Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Mass Effect. All rights belong to their respective authors/publishers/studios. I write as a hobby as I'm definitely not good enough to make a living from it.
Chapter 1 - Escaping the Past
2162CE
Harry Potter sat in the window seat of the Systems Alliance colony transport headed to Eden Prime. The journey to the Utopia system in the Exodus cluster was a long one, and these transports were definitely not thoroughbred racehorses. Colonization ships were not fast or pretty, lacking the threatening presence of an Alliance cruiser or the sleek look of a frigate, but what they did do they did supremely well, which was to carry large numbers of people and large quantities of cargo. Cramped on the inside but providing just enough room to allow the personnel on board to move around, as opposed to a warship where everything is functional, they were not luxury liners but they were reasonably comfortable for the hundreds of people on board. The vast majority of the bulk of the ship was dedicated to its enormous cargo hold.
Said cargo hold was, he knew, full of containerized storage, prefabricated dwellings, and all of the supporting electronics needed to expand the now ten year old colony. Harry was familiar with most of the tech, and had schematics for a great deal of it on his omni tool. One of those prefabs was after all going to be his home until the colony started putting up some real buildings, which was far down the list of priorities below surviving and reducing the colony's dependency on imported foodstuffs.
His own cargo was, officially, the duffel bag in the personal cargo section, a meager space pressed up to the outside of the hull allowing for approximately three cubic feet per colonist. The positioning of this smaller cargo hold was deliberate. In the event of a hull breach the colony's cargo would only be lost after all of the colonists' own belongings, providing additional time to seal the breach and ensuring that only non-vital equipment was lost. It was a logical idea, typical of space travel Harry thought, and charming in its own way. When it comes to star ship design, everything has a reason. He was pretty sure the direction the toilets faced was somehow vital to the ship's continued functioning, like a huge metallic implementation of the rules of Feng Shui.
His real cargo was concealed inside a shrunken storage device hanging from his neck on a slender titanium chain. Once upon a time it would have taken the form of a steamer trunk but since that would stand out he'd worked for a long time on a more convenient form of storage. His new storage device, whilst less voluminous than a trunk, had the benefit of allowing him to summon its contents without the fuss of enlargement and shrinking charms. It occurred to him that he could make a fortune as a smuggler with this, but the whole point of getting away from Earth was to avoid notice and search for more knowledge about the origins of magic, not to make a fortune sneaking drugs and weapons past customs.
He pondered the many events that had brought him to this point. Earth had changed so much and so fast it was hard to keep up. Comparing his childhood in the oh-so-normal neighborhood of Privet Drive to the space-faring civilization that was now colonizing planets left one wondering how it all changed. The discovery of the mass effect really had been a game changer, making faster than light travel possible at last. Sometimes it was enough to make him forget that he was well over one hundred and fifty years old, as he watched the new marvels mankind was developing with the same pleasure a child feels watching a balloon artist create a parody of a Dachshund from a tube of rubber. Other times he felt like he was an old man watching his children playing with bricks and building a spaceship.
Looking out the window he noticed the ship was approaching the Charon relay. He gazed out at the massive structure hanging in space, looking somewhat like a huge tuning fork. The majesty and peacefulness was a facade, he knew. The mass relay with its enormous Eezo core glowing a bright blue, growing slowly larger as the ship approached, represented a concentration of energy sufficient to destroy the entire solar system. It was both shocking and exhilarating that they even dared use such a device, but humanity had long made a habit of using things without truly understanding them.
"Attention all personnel, attention all personnel. We are approaching the Charon relay and will be making the jump in fifteen minutes. All personnel must be strapped in prior to the jump for acceleration and deceleration." The ship's PA system beeped as the message ended, and Harry checked his harness was still secure. He could hear people moving in the surrounding areas, those who had gotten up to stretch their legs - the colonist section being equipped with artificial gravity generators - returned to their seats and strapped in. Children shouted excitedly at the prospect and parents tried to calm them down. The atmosphere was light and several people were sharing jokes, their laughter lifting everyone's spirits.
As the relay grew closer still, Harry closed his eyes and remembered all of the people he'd known, those he'd loved as friends, and those he'd lost. Blondes, brunettes, redheads (a lot of those) flashed across his vision, each smiling at him, and finally one last face framed in bushy brunette hair, the way he'd always remember her. He could practically hear her in his mind wishing him the best.
As the ship turned and lined up alongside the relay, he could see the blue glow of the relay sequence engulfing the ship, despite being on the wrong side. The PA system beeped again and broke into life.
"Commending jump in 5…"
'Here we go' he thought to himself. 'Hermione, I'm going to find our answers...'
"...4…"
'Why this has all happened, who created us...'
"...3…"
'Where we came from...'
"...2…"
'And where we're going.'
"...1"
A second later the ship gave a lurch, and Harry felt an odd sensation similar to apparition but less unpleasant, combined with the hook in the navel feeling of a portkey. The next thing he knew he was back to normal and everyone around him was bursting into applause and cheers.
The ship slowly started to turn again, moving away from the relay towards its next destination. The run to the next relay was due to take several hours and would see them passing the newly-completed Arcturus station which was already visible in the distance.
"It's beautiful out here isn't it." commented a soft female voice to his left. Turning to face the speaker, he saw that it was a young woman with a child cradled in her arms. She looked to be in her early twenties, a petite figure encompassed in a jumpsuit. Her face was round and pleasant, with soft lines and large round eyes that were a pale blue. Her dark brown hair was cut short and framed her face as it fell to either side. He smiled at her and nodded in agreement. "It really is."
The woman held out her free hand, the other expertly hugging her sleeping child to her chest. "My name's Alice, Alice Winter. I'm a tech specialist, going to work on the colony control systems."
He took the offered hand and shook it slightly. "Harry Potter. I'm a bit of everything really: archaeologist, scientist, I study a lot. Heading out to explore the planet and see what's there. And who is this bundle of cute?" he motioned to her child.
Alice giggled at him and smiled again. "A jack of all trades huh? This is Jennifer. She's my miracle baby. I almost lost her because I was exposed to an Eezo leak, the doctors told me I had a 1% chance of carrying her to term, but here she is and she's just perfect." She leaned down and snuggled the baby who squirmed slightly in her sleep.
Harry smiled, if there was one thing that could bring out a smile in him any day of the week it was exactly this, a mother and child together. He'd accepted his own loss of a mother and just felt joy when he saw it happen now. "It's beautiful out there" he gestured to the star field outside "but true beauty is in creation. She's a beautiful child."
They exchanged small talk for a bit. Alice told him about her life, she was a single mother and had a hard time of it on Earth. It was made worse by the scientists always wanting to examine Jennifer to see if she showed any latent biotic abilities. Finally she'd chosen to leave and thanks to her experience with environmental and building control systems, along with some time spent on the construction team at Arcturus, she secured a decent post at the Eden Prime colony, where Jennifer could grow up away from the constant examinations. In turn he told her about some of his time studying and travelling, not focusing on dates. She seemed interested in his background in archaeology and wondered why he was going to Eden Prime. "Well, Earth has been pretty well scoured hasn't it. I figure that any planet near a mass relay has a good chance of having some evidence of the Protheans on it, and Eden Prime caught my eye." He responded to her query. Accepting it, they chatted on for a while and she asked him if he could hold Jennifer while she stretched her legs.
The two spoke on and off for the rest of the journey, sleeping during the prescribed sleep periods and sharing the on board rations. Harry gladly gave up his dried fruit for Jennifer, who joyfully gummed at a piece of dried apple under the watchful eye of her mother. Harry had discovered from Alice that Jennifer's father had done a runner after Alice's exposure to Eezo and was quietly furious, whilst outwardly supporting her as she told the story. He couldn't understand anyone doing that.
'But then again, I've seen the best and worst of humanity so I really shouldn't be surprised' he thought. Regardless, he was happy to help Alice out with Jennifer for the journey and the two exchanged contact information so he'd be able to visit once they were on the ground. By the time they made the last relay jump and were en route to the planet Jennifer had firmly taken hold of Harry's finger and declared him as "unca", much to the two adults' delight.
Settling into orbit over the planet, the transfer of personnel and cargo to the ground was a slow process, as it had to be done entirely by shuttles. The small craft could carry eight people but were slowed down by the containers of supplies they had to ferry down in a mass effect field. Still, everyone was finally on the ground and the slow transfer meant that there wasn't a huge pile up of equipment at the small spaceport which was to be expanded by much of the equipment included in this shipment.
Harry had managed to share the shuttle ride with Alice and Jennifer, and on arriving helped them to find their bags and got directions to their temporary quarters until the prefabs were moved and assembled. Acquiring a map of the colony from one of the dock personnel, Harry figured out that he'd eventually be living a few miles from Alice and Jennifer, on the outskirts of the colony, whereas their home was near the heart of the colony, closer to where Alice would be working.
The next morning Harry bid the two girls farewell for the moment, fending off Jennifer who clung to his arm for a while until he produced a stuffed toy bird for her, which distracted her long enough for him to make his exit. Alice bid him farewell with a kiss on the cheek and a smile. He returned the kiss and set off on foot for his new home, planning on camping out until the prefab arrived. Alice sent him a few messages while he was walking and he sent back some pictures of the wildlife, including an odd creature that floated above the ground but seemed harmless.
The next few days were spent settling in. His prefab arrived on the third day so he only spent one day camping out. The techs who delivered it on a floating carrier were ecstatic when he said he'd construct it himself, since he was familiar with the build and all of the auxiliary kit that had to be attached to it, namely power (which was a mix of solar, wind and power cell storage), water (ground extracted and reclaimed) and communications. The colony required all of the habitation modules to be hooked into a colony-wide announcement system rather than relying on omnis for critical transmissions.
With his new home up and running, he started to unpack. His clothes and things from the duffel came out first and filled the small storage lockers that fit into the corner of his new home, and the data pads went onto the desk along with the small terminal that he'd squeezed into the bag for appearance's sake. That done, the bag flattened down and went under his bed.
The next item to come out was from his storage unit. Holding the small sphere in his left hand he concentrated and held out his right. A second later a pistol materialized in his hand and he wrapped his hand around the grip. Another thought and a magnetic clamp joined it, which he then used to fix the pistol in a shadowed space above the door.
Unpacking finished, he opened the slats that covered the windows fully and took in the sight from his new home. It was spectacular. He was outside of the main colony on a clifftop overlooking the spaceport about a mile away. The ridge line on which he lived swung around in an arc towards the colony hub, providing a long sloped walk to and from the colony through the woods. The sky was a bright blue, unpolluted and clear, and he smiled as he looked out upon the world below him.
This was ideal, far enough out of the colony to not be a regular sight, if he kept his visits infrequent he'd get away without disguising himself much, perhaps a gradual graying in a few years' time. He should get away with a couple of decades here before he'd have to leave and move on to another colony, and then another. And who knows, maybe he'd be able to find a home among some of the aliens out there in the galaxy.
In the meantime there was plenty of time to search for Prothean remains, and a whole colony of people to get to know, and little Jennifer to watch grow up.
2170
"Eight years." Harry said to his omni-tool, which was recording a personal log. "How much everything has changed. When I first arrived here the colony was expanding but still basic. The population was small, tight knit. It was and still is a wonderful place. Since then I've found plenty of evidence of past Prothean habitation here, and picked up some wonderful stories from the rest of the archaeologists. Still nothing noteworthy but it's looking promising."
He paused, taking a sip of his tea before continuing. "Not everything went well though. It's been five years since little Jennifer died and I still miss her. She was such an amazing little girl, kind and funny like Fred and George. At least biotics can now get a bit more help with the implants coming along, though I hear bad things about the L2s and we've not seen an L2 here yet. I wonder how Jennifer would have turned out when she'd have grown up, bet she'd have been really powerful. The new L3 implants are supposed to be miles better than the L2s, I hope they can move people over to them. I'm still fascinated by biotics and what it can do." Harry had attempted once or twice to see if he could replicate the effects of biotics and although he could force it to happen it was definitely not the same as a biotic. He could fake the glow, even the results, but it never behaved the same as a proper mass effect field.
"It hit Alice hard of course, damn but she loved that girl, like no-one ever loved a child before. It destroyed her when it happened, and she came to me for comfort. I just sat with her for hours while she cried. I'm glad nothing happened between us that day, it wouldn't have been right for either of us and she's happier now I think since she met David. I still meet with her for tea every week and we talk about the days when we arrived here, all the good memories to chase away the pain of loss."
"We heard news today that another colony, Mindoir, had been attacked by Batarian slavers. Only a few people got out, hundreds were taken and hundreds more killed. It was a more recent colony than ours and didn't have the same defenses but I wonder if we'd have fared any better. There's a rumor going around that the Alliance is going to beef up security at all colonies to prevent it happening again. I hope it doesn't, I don't want to have to hurt anyone, even a slaver, but I won't let anyone interfere with the people here."
"Well, that's it for today I think. Tomorrow's a harvest day so I'd best get some shuteye. End log."
2176
"It's been six years since the last time Batarians raided a colony and they did it again, big this time. After the Mindoir attack the Alliance really beefed up security. More troops, ground batteries, the lot. Wasn't enough for Elysium though, they came at them in a major attack. The reports say they hit them by the thousands, and the defenses were overwhelmed. Well, almost anyway."
"The news reported that one Alliance marine managed to hold on long enough for reinforcements to get through. Saved most of the colony, though some did get captured. What was her name…? Shepard that was it. Rumor is that the Alliance is going to award her something pretty big. She deserves it too, to stand up to that kind of force more or less on her own, I'd love to know how she did it. Who knows, maybe I'll meet her one day."
He brought up the news report on a data pad and examined the young marine who'd stood up to the slavers even when the civilians around her cowered in fear. She was dressed in typical Alliance armor which hid most of her body, but her helmet was off and her long red hair was tied back in a ponytail. She was, in his opinion, one of the more beautiful women he'd seen in the nearly two hundred years he'd been alive, so that was saying something. But it wasn't just physical beauty, even if she was right up there in that regard. No, it was something more, something that defied description. An inner power, a strength that allowed her to stand against the tide.
"Looking at her now, I am conflicted. I cannot imagine that woman standing up to what she did, but I can't imagine anything getting past her once she decided to do just that. She truly is an inspiration, almost makes me wish I'd joined the Alliance myself."
'Not that I could have dared get my record set down that formally. I can just about avoid notice as it is but if I joined up...' he shuddered at the implications as he thought about it.
"I'm glad it didn't happen here. I can't imagine what I'd do if this place were attacked. Eden is an appropriate name for the place; it's like a garden of purity, beauty and peace. My own little corner is thriving and I can say with honesty that I feel at home, complete. End log."
2180
Harry looked down at the structure they had started to uncover. "It's as complete as anything we've seen before." he said quietly to the scientist next to him.
They were looking at the top of what was undoubtedly a Prothean structure of some kind. They'd only uncovered the topmost part for now and would have to take it slow to avoid disturbing or breaking anything.
"It's wonderful. We've been digging around the colony for over a decade and we've finally found something." replied Dr Michael Williams, who was stood nearby listening in. "I've reported it to the Alliance archaeological council already. They'll be putting a team together to come look it over and we'll help them uncover whatever it is. Until they get here we've been asked to steer clear. We've got a lot to do though, if this is a major find we'll need to organize transport from here to the colony proper, habitation, support infrastructure, the lot. Harry, could you get down to the colony and start getting everything set up?"
"Sure Mike" he replied. "Want anything while I'm down there?"
"We could use one of those imaging bots, you know the ones, get some aerial photographs of the site." replied the colony's lead archaeologist.
So Harry found himself down in the hub of the colony for the first time in a few months. His dirt-covered overalls and skin would hide his appearance well enough he thought, and he might check in with Alice and David for a coffee while he was here. Organizing the photographic drone wasn't a problem since the colony news wanted to get some images anyway and that served both purposes. He spent a couple of hours talking to the colony director though about the infrastructure they'd need if it was a major find. They laid out some maps of the area and identified the best spots for a monorail terminal and cargo drop off, along with habitation modules, selecting the area just over the ridge from the site. It was good enough for now, since no-one wanted to commit to anything before the Alliance team arrived.
Sitting at a table with Alice - David was at work - Harry caught up with his friend. She seemed happy, although there was a hint of pain about her as there always was nowadays. It had been fifteen years since Jennifer had passed, and she would have been nineteen now.
"Harry, when are you ever going to settle down?" she asked slyly, eliciting a blush from her friend. Harry thought back to a number of times when he and Hermione had discussed a similar topic.
-Flashback-
Harry and Hermione had spent the day in the national history museum archives, examining a number of reptile fossils in a search for any evidence of prehistoric ancestors to modern dragons. They'd selected dragons since they were the closest magical beast of significant size to a mundane reptile. It had been another fruitless day of searching and the two were almost at the point of calling the search off.
"Harry" said Hermione as they walked through the museum's entrance hall, glancing as always at "Dippy" the reproduced skeleton of a Diplodocus that welcomed visitors. "Do you ever think of starting a family?"
He stopped and looked at her for a moment. "Missing Ron?" he asked softly. She nodded and brushed a loose curl away from her face. "Honestly I've thought about it" he went on, "but with things as they are I don't think it's a good idea. You know how I feel about the sheeple, and if I got together with a mundane it would only be a matter of time before everything came out. Maybe one day it'll happen but for now I'm content."
She paused, taking in what he had said. It had been a few years since they had last spoken to anyone from the magical world apart from at work, and their last parting from the Weasleys hadn't gone well. When they'd arrived for dinner that night Molly was more obvious than usual, trying to push Hermione and Ron and Harry and Ginny together again. The two Weasleys concerned were happy to go along with it, but Harry's feelings for Ginny had faded during the hunt for the horcruxes, and when the family started to casually discuss when Harry would run for Minister he'd stopped them in their tracks.
"Why do you think I ought to be Minister?" he'd asked, only to receive disbelieving looks in response. "I fought a war for the people of the magical world, I've done my part. It's time for someone else to step up."
The argument that ensued had been, if not the most vocal on record at the Burrow, energetic. Molly Weasley was a typical example of what Harry liked to call the "sheeple", people who followed the leader and were only interested in the status quo of their small patch of the world. There had been a push from the sheeple for Harry to take a more active role in the government of the magical world, a push he had ignored completely. He wasn't going to allow himself to be browbeaten into a job he didn't want, to maintain a status quo he disagreed with.
When he realized that Ron and Ginny both fell into the category of sheeple it was an almost physical pain. His once best friend and his ex-girlfriend both wanted nothing more from him than for him to do his duty and make sure everything seemed OK. Hermione had realized the same thing minutes later and the two had walked out of the Burrow, probably never to return.
"When you put it like that, I guess I see your point. Don't you miss it though?" she asked.
He nodded. "Of course, but what we're doing now is more important. Everything we've found so far seems to suggest that the entire magical world just popped into existence fifty thousand years ago. If this is true it means there must have been outside influence. One day, when we've gotten the proof we need, we'll be able to settle down."
-End Flashback-
"Come on Alice, you know me. I'm not the type to settle down and start raising kids. I have enough trouble raising cabbages!" he bantered, hiding the hurt his heart felt when he realized how stupid he'd been in his youth. He should have known that the search for knowledge is infinite, it was a typically Ravenclaw thing to do to forget to cherish knowledge above all else, but the cost was high, almost too high for he had occasionally caught himself thinking about ending it - the hallows granted longevity but not immortality - but had always remembered that he had something to live for. Of course, living to find proof of a theory that you had held whilst putting said theory ahead of actually living made it somewhat hollow, but it was what he had and who knew, maybe he'd find someone out there in the galaxy who could understand him..
The two friends teased each other for a while before his omni-tool beeped informing him that he was needed back at the dig site. He sighed, moments like this reminded him of friendships lost and friends long gone, but it was nice to have a friend to share them with now. Giving his friend a tight hug he kissed her cheek and headed out the door, jogging back to the site.
Two weeks later, after an initial investigation by the Alliance archaeologists it was confirmed that they were sitting on a significant find and construction of the dig infrastructure was started.
2183
"I don't believe it. It's a beacon, an intact Prothean beacon" said the team leader as the assembled dig personnel looked down at the object they had been uncovering for almost three years. The first energy readings had been picked up a month ago but it was now official. This was the find of the decade.
"I'll call it in to the Alliance, they'll want to take over from here." He continued.
Harry looked at the thing that could possibly answer his questions. Did he dare interfere or should he wait until the analysis is complete. On the other hand, knowing the Alliance they might remove it and lock it away never to be seen again.
He resolved to return after dark to examine it further.
That night, under cover of darkness, he encompassed the dig site in repelling and concealment wards and then started his own in depth analysis of the beacon. After subjecting it to a wide array of tests both mundane and magical he carefully approached it and extended his senses into the beacon in an advanced form of combined legilimency and aura sensing.
The reaction was immediate. He was drawn towards the beacon and held still while at the same time it forced its way into his mind. Thanks to over a century of occlumency he managed to absorb the knowledge and gain a vague understanding of it. It seemed to be some kind of warning, but he got no specifics leaving him at a loss.
Sighing, and with nothing to show for his efforts besides a heap of strange visions and a headache, he stepped away from the beacon and dropped the wards, heading stealthily back to his home.
SSV Normandy - En route to Eden Prime
Spectre Nihlus Kryik sat at his temporary desk, reading through personnel reports. A thorough soldier, he familiarized himself with all of the key civilian and military personnel on Eden Prime, including the archaeological team which had uncovered the beacon. All of the Alliance files he had been given had been cross referenced looking for irregularities. Given the importance of the find, it was felt that the consequences of an extremist group, such as the recently unmasked Cerberus, getting hold of the beacon would be disastrous.
As he idly flipped through dossiers he had read before, he thought about the other half of his mission. He was there to monitor and observe the human Spectre candidate, Commander Jane Shepard. He had recommended her based on her military background and psych assessment, and felt that she had what it took to be a good Spectre, provided she could perform on the ground.
As he recalled one of the many times he had "accidentally" run into her on board, a file caught his eye. He couldn't say what it was about this particular person that made his mandibles twitch but he'd learned to trust his instincts and his instincts were telling him there was something not quite right here.
The file was light, extremely light, on detail. Harry Potter had no Alliance background to speak of, the recorded birth date was about forty years ago, but the image on the file looked younger than he should have. The picture had been updated when the Prothean ruins had been discovered so it was no more than three years old. Education history was quite vague when it came to his school grades, but his higher education was both broad and well balanced. A scientist, archaeologist, and tech expert in one before he went to Eden Prime at age 20. No, something about this file was odd and he wanted to get to the bottom of it.
He thought back to all of the things he'd read about recent human history prior to his first meeting with the human representatives suggesting Spectre candidates. Their recent history was bloody, even prior to the relay 314 incident. What amounted to a civil war had been fought between the humans and a group of somehow genetically enhanced humans using some kind of energy/matter manipulation. The war had come to a bloody end when the non-enhanced humans had discovered and harnessed mass effect fields, and the remaining enhanced humans had been hunted down. It seemed extreme to him, as the more logical solution would have been to capture and interrogate, and then identify the genetic enhancements that had been made. Something though had made this personal for the humans, and the Spirits knew how touchy humans could get when provoked.
He wondered if this Harry Potter might be a surviving enhanced human. If so he would be worth watching and probably interrogating at some point. But that could wait, better to catch him in the use of whatever energy manipulation this was and then pounce, if he was in fact anything more than a particularly intelligent human.
Debating in his mind whether to share his observations with his soon-to-be comrade, he made a quick decision. Reaching over to the comm unit he called the captain. "Captain Anderson, would you have Commander Shepard come to my office as soon as possible please."
"Of course Nihlus. She'll be right there." came the prompt reply.
A few minutes later the door chimed and Shepard walked in. "You wanted to see me Nihlus?" she asked, straight to the point as ever.
"Ah yes, Shepard. I was looking over the personnel files for the archaeological dig team and came across something strange." he said, pushing the data pad with Potter's file across the table to her. She picked it up and read it, going back and forth once or twice and rechecking items.
"OK, that's odd. He looks young, very young for a forty year old. And his educational history is vague at best. OK I see what you mean. What do you think?"
"I don't know what to make of it exactly. I was hoping you might have some ideas. I was wondering if he might be a surviving member of that group of enhanced humans you were at war with until recently."
"Witches and Sorcerers and all that? Wow I haven't heard of any of them since I was a kid. It was all over by the time I was a teenager, although you did occasionally hear someone scream out that they'd found one. Was never real though, they were all long dead by then. That was a bad time Nihlus."
She leaned back in her chair and took a few deep breaths. "I can't discount the possibility that you're right, if he is he might be using a false ID or something to hide his past, but I think if his education maps out then he wasn't a terrorist killing people. Maybe he was never even involved; I heard a lot of them when caught claimed they were innocent, just normal folk caught up in the middle."
Facing each other, they wondered what the best course of action was. Shepard would have preferred a straight up, honest approach but she knew that probably wouldn't work. If this guy was a sorcerer he had plenty of reasons to hide it and no reason to admit it, the Alliance would love to get their hands on an honest to god wizard. So would anyone else for that matter.
Standing up, she straightened her uniform and looked at the Spectre. "I guess we'll have to play it by ear. Keep an eye on him and see if he gives anything away. If he's not what he seems he'll slip up at some point. I'll go see what our ETA is to Eden Prime and we'll talk again once we're closer".
Getting a nod of agreement from him, she turned and exited the compartment.
Author's Note: OK, based on the positive reviews I've had so far here is the first chapter of the story. It's covered events from Harry's departure from Earth to the discovery of the Prothean beacon on Eden Prime, and outlined his involvement to date. This will be a longer AN than usual as I want to establish some of my assumptions and decisions for the rest of the story.
To anyone who spotted the cameo from a future Mass Effect character, well done you get a cookie. It was an idea I had that will play really nicely into the later arcs and I decided to run with it.
There's a couple of things I want to make clear at this point regarding Harry's attempts to hide in plain sight. This story will not be about Harry magically blasting through the ME story line. Harry in this story is long lived, but certainly not immortal, and thus has to be very careful about how he interacts with the mundanes. Overuse of magic here will cause problems in the form of science labs, needles, probes and lots of bad things for Harry. Also, the tech has become so enabling that frankly there's not much that he actually needs that it can't do for him, with no effort on his part. Omni tools take the place of huge libraries, armor and kinetic barriers are always on whereas magical shields have to be cast, and tech in general makes life so easy there's little need for more. Not relying on magic makes it easier for Harry to hide it.
In the meantime, expect Harry to be what I've depicted him as so far. He's a very old man who doesn't age physically, has studied a lot and taken the time to familiarize himself with the new tech being created around him. He's capable of fitting in with society well, apart from having to move and fake himself a new ID every few decades. He's not a super soldier, as he never joined the Alliance, but he knows what he's about thanks to experience rather than training.
Science vs magic. Feel free to ask questions about how magic works in this story, but I won't guarantee answers.
Regarding pairings. Having thought about this, it's likely to be a Harry/Shep pairing. There are reasons for this that will become clear as the story moves on, but mainly it's for the drama and fun. I never thought of Ash as a pair for Harry, and I can't write good dialogue for Liara. Tali would be fun (and so help me I LOVE Talimance) but I'm going to go with Shepard here. To that end it's a female Shep Earthborn War Hero. It'll probably be a slower romance and I'll freely admit that I'm taking some inspiration from the fanfic "Crysis Effect" which has a brilliant Shep/OC romance.
Classes. Shepard is a Vanguard although I'll probably tweak biotics a little. Harry is currently somewhere between Soldier and Infiltrator since he's tech-savvy and qualified on all the weapons but not a combat wombat. Longer term he will probably fall into a sort of magical equivalent to a Vanguard, if he can ever get away with using magic in a fight.
And finally (got there eventually), will Harry's story ever come out. As I've indicated towards the end of the chapter, Harry's background and personnel file were modified heavily to not ring alarm bells on automated systems. They were not ever going to stand up to military scrutiny and he simply never expected them to come under such. He can't routinely hack Alliance databases to hide his background so that's the best he could do. He's been hiding by virtue of being one among billions, the proverbial needle in a haystack, and most importantly no-one was looking for him. Once his file hit the desk of any half decent intelligence type he was guaranteed to be outed. The question is not whether he will be or not, but how it's handled on both sides. Will he use magic and try to run and hide if he's exposed? He could probably stow away on a ship bound for the Terminus or something but if the Alliance and the Spectres really wanted him they'd find him, and Cerberus etc would not be far behind. How will the Alliance personnel, some of whom may have actively fought magicals, react to his presence?
As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'm grateful for constructive reviews.
