. She has saved my ass on more than one occasion because of it."

Jack turned to him and looked at him more closely "I didn't know the academic world was so volatile?" Jack questioned before turning back to Harry and watching him answer.

Harry seemed stuck for a moment and then smiled "I was trying to decide if you were being serious or not but I meant it figuratively."

Jack noticed that Harry kept his eye on his wife at all times as in he was being very protective of her. Harry without looking at him asked "Your other friend, the big black guy, how well do you know him?"

Jack looked over "You mean Murray? I know him pretty well."

Harry looked at Jack "Did you know he is not quite human?"

Jack sat his beer down and sat up straighter in his chair "All right kid. There are a few things that don't add up about you and I want to know why you are really here?"

Harry looked at him "So you do know about his condition then?" Harry narrowed his eyes "Is he a threat to my wife?"

Jack sat back "Wait what?" Jack noticed that Harry's hand had slipped below the table and all of his senses were going on alert.

Harry asked again with a tenor and strength that had Jack's attention. This 'kid' meant it as he heard him ask slowly and carefully "Is Murray a threat to my wife and I won't ask again."

Jack looked into his eyes and knew without a doubt that this kid was serious "Murray is no threat to her. He is different but different doesn't mean necessarily bad."

Harry kept the corner of his eye on Jack and looked over at Hermione. Jack began to slide his hand over to the side of the table. Harry reacted "If that hand leaves the table I start neutralizing people until I can get Hermione out of here and safe. I won't risk her."

Jack's hand stopped immediately "What do you mean by neutralize?"

Harry turned more to him but kept a watch on Hermione "I mean I will incapacitate people so they can't harm us."

Jack replied back quickly "Incapacitate as in kill?"

Harry chuckled "I am no killer but I have killed in the past to protect myself and those I love. If I am not threatened, I am no threat to anyone."

Jack looked at him and something clicked in his mind he slowly grabbed his beer and took a gulp "I assure you that if you are no threat to my team I am no threat to you. I trust Murray with my life and have done so many times in the past. I know exactly what he is and that information is classified. That is all I can say on the subject."

Harry turned to him "You work for the government?"

Jack nodded "I work for the Air Force, I am a colonel and those other three are my team. I assure you as long as you and your wife are not intelligence agents on a mission that none of us would cause you harm."

Harry looked at him and then took many minutes "You deescalated the tension and gave me information to help me understand." Jack nodded his agreement. Harry then smiled and placed his hands on top of the table "Then let me reciprocate in kind to further deescalate this situation. I was attacked in my youth by a terrorist and his criminal organization. I took him out, as in he is no longer on this world. Since then I have been attacked twice and I am leery of unknowns, it usually does not bring a good omen."

Jack nodded his understanding "What is your interest in Sam and her paper?"

Harry looked at him "I am, under law, not allowed to tell you everything I know." Jack arched his eyebrow. Harry continued "I will say this we are looking for information that will help protect ourselves from others that wish to harm me and those I love to gain a reputation and/ or retribution."

Jack asked "Whose laws are we talking about?"

Harry sighed "If I told you then it would break the very law I stated."

Jack frowned "A government or a secret organization?"

Harry smiled "A government and an organization."

Jack sat his beer down "This is getting us nowhere and me very frustrated."

Harry chuckled again "Tell me about it.

Jack smacked his lips "Let's go over to the table and sit down so I can inform my team and see where it goes. Beyond my curiosity about this I need to know if you are a threat to a classified project we are on and I have a duty to do that."

Harry looked over at Hermione "I have a unique desire to clear out and try some other means to find the information I need without involving the US Air Force."

Jack chuckled "I have the same thoughts from time to time but as I am stuck so are you. I would have to investigate and inform my higher ups."

Harry looked dejected "Oh."

Jack smiled "It's not so bad once I can determine you aren't a threat, and then I can ignore some rules if I deem it necessary. Sometime those in higher positions try to do the right thing, for the wrong reasons just to cover their asses."

Harry watched him for a moment "I guess there is no harm in talking."

They made their way over to the table and Harry pulled up a chair by Hermione and held her hand. Hermione smiled at him "Sam this is my husband Harry."

Sam and Harry shook the other's hand "It's nice to meet you. Your wife has the basic down pat and I gave her some other avenues to try out."

Harry smiled "Excellent but Colonel O'Neill has some things to say." Hermione and Samantha recognized the significance of Harry referring to Jack as a Colonel.

Jack looked at everyone closely "Harry was able to recognize that something was different about Murray."

Sam looked at Jack and then to Harry before returning to the Colonel "What do you suggest Jack?"

Jack smiled "We should go someplace quieter and discuss this and I do not think Harry is a threat to our safety, just a question as to our project." Jack turned to Harry "I promise that none of my team will pose a threat if you come with us."

Hermione looked to Harry for his answer "Ok, where would we go?"

Sam offered up "My house is closest sir."

Jack nodded "Is that ok Harry?"

Harry nodded slowly and then Jack added "I will ride with Harry and Hermione." Harry nodded his agreement.

They made it to Sam's house pretty quickly and the tension was escalated some as they sat in Sam's living room looking at each other. Hermione hadn't said much since the pub but Harry looked at Jack "I can't tell you things but if you draw your own conclusions from me doing something then I can bend this rule a little."

Jack smiled at him "A man after my own heart. So what is it you want to do?"

Harry walked over to him "I suggest I take you somewhere and then return you so you know that it is safe and then I will do the same for Sam who will recognize it for what it is. It will accomplish two things, one of which is to build some trust between us."

Jack looked tentative "Ok, I like the concept but am leery."

Harry looked at him "I will bring you back within two minutes I promise." Jack nodded.

Harry grabbed his one arm and then brought a stick out and held it up. To the whole rooms surprise they both disappeared. All three jumped up while Murray pulled his gun "If you have a stick thing on your person please drop it on the table now."

Hermione slowly drew out her wand and laid it on the table. Daniel picked it up and looked it over while Sam looked at where Jack had been just seconds ago. Sam turned to Hermione "What was that? Where did they go?"

Hermione looked at her "I can't break the statute and I do not know where specifically but it is probable somewhere that Jack knows so that he knows it is real." Hermione calmly sat down and placed her hands in her lap to wait.

Before anybody else could ask any questions Jack and Harry returned. "Whoa that was a rush!" Jack saw that Murray had his gun out and turned to him "Its' ok and you can put the gun away. Harry did not harm me at all." Jack looked at Harry "What he did is not something you can explain to make it believable, you have to feel and see it to believe it." Jack turned to Sam "I am no physicist but I think I understand why they want you involved and I believe it is safe but its' your call captain."

Sam was very curious and she stood up and walked to stand next to Harry. She held his arm while he held hers. Harry raised his stick and they were gone.

Daniel sat closer to Hermione "Can I ask what this is?"

Hermione smiled "It's my wand."

Daniel looked at her "Your wand? Like I am a witch type of wand or like a piece of technology type of wand?"

Hermione frowned "I can't answer but to say technology is not involved." Hermione held her hand out "If I am allowed I could do some things to show you." Daniel placed it in her hands and watched with interest. "Murray? Hermione looked into his eyes and smiled "Not Murray, Teal'c and you are an alien."

Jack stepped up "Wait how did you know that?"

Hermione looked embarrassed "When I looked into his eyes, Teal'c projected it."

Jack shook his head "Oh shit! You can read minds?"

Hermione shook her head "Not read as in a book but he projected a picture of his home world with his name. This is absolutely fascinating. I never imagined."

Jack avoided her eyes "None of you look into her eyes until I figure something out."

Hermione blushed "I am sorry I did not mean to invade your privacy. I just learned to do that and I don't always control it well."

Harry and Sam returned with Sam gesturing and speaking with excitement "That…he just generated a worm hole and teleported me to another location. Then he looked into my eyes and teleported me to the Grand Canyon, a place I remembered when I was young. It was the same spot I had been to. Then he brought me back here."

Jack looked at Harry "What can you tell me about the star gate?"

Harry looked ashamed "I should probable lie here but I won't. Sam revealed it to me when I looked into her eyes." Harry looked down "I am sorry I didn't mean to do that. I was just trying to show Sam some of the things I could do."

Jack looked out the window "This complicates things as what you just saw is highly classified."

Hermione looked confused "That Teal'c is alien is classified as well?"

Sam sat back "Very, very classified."

Harry looked at him "So that is why you felt different to me."

Daniel took that moment to interject his thoughts "So let me get this straight. You are a witch and you can do magic with this? Magic is real?"

Harry rubbed his thighs "If word gets out that I told this to non-magicals I could go to jail, a wizards prison to be precise." Harry looked around and saw Jack perk up.

Jack stated quickly "I show mine if you show me yours?"

Harry turned red "Yes, because had I known that I was doing something this wrong I would have never read Sam's mind or come to you at all."

Jack smiled "Harry I believe you and besides this should help our discussion along tremendously."Jack sat down "I can't make any promises about the secret you got from us and I do have to report the breech."

Harry chuckled "It will at that and I think I understand. I also have something to offer to ease your minds about it being revealed to us. We are magical humans and we were born and raised on this planet. Our society has hidden itself from mundanes because of our past experience of our kind being slaughtered when you found out."

Daniel asked quickly "So the witch trials were about killing witches and wizards?"

Harry answered "Yes and it wasn't pretty. Hermione and I believe that magic is a form of energy that has never been classified. We are studying Physics to find out how to track and confirm this energy."

Sam continued "Your form of travel is to make a small wormhole and going through it and is the reason you sought me out."

Hermione answered "When I originally read your paper your physical characteristic description led me to believe that we generate a mini worm hole."

Harry then added "The trouble is we have transfiguration and charms too." Harry transfigured the coffee table into a dog before he charmed it to act like one. Everyone was amazed.

Sam asked a quick question "I felt a tingle on my skin when you waved your wand. Is there any other physical manifestations that a spell would cast?"

Hermione answered "For magicals we can see a light associated with a wand casting and for mundane's only a select group of spells give off light you can see."

Sam smiled "Please tell me that different spells are different colors?"

Hermione laughed "Yes, a stunner is red, a killing curse is green, and we have others that are every color of the rainbow."

Sam stood up and paced in thought "I think your conclusion that magic is a form of energy is absolutely correct. The different spell colors indicate differing states or frequencies. The fact that mundanes only see certain spells most likely means they are in a normal human's sight spectrum. Have you checked the electrical characteristics of magic?"

Harry sighed "I have tried with a voltmeter and an oscilloscope but mundane electrical devices don't handle magic very well, they blow up and usually I have to fix the power supply. I can't find materials that can withstand the magical power. I have tried magic around them and can get a wave form for a few seconds or until I overpower the equipment with the spell."

Hermione added "We don't generally use electrical appliances or devices in Wizard homes."

Jack asked "Well how do you heat or light your home then."

Harry answered by casting a flame in the palm of his hand "We use magic and/ or runes to accomplish the same and we have been doing it for thousands of years."

Sam was still pacing and stated "So the problem is that magical energy is very powerful and/ or not compatible to our electrical devices."

Harry looked up "What do you mean by not compatible with our equipment."

Sam smiled "Like crossing the wires on your battery and having the battery blow up."

Harry rubbed his hands over his face "Or having your power supplies blows their circuits." Harry smacked his head "I didn't even consider that, how stupid can you get?"

Hermione smiled up at him and batted her eyes "Hey Potter that is my job calling you stupid."

Harry and everyone else chuckled "Yes well you should have called me that a couple of months ago and a saved a few power supplies."