CH26

On graduating, and even just before, she was sought after by the Ministry and Gringotts to come and work for them once she completed her education. However, she turned them all down; because, on the sly, she was working for Lord Black. Through the use of her knowledge in Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Charms and -secretly - Enchanting, she was designing wards; all while also secretly undertaking a mastery in the subjects of Warding and Enchanting paid for by Sirius.

She knew she would very soon have to take a sabbatical from those.

Dumbledore had approached her almost as soon as Hogwarts started for the 1996/97 year with how he 'thought it might be nice' if she developed a friendship with Neville Longbottom. She liked Neville; however, her Seer ability had already alerted her to how Dumbledore was trying to mould him to replace Harry in facing Voldemort. And she wanted no part of that.

She turned him down.

When he pushed, she turned him down flat. Then asked him, "What makes you think Neville makes a suitable replacement for Harry? Furthermore, what makes you think I'll willingly be a replacement for Hermione?"

He backed right off then, worried about how accurate she was in developing an understanding of his plans, but still tried his 'I'm so disappointed with you' shtick

Luna simply smirked at him and said, "I will not be a party to your Machiavellian shenanigans, Headmaster. If you attempt to push it, I will go and speak with Director Scrimgeour about my concern that an old man... you... is trying to manipulate me for... nefarious purposes."

That shocked Dumbledore so much, he stuttered, "I would never..."

"Maybe not," she replied. "However, that is what I will tell Mister Scrimgeour if you do not leave me alone. It will, after all, be the truth."

He left her completely alone after that until after she turned seventeen and graduated. Within the first week afterwards, he tried to force-visit her at the Rookery. However, he couldn't get through the wards; even with Fawkes. He'd found himself harshly 'bounced' into the Weasleys' pond.

Working with Sirius and using her Seer ability she'd created a set of war wards that, after that first attempt, would have fried the old man if he'd tried again. And had immediately sent him a messenger Patronus rabbit while he floundered in the pond, telling him that.

Instead, he was left with having to floo-call her and trying to intimidate her into letting him through. He failed.

That left him with trying to talk to her via an Order member's established 'friendship' connection.

"I believe you would make a wonderful asset for my organisation, Miss Lovegood," he said. "I urge you to reconsider. If you do, you will be working hard for the light."

"Actually, I'd be a pawn for you, Albus," she retorted. "That does not interest me. Neither do I have an interest in being a prison guard for Neville Longbottom, or supping from the unholy font of Albus Dumbledore."

He scowled back and said, "Be careful, Miss Lovegood. You're going... dark."

"Be careful, Albus," she shot back. "You're showing yourself to be... an idiot."

He scowled even harder and silently withdrew. He never tried to personally contact her again. However, he did convince others to contact her and try. They all failed.

At the SGC, Harry had been shown into the infirmary and the short middle-aged muggle doctor, Janet, had immediately ordered him to strip, dress in the light cotton clothes she was carrying and climb into bed.

'Sweet Merlin!' he thought. 'She's another Madam Pomfrey!'

However, after she pulled the curtains closed around the bed, which both gave him privacy and no chance to disagree, she left him alone to disrobe and put on the, what looked like, hospital scrubs.

With a sigh, he did just that. However, he left his leather belt with his pouch hanging from it around his waist and under the loose top and his wand holster on his left wrist. Only he knew they were there.

She came back in only a few moments later.

He suspected she either had remote monitoring on him, or it was simply from experience.

That then led to him being, unlike Pomfrey's wand-waving, poked and prodded; ordered to give urine, saliva and blood samples; questioned about his diet; questioned about the healed injuries she'd discovered; and a raft more. After two 'gruelling' hours, she finally left him alone. He'd had a plain meal delivered by a uniformed orderly only fifteen minutes later. The food, to him, tasted glorious.

Twenty minutes after that, just as he was polishing off the last of the food, the SG-1 'team' walked in and made themselves at home around his bed.

Harry took one look at Teal'c and burst into laughter. Then, every time he looked in his direction again, he'd lose it to laughter again.

"Oh, please!" he finally begged; tears in his eyes and on the verge of developing hiccups, while waving in Teal'c's direction.

"Can someone give the Jaffa a decent shirt to wear?!" The team had obviously decided to change into muggle as a way to probably get him to open up. Jack was wearing trainers, stone-washed blue jeans, a white T-shirt and a lightweight unadorned bomber jacket. A dark blue baseball cap was shoved under an epaulette. Daniel was wearing similar below the waist, but was wearing a plaid shirt with a University of Chicago zippered, but unzipped, windcheater instead of a bomber jacket. Sam was wearing mid-heel pumps, a skirt and blouse, looking a bit 'businessy'. But Teal'c was wearing olive green combat pants, black boots and... a bright baby pink 'Hello Kitty' T-shirt.

Again, the Jaffa had only cocked an eyebrow back at Harry's reaction, but again Harry could see the amusement behind his eyes.

Finally, Daniel walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a plain black T-shirt and offered it to Teal'c. "We don't want to see our new friend die from laughter; do we?" he wryly explained. Teal'c gave a short bow and said, "Indeed." He then popped behind a curtain and changed T-shirts; back only a minute later.

Teal'c silently handed it to Jack, who rolled his eyes and said, "Well, it was funny, wasn't it?"

What followed after that was the SG-1 team engaging Harry in what, on the surface, appeared to be just conversation. However, Harry could see it for what it was; a mild interrogation.

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