A/N: So I was trying to sleep the other night and this crazy plot bunny lodged itself in my head. I haven't been able to think about any other story since then. And to the Nobody Likes an Eavesdropper fans, I apologize for working on this before continuing that story. Yes- I have been writing for it, it's just taking forever to put my ideas together.

Anyways, this will be slightly AU; it takes place ten years after DH in the Harry Potter series, with some notable differences (so pay attention later on) and during Carter's reign in the Stargate: Atlantis series. I know, they don't really match up in the original timelines, but let's just pretend that they do :).

Disclaimer (so I don't have to do one every chapter): I own nothing recognizable; all of that is of the original works of their respective authors or playwrights.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please review! And I love constructive criticism; it always helps my writing get better.

Dr. Madeline Marshall walked into the Prime Minister's office, as she had done many times in the past ten years of her employment as a diplomat with her government. Today she would report on her discussions with the American president on the promotion of democracy across the world.

"Ah, Dr. Marshall, back from the States, I presume?" The Minister greeted as Dr. Marshall entered the room.

Madeline smiled kindly, shaking his hand. "Yes, and I'm glad to be back."

"Well, don't get too comfortable. Mr. Woolsey here has an interesting proposition for you, one that I would be very interested in, if you accepted." The Minister motioned towards a short, balding man with large glasses, wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Marshall. I've heard great things." The American bureaucrat greeted.

Madeline warily shook his hand. "I'm sure. Although, I've never heard of you." She said bluntly.

The Prime Minister chuckled at Madeline's tactlesness. For a diplomat, she sure went straight to the point. That's what he liked about her, why he kept her around. Yes, Marshall was unique among politicians; honest, and headstrong to boot. One always knew what one's status was with her.

The only reaction Woolsey showed to Madeline's comment, however, was a slight widening of his eyes and a disdainful tone as he said, "That's because I work for a classified organization known as the International Oversight Agency, or IOA for short."

"And what exactly does this IOA do?" Madeline asked suspiciously. Classified American agencies usually meant military work, or work related to military projects. Based on the organization's name, she guessed that they "oversaw" these projects. She wondered if her government participated in the "international" portion of the projects.

"Before we get started, you need to sign this." Woolsey handed her a nondisclosure agreement, which Madeline (much to his surprise) promptly signed and handed back to him. "Now that that's in order, let's start from the beginning, shall we?"

Madeline nodded, and the Prime Minister looked eager for Woolsey to continue. "A device that is now known as the Stargate was found in Giza, Egypt in 1928…"

Two hours later, Madeline was not sure what she believed anymore. To think that her own government had participated in a program at such a scale as this for so long without informing the public was astounding; even more astonishing was the fact that they wanted her to be the head diplomat for the City of Atlantis, in the Pegasus Galaxy.

The Prime Minister awaited her response, smiling madly from the cushy chair he sat in. "Well, Madeline, what you think? Ready to go on a grand adventure for Queen and Country?"

For Queen and Country. Of course he would put it that way. No self-respecting Englishwoman would back out of anything if it was serving her Queen and Country. Madeline nodded appropriately. "Of course. When do we leave?"

"You will leave from this office in one week, when the Deadalus arrives." Woolsey stood from his chair beside her. Shaking her hand, he said, "See you then." Madeline nodded, unable to speak for the first time in her life.

"Will that be all, sir?" She asked the Prime Minister. "Or do you want my report?"

The Prime Minister shook his head. "As long as it's on my desk before next week, you are free to go get your affairs in order."

Madeline left the office. Her mind worked on autopilot as she headed out of the building and passed the front gates onto the busy London street.

Still groggy thanks to the jet lag from the long flight home, Madeline decided to get coffee before returning to her apartment.

"Coffee, black" She ordered when the waitress arrived with the menu. The young teen just nodded and smiled slightly, recognizing Madeline as a regular.

The young diplomat just sat at her table outside the shop and stared across the bustling street corner to a shop that most Londoners couldn't see; a shop wedged in between the two stores flanking its sides. Madeline could often be found staring at the Leaky Cauldron, wondering what life was like in the hidden city of London, the city where witches and wizards practiced their craft. She wasn't worried that people headed to the Leaky Cauldron would recognize her; she had aged considerably and drastically altered her appearance since she last saw anyone from that life. While she was content with the life she held now, she missed the friends she left behind in the wizarding world when she left ten years ago. There was no use dwelling on the past, she decided, since it was never going to change. She knew that there had been no real choice, that she was forced to leave, but it didn't stop the regret from cropping up once in a while.

Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard entered Elizabeth's office. Wait, he reminded himself, It's not Elizabeth's office anymore. It's Carter's office now. He still was getting used to the fact that Elizabeth had died, that Carter was now in her chair, typing on her computer. It seemed wrong; not that he had anything against Carter, he just couldn't seem to come to terms with having a new commander.

"You rang?" He asked, leaning against the desk like he always did around Elizabeth.

Carter smiled and nodded. "I'll explain as soon as the rest of your team arrives. Shall we?" She motioned to the door as she stood, and he followed her to the briefing room.

Once Teyla, Ronon, and McKay had joined them, Carter explained why she had called them together. "I received word from the Deadalus. It appears that the IOA have decided that we need a new diplomat, now that Elizabeth is no longer with us." She stopped as the team's jaws collectively dropped.

"Permission to speak freely?" Sheppard asked.

Carter sighed. She was afraid of this. "Granted". She said warily.

"Why didn't you tell them to go screw themselves?" He questioned, fuming. "We've done fine so far, and we have Teyla anyways – she's a better diplomat for this galaxy than anything we can get back home."

"I didn't know she was coming until the Deadalus was already en route." Carter explained, holding her hands up in surrender. "Trust me; I would have fought it tooth and nail had I known."

"Those bastards." Sheppard muttered, earning slight smiles from his team. "They're learning."

"Why are you telling us this?" Ronon asked Carter.

"Well, we also know that Ladon was overthrown recently in another Genii coup. I was thinking that you could take the new diplomat out to the Genii homeworld to see if she can smooth out relations with the Genii. I instructed the Deadalus to have her start reading up on the Genii culture, to prepare for her first mission."

Sheppard grimaced. He really didn't want to have anything to do with the Genii, but he knew that they would prove a valuable ally if they could work with the Lanteans. He looked around at his team; Ronon was as unreadable as ever, Rodney looked bored, and Teyla seemed concerned. He searched Teyla's face. "What do you think?" He asked Teyla.

The Athosian shrugged. "It could work. The Genii have not yet met this new diplomat, so she may be able to help." Teyla thought a second longer. "Then again, the Genii do not accept strangers easily. I suppose it will depend on both the new diplomat and the new Genii leader."

Sheppard nodded. "When does our new arrival get here?" He asked.

"The Deadalus is two days out. I've already arranged a meeting with the Genii leader a week after that." Carter finished. "Get her acquainted with Atlantis. And don't be too hard on her- she has big shoes to fill, after all, and she probably doesn't even realize who recruited her to the program." She instructed the team.

"Yes ma'am" Sheppard said grudgingly. Though he had nothing against welcoming a new team member, he hated the idea of another replacement for Elizabeth.

"Dr. Marshall, you're requested on the bridge." An airman appeared at the door to Madeline's quarters. By her estimations, the Deadalus was close to their destination and her new home.

"Thank you, airman." She responded to the young cadet. She knew her way around the ship by now; two weeks of flying time left her with a severe case of boredom, which sent her wandering around everywhere from the bowels of the engine room to the flight deck housing the high-tech fighter planes used in space battles. She now considered herself an expert on the Genii and their culture, since she was going on a diplomatic mission to their homeworld two days after her arrival.

The airlift's doors finally slid open to reveal the Deadalus's bridge. She came up behind Caldwell, who sat in the command chair at the center of the room. "Are we there yet?" She asked.

Caldwell looked behind him. "Ah, Dr. Marshall. Yeah we're coming up on Lantea now." He turned to one of his officers. "Patch us through."

"Yes sir." The young man said, punching a couple of buttons.

"Atlantis this is the Deadalus, requesting permission to beam a passenger to the surface." Caldwell said, smiling at the surprised look on Dr. Marshall's face.

"Welcome back, Colonel Caldwell. If the passenger is our new diplomat, please beam her down to the control room."

"Thank you, Colonel Carter." Caldwell replied. "I'll send her right down."

A brilliant flash of light enveloped Madeline and all of a sudden she was no longer on the bridge of the Deadalus. Instead, she was on the first floor of an enormous room, looking up at a balcony accessible by stairways arching down on either side of the room.

A blonde woman approached her, and shook her hand warmly with a kind smile. "Welcome to Atlantis. I am Colonel Samantha Carter, the leader of the Atlantis Expedition."

Madeline smiled back. "Thank you. I am Dr. Madeline Marshall."

"A Brit, huh?" A black haired man with a crooked grin asked as he walked up to Madeline. "Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, US Air Force, military commander." He introduced himself. Sheppard looked her over. Marshall wasn't that bad looking- the woman wore the simple jumpsuit most civilians on Atlantis wore, with her raven hair tied neatly into a pony tail. She didn't seem that old, either, which surprised him. It was rare to find a diplomat as young as she was.

Madeline nodded, taken by his friendliness. She noticed three other people coming up slowly behind him. Sheppard turned as he followed her gaze. "There you are. You're late." He accused the newcomers.

"No, the Deadalus came in ahead of schedule, John." The tall woman corrected. She grinned at Madeline. "You must be our new diplomat. I am Teyla, leader of the Athosians. This is Dr. Rodney McKay and Ronon." She motioned to the two men standing beside her as she spoke.

"It is very nice to meet you all. I am Dr. Madeline Marshall." Madeline introduced herself.

"Well, Maddie, what would you like to do first? Tour the city? Get settled in your quarters? Grab something to eat? It's close to dinner time, after all." John asked, obviously flirting with her.

Madeline's eyes flashed briefly. "I prefer Madeline, thank you." She easily headed off the flirtatious Air Force Colonel before he could really get going.

McKay snorted. Nice try, Kirk, he thought. "Since you obviously have the welcome thing handled, I do have some rather important work that would suffer if left under Zelenka's care for too long." He looked at Madeline. "It was nice to meet you, Dr. Marshall." He turned, heading for a door across the room from them.

Sheppard noticed Madeline's frown. "Oh, don't worry about him. He'll come around soon enough. He's not as uncaring as he'd like everyone to think." Teyla grinned broadly, remembering some inside joke. Ronon's mouth twitched briefly.

Madeline nodded. "Sounds like an old friend of mine: pompous, arrogant arse on the outside; kind, caring friend on the inside."

"Sounds about right." Ronon agreed, speaking for the first time. "At least the 'pompous, arrogant arse' part." He grinned as Madeline laughed at his fake accent. It felt good to laugh - she hadn't laughed in a long time.

A/N: So? What do you think so far? Oh, I know there's not much to go on in this chapter, but wait a couple more chapters and it'll become clearer.