Detego Celestis

AN: This is a plot bunny that has been nagging at me for a while. Second Chances is not abandoned, I'm just having writers block on how to finish it out.
The two worlds (Stargate and HP) are almost canon: SG-1 through the end of Season 10, but Ark of Truth never happens. Harry Potter through the last book, but anything JK said outside the books is not part of this story. There are parings, but this is primarily a sci-fi/adventure story, not a love story. I do have to bend things here and there in order to merge the worlds, but I hope to keep that to a minimum. This has not been beta'd so all errors are mine.

Autumn 2000

Fall leaves swirled around Hermione's shoulders as she came to a stop. She could have apparated straight into her parents garden, but nostalgia made her appear behind the church at the end of her street. She loved walking down this street in the fall, when all the trees were lit up in brilliant reds and oranges. She quickly glanced around to make sure no one was there to see her and then finished the notice-me-not spell she had added to her apparition.

Taking a deep breath of the clean crisp air, Hermione hummed happily as she made her way down the sidewalk. Fall break from the University had just begun, and she was looking forward to a few days with Mum and Dad. Ron was coming by for dinner, and Hermione smiled happily to herself at the thought. Dad and Ron would get into one of their epic chess matches after dinner while she and Mum would sip coffee and gossip.

As she approached her parents home, she saw a new potted chrysanthemum with dark burgundy flowers at the end of the walk. She knelt down to admire it just as a black sedan pulled up along side the curb. Hermione looked up carefully, sliding her hand into her wand pocket hidden in her cargo pants. The engine shut off and a moment later the drivers door opened. A man stepped out of the vehicle and looked around, pushing up his glasses. Hermione was absolutely certain she had never seen him on her parents street before, but she had been away so much she couldn't be sure. Her fingers caught to top of her wand reflexively as she pulled herself upright. The man had squinted at the house numbers and was now crossing the street towards her.

"Um, excuse me," the man spoke. American. Hermione relaxed her grip on her wand a little. "Can you tell me, is this 22..." he pulled a card out of his pocket, "22 Rathmore Rd?"

Hermione let herself relax a little more. It had been years since she had been in any danger, but habits die hard. The man was obviously harmless. He smiled at her hopefully while she took in his worn bomber jacket and jeans. Clearly an American muggle here for a visit. Visiting her parents?

"Yes, that's right," she said, holding out her hand. "I'm Hermione Granger"

"That's great." He shook her hand, then shifted slightly. "I'm Daniel Jackson, I worked with Sarah Gardner. Is her sister home?"

"Mum? I suppose so," Hermione nodded. "I just got back myself, haven't even been inside yet. Hang on, and I'll go see." Hermione turned towards the house set back from the street. "You work with my Aunt Sarah? Are you an archeologist too?"

Daniel hesitated a second. "Yes, I was. I mean, I am. Sort of," he trailed off awkwardly. Hermione glanced back at him and saw a faint colour rising on his cheeks. She walked along the side of the house to the kitchen door facing the back garden. "I don't mean to be rude, but perhaps you could just wait here a moment? I'll just be minute." Daniel nodded.

Hermione let herself in the kitchen door, and hurried inside. "Mum! Dad! I'm home!" she called.

"Hermione!" Evangeline Granger exclaimed from the pantry. "You're here already?"

"I apparated, Mum, you know that," Hermione hugged her mother.

"Of course, that's right. You look wonderful. How are your classes going?" Evangeline carried a package into the kitchen.

"They're fine, but Mum there is a man outside. He drove up just as I got here and he says he works with Aunt Sarah. Is she okay?"

"She called me two weeks ago, she sounded really excited about her new project. Is he just standing out there? Hermione, you should have invited him in," she chided gently as she peered through the kitchen window glass.

Evangeline Granger quickly opened the kitchen door. Daniel turned and smiled at her and the two quickly exchanged pleasantries.

"Hermione, could put some water on?" she asked, as she led Daniel to the sitting room.

"Of course mum," Hermione agreed. Her mum and Daniel Jackson walked into the hallway, and once she was sure he was out of sight, she withdrew her wand. Pointing it at the kettle she quietly spoke, "Aquamenti" to refill it and with another swish had the fire set just right. She summoned the teapot and tea, quickly arranging things so she could rejoin her mother.

As she walked down the hallway she could here Mr Jacksons voice. "That's true, Sarah was working in Chicago. But something has happened that I needed to talk to you about."

Hermione sat down beside her mother, who had grown very still. Aunt Sarah was her mothers only family. Her grandparents had each passed on a few years ago, both of them to cancer. Sarah was five and a half years younger than her sister, and Hermione knew her mum always felt rather protective of her baby sister. They had been so pleased for her when she had gained a position doing research in America. They missed her of course, but it was such an opportunity for her, and with the war going on back then, Hermione had been relieved Aunt Sarah was out of the country. She might have tweaked the circumstances a bit in Sarah's favour just to be sure she had been accepted into the program, but she didn't feel the slightest bit guilty about it. Aunt Sarah was brilliant; she deserved to follow her dream, and Hermione knew she would be safer. That was years ago, and Aunt Sarah was now a PhD in Egyptology. She called her mum often, so it was more than a little strange for this colleague of her's to be coming to their house. Hermione picked up on her mum's anxiety and took her hand.

Daniel Jackson cleared his throat nervously. "Sarah is a friend of mine, so I felt I ought to let you know, personally. About a week ago there was a situation at the University in Chicago. We're still trying to work out the details, but the truth is... Sarah is missing, and according to the police, presumed dead."

Evangeline Granger stared at the American. "Missing? Maybe dead? How, why!? She's an academic for heaven's sake!"

"Yes, that is true," Daniel agreed. "The department had received a shipment of artifacts that had been lost at sea decades ago. Sarah was part of the team cataloging and studying them. The Egyptian government was demanding they be returned, contesting the legitimacy with which they had been removed, and they are probably right." Daniel scratched the back of his neck nervously. "The thing is, there was an explosion. Her supervisor was killed, and now Sarah is gone. We didn't find any evidence that she had been killed, but we just don't know much at all at this point." He swallowed carefully and tried to meet the two women's eyes before him.

Hermione's intuition flickered. Something was not right, and she could sense Mr Jackson was hiding something. She wasn't very accomplished at legilimency, having shied away from such intrusive spells, but she gave it a brief try now. Daniel looked at her mother and at her in turn, and Hermione used that moment of eye contact. A slurry of images assaulted her. Daniel Jackson's mind was unusually honest, with very few layers of deception. He was telling the truth, or a version of it. An image appeared of Aunt Sarah, a red glowing jewel in her hand. She must have been shining it at Daniel. Hermione blinked in confusion and the connection was lost.

Daniel Jackson licked his lips nervously. 'What was that?' he wondered. For a moment there, as he was explaining what he could about Sarah's disappearance he had felt something like a Goau'ld brain scanning device. It was much softer than any Goau'ld's touch, in fact it was so brief he might have brushed it off as the effects of caffeine withdrawal if he hadn't felt something like it before. But the younger woman before him was quietly holding her mother's hand, and whispering soothingly to her. It was impossible that she was a Goau'ld. He sighed internally. He was becoming paranoid; seeing Goau'ld in everything, even in places they couldn't possibly be.

"We'll keep you apprised of the situation, of course," Daniel assured them.

Evangeline nodded stiffly. "Thank you. And thank you for coming. You must be a good friend to Sarah."

Daniel smiled sadly. Hermione gave her mum a squeeze.

"Would you like some tea?" she asked.

Her mother nodded, then remembered her guest. "You'll have some tea, won't you Mr Jackson?"

Daniel agreed. "You can call me Daniel."

"Daniel then," Evangeline agreed. "Will you tell me more about these artifacts? What caused the explosion?"

Hermione gave her mother another quick hug when she heard the kettle whistling. She moved to head to the kitchen when she heard Mr Jackson say, "there was a rumour the artifacts were cursed. They say that is why the ship sank to begin with." Hermione halted and looked back at her mother, whose eyes flashed to hers. The idea of a cursed cargo might seem silly to the archeologist, but the Grangers knew better. A feeling of acid slid down her throat. Her mother gave a quick imploring look before turning back to her guest. Hermione took the hint.

After finishing his tea, Daniel Jackson excused himself to use the facilities. Mrs Granger directed him back down the hall towards the kitchen, while her daughter carried the tray back to the kitchen. A few moments later, Daniel was leaving the restroom when a silvery light in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Curiosity got the better of him and he followed the silvery light back to it's source in the kitchen.

Hermione Granger was standing in the kitchen holding what was undeniably a wand, and from it's tip a pulsating silvery otter was dancing. The young woman was speaking; To the otter?

"...he says the cargo may have been cursed and now Aunt Sarah is missing. The muggles think she may be dead, but there is something else. I saw inside his memories. There was an image of Sarah with a red thing in her hand, like a glowing jewel. I wasn't in there long enough to understand it, but he knows something else. Would you ask Bill to check with the Goblins, see if they have any information? Please, Ron. It's really important to me."

With a swish of her hand the otter was released from the tip of her wand and flew through the east wall. Daniel stood there dumbfounded, too surprised to move or hide.

Hermione turned and saw the archeologist watching her, his mouth agape. Behind him, her mother was waving at her frantically. She raised her chin, and said to him, "I'm really very sorry about this, honestly I am. You've been very kind."

Daniel's eyes widened when she turned her wand towards him. "Hey now, it's okay. I'm..."

A white light filled his mind and then Daniel found himself seated in the rental car. The Granger women were standing on their front step waving at him politely, and feeling a little disoriented, he waved back. Had he walked to the car? Of course he had. Daniel shook his head to clear it. The tea had been nice, but he really needed something a little stronger. Checking his mirrors, he pulled out into the street, and headed for a place to buy some coffee.