A/N Well, this is coming out a lot sooner than I expected. And yet, it came out two weeks after I started on this chapter. Oh well. It just had to come out in bits and spurts instead of all at once. Not to mention I wrote a few various dribbles that never amounted to anything. Oh well. It's finally here, and again I'd welcome any criticism that you have to offer.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, and if I did, I would be clobbered with a Bludger. On that note, I do not own Mass Effect. Shepard would run me over with the Mako for even insinuating that.

Chapter 2 - Time of Change

Harry just stared at the woman, this Operative, slowly taking in what she said. Raising a hand to his head, he replayed the conversation over in his mind. The rest of the galaxy? 2185 C.E.? How in the bloody… That can't be right. They kidnapped me across time itself, then? Or it is a particularly elaborate hoax.

Eventually, he regained control of his thoughts and took a deep breath. After a few moments, he looked up at the Operative, who had grown the slightest of smirks at his befuddlement. "So let me get this straight. You've kidnapped me, apparently through time, so I can serve for you humanity as a hero, until your other guy, this Shepard, is brought back to life."

The woman just nodded, the smirk slowly encroaching into her voice. "That would be an exceptionally crude way of putting it, Mr. Potter. However, if you do not believe what I am-"

Slightly exasperated by her tone, Harry cut her off. "Forgive me miss, but the situation isn't that extreme. If you know anything about my kind, you know that we are used to the idea of time travel. This hadn't is the oddest situation I've ever ended up in, either." He paused for a moment, lost in thought. "Yeah, that time in Bolivia was crazy. Not to mention the Swedish problems…" Shaking himself out of his ruminations, he looked back at his captor. "But it doesn't matter, I suppose. You have me here, now. Why did you kidnap me, though? Whatever the problem is, why didn't you just ask the Wizarding World for help?"

Her response was simply a glare at him. Turning around, she clicked away from him, calling over her shoulder. "As I told you before Mr. Potter, you will get your full explanation after you submit to your examination. I have told you more than enough as it is. However, please note that time is of the essence."

Harry just rolled his eyes, but pushed himself "As long as it is just a health inspection as you said. I don't quite trust you at this point."

The pointed accusation had the opposite effect on the woman than Harry expected. She began to laugh softly, the first true mirth she had shown the whole time. "Mr. Potter, I would have been disappointed in you if you had trusted me. Still, follow, and we'll have this done with as soon as possible."

-oo-

Indeed, Harry was surprised at the alacrity of the medical examination. Either these people truly are in the future, or it still is an elaborate hoax. Those orange hand holograms only scanned me with some kind of light, before pronouncing me done. Well, not counting the donation of blood. Somewhat reluctant to give blood to a perfect stranger without knowing what they were going to do with it, Harry objected. However, the woman did point out that they easily could have taken it while he was asleep. Besides, this Shepard isn't my enemy, and I gave my blood willingly. What's the worst that could happen? …Never mind, dumb question.

Shrugging that line of thought from his mind, he looked around at the station, taking in the sights. Nothing about the halls in particular screamed very hi-tech at him, although they were obviously muggle in origin. The smooth metal didn't look like anything he had seen before, though. There were no exterior windows that they had come across, precluding him from really determining if they were actually in space. However, there were interior windows for some odd reason. So they could see within the halls? That would be a possibility. But why not just put a door there, so they could walk through? And I thought moving staircases were silly when I was younger.

However, it was all the small details of the station that were making an impression on the man. Holographic terminals on the doors inked on and off as his guide led him through the facility. Various terminals, all glowing with blue holographs, littered the various rooms he was able to look in. Not counting those orange holograms literally everyone seems to have. Some even use them to open doors. Definitely not wizardish. Unless these are all special wands… But then again, that doesn't make sense.

Lost in his ruminations, he barely noticed as the woman led him through another series of doors, before finally stopping in an empty room. Harry glanced up at his 'host' as she began to fiddle with a series of holographic buttons on her orange hologram. Something began to activate around them that caused his hairs to stand on end. He turned his head sharply to ask her something, but before he could say a word she held a hand up, keeping him from saying a word. Grumbling under his breath, he watched as the room around him faded to black.

At the same time, a holographic figure sprang from the now pitch black floor in front of him. Harry raised an eyebrow at the quality of this particular hologram. It was markedly worse than the other ones that littered the facility. I wonder why that is…

Before he could voice any of his idle questions, the figure, a man, spoke. "Hello Miss Lawson, I'm glad to see that the Faustus Project was a success. I trust that the subject has been brought up to speed on the reason for his being summoned here?"

This Miss Lawson merely inclined her head towards the hologram. "He has knowledge of the basics of his summoning. I have not had the time to indulge him in any of the particular nuances of the troubles that we are currently facing."

Harry just sighed, glaring at the woman from the corner of his eye. "Hardly, Miss Lawson. Like I said, all I know is that you've kidnapped me in order to fight some undetermined threat until you are able to resurrect your hero."

"Indeed, Mr. Potter?" The man just stared at him, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "I would say that I am surprised, but I am not." Tilting his head to face Lawson, he dismissed her. "Operative Lawson, would you kindly leave us? I have a lot to say to Mr. Potter here, and I do not wish to distract you from your primary task as head of Lazarus Project." The last few words carried an odd weight to them, as if the man was implying something to her. She merely bowed her head to the hologram, before stepping out of the projector. Harry heard the clicks of her shoes as she strolled out of the room, interrupted only by the hiss of the door as it shut behind her.

Turning to look back at Harry, the man's expression settled back into a neutral territory. "First things first Mr. Potter. I am known as the Illusive Man. I personally am in charge of Cerberus. It was I that approved of you being brought to our time. And the first thing that I need to do before we begin, is to apologize."

Harry raised an eyebrow at the impassive man in front of him. "Apologize?"

The hologram of the man nodded simply. "Apologize. It was a last resort that we had to take, summoning you. It was never in our plans to go to such extreme regards. However, considering that our main project is still in the works, we needed someone to take his place. Which leads to you."

Harry just crossed his arms, looking at the man with narrowed eyes. "I still do not see how that justifies kidnapping me from my home, my wife."

Steepling his fingers, the man stared down at Harry. "It is because the situation is that dire. The extinction of the human race could be well at hand."

However angry he might have been, that statement got Harry's attention. "What? What do you mean by that?"

"It's relatively simple. There is an ancient race of sentient starships. Yes, starships," he reiterated after seeing the look on Harry's face. "I know that it would be rather unbelievable with one such as you, but please, accept it for the sake of the argument." He stared down at the younger man as he reluctantly did so. "As I was saying, an ancient race. And by ancient, they are apparently millions of years old. Each one. The most dangerous part is that they are capable of overpowering organic sentients. Overwhelming their mind, and forcing them to submit. It is that capability that makes them truly dangerous."

The man reached down, pulling a cigarette out of some odd container. He lit it, before puffing the cigarette to brighten its flame. After a few minutes, he continued. "To put it simply, two years ago we found geth attacking our colonies." Before Harry could interrupt to ask, he clarified. "Geth are a machine race, for better lack of term. They were created three hundred years ago, and have not been seen outside their territory since they became sentient. To wit, they had never left. Not to attack anybody, nor to seek dialogue with the other races. Which makes the attack all the more curious."

"Eventually, it was discovered that one of these starships, a Reaper, was controlling the geth. Forcing it to do its bidding. They waged a systematic campaign throughout both human and alien space to begin an invasion by these invaders." A small smile played across his lips as he took another draw from his cigarette. "You might say they were trying to find a conduit to open the galaxy's backdoor."

Harry sighed, pinching his nose and furrowing his brow. "So, if these giant spaceships are attempting to take over, shouldn't you use your own ships to fight back? Even as a wizard, I wouldn't give you that much of an advantage."

The emotion faded from the man's face as he met Harry's eyes. "It is because the last time, they were stopped by one man. Commander Shepard."

Eye's widening slightly at recognition, Harry couldn't keep the curiosity out of his voice. "You mean that bloke who you all are trying to resurrect?"

"Indeed." The man took another draw, as holographic smoke danced across the air. "It was due to him and a small band of his supporters that we were able to survive at all. According to reports I have gathered, his team singlehandedly took on entire divisions of get troopers, along with elite soldiers from every race out there. His team only ever suffered one casualty."

A low whistle sounded throughout the room. "That… is impressive. A living legend in his time, from the sound of it." A grimace grew on Harry's face. "So, what took him down in the end?"

"A trap, Mr. Potter. Something that nobody at the time expected." The man settled back in his chair, his voice becoming slightly monotonous. "His ship was attacked and destroyed, with him being blown out into space. Debris injured his hardsuit, resulting with him being suffocated in space. He then was trapped in a local planet's gravity well, causing him to fall and suffer major burns across his entire body from reentry." A dark chuckle emanated from the speakers. "There are of course other, more minor injuries. But that is not quite relevant to the rest of our discussion. What we need to discuss is you, Mr. Potter."

A frown marred his face once again at those words. "I see." Harry crossed his arms again as he stared down the hologram. "I believe I understand why you summoned me here. However, I am not quite sure I should be working for you."

A look flashed across the man's face before he spoke again, voice taking on a sterner tone. "Mr. Potter, this is not about me. This is about the fate of humanity across the galaxy. I admit that many of my methods may seem questionable. Including my kidnapping of you. But everything I do is for the greater good of humanity." After taking another drag, he leaned forward, staring intently at Harry. "Besides, if that was the only problem, I wouldn't have bothered bringing you here. However, there is a situation which has crept up over the past few months, and can not be ignored any longer."

Harry initially chuckled darkly. "At least your blunt about what you do." After a few seconds, the last few words registered. "Wait, something else is happening? What exactly is that?"

A grimace returned to the man's face as he leant back. After taking a sip of drink, he continued. "Over these past few months, entire colonies have been vanishing. While the concept may be foreign to you, Mr. Potter, there are multiple worlds that humanity has claimed as their own, and are trying to settle. Those furthest from Earth have been dropping out of communication with the rest of galaxy. At first, it was feared that pirates, slavers, or get had taken the colonies. Yet whenever reinforcements came, the colonies were found deserted."

Biting back his initial reaction, Harry tried to reign in his surprise. "But… What could do that? Do you have any idea who did that?"

The man merely stated neutrally, "I have a few ideas. I would rather not commit to a specific theory until after the next missing colony has been analyzed. Which comes to you. A few days ago, one of our colonies, Freedom's Progress, was attacked. I want you to go there and find any evidence of whom it was. Perhaps your powers could be of some assistance to us. You might discover the evidence we missed."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I hardly doubt you would need to send me on a scouting mission, even if your thoughts prove right. You've got another angle to all of this."

"Quite, Mr. Potter." The man took another drag. "I do not need you to perform this. However, if my theory is correct, I will be needing you to assist us, however temporarily." After sighing to himself, he stood up and walked around his desk, approaching Harry. "However, I will make a deal with you Mr. Potter. If whatever you find there is not sufficient enough for you to warrant staying, I will send you back. No catch."

Nodding in spite of himself, Harry acquiesced. Still, he grumbled his reply. "I suppose I don't particularly have much of a choice, either?" Not expecting a reply, he continued. "Very well. First though, two things. How did you know of me, and bring me here?"

Turning up his nose ever so slightly, the man replied in an ever so slightly smug tone. "At the very essence of my job, I am an information broker. It is my job to know as much as possible. Over the years, there have been rumors of a different sect of magic. Various old tomes randomly found, some of which made no sense individually. They seemed to be all fiction. However, after putting them altogether, I determined that it was either an incredibly elaborate hoax, or it was all real." Another chuckle issued from him, yet this one was more mirthful than others previously. Of course, a lot of balderdash had to be sorted through. Especially since you, Mr. Potter, were the focus of nearly half of these books. And all varied in their information about you."

"As for the how we brought you here, an expedition was launched on the basis of the books discovered. In a series of catacombs under London, we discovered a room full of shimmering sand. It was quite curious, I will admit. However, I assigned a group of researchers to study it. It was these researchers that discovered its powers, and eventually designed a machine to harness these powers. Faustus project grew to become a backup plan. One that I was loath to use, yet use it I did. But that brings us back to square one."

In the middle of his speech, Harry's eyes began to widen in surprise. Catacombs under London? Could he mean that he found a way into Gringotts? But this sand… sounds like the remains of the time room. "Were these caverns natural?"

The man narrowed his eyes, before answering. "No, they seemed to be man made. Nearly Victorian in design, so my teams reported." Tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair, the man continued. "Is there anything else, Mr. Potter?"

Harry tilted his head to the side in thought. So probably the Ministry then… But what happened? It almost sounds like they were… Shaking the image out of his head, he changed his train of thought. Never mind. I'll find out myself what's happen. Assuming I stay. I shouldn't, but if they need help. Stupid saving peoples thing. Either way, I have something I need to say. Stepping towards the hologram, he finally answered. "Not ask, but I have a warning."

Seeing the man's face tighten ever so slightly, he continued. "If you know of my history, the reason I was considered a hero, you know what I did to earn it first. Magic is life, at least in my world." Pausing to calm himself, Harry quickly rejoined his statement. "Magic may not have many rules, but it does not like to be used to resurrect life. And if you force it to, it often won't come back the way you intended. Even if you are bringing back Shepard by muggle means, there is a chance that magic won't like it. And he might come back wrong." Seeing that his statement take its affect, with furrows appearing on the other man's head, Harry ended with, "If that is all, Mr.…?"

A wan smile crept over the man's face. "In my profession, a name is a luxury that I can ill afford. I am called either the Illusive Man, or sir. Either way, thank you for your warning. I will be sure to take it into account." Tapping a few buttons on a monitor in front of him, he said, "I have someone on the way to escort you to the shuttle. I trust you will find him more agreeable than Operative Lawson."

Nodding to the figure, Harry turned around. As the doors opened, the Illusive Man called out one last thing. "Welcome to Cerberus, Harry Potter."

Harry just slowly breathed in and out as he left the hologram behind, with the man still staring at him.

-oo-

Walking through another series of open doors, Harry eventually realized that there was no one here to meet him. Glancing around, Harry eventually saw a man coming towards him while carrying a satchel at his side. Upon spotting Harry, the man sped up until he was standing in front of Harry. After setting the satchel to his side, he saluted Harry, stating, "Jacob Taylor reporting in, sir."

Surprised by his actions, Harry just responded, "I'm Harry Potter. Nice to meet you." After several awkward moments, he asked the question that was on his mind. "I'm just curious, but why were you saluting me?"

Jacob just chuckled slightly. "Former Alliance military. I served for many years, but retired after the get attack on Eden Prime. I eventually joined up with Cerberus, but the old habits died hard." Shrugging, he continued. "Either way, the Illusive Man put me in your command for this mission to Freedom's Progress, so I believe it is still appropriate."

Harry raised his eyebrows at that statement. "He placed you under my command? Why? I've not been in this century but for a few hours."

Shrugging again, Jacob responded, "Probably because he's expecting you to be leading this fight. It wouldn't do for a leader to be led into battle, after all." Jacob shook his head and gestured for Harry to walk beside him. "Besides, we've got the entire trip to the colony to discuss all of this. In the meantime, you might want to take what's in the satchel."

Leaning down to pick it up, Harry began to dig through the satchel as Jacob led him through the station. Recognizing the black fabric inside of the bag, he breathed a sigh of relief. He took a moment to throw his robes back on, before digging through the satchel for more. Eventually, Harry grasped his wands. As he placed them in his pocket, he asked, "So, what's the rest of the stuff in here? I know I didn't bring all of this with me."

Jacob quickly responded. "It's mostly just odds and ends. A pair of boots, since the shoes you had on aren't particularly suited for combat operations. There's also a pair of adaptive interface gloves in there, so you can interact with holograms." A slightly cheeky grin grew on his face. "You might want to be able to open up doors, after all. No knobs in this day and age. Not many at least."

Dubiously, Harry pulled out the black gloves, feeling the odd texture of the artificial fabric. "Interesting…" Harry began to put it on, but eventually halted. "You know what I am? The basics at least?" Receiving a nod, Harry continued. "I'm concerned that it might not work then. Magic has never been very friendly with technology. Especially high tech."

Jacob stroked his chin in thought. "I couldn't tell you. It's not exactly what I'd call a common problem. Accelerometers are pretty basic though, all things considered. Best to check if it works now, instead of waiting till later." When they reached the next door, he gestured to the hologram on the front of the door.

Cautiously, Harry pulled the glove onto his right hand. As he did, he watched it, expecting a reaction. After making sure it was on properly, and wringing his hands to make sure he still had a full range of motion, he raised it towards the door. As the glove made contact with the door, a series of small electrical bolts arced between his fingertips and the hologram. It was gone after a moment, with the hologram retracting and the door opening. As he examined the glove, he asked Jacob, "I don't suppose that is normal?"

The man shook his head, perplexed at what had just occurred. "Hardly. It is supposed to be seamless. It seems fine though, so I suppose you can still use them." Jacob shook his head. "I'm just glad I don't have to be a doorman."

Shaking his head, Harry continued to follow him through the station. "Is there anything else in here? You sounded like you hadn't finished yet."

Jacob answered while glancing back at Harry. "I included an omni-tool in there for you, but after seeing the glove's reaction, I think we should wait until later. I'm not particularly skilled in tech, but I believe I can get us through this mission."

Perplexed, Harry asked, "An omni-tool? What's that supposed to be? Some fancy future monkey wrench?"

Jacob busted out laughing as they turned a corner, surprising a random passerby. "In some ways, actually, yes. It's simply a go too electronic device though. It's designed for diagnostic and maintenance, although it also has repair capabilities. In short, it might be a bit too high tech for you, considering the reaction of the glove earlier."

Nodding, Harry agreed. "That's probably a good idea. Besides, I've got my own way to fix things."

Jacob raised his eyebrows, but didn't comment. Opening one last door, he led Harry to what appeared to be a large crate on the ground. "This here is our ride, though. And your first ride on a spaceship too. Sorry I didn't bring any cake."

Harry snorted. "It's fine. But I expected the ship to be a bit more… grand. Not a flying box."

Jacob just grinned at him. "Well, this is just a small shuttle. Just wait until you see some of the larger ships. I think you might be more impressed by them." Ending his musings, he led Harry to the shuttle's opening door. "Just settle in. I'll tell the pilot we're ready to leave."

Taking a seat near the end of the shuttle, Harry slung the satchel to his side and took out the boots. Lamenting the lack of a window on the shuttle, he slowly pulled his new boots on, making sure they were latched securely. By the time he had finished, Jacob had taken the seat across from him, wearing a slight grin on his face.

"I bet you never noticed us taking off, did you?"

Harry raised an eyebrow, before looking around the compartment. "What do you mean? I didn't feel anything."

Jacob just kept grinning. "Inertial dampeners. You won't feel the shuttle move unless we're making some extreme maneuvers. Or if the pilot decides that he needs to turn them down, to give his rambunctious cargo a lesson."

Harry just nodded to himself, leaning forwards. "I see. I guess I'll have to wait for my dramatic first flight in space. But I wanted to ask you about this mission I'm being sent on."

Jacob held up his hand, face suddenly looking grim. "Aye, but first, I've something I need to ask you. What the hell is a wizard?"

-oo-

Harry's eyebrows shot up. "It's exactly what it sounds like. I thought you believed me? At least, that's what you said."

Jacob just continued to eye him. "Considering the things that Cerberus has done, it is hard to not believe anything. It's not every day that you are recruited in a project to resurrect someone, after all. Or work with a time traveler." He shook his head out. "But still, I can deal with the first two. It's just, I don't have the slightest idea what a wizard is supposed to actually be, or what they can do."

Harry just shrugged, thinking of a way to explain it to him. "It's hard to explain, yet at the same time easy. A wizard is just someone that uses magic. and magic is a wonderful and terrible thing."

Jacob just raised his eyebrow. "I don't doubt you there, considering the stories that were written about you. But what is it? What can you do exactly?"

Initially, Harry thought about whipping out his wand and showing Jacob exactly what magic was. However, he realized it might not be such a good idea on a small spacecraft. "Nearly anything, depending on what you have. With just a wand, I can charm objects, transfigure them, cast curses and jinxes, even small enchantments. If I had the material, I could brew potions, although most of the useful ones take months on them. There are very few things that we can't do."

Jacob raised his eyebrows. "Potions? Don't particularly see how that could be useful. Stims are around, but they have rather detrimental effects on the human body."

Harry just shrugged. "Potions can go from putting anyone in a sleep close enough to be death, to transforming any person to another one, to even granting somebody pure good luck for a few hours. They have their uses." He took a breath, hoping to forestall any more interrogation. "It's probably best if you simply waited until I can show you. It might be easier for you to believe them. Besides, I'm probably breaking the law as it is by telling you."

At this, Jacob leaned back while crossing his arms. "Breaking the law? That sounds very mundane, actually."

Harry just snorted. "We are still human. We still have a government with cowardly corrupt politicians. We still have to go to school to learn our profession. We still eat, sleep, and breathe. We still have our wives to go home to…" At this, he trailed off, looking down at the ground. "I hope this doesn't take too long. I don't want to leave her there alone."

Jacob suddenly looked very contrite. "I'm sorry. If I had known…"

Harry waved him off. "Even if you did, it's hardly your fault. I'm sure she'll be fine. It's just been a long time since we've actually been separated like this. Almost twenty years, now that I think about it."

His companion shook his head in disbelief. "And yet you barely look a day over twenty five."

Smiling sadly, Harry answered the silent question. "I'm nearly forty now, actually. twelve of those years spent politicking to get my home in order. Seven before that exploring the world. And the last to settle down. Or at least try to"

Concerned, Jacob asked, "Are you sure she'll be alright? If you need to go back…"

"Oh no," Harry shook his head, "I know she can take care of myself. She spent most of her time looking after me, not the other way around. Knowing her, actually, I wouldn't be surprised if she followed me here." Harry sighed, looking over at the bulkhead opposite of him. "It's just hard. Even though I want to go home, if what I think is happening here is true, it would be right to stay and help. And I know she would say the same."

Jacob just reached over to Harry and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll get you home to her eventually."

Harry just gave him a wan smile. "Thanks. I hope I will too." After a few minutes of silence, he asked, "So, I don't suppose you could tell me about all the stuff I don't know? Like the fact that there are aliens now?"

Jacob just grinned. "Oh, yes, there is a lot for you to catch up on. First, let's start with the three council races…"

-oo-

A/N the Second One thing I'd like to point out, is that the gloves are cannon. You really do need special hardware to interface with the holograms. I found it odd that I've never seen someone use this. Perhaps I hadn't looked hard enough. Oh well. As we go to Freedom's Progress, however, there is one question to consider. How would Tali'Zorah and her squad react to a Cerberus crew without Shepard?