Nobody Said it Would be Easy – Chapter 7

Disclaimer: See Prologue
Rating: PG-13 for action and a little m/m PDA.
Author’s Notes: Yay! I actually had time to finally write! Life has been hectic, but I am slowly getting back to a regular schedule. Good news for you readers, huh? So the following is my latest chapter, no smut, but I am actually trying to add a little plot in with the smuttiness… perverts you! ***Grins*** I am working on the next chapter for A Love to Beat the Darkness Back so the next chapter for this story will be a little while, but we are two chapters away from the end and I am so excited. I have detailed notes on the final two chapters all written up so hopefully that will cut down on your wait time.

So, here we go… remember, reviews are like manna from heaven to this author and greatly appreciated!

Chapter 7

“I hope you know that if they decide to have you extradited and you have to run, I’m going with you and Teddy…” Jack breathed quietly into Harry’s ear; Jack’s softly whispered words acted like a balm to his tortured nerves. Harry lay on his side with Jack spooned behind him, his arms holding Harry tightly as Jack nuzzled the skin behind Harry’s ear.

It had been two days since General Hammond had talked to Harry and Jack and as of yet, no decision had been made of what to do with Harry. From the outside, Harry’s life looked to be the same as it had before the news was given, he continued to live and work as if it were any other day but, from behind closed doors Harry and the Weasleys had begin quietly packing up their most precious possessions, ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

When General Hammond had returned to Colorado, face pulled tight with worry and jetlag, he had made an impromptu visit to Harry’s home. He had told them that as of his conversation with the president he was optimistic that the president would side in Harry’s favor, but the president was due to meet with the Director of the American Department of Magic within a few days to discuss it more in depth.

“Jack… I can’t ask you to leave, your needed here, your life’s here…” Harry said softly, all the while his heart picked up in speed and his body tingled in happiness, putting every effort into restraining the instinct to cling to Jack and thank whatever deity listening for answering his whispered prayer.

Jack rolled Harry to his back and leaned over him, their bodies sliding together as if a lock and it’s key. Looking down at Harry, Jack cupped his young lover’s cheek as he settled into the space between his spread legs. “You know I’m not good with all the mushy stuff, but I love you Harry, I love Teddy and the thought of never seeing you two again… I don’t ever want to think about that… If I had to leave the SGC, leave this life I have here… I’d do it without a second thought if it meant I continued to have you in my life…”

“Are you sure? You’d have to leave Sam, Teal’c, Daniel, the General… they’re your family Jack…”

“Yeah they are, but so are you and Teddy and they’d understand why I did it…” Jack answered with a grin as his chocolate brown eyes began to twinkle. “Speaking of which… how do you feel about living on another planet, I hear P3X-474 is lovely this time of year?”

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“Minister Scrimgeour, Auror Hanglith is here to see you?”

Scrimgeour lifted his head from the mound of papers in front of him and nodded to his assistant. A tall rotund man with a pronounced frown entered the office and came to stand opposite the Minister’s desk.

“You asked to see me Minister Scrimgeour?” Auror Hanglith spoke.

“Yes… Harry Potter has finally been located in America. You will take a team of Aurors and apprehend him before he disappears again. Take your best Aurors and do not underestimate Potter, he is a very powerful wizard and will not be taken easily. I want this done quickly and quietly so that the American Department of Magic does not become aware of this.” Scrimgeour stopped and leaned back in his chair as he fiddled with the quill in his hand. Finally after a few moments of awkward silence he leaned forward and made sure to meet the other man’s eyes. “It would be in your best interest to make sure this goes according to plan… do I make myself clear, Auror Hanglith?”

“Yes Minister Scrimgeour.”

“My assistant will have the information for you, assemble your team and get this done quickly.” At the Auror’s nod, he spoke again. “Good, now get out of my office.”

As the door closed, Scrimgeour smiled, with Potter’s arrest his public approval surely would grow enough to re-elect him. Since the end of the war the public had wavered on its approval of him. Fear and prejudice had worked for him for a while, he had used it to create new laws to give the public a sense of security from the creatures they feared and by doing so increased his favor in their eyes… but the more the fear grew the less he could counter act it. Certain groups wanted other groups regulated, muggleborns to be barred from attending wizarding schools, halfbloods to be given less privileges than purebloods… soon over half of the wizarding public save the purebloods wanted him gone for one reason or another.

However with the arrest of Potter, the public would love him again… or at least re-elect him. With their biggest fear, the new Dark Lord Potter, locked in Azkaban he would gain their favor again and stay in the position he rightly deserved.

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Three days after Harry’s possible extradition was announced SG-1 came to spend the day with them. Everyone trying in vain to ignore the giant elephant in the room and have a normal day with friends and family. Sam, Teal’c and Daniel met Ginny, Arthur and Dobby and for all involved acted as if they had just run into long lost friends. Daniel and Arthur got along famously, each eager to learn about the other’s culture, soaking up information like sponges. Oddly enough, it was Ginny who found much in common with Sam and Teal’c, having spent nearly half her life involved in war.

Ginny, along with the other members of the DA, had spent the last three years of the war training and fighting alongside Harry with the Order and the Ministry Aurors to defeat Voldemort. Since the end of the war things had not changed as much as everyone would have hoped, fighting and war still continued, but now it was labeled as revolutionist and civil war.

The day had been bittersweet to Harry. It was either a glimpse of his future life filled with family and friends, free of the Ministry once and for all or a lifetime of happiness dangled in front of him like a consolation prize for all that he had taken from him in his life and then viciously yanked from his grasp at the last moment. Harry hoped it was the former, he wanted that future life. One filled with a life worth living, years full of proud moments as a father, as a lover and as a friend… he wanted to go to bed every night and wake up every morning for the rest of his life wrapped within Jack’s strong embrace.

“So have you thought about what you’re going to do if they decide to extradite you Harry?” Sam asked finally, voicing the question that had been plain to see on her, Teal’c and Daniel’s faces throughout the day. “We can help you… the General hasn’t said it outright, but I think he has thought about sending you away from here if things don’t go well…”

Harry nodded. “We’re all packed just in case.”

“Would you be joining them, O’Neill?” Teal’c asked with a quirk of his eyebrow. “You are lovers are you not?”

It was quiet in the room for a few moments after Teal’c spoke. Their relationship, though kept secret from outsiders, was plain to see for the members of SG-1. Their friend, in the months since meeting Harry, had become more relaxed and affectionate with each new day. He smiled more, joked more, seemed to lose some of the burden that had weighed him down for so long. Jack was as they imagined him to have been before his son’s death and it was clear to all of them that Harry was the reason.

They had never spoke about it, choosing to keep it to themselves and not endanger Jack’s career in the Air Force, but each of them had tried in their own way to show silent support of their team leader’s new relationship.

“Teal’c you know how I told you about some of the military’s more ridiculous regulations…” Daniel began softly.

“You spoke of the rule of lovers of the same sex being unable to serve in your military, DanielJackson.”

“Yeah… and a part of that is not talking about it either, that’s the whole ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ part…”

Teal’c raised an eyebrow in question, but nodded his head silently.

“It’s alright, T… I figured you three knew about it. I trust you.” Jack said finally with a shrug of his shoulders as he leaned back on the couch and pulled Harry closer to him with a grin. “’Sides, now I don’t have to keep my hands to myself!”

Harry laughed as he snuggled closer to Jack, leaning in to his muscular body and resting his head on his lover’s chest. “I kinda like this-” Harry started to say as a ward alarm began to blare loudly within the room.

Harry jumped up and said, “Jack do you have any weapons at your house?” Jack nodded as he leapt off of the couch to run to his house. “No we don’t have enough time for that… they are at the perimeter and are being cautious as they come closer, but it won’t be long before they get to the house. Ginny take Jack to get the weapons. Teal’c, Daniel, Arthur… get ready to fight.”

Ginny gave a quick nod and grabbed Jack’s hand and aparated away.

“Dobby!” Harry said and a second later the small house elf appeared right in front of him.

“The Great Harry Potter Sir called, what can Dobby be doing for him, sir?” Dobby said with an eager to please smile on his face.

Harry picked up Teddy and handed him to Sam as he pointed towards the basement. “Go with Sam and Teddy and protect them.”

Dobby nodded quickly and taking Sam’s hand guided her toward the basement. Sam tried to stay but stopped when Harry spoke. “It has a strong ward around the room, please Sam, keep him safe.” Sam looked like she was about to argue, wanting to help fight, but decided against it after a pleading look from Harry. Just as the door closed to the basement, the back door flew off its hinges and a fifteen-man Auror team burst into the house.

Harry quickly sent a secession of spells towards the intruders as he took evasive maneuvers as a volley of spells were fired back at him. He grinned in pleasure as two of the auror’s were sent flying across the room, crashing violently with the walls behind them.

Teal’c caught one of the Auror’s by surprise and twisted the man’s arm rapidly, a resounding crack and a scream could be heard in the scuffle as the arm was broken, his wand falling quickly to the floor below. Smashing the wand with his foot, Teal’c knocked the man unconscious in almost an afterthought as he moved on to the next opponent.

Ginny and Jack popped back into the room not thirty seconds later both ducking as bright colored spells flew over their heads. Jack passed a Beretta to Daniel as he fired the only Zat he was allowed to keep off base across the room, hitting one of the men directly in the chest and sending hit crumpling to the floor.

“Petrificus Totalus!” Yelled Ginny, diving behind the couch as a vicious cutting curse was sent towards her. Peeking over the top of it, she sent another spell at the same man, trying again to disable him. Ginny ducked her head as a reducto spell hit the wall behind her, sending shards of wood and plaster flying around her, slicing shallow cuts on the skin on her face and arms. With one more spell, Ginny disabled the wizard as two more were taken down by her father and Harry.

The report of loud gun fire echoed through the room as Daniel shot his gun hitting one of the Auror’s in the leg, sending him to the ground with a pained scream. Daniel hurried and disarmed the man, breaking his wand into two and then groaned in pain as another Auror hit him with a cutting curse.

Harry, with a flick of his wrist sent the man crumpling to the floor in unconsciousness and raced to Daniel, pulling him to safety behind the loveseat. Trying to stop the flow of blood bleeding from several large cuts on his back, Harry closed the wounds with a few healing spells. As he finished healing Daniel, an Auror used his preoccupation to creep up behind Harry and sent an immobulus spell at him. Harry’s body froze in mid action and toppled to the floor below him. The Auror quickly moved to Harry and conjured ropes, tying him up tightly.

From across the room Jack took out two men with a secession of shots from the Zat as he tried to make his way to Harry and his capture. Dodging spells left and right, Jack quickly made his way across the room and growled in fury at the man about to aparate away with his lover. With a heavy swing of his fist, he sent the man hurtling against the wall behind him smiling in perverse pleasure as the man’s head hit it with a loud smack. He shot him with the Zat just to be sure he was out for the count and then hurriedly untied Harry.

Ginny chose that moment to kneel next to them and reversed the immobulus spell on her friend and then jumped away again as she ran after the last remaining Auror who had decided in favor of retreat. Firing spell at the retreating form, she yelled in anger when he aparated away.

“We need to get out of here before they come back with even more Aurors…” Harry groaned as he accepted Jack’s hand to help him off the floor. Harry made his way to the basement door and down the stairs to Sam and Teddy. Within a few seconds he was back with Teddy in his arms and a few potion vials in his hand. “Ginny give these to Daniel.”

Ginny nodded and helped Daniel sit up, then fed him the blood replenishing potion and the pain relieving potion afterwards.

“Get everything you need quickly and then we’re gone, I’ll call the General on the way.” Jack said briskly as he grabbed Teddy from Harry and sent him to get their things.

Fifteen minutes later they were all crowded into Harry’s SUV and making their way towards the mountain.

“Yes Sir, they came with wands waving and broke in… one got away and the rest are currently unconscious and’ll be feeling crappy come morning… Yes sir, two civilians and Harry’s house elf are with us… Agreed… we’re twenty minutes away sir… Will do, see you at the base.”

Thirty minutes later they were all ushered into the mountain brought to the conference room where General Hammond sat.

“I am glad to see everyone is alright.” General Hammond said in a concerned tone as they took their seats around the table. “I have spoken with the President and he feels this situation has become an international incident. The actions of the UK’s Ministry of Magic have brought to light the fact that their civil war has started to effect more than just that country. The President feels that it threatens our national security and is currently in a private meeting with the Director of the Department of Magic to decide the next course of action.”

“So does this affect their decision to possibly extradite me?” Harry asked as he held Teddy in his arms and tried to rock his son back to sleep. Teddy had been tense and clingy since the fight and could sense Harry’s distress.

“Yes, during our conversation the President said that he had already decided that you were a vital asset to the SGC and that the United States would not extradite you.”

Harry couldn’t help but smile at Jack at the General’s words and hugged Teddy close to his body. They wouldn’t have to leave after all.

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President Dennison had always considered himself to be an open minded person, willing to believe or at least consider even some of the more farfetched ideas about the universe. Two years before when he had taken his place in the presidential office he had that thought tested to the point of breaking. Within hours of taken office he had been briefed on the most closely guarded secrets of the United States government.

The fact that there was a secret government agency that dealt with intergalactic travel, parasitic aliens bent on ruling the known universe, parallel worlds and so much more had nearly knocked him to his knees. To find out not an hour later that there was another world, one even more closely guarded; a magical world… had definitely knocked him on his knees. Having a man appear suddenly in his office and brief him on the state of the magical world had left him in a daze for days.

Since that day he had slowly grown to become used to the strange and unexplained and if he could be so bold, had done so with a hell of a lot of diplomacy. Now, it seemed both of those worlds had collided and had become an international incident.

“Mr. President, the United Kingdom’s magical community is in a state of civil unrest and if not taken in hand will surely spill out into the mundane world very soon. There are factions spread throughout the UK, each with their own agenda and style of fighting against the government. Some are satisfied with protests and the like. Other though have begun fighting back in more physical ways.” Spoke Director Creasborn as he reviewed his department’s files on their English allies. “There have been reports of raids, public demonstrations that turned violent, use of Auror brutality and destruction of public and personal properties. Much of this is kept quietly within the magical community by the Ministries Olibiviators and Aurors, but luck is not on their side. One thing that is prevalent is that the magical community is extremely unhappy with Minister Scrimgeour’s actions and the recent laws regarding halfbloods, muggleborns and the magical creatures of the country. Sooner or later this will become a problem larger than the UK’s magical government can handle if an outside party does not intervene.”

“And the rest of the ruling government?”

“I believe the mundane government is either unaware of the civil war brewing within its country or has chosen to let it resolve itself and has yet to take any action. As for the magical government, there are many who do not believe such laws should be made and disagree with the Minister however, Minister Scrimgeour uses fear and intimidation to achieve his goals and most that do not agree with him feel incapable of removing him from office. One bright spot is the woman who presides over the Wizengamot by the name of Amelia Bones. She is discreetly trying to have a motion brought up before the Wizengamot for a vote of no confidence in the Minister. However, she is not having much luck, again because of the Minister’s power within the government.”

Dennison sat back in his chair and regarded the situation with a frown. Obviously the UK was in a worse state that he previously believed. Though at the moment the situation had not affected the American people it would soon. Every nation in the world had a hidden magical population and just like the Stargate program, its existence needed to be kept a secret. The world was not ready to learn about witches and wizards and what just one of them was capable of doing. The situation endangered every nation’s magical community if it became public and he could not allow that to happen.

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