4- Solitudes and New Friendships

Antarctica, Earth

As they made their escape from P4A-771 under heavy Goa'uld weapons fire, a mysterious malfunction in the Stargate caused Colonel Jack O'Neill and Captain Samantha Carter to become separated from Daniel Jackson and Teal'c. Jack and Sam found themselves stranded on what they believed was an ice planet, not knowing they actually arrived in Antarctica through a second undiscovered Stargate located in a cavern beneath the surface. After placing a splint on Jack's broken leg, Sam searched the cavern until she finally located the Dial Home Device (DHD) buried under ice. Sam worked for several hours to chip away at the ice, discovering two frozen Jaffa Serpent Guards in the process. Once enough of the DHD was finally uncovered and Sam had enough time to examine the control panel, she dialed Earth's Stargate address. Nothing apparently happened and Sam was about to say "Damn it!" when suddenly the Stargate activated with the splash-like unstable vortex followed by the formation of the water-like event horizon. Believing she had succeeded in dialing Earth, Sam immediately used her G.D.O. to begin transmitting the iris code through the Stargate before focusing her attention on helping her wounded CO. She didn't notice a mysterious beam of light momentarily shooting through the activated Stargate. Sam held Jack's arm over her shoulder to help him remain on his feet as the two stepped through the Stargate.

***scene break***

Einar's World

Captain Samantha Carter emerged from the Stargate on the other side and still helping Colonel Jack O'Neill remain standing. Sam was about to call for medical assistance to the embarkation Room when she realized almost right away that something was very wrong.

"Captain, I don't think there's supposed to be any trees in the gate room."

"There isn't, sir. I must've somehow misdialed," said Sam in a distraught tone.

Jack shook his head as he replied, "First Daniel and now you? Oh for crying out loud..."

Sam and Jack were standing in the middle of a fog-filled forest with the Stargate right behind them. Though the trees and fog obscured much of the night sky, Sam much to her astonishment spotted the ringed blue-green planet and realized that the world they gated to wasn't technically a planet but a large moon. Jack began coughing once again and appeared to be in pain as he did so. Sam immediately and very gently helped Jack lie down in the grass.

"Please hang in there, sir. I'm gonna to try dialing Earth again."

Sam walked over to the DHD and studied it for a moment until she was able to determine the symbol for the point of origin. She started to dial Earth's address on the DHD only to notice halfway through that she wasn't hearing any sound from the Stargate nor were the symbols she pressed lit up. A quick glance towards the Stargate showed that none of the chevrons had not engaged.

"Oh this can't be good," said Sam as she pressed the first symbol repeatedly with no response.

Sam looked under the DHD control panel to make sure all the control crystals were still connected and intact which they were. However nothing happened when she attempted to dial again.

"Okay this is definitely very bad."

Sam walked back over and knelt down to check on her CO. She did her best to hide her expression unfortunately Jack saw right through her.

"Carter, I know that look," said Jack as he then looked over at the Stargate. "Why isn't the Gate working?"

Sam shook her head as she replied, "I don't know sir. The DHD appears to be intact but for some reason there's no power."

"So in other words the batteries are dead and the closest RadioShack is about a million miles away."

Sam was barely able to stifle a laugh as she replied, "That about sums it up, sir. Fortunately the good news is that we are no longer dealing with subzero temperatures. Plus with a forest like this, there is bound to be some water nearby."

She took off her green BDU jacket, folded it up, and placed it under Colonel O'Neill's head as a pillow. She then stood up, put her web vest back on, and grabbed her rucksack as she prepared to leave.

"I am going to try to find some water, sir."

Jack nodded weakly as he replied, "Well I don't think I'm going anywhere."

After double checking to make sure she had everything she needed, Sam headed off into the forest. She looked back for a moment and saw that the trees already blocked her view of the clearing. She sighed as she continued deeper into the forest and listened very carefully for any sign of running water.

She eventually spotted something that seemed out of place among the trees. A closer inspection revealed that it was an obelisk that appeared very old and was partially covered in plant growth. While the design of the structure itself was unfamiliar, she did recognize the writing carved into the sides as being from one of the members of the Alliance of Four Great Races. Sam continued into the forest in search for water, making a mental note to tell Daniel about this unexpected discovery once she got back to Earth.

After walking through the woods for what seemed like ages, Sam eventually arrived in another clearing and spotted the lake nearby. She walked up to the lake, knelt down, and filled both canteens with water. She then prepared to head back towards the Stargate when she spotted something on the ground further down the shore that looked out of place. As Sam slowly walked over for a closer look, she gasped when she realized it was a human child who couldn't be more then 10-12 years of age. She knelt down and attempted to awaken him. Concerned when he didn't awaken as well as spotting signs of injuries, she quickly checked his pulse and sighed in relief when she found it. She then retrieved the first aid kit from her rucksack and went through the contents for anything that might help him. She applied an alcohol pad to the cut on his cheek before covering it with a bandaid. Upon getting a closer look at the bruising on the boy's abdomen, Sam concluded that he was in need of Janet Fraiser's expertise and decided to bring him with her.

After looking around for a moment and seeing no sign of any adults, Sam carefully lifted the child up from the ground. When she saw what appeared to be an artificially crafted stick on the ground next to where the boy was lying, she assumed it was his and picked it up to bring along just in case. On the way back, Sam was wondering how such a young child found his way to a seemingly uninhabited world. Was he abandoned or had he run away from home? As Sam looked at him closely, she concluded from his clothing and glasses that he was probably from a world at or near the same technological level as Earth. She noted that his clothes appeared many sizes too large for him however she didn't rule out the possibility that might be normal on his world. However she had a very bad feeling about how he was hurt so badly.

Upon reaching the obelisk, Sam decided it was time to rest for a bit since she was feeling tired from carrying the boy and she didn't want to risk dropping him by accident. She sat down on the ground with her back rested against the obelisk and then rested the boy's head on her lap. Sam looked at the artificially crafted stick that she believed belonged to the child and felt a certain familiarity with it. She eventually recalled her favorite cousin Savannah owning a similar object. This recollection resulted in her thinking back to her childhood when she practically lived next door to her cousin. When she was about to start the 5th grade, her father was transferred to an Air Force base close to Savannah's hometown. Needless not say Sam was excited she was going to be going through the 5th grade with her favorite cousin instead of just spending the summer with her. Their classmates and even their teachers commented how the cousins could easily pass for twins since they looked similar to one another, shared many of the same hobbies, and even matched intelligence. The following summer, they often went camping in the mountains together and would on many occasions beg their dads to bring them to the observatory since both shared an interest in astronomy. She was looking forward to attending middle school with her cousin as well. However that changed on Savannah's eleventh birthday when she was invited to some boarding school for special children in Massachusetts. Fortunately they still spent the Holidays and summers together though she had to admit that school just wasn't as fun without her favorite cousin.

Sam decided she needed to get a move on. She carefully stood up, slipped the artificially crafted stick into one of her cargo pockets, gently picked the child back up, and headed off in the direction of base camp. Everything she emerged from the trees into the clearing where the Stargate was located. After carefully placing the young boy on the ground, she turned her attention towards her wounded CO.

"Sir. Sir, I'm back." When Jack didn't immediately respond, Sam tried again as she gently nudged his shoulder. "Sir, please wake up."

Colonel O'Neill's eyes slowly opened as he mumbled a reply, "Carter?"

Sam nodded with a relieved expression as she opened up a canteen and held it up to Jack's lips so he could drink some water. After taking in a big gulp, he coughed slightly.

"Better, sir?" asked Sam before she drank some water as well.

Jack nodded as he mumbled, "Peachy."

"I'll be right over here, sir," said Sam.

Sam walked back over to the young boy with the first aid kit and knelt down beside him. Jack glanced over and saw Sam tending to the unfamiliar child.

"Uh Carter?"

"I found him unconscious when I was collecting water."

"He was all alone?" asked Jack in a surprised tone.

"Yes sir. He's hurt very badly and I couldn't just leave him back there."

"At least Cassie will have a new playmate when we get back to Earth," said Jack as he rested his head back down and stared up at the night sky.

Sam nodded in agreement as she thought about the boy's situation. Even if his family was still alive, she couldn't help but wonder if they might've been responsible for his injuries. If child abuse was indeed the case, he would almost certainly be better off on Earth. Sam noticed that the band-aid she had placed over the cut on the boy's cheek needed to be changed out. After carefully removing the band-aid, she began to apply another alcohol pad when she noticed something peculiar. The cut that she was treating was no longer there. It was as though it had healed sometime after she applied the band-aid. As a matter of fact, it now appeared all of the boy's injuries had somehow healed in less than an hour. Even the severe bruising on his abdomen was gone as though it were never there. As far as Sam knew, such rapid healing was theoretically impossible unless... Sam's eyes widened when she remembered the Argosians and how they were subjected to Goa'uld experiments involving nanites that caused them to age rapidly. If nanites were indeed the case here, it would imply that their purpose might be enhanced healing. Sam shuddered at the thought that this poor child might've been part of a medical experiment and that beating him within an inch of his life was a means for testing some new prototype nanotechnology.

Sam was brought out of her thoughts when the boy tensed up and began moaning in pain. When she saw that the child was bleeding and determined that his lightening-bolt scar had somehow opened up, she went through the first aid kit again. However she stopped when a bright flame-like light appeared along the reopened cut on the child's forehead. As she looked closer, she noticed something peculiar emerging with the bright light; a dark eerie-looking mist that almost seemed to be alive. Sure enough, the mysterious mist assumed a ghostly humanoid figure with red eyes and was floating over the child. Almost immediately afterwards, a glowing silvery mist also emerged and quickly enveloped the ghostly figure, which seemed to cause it to scream out in pain. The ghostly figure then appeared to disintegrate and the eerie screaming had ceased at that moment. The silvery glowing mist then appeared to go back into the boy's forehead and the cut had closed up until his lightening-bolt scar was back to the way it was before.

"Holy Hannah! Did you see that, sir?"

Sam was about to glance towards Jack when she noticed that the boy had begun to stir so she turned her full attention to the child, hoping that he had recovered fully despite whatever that thing was that was apparently infesting him. Eventually, the child's bright green eyes opened and were staring right up at her.

"Hey there," said Sam with a friendly smile.

The boy slowly sat up and looked around for several moments as he took in his surroundings. Sam felt that a formal introduction was in order.

"My name is Samantha Carter but you can just call me Sam. What's your name?"

The boy looked into Sam's eyes for a moment as though he appeared to be in deep thought before finally speaking.

"Hello Sam, I'm Harry. Harry Potter," said the boy as he shook Sam's hand.

Harry looked like he was about to say something else but instead tilted his head slightly as though he were in deep thought and made a peculiar hissing sound, similar to that of a snake or an agitated cat. For reasons she couldn't explain, Sam felt a shiver move up and down her spine from hearing this.

"Are you alright?" asked Sam.

"Sorry. Accidentally bit my tongue," answered Harry.

"Ouch, that sounds painful," said Sam.

Harry nodded with agreement as he looked around the night sky, wondering how he was going to get back home. His eyes widened and he turned to face the nearby Stargate. He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Sam asking him a question.

"So where are you from, Harry?" asked Sam with curiosity.

"Oh, Little Whinging. It's a small town located in England," said Harry.

Sam looked at Harry with surprise. "England? There's an England on my home world too."

"Really? What's the name of your home world?" asked Harry just as surprised as Sam was.

"It's called Earth," answered Sam.

Harry just looked at Sam with disbelief as he exclaimed, "What?! But...but that's the name of my home world too."

Sam's expression became one of amazement as she replied, "What? Are your sure?"

Harry nodded with a perplexed look as he said, "I am. England is part of Great Britain which is an island country off the coast of mainland..."

"Europe," finished Sam for Harry who nodded with the same baffled look. "But how is this possible?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders as he replied, "I don't know, Sam. One moment I was in Little Whinging and the next I found myself standing by some obelisk on this unknown world," said Harry.

Sam was a bit surprised by Harry's answer. She had assumed that when he arrived on this world, someone had placed him by the lake while he was unconscious. But according to him, his point of arrival was the obelisk she saw earlier and that he was obviously conscious since he had walked all the way to the lake. No doubt he stopped to get water and that's probably when his injuries overwhelmed him.

"When did you get here? asked Sam with curiosity.

Harry stood there for a few moments in deep thought before answering. "About five hours ago."

Sam's eyes widened as she quickly looked at her watch with amazement. According to Harry, he got here at around the same time as her and Jack did. As Sam was trying to think of some reasonable explanation for this coincidence, Harry looked in the direction of the Stargate once again. He was about to say something when he spotted someone lying on the ground. Since he was wearing the same olive drab green clothing as Sam, he knew that they had come to this world together through the Stargate. At the moment however, it appeared that the person in question was gravely injured.

"What happened to your friend?" asked Harry with a tone of concern in his voice.

Sam's eyes widened in realization as she glanced towards her commanding officer.

"Sir, are you still with me?"

When Jack didn't respond, Sam walked over and knelt down beside him as she gently shook his shoulder in an effort to wake him up. Unfortunately Jack wouldn't wake up and Sam was beginning worry that he had run out of time. In addition, he appeared very pale and he was having difficulty breathing.

"Please don't do this, now wake up!" pleaded Sam with tears in her eyes.

Harry walked up next to Sam and placed his hand on her shoulder as he said, "I might be able to help him."

"How?" asked Sam who was puzzled as to how such a young boy could possibly save her commanding officer.

Harry sighed as he said, "I am a wizard." Recognizing the skepticism in Sam's face, Harry continued, "I have the ability perform magic."

"I thought magic didn't exist. How is this even possible?" asked Sam in disbelief.

"It would take some time to explain and I don't think your friend has that long. Technically I am not even supposed to be telling you because of the Statute of Secrecy. Now will you please allow me to help him?" replied Harry.

Sam looked at Harry with uncertainty. She had always believed there was no such thing as magic and that everything could simply be explained by science. However, despite the far-fetched nature of what Harry was telling her, he was offering her a way to save her commanding officer's life. Since she was fresh out of ideas, she eventually decided that she didn't have anything to lose. She reluctantly gave Harry a nod and turned back towards Jack.

"I promise I will do everything I can for him," said Harry.

Harry then knelt down in front of Jack next to Sam and reached inside his pocket. His eyes widened and he began frantically checking his other pockets as though he were trying to find something and not having any luck.

Sam noticed and asked, "What's wrong, Harry?"

"My wand is missing! I must've dropped it by the lake where you found me. We're gonna have to go back for it."

Sam just looked at Harry with a perplexed expression for several moments. She then remembered the object that she suspected belonged to the boy and wondered if that was what he was looking for. She removed the artificially crafted stick from her cargo pocket and showed it Harry.

"Is this what you're looking for?" asked Sam.

Harry sighed with relief and retrieved his wand from Sam as he replied, "Yes it is, thanks."

Harry looked at Jack, pointed his wand towards him, and closed his eyes as he concentrated. Eventually, the boy's wand began to glow slightly as energy flowed from it and into Jack's chest. Sam could only watch in wonder as she made a mental note to reevaluate what she knew about the laws of physics once she returned to the SGC. Eventually Jack's skin color had begun to return to normal and his breathing had greatly improved. Sam stood nearby with an expression of hope as the young wizard continued his work in helping the injured colonel. Eventually, Jack slowly awoke and was now looking up at the young boy kneeling beside him and illuminated in a light that seemed to surround him.

"Charlie?" asked Jack in a whisper.

Harry lowered his wand and the light subsided. Sam felt both relieved and astonished about Jack's unexpected improvement thanks to a young boy possessing abilities she always believed to be the subject of fantasy. It was clear to her now that Harry wasn't exaggerating when he said he was a wizard.

"His condition has improved however he is still in dire need of a qualified healer," said Harry.

Sam nodded understandingly as she knew her commanding officer would still have to spend of time in the infirmary under the care of Doctor Janet Fraiser. Still she hugged Harry to show her gratitude.

"Carter, what's going on?" asked Jack.

"Welcome back, sir," said Sam with a smile.

"Thanks, captain. Now will someone please tell me what is going on?"

Harry and Sam looked at one another, both knowing that this was going to take sometime to explain.

***scene break***

With the improvement of Jack's condition, Sam decided to turn her attention back to the DHD. She removed the power crystal and looked it over for signs of any damage. When she couldn't find any, she turned her flashlight on and looked under the panel. However the light flickered and died out seconds later.

"Damn it!" exclaimed Sam under her breath.

As Sam tried shaking the flashlight in a vain effort to get it to light up again, Harry stood next to her and withdrew his wand from his pocket.

"Allow me, Sam. Lumos," said Harry, causing his wand to illuminate.

"Thank you," said Sam with a smile.

"Wow," said Jack, who was lying on the ground nearby watching.

The Air Force colonel was impressed with how Harry's wand was providing even better illumination then the standard issue GI flashlight ever could. Jack thought back to how Harry had explained he was a wizard. Naturally Jack was skeptical even when Sam nodded in confirmation. Seeing Harry use some kind of levitation charm to make his rucksack and a nearby rock fly was rather intriguing though he suspected the child was using strings. What really convinced Jack that Harry was indeed a wizard was when he used that same levitation charm to cause Sam to float several yards above the ground. Both he and Harry had a good laugh as Captain Carter frantically demanded to be let down immediately. It was then that Colonel O'Neill realized that Harry had used his magical abilities to heal his life-threatening injuries and that the illumination he witnessed surrounding the young boy wasn't his imagination.

Another thing that really amazed Jack was the fact that Harry was apparently also from Earth and had arrived at virtually the same time as he and Captain Carter had. Even though he didn't consider himself an expert, he was certain that couldn't be a coincidence. Almost as though they gated from Earth despite their surroundings suggesting an ice world. Sam theorized the possibility of a second Stargate on Earth besides the one currently at the SGC. Jack was almost certain if that were true, then the second gate must be located in a remote location covered in a glacier. That narrowed it down to Antarctica, Greenland, the Himalayas, and a few other locations. The biggest mystery now remaining was how a connection was even able to be established at all and why dialing Earth's address had sent them to this place.

Meanwhile, Sam continued her work on the DHD. From what she could tell, there wasn't anything wrong with the device except for the fact it just wasn't drawing any power. She then remembered her CO's remark about the batteries being dead and quickly located the power crystal.

Sam glanced towards Jack as she said, "Sir, I'm going to try disconnecting the power and reconnecting again."

With that, Sam disconnected the DHD power crystal and waited several seconds. She then reconnected it, stood back up, and attempted to redial Earth's address. However nothing happened as before and Sam sighed in frustration. Harry walked up to the DHD and looked it over very closely. He then looked up at the Stargate itself and closed his eyes momentarily as he appeared to be in deep thought. Sam noticed how Harry's expression had changed slightly though she assumed it was because he had a lot on his mind. The two were interrupted by Jack who made a sound of clearing his throat. Harry and Sam both turned to face the colonel.

"How about using your magic to recharge the batteries?" asked Jack.

Sam looked at Jack with astonishment, surprised she hadn't thought about that earlier. Harry however had a look of uncertainty and closed his eyes for several moments as he appeared to consider Jack's suggestion.

"I'm not certain that would be a good idea. Muggle technology has a tendency to short out when exposed to magic. It's probably the reason why the wizarding world is over a century behind..."

Harry paused and he appeared to be in deep thought once again. During the short silence, Jack looked at Sam as he silently mouthed "Muggle?" and she just shrugged her shoulders in response. Harry then spoke again.

"However this technology is completely different and far more advanced so it's possible your solution might still work."

Harry then turned back towards the DHD and stared it down for nearly a minute as he considered his options. The young wizard then took a deep breath and pressed it up against the power crystal. Jack and Sam both watched closely and waited in anticipation. Harry's wand soon began to glow as energy was visibly flowing into the DHD power crystal. Eventually control crystals began to light up one-by-one until finally the central control crystal itself was glowing brightly. Jack and Sam looked at one another as they both quietly mouthed 'wow'. Harry meanwhile had lowered his wand and turned to face the two Air Force officers.

"I think it worked but I don't know for how long," said Harry.

Jack nodded as he said, "Dial us home, Carter. And please please do try to get it right this time."

"Yes sir," said Sam with a small laugh.

Sam closed the control panel, aka "key pad", and attempted to dial out. However before she could even press the first key, the DHD had suddenly gone dark again. She looked at the darkened control panel with a stunned expression before glancing towards Harry who was obviously just as baffled as she was by this unexpected setback. Colonel O'Neill looked at the DHD for a few moments before he carefully adjusted his position until he was close enough to the device and then gave it a hard kick. Sam turned to face Jack in order to protest his rather blunt move when suddenly the DHD lit up once again. Sam and Harry both looked between the now-working DHD and Colonel O'Neill with shocked expressions on their faces.

"Well my work here is done," said Jack with a shrug of his shoulders.

Harry laughed a bit at Jack's remark while Sam began to dial Earth's Stargate address. This time the chevrons on both the Dial Home Device and the Stargate itself had begun to light up. Once Sam had finished dialing all seven symbols, she pressed the central activation button. The Stargate immediately activated with the splash-like unstable vortex followed by the event horizon that resembled a shimmering puddle of water.

"It worked!" said Sam excitingly.

While Sam used the G.D.O. on her wrist to transmit the iris deactivation code through the open Stargate, Harry walked up next to Jack who smiled at him.

"Looking forward to going back home, kid?" asked Jack.

Harry just shrugged his shoulders as he watched the Stargate. He was happy he might still make it to Hogwarts though he wasn't particularly looking forward to seeing the Dursleys again. Jack saw his apprehension and wondered what was wrong. However, before he could ask, he was interrupted by Sam.

"Excuse me? The code has been transmitted and the iris should be opened by now."

"Good work, captain. Now help me up so we can get off this godforsaken planet," said Jack.

"It's a moon, sir," commented Sam as she helped him to his feet.

"I knew that," said Jack in an obvious effort to cover his mistake.

"Yeah, sure you did," commented Harry sarcastically.

With Captain Samantha Carter helping Colonel Jack O'Neill to remain on his feet and Harry Potter standing on the opposite side of the former, the three of them stepped through the Stargate.