{A/N} So, normally after the first AN with the standard disclaimers I don't bother putting another one, but since I got some actual constructive criticism I'm going to respond to it. 1)To all those that were unhappy with what happened to the Wizarding World, yeah, it kinda was lazy writing because I didn't have much of a place for them. That one's on me. 2)Those with complaints about armor vs robes. If you are an author as well, you'll know that sometimes you have a vision and you're going to write that vision however you can. My vision was Harry, kicking ass, with red robes flapping in the wind. 3)To the few of you who were unhappy about the fight and/or the magic used. I specifically said that they weren't trying to kill each other and that Harry had limited experience against biotics. He had to feel out Iyala and how to fight her. If you're worried that Harry isn't badass enough, don't worry he still kicks ass and we'll be getting to that. And if you have problems with my characterization of biotics, go read the Encyclopedia Biotica by LogicalPremise. I'm using a lot of stuff out of there. One last point, anyone that is a proponent of combat apparition needs a reality check. It's straight up hax and anyone, even a two hundred year old Harry Potter, is going to splinch themselves if they try and apparate with a rocket flying at their face.

As a child Harry had never had a true British appreciation for tea. It was not even at Hogwarts that he'd developed his love for tea, because all they served was that horrid pumpkin juice. It was the years shortly after the war, when he'd spent an inordinately large amount of time with Andromeda Tonks and Molly Weasley that he'd come to appreciate a warm cup of tea. He was feeling slightly guilty now that he'd been converted away from British, and even human teas. After spending six years masquerading as an Asari he'd developed a taste for some of the more exotics tea's produced on Thessia. Sitting and watching a sunrise with a cup had become one of his favorite pastimes as he aged, and now that he had time for a vacation that was exactly what he was doing.

Sunrises on Thessia were beautiful, different than one on earth, but the purples and blues of the Thessian sky were soothing as the sun lightened the sky. A cool wind blew in off the sea twenty yards away and Harry shivered before pulling his robe tighter around him and casting a warming charm on his slippers to keep his feet nice and toasty. The alert charm he'd cast when he woke up let out a soft chime and he immediately snagged the pot of tea and poured some into the second cup that sat waiting. A few moments later Iyala came stumbling out of the villa onto the deck, dressed in a light robe that she didn't bother belting up. She collapsed heavily into the second chair and grabbed the steaming teacup, messily slurping the liquid down. Harry glanced over at her and chided, "That tea is expensive. Slow down and savor it."

All that earned him was a rude gesture as his companion noisily finished her cup. He chuckled and went back to watching the sunrise and quietly, britishly, sipping his tea. He waited patiently for her to speak and it took ten minutes before she opened her mouth, "I think I hate you Harry."

She'd timed it so that he was taking a sip of his tea and it went down the wrong way. Coughing he spat out some of the exquisite tea and glared at her, "Why do you do that everytime I see you?"

"Because you're boring. You need some excitement in your life."

The wizard rolled his eyes, "I have plenty of excitement. Two weeks ago I infiltrated a hidden Blood Pack compound in the Traverse and blew the thing straight to the Goddess. It was exciting."

Iyala frowned, "Yes I read the report. You also got your leg pulped by a Krogan Battlemaster. That's why you're on forced leave."

Harry scoffed, "Please. I'm on vacation. I've been working non-stop for six years. I think I deserve one."

His Asari companion sighed, "You're not on vacation. You're just not taking assignments. All you do is drink tea and experiment with your enchanting. You already do that in between assignments."

With a shrug Harry nonchalantly replied, "What else would I do on vacation? That's how I relax."

She smiled wryly, "So all that cursing I hear coming out of the study is relaxation?"

It was Harry's turn to throw out a rude gesture, "Athame take you. Once I get that enchantment right we're going to spar and I'm going to laugh when your warps can't touch me."

"You've been working on that for six years, it's not going to happen. From everything I've seen biotics will naturally over time break down all of your enchantments."

Harry grumbled, taking another sip of his tea, "I'm not an arithmancy genius. The Mass Effect and Biotics have been mathematically worked out and proven but I can't marry those equations into an arithmantic framework for protection charms."

Iyala smirked, "All I hear is that you can't do it and I'm going to be kicking your ass around the training ground for the next 200 years."

He snarked to her, "In 200 years you'll be so old and decrepit you'll be drinking Thessian wine through a straw."

She laughed, a high tinkling sound, "You know that's not how it works for Asari right?"

Harry chuckled ruefully, "Yes, I do. I can dream can't I?"

"You dream about me being old and decrepit?"

"I dream about you not trying to get me drunk and hook me up with air-headed maidens too stupid to do anything other than bar hop and dance."

Iyala, who had been reclining back in her chair, jerked upright and growled, "That's right! Don't think you can distract me with expensive tea! I've got a bone to pick with you. I went to all that trouble to seduce those girls last night and you didn't even join in! For Athame's sake you could actually be and Asari if you wanted to. That'd be pretty kinky."

Harry shuddered, thinking back to some of his training with Iyala.

Three Months as a Spectre -

Harry was lounging on a large comfy couch in one of Iyala's anonymous apartments on the Citadel, perusing various files on his omni-tool, trying to learn some of the few regulations that Spectre's were required to follow and familiarize himself with the reams of paperwork they were required to complete. His Spectre sponsor sat at the two person dining table and read a much thinner parchment file that Harry had put together for her, detailing the different branches of magic and his abilities within them. She gave him a few considering glances every now and then and when she was finished she shut it and said, "I know what we're going to work on first."

The wizard stretched his arms and sat up, "Finally. It's like being an auror all over again but the paperwork is digital."

The Asari smirked, "That's only if you blow something up in a populated area. If you're smart, like I am, you don't do that. Jackasses like Saren are always flashy so he spends just as much time filling out paperwork as actually working."

Harry grinned, "So what are we working on first."

It was Iyala's turn to grin, and hers was decidedly nasty, "How is your, what do you call it, self-transfiguration?"

Nonplussed, he replied, "Not my strongest suit, but I've been practicing for nearly two centuries so I can probably do whatever you're thinking of."

Her face was suddenly serious, "Good. Now, we've established that you can pass as an Asari. That language charm saved us a lot of time. You can talk like one of us, and I've made sure that you can move like one of us."

When they weren't doing paperwork and getting Harry's security clearances she'd had him practicing his glamours and illusions and making sure they could hold up during pitched combat. She's also had him learning how to walk and run like an Asari huntress. It was a fluid, rolling stride, all lethality and grace. It reminded him of Stealth and Tracking class during Auror training, and that took him back to Nymphadora Tonks, who'd always bragged about acing it. Nobody had beat her scores in the five decades Harry had been an auror, but then, being a metamorphmagus had its perks...

Iyala continued, getting him back on task, "There will be times though, when you have to unmask yourself. Being a Spectre isn't all about storming far-flung bases and assassinating annoying bureaucrats. You'll have to deal with government officials or go incognito in places where humans just can't be. So, you are going to turn yourself into an Asari."

Harry quirked an eyebrow dubiously before saying slowly, "That… could be possible."

She grinned, "I knew it! Alright, let's get started!"

He held up his hands, "Now just hold on to your broomstick. I need to do some research first."

Iyala was determined though, "No way. I want to see this right now! Use my face. Go on!"

An idea started to percolate in his mind, "Alright, alright. Come here then."

She practically bounced over to him. He flicked his wand out and said seriously, "Hold still."

He slowly traced his wand over her face, explaining as he went, "If you aren't going to let me study Asari physiology the best I can do on short notice is to use a medical charm to map the bone structure in your face and then use that for my self-transfiguration."

The Asari held very still as he traced across her face. After a few moments he stepped back and said gravely, "Alright. Here it goes."

Very carefully he drew his wand over his face, all the while keeping hers fixed in his mind and eyes. His cheekbones sharpened, nose narrowed, and lips became more full. Then he moved on to his hair which he transfigured into the crests that adorned her head. Last was the color, a light blue that darkened slightly towards the tips of her crest, and the sparse black markings that slashed across her cheeks.

He finished and asked, "Well?"

Her lips twitched before she burst out into hysterical laughter. Iyala collapsed on the couch holding her stomach and he asked frantically, "What? What's wrong?"

Harry quickly conjured a mirror and looked into it, studying his transfigured face. It all seemed right and he looked back at her, "What's so damn funny!"

It took her a few moments to get under control, "I've- I've never seen a-an Asari with ears before! Goddess! You look ridiculous!"

Harry examined himself again before chuckling as well, "Bollocks. Alright. You're right. I do look ridiculous."

She started howling again, "Change it back. Ch-change it back I can't even lo-look at you!"

He quickly reversed the transfiguration and color-change charm until he was back to normal. Iyala calmed down quickly before saying, "You still swear like a human. That's something we're going to have to work on too. Anyways, at least we know the transfiguration works. Now, do your body."

"Oh no. That's where I draw the line. Glamours will work just fine. Like I said, I'm not going to go around hugging people."

She tried wheedling, "Come on. It'll be fun. I'll even let you study me again."

The Asari ran a hand lewdly over her breasts and shot Harry a suggestive look. He laughed openly at her, "That might do something for me if your face didn't look so ridiculous."

She froze immediately and then her hands shot to her face, "What did you do."

He offered her the mirror, "Have a look."

She grabbed it and held it up, staring at the lines and swirls he'd drawn on her face in vivid green magical paint. Her body started to glow blue, "I think you're about to get to know Athame a little more personally."

Harry grinned cheekily at her, "No. Athame's bar is probably full up right now. I'll try again later."

With those parting words he twisted and quickly apparated away.

Harry took in the state of his Spectre trainer. Her undone robe barely covered her muscular body and she still smelled of sweat, booze, and sex. He replied wryly, "I don't think you had any trouble with them at all. In fact you look like you enjoyed both of them thoroughly."

She pouted, the innocent expression wildly out of place in her debauched state, "When was the last time you got laid Harry? Vacation is about relaxing and nothing is more relaxing than a roll in the sheets."

The wizard smiled softly, "Oh. Fifteen years ago or so. A very nice naval lieutenant helped me out while I was on Arcturus Station and I showed her my appreciation."

Iyala sputtered, "Athame's ass! Fifteen years! Did you see those two I brought back last night? Stop acting like one of those Thessian prudes, it's depressing."

Harry retorted dryly, "I've been masquerading as one of those Thessian prudes for the last six years. Besides, you're one of them too."

Picking out an official identity for his Spectre file had been more difficult than he thought. Not knowing much about the Asari culture he was going to just give himself a generic name and be from a generic planet but Iyala had taken one look at the form and taken complete control. She'd immediately ruled out Illium or one of the other more far-flung Asari colony worlds due to the Thessian dialect of the Asari language that she was teaching him. She'd wanted to try and set him up as a wayward daughter of one of the Thirty Families on Thessia to maybe explain away some of the more bizarre things magic could do as very advanced biotics that only one of the Thirty could pull off. He'd nixed that idea immediately, there was no way he wanted to draw that kind of attention when he inevitably caught somebody's notice. Instead Iyala had set him up as her own younger half-sister. Iyala's father was purported to be Harry's mother and no one was likely to contradict it because Iyala's father had been dead for three centuries. The Spectre's family was one of the multitude of lesser families from Thessia so Iyala had called in a huge favor from the Matriarch, her own elder sister, to add Harry's alias to their families register. One Aleria T'rahn was born, 423 years old, a former commando who had finally found the only relatives she had left and gotten in touch to try and Asari Spectre had gotten creative with his work history, picking small Commando units that operated in the Traverse as freelance protection details that had all been wiped out by pirates. If anyone actually looked at his official file it would show a skilled but unlucky commando who conveniently did not have anyone living to vouch for her except her Spectre half-sister.

Harry waved her off as he continued, "I've been doing other things. More important things. You know that."

She wasn't having any of it, "I've been doing important things for the past three centuries but I take time off every other year or so to see my kid and have a little fun."

Harry laughed, "How is Ithinia?"

Instantly Iyala's demeanor changed and she lightened up, "Good. She's good. Her and her bondmate moved to Epira last year and had a daughter. Inaya."

"Have you visited?"

She shook her head sadly, "No, I haven't had the time. Tevos pulled me off assignment to babysit you and I'm going right back after they give you another mission."

Harry thought back to how he'd met the Spectre's daughter.

Two Years as a Spectre -

Harry was holed up in a back-alley apartment on Illium, waiting on Iyala to contact him so that he could commence with his mission. The head researcher at a bio-tech firm had gone missing and the Council was rightfully worried. After investigating, the local I-sec captain had put in a panicked call to C-sec who had kicked it up to the council. Said firm had somehow gotten their greedy blue hands on a sample of the genophage and were experimenting with it. It was wildly illegal in Council Space, and even on Illium where almost everything was legal if you had the right paperwork it was still alarming enough that the company was going to be shut down. The Council had assigned him and Iyala to investigate the head researcher and find out what had happened to her, whether she'd been kidnapped for the research or stolen it and fled. This would be his graduation mission, per se, and if he did well Iyala would recommend that he be promoted to full Spectre and allowed to handle his own missions. She had let him go on ahead to investigate and he'd found that she had been kidnapped by a group of Krogan mercenaries trying to find a cure for the genophage. How they had learned she was working on it was still unknown to Harry. He'd traced their ship back to an illegal dock used by smugglers and they weren't on it so he knew they were still on planet. Another day of investigating had led him to where they were holed up in an abandoned factory in one of the many rundown manufacturing districts of Nos Astra. He'd messaged Iyala and was waiting on her to call back with instructions or to just show up so that they could go after the mercs.

The tiny screen of his omni-tool lit up with the signal for an incoming call and he hastily pressed a few buttons to accept it. Iyala's face popped up on the view-screen but instead of her normal greeting she barked out immediately, "Change of plans. Are you combat ready?"

Harry nodded, "Of course. What's going on?"

Iyala's face was thunderous, "Fucking pirates. My daughter was out in the Traverse helping the Alliance set up pre-fab buildings in advance of a colonization wave. Goddess damned pirates showed up and captured them all. She activated the emergency tracker I gave her and it's telling me she's on Raelick!"

She ended the sentence as if it was supposed to mean something to Harry but he'd only gotten one thing out of her rant, "You have a daughter?"

She rolled her eyes and snapped back, "Of course I do! When you get to my age you won't find an Asari that doesn't! Damned hormones. That doesn't matter though, what matters is that she's being held by slavers and is about to be sold off to do who knows what!"

Harry immediately said, "Alright, brief me."

The Asari Spectre quickly dumped information on him, "Raelick is the current planet that The Circle has parked their collective asses on."

The Circle was a conglomerate of independent pirates and slavers who had all banded together to provide a larger market for their product as well as for the safety numbers provided. Raelick was a small planet with a barely habitable atmosphere and next to no natural resources so it was passed over by colonizers but was perfect for the pirates. Raelick was located in a system ostensibly controlled by the warlord Yan T'ravt and the Xenthan Empire but she left them alone so that Alliance pirate hunters had a more concrete target than her own raiding bands when they made their rare incursions into the Terminus.

Iyala finished her briefing with, "I need you to infiltrate the planet, find my daughter, and free her."

He nodded, "I'm guessing that this isn't sanctioned?"

She shook her head, "The council doesn't know. Her emergency beacon activated 36 hours ago and has only now stopped moving for more than an hour. T'ravt is incredibly paranoid about assassins so if she sniffs a Spectre action in her territory she'll go ballistic. She hates the Republics more than the Council, so they try not to antagonize her. They wouldn't authorize a mission there unless someone more important was captured anyway."

Harry frowned, "That's cold, but I understand. Why haven't you already gone then? This seems like something you'd want to handle personally."

"Time. I had to wait until they stopped moving to get a fix on her location. It'll take me 30 hours to make the relay and FTL jumps from the Citadel. You can be there in 16. I've already arranged transport with one of my contacts. He'll get you there and you'll have 24 hours to make the extraction before he leaves. I don't trust him that much so keep your transfigurations and glamours in place the entire time. We'll meet back on Illium afterwards. Leave me your files in the safe house and I'll finish up the assignment you're already on."

Nodding, Harry stood up and flicked his wand out. He waved it twice and everything he would need for his upcoming mission animated and began to organize themselves. He said quickly, "Send me an information packet on her and your contact and I'll head out right now."

A few moments later his omni-tool notified him that he'd received it and Iyala said gravely, "Don't fuck this up Harry."

His screen winked off and he murmured to himself, "No, I had best not."

Harry set to work, casting the now familiar self-transfiguration on his head and neck. His cheekbones shifted, face narrowed, and hair writhed, as he slowly became Aleria T'rahn. A glance in the mirror confirmed that everything was in place. Dark blue skin that lightened at the crest and neck, small pert nose, thin lips, and subtle black markings beneath his eyes. A quick switching spell and his casual shirt and slacks were replaced with his leathers and he was throwing his red robes around his shoulders. A quick tap of his wand and they sealed up, activating the protective field. His belt went on and his mask and pouch were attached to their respective hips. He flicked his wand out again and cast a powerful Notice-Me-Not charm on his baldric and the Sword of Gryffindor before slinging it onto his back. He pulled on his boots and gloves and once everything was in place he cast his glamours and voice-changing charm.

Sliding back the sleeve on his left arm he checked his omni-tool for were he was supposed to meet Iyala's contact and luckily it was at the same dock as his own ship. With a last glance around the apartment to make sure everything was in order he locked the door and then apparated to the Gallant. He quickly left his ship and made his way across the starport to small freighter where a mixed crew of a dozen Turians and Batarians were loading sealed crates. He strode up to the ramp and said abruptly, "Bring me the Captain."

All of them glanced at him dubiously but were forestalled from any action by the captain, a tall skinny Turian in battered armor, coming down the ramp and asking, "You are our passenger on this trip?"

Harry nodded and he continued, "Good. Come with me, we depart in thirty minutes."

He followed the Captain up the ramp and was led to a small room with a table, four chairs, and a small cot in one corner. The Captain started to say, "I am-"

Harry interrupted the Turian, "No names. I won't be here long."

The Turian's mandibles flickered in agitation, "I don't want whatever you're going to do to come back on my crew, no matter how much you're paying me."

The wizard reassured him, "It will not. If your crew behaves normally while we are on Raelick there shall be no trouble."

Hesitating, as if he wanted to say something more but quickly deciding against it, the Turian left. Harry slid the door shut behind him and took a seat in one of the chairs. He brought up his omni-tool and opened the file on Iyala's daughter. Ithinia T'rahn, 398 years old, a systems engineer at an Asari company contracted by the Alliance to supply their colonies with building material. In her picture she looked very much like her mother except for the markings. Where Iyala had black markings like slashes across her face her daughters were a white geometric design. He spent the rest of the time until takeoff perusing her file and whatever else he could dig up on the pirate bands that made up the Circle, trying to pinpoint which one it might have been that took Iyala's daughter.

He was able to catch a few hours sleep and he wasn't disturbed until about twenty minutes before their scheduled arrival. The Turian Captain knocked on his door and Harry barked out from the chair he sat in, "Enter."

The door slid open and the Turian entered, saying without preamble, "We will set down on the planet soon."

Harry nodded, "Good. What time will it be?"

The Captain's mandibles clicked once, "It will be halfway through the day cycle, roughly. They don't keep time well here."

Harry nodded, "Good. Have your crew find out who has come in during the last local day with a large cargo of recently captured slaves."

The Turians mandibles clicked again in agitation and he stiffened, saying angrily, "I will not-"

"Captain, you're being paid very well for this. There is no danger to you. I won't be moving until the night cycle, and if I don't have that information this operation will most likely be a bit messier than you're hoping for."

No doubt not used to being interrupted, and incensed at the implied threat, the Turian radiated anger before saying tightly, "Very well. You'll have your information soon."

Harry graciously inclined his head and the Captain quickly backed out and shut the door behind him. The Wizard stuck a hand into his pouch and rummaged around in it before pulling out a ration bar and quickly consuming the unpleasant but nutritious meal. He settled in for another long wait and a few hours later the captain was back with his information. A Batarian slaver named Thorak was the only captain who had brought back any slaves in the past two local days. He was a small time slaver who normally stuck to the edges of the Terminus so his lightning dash deep into the Traverse for a slave grab was unusual. He'd come back crowing his success and quickly sold his cargo so that he could go back out again quickly. All of the slaves he'd brought back were at a central auction where they would be re-sold to the highest bidder in a days time.

When the captain finished his summation Harry said, "My thanks Captain. I will ask nothing else of you."

The Turian responded gruffly, "Good. If you aren't in the ship by noon tomorrow we leave without you."

Harry inclined his head and the Captain left without another word. With all of that in mind, Harry had his plan. He would infiltrate the auction during the deepest part of the night when most of the guards would be asleep or too drunk to contest him. He would find Ithinia and then side-along apparate her back to his room aboard the freighter. It was simple enough but Harry knew that he was on a hostile planet with no backup and he might have to get creative if things went to the deeps. With that done he settled in again to wait, only years of long stakeouts as an Auror giving him the patience to not charge forward throwing curses.

When his omni-tool alerted him that it was time he slowly stood and drew his hood up, snagging his mask off of his hip and sealing it over his face. He slid out of his room and made his way towards the front of the ship, his light steps making no sound as he traversed the freighter. The small bridge was empty when he entered and he hurried to the viewport and looked outside the ship. They seemed to have landed on the outskirts of the settlement, as Harry could see a haphazard array of shadowed buildings spread out roughly 100 yards away from the ship.

Harry couldn't see anyone on the rocky field before him and so he quickly apparated outside of the ship. He reappeared with a soft snap right in front of the vessel and flicked his wand out of its holster to quickly cast disillusionment and silencing charms on his person. He stalked swiftly across the field and into town, sliding along walls to avoid drunken pirates staggering back to their ships after a long night as well as any of the scant lighting to be found. It took him half an hour to find his likely target, a large walled compound near the center of the settlement. He took another ten minutes to walk around it, casing the entire thing. There was a single gate off of the main boulevard that had two Batarian guards negligently leaning against it.

He quickly decided against going through the front game and instead went back around to the rear of the compound. The wall was 10 feet high so he concentrated just a bit harder than normal to silently apparate to the top of it. He quickly crouched down, confident in his disillusionment charm, and surveyed the inside of the compound. A large two-story building dominated the center of it, obviously the auction hall and probably where the owner of said compound lived. Along the left side, from Harry's angle, A long low grey building stretched halfway along the wall. Harry guessed it was a barracks of some kind, for the guards. Of said guards, he saw four, patrolling the grounds in clockwise fashion. He hopped down from the wall into the compound and waited for an opening before ghosting across towards the central building. He slid around to the front and after verifying there wasn't a guard on the door, quickly entered the house.

Soft pale lights lit the empty entrance hall. There were three doors that led into the interior, left, right, and center. He chose the left and set off the explore the first level of the house. It was a giant square, centered around a large slave auction hall. There were two staircases in the back, one leading up and one leading down, at either end of the hallway. A single guard slouched in front of the door to the basement, where Harry assumed the slaves were kept. The guard was already sleepy, so Harry helped him along a bit with a subtle spell that slowly had the Batarian nodding off. He stepped up to the door and a whispered, "Alohamora," made the lock click. Even electronic locks fell before the power of the first year charm. He slid the door open, stepped through, and closed it behind him. Padding down the stairs he entered a large, dimly lit room. It was another square, but in this one two dozen humans and a pair of Asari were shackled to the walls. All of them were nude, slumped against the cold concrete walls and shivering, metal collars shining dully in the dim light.. Harry again cast his sleep spell, this time layering it over all of the men and women in the room. They were all shackled at various places along the three walls, suggesting that it had been full but some had been taken to another location. He quickly zeroed in on the two Asari, and found his target.

Harry strode over to her and quickly cast another spell, this one so that no sound would leave the small area around her while they talked. He let his disillusionment fade and crouched down, gently shaking her shoulder to wake her. He was glad for the silencing spell because she awoke, took one look at him, and screamed. For a moment, blue flared around her but the collar around her neck shocked her to disrupt her biotics. The scream petered out into a moan of pain and Harry said quickly, "I am a colleague of your mother's. Do you understand that?"

She gasped for breath for a few moments before nodding shakily, "I am here to get you out. Have you been implanted with anything yet?"

The Asari shook her head no. Harry breathed a sigh of relief, "Hold still."

He tapped the manacles around her wrists with his wand, freeing her, and then vanished the collar around her neck. Her eyes went wide and she whispered, "By the goddess, what-"

Harry interrupted her, "All will be explained in time. Can you stand?"

Her voice was hoarse, "With some help."

He held out his hands and she clasped his wrists. He stood and pulled her up and helped steady her on her shaky legs. He smiled behind the mask, "Now, I need you to close your eyes and when I say, take a deep breath."

She did as he said and after having her take a deep breath he apparated them out of the basement and back into his room on the freighter. When they appeared, she immediately shoved him away, clasped a hand to her mouth, and then bent over to vomit all over the floor. Harry rubbed circles on her back and when she was finished he vanished the vomit as she nearly shouted, "By the goddess! What was that?"

He winced at her volume and quickly brought up another silencing ward so that they didn't wake the crew before answering, "That was apparition."

She blinked and when she didn't respond he conjured a set of dark robes and held them out to her, "Here, put these on."

Ithinia silently took them and drew them around herself before saying, "What are you?"

"I'm a friend of your mother's. That's what matters at the moment."

The rest of the tension that had permeated her body relaxed, "Well. If you can teleport, you can go back. Right?"

Harry grimaced behind the mask, "I hate leaving them there, but I wouldn't be able to get them all off on this freighter. The crew would probably try to sell them back if I tried to bring them all on and I don't want to burn one of your mothers contacts."

She shook her head, "I'm not leaving without Clara."

Harry got a sinking feeling in his gut, "Clara?"

A wistful smile stole over her face, "My lover."

"What does she look like. I can apparate back into the basement and bring her back as well."

Ithinia shook her head, "They came and took her."

Harry growled, "If they took her somewhere I won't have time to search the entire settlement before we have to leave."

The Asari shook her head, "The batarian that owns the auction. He came down and picked her out earlier tonight."

Harry couldn't help but swear, "Athame's fucking ass. What does she look like."

A quick description came back, "Shorter than me, taller than you. Brown hair, comes down to her shoulders, brown eyes. Small nose and the cutest cheeks."

Harry nodded decisively, "Stay in here. I'm going to seal the door so that you can't go out and they can't come in. Get some rest. I'll be back shortly."

He turned and cast Colloportus on the door before tapping the top of his head and letting the familiar cold disillusionment charm trickle down his body. He smirked at her astonished face before apparating back to the front of the auction compound. Both of the guards were still there, both still leaning against the wall in front of the compounds gate. Harry stood there in the middle of the road, invisible, and pondered his options. He could have justified extracting Ithinia, he'd done that without alerting anybody, and when they discovered her gone the slavers would have probably thought that the guards had helped themselves to a slave and disposed of her. He was certainly going to have to kill the auctions owner now, because Ithinia's lover was most likely still in his chambers, and spiriting her away from there would probably engender a massive search. Infiltration of that level screamed Spectre-level skills, which was exactly what he was trying to hide.

His mouth twitched, the errant thought taking root. He'd been thinking too much like a Spectre, a tool of the council, a knife in the dark. When did he start leaving people behind? When had he not made an example of slavers and pirates when he found them? He wasn't even on a Spectre assignment. He was here helping a friend save her daughter, and she didn't care how he did it. Spectre's didn't come for a paltry two dozen slaves. No, angry mercenaries being paid to send a message did.

A wolfish smile spread over his face and his wand flickered out, a blasting curse roaring into existence. The front gate, the guards, and ten feet of concrete wall were blasted into oblivion. Immediately an alarm began to wail. Harry strode through the dust, letting his disillusionment fall off but layering a second glamour over himself. This one would give him the appearance of a large muscular human in heavy armor, with a really big gun. That way any witnesses he left would understand the really big holes he was going to be leaving in people. The four patrolling guards converged on him, shooting as they came. He used piercing curses, the much more violent older cousin to the piercing hex, to blow a fist sized hole through each batarians chest. More guards began to boil out of the barracks to his right, carrying rifles and wearing a mish-mashed assortment of hastily thrown on armor. Harry sent a spread of blasting curses at them, blowing rocky ground and bloody body parts into the air. He swept over towards the barracks, and through the dust cut down any remaining guard he saw. Lastly, he swung his wand around towards the barracks themselves and conjured fire. It roared over the barracks, hot and hungry, and Harry fed it enough magic to keep it burning until the entirety of the concrete and pre-fab plastic was nothing but black ash.

Leaving the flames to do their work, he turned to the auction house and sprinted over to the door, slipping inside. The lights, which had been dim the first time he came through were now nearly blinding. He ignored that though and sprinted straight through the door ahead of him, through the main auction room, and burst into the back hallway. The guard who had been sleeping by the door to the basement holding pens was now fully alert, but it did him no good as Harry put a piercing curse through his head. He turned to seal the door leading down so that nobody could get to the slaves while he was busy upstairs. That done, he went down the hall and ascended to the owners quarters.

Upstairs he had to deal with another half dozen guards in a pair of ostentatious rooms bedecked in stolen treasure. Fully half of the upstairs was dedicated to the bedroom of a huge batarian who, when Harry burst in, was holding a battered and bruised nude human woman against his chest with a pistol to her head. He barked as soon as Harry entered, "If you make one more move I'll blow her brains out!"

Harry rolled his eyes and with a flick of his wand summoned the gun out of the batarians hand. Both human and batarian gaped and while they were distracted Harry sent a punching hex straight into the slavers face that caused him to drop his captive and clutch his face trying to stem the blood pouring out of his nose. Harry rushed forward, past the woman on the floor, and shoved the batarian backwards until he hit a wall. With a few flicks of his wand he conjured manacles, clamped them around the slavers wrists, and levitated them to pull his arms upwards before embedding the other end into the wall. The end result was the batarian standing on his toes, arms straining against the manacles, and angry blathering, "Do you know who I am? I will tear your eyes out and feed them to your children!"

Harry snorted, absently finiting his secondary glamour so that his robed Asari form faded back into view. The batarians jaw went slack as Harry stepped back, removing his mask and throwing back his hood. He ran one hand over his crest and the other attached his mask to his hip before saying, "I don't care who you are. You have one chance to tell me where your ship is, and I may leave you with your life."

He sneered at the wizard, "My guards will be here in but moments and I will enjoy defiling you while listening to your screams."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Wrong answer."

He pointed his wand straight at the Batarian and locked his eyes with one pair of his prisoners, "Legilimins!"

The mind of a batarian was different than a humans or an asari's but he quickly found the answers he was looking for, withdrawing before the depravity of it all could close in around him. The slavers head lolled forward and more blood dripped out of his nose onto the floor. The batarians head came back up and he only got out a startled expletive before Harry angrily beheaded him with a cutting curse. He went over to the bedside table and grabbed the batarians omni-tool before turning to the human woman he had rescued, who was now scooting backwards on the floor away from him, terror awash across her face. He strode towards her and said calmly, "I am here to help. You are Clara, yes?"

The woman stopped, nodding cautiously but not saying anything. Harry crouched down to her level, "I'm here to rescue you. I've already got Ithinia, and she would not leave without you. Will you come with me?"

She nodded again, and Harry held out a hand, pulling her to her feet. He conjured another set of robes that the women quickly took to cover her nudity, not even questioning where they came from. He smiled kindly at her, "Come, I will take you to her. Close your eyes and take a deep breath."

He grasped her shoulders and apparated them back to his room on the freighter. They reappeared and Clara had the exact same reaction as her lover, staggering away from Harry and throwing up on the floor.

"Clara!"

Ithinia rushed over to her and pulled her into a tight hug, ignoring the vomit that had dribbled down the front of her robes. Harry idly vanished the vomit, again, and said, "I'm going back for the rest."

He apparated out again this time to the back of the compound, cast another disillusionment charm, and set off quickly to the single starport in the settlement where Ghrak Ul'Marin, the auction owner kept his personal slaving ship. It took him five minutes to get there at a quick lope. Even at the extremely early hour it was a chaotic mess as pirates scrambled to board their ships and blast off, probably because of his attack on auction. Harry went to the private bay that Ghrak kept and entered the code that he had ripped from the batarians mind. There was a large anteroom with empty cages lining one wall and plush couches the other. A skybridge jutted out from the far wall and through a large window Harry could see it connected to a old model Batarian frigate. Harry glanced around and summoned a long coil of chain that lay at the bottom of one of the cages. He grabbed on end and tapped his wand to it casting, "Portus."

With another flick it coiled up and he hefted it over his shoulder and snagged the mask from his hip, bringing up his hood again and sealing the mask over his face. He twisted away and appeared again in front of the door to the auctions basement. Unsealing the door, he stepped inside and closed it behind him, walking downstairs to find the prisoners awake and terrified. As soon as he entered all of their eyes zeroed in on him. Harry thought for a moment and once his plan was set, burst into action.

He led with a wide area confundus charm that had them all misty eyed and slack jawed. The wizard quickly went to each prisoner and vanished the manacles, and when all of them were free he waved his wand in a circle and the chain dropped from his shoulder, snaking around the room to wrap tightly around the wrist of each slave. He tapped the end that he kept in his hand and activated the portkey to send all of them into the antechamber of Ghrak's private hangar bay. When they twisted back into reality he made the chain drop away from each of the prisoners and cast a finite to get rid of the confundus charm. All of them started to look around frantically and Harry quickly drew himself up, took a deep breath, and cast a powerful, "Obliviate!"

The spell washed across everyone in the room and Harry altered each of their memories a tiny bit, to make them believe that they had all run through the town to reach the starport. Harry flicked his wand back into its holster and clapped his hands to get their attention as most of them shook and rubbed their heads as their minds assimilated the memory, "Alright people. Can anyone here pilot this ship?"

All of them went over to the window and looked it over before one of the men, older and with the beginnings of gray hair, turned and said, "I can probably get her to fly. Studied these things back in the Alliance so I know how it's supposed to work."

Harry went over to him and handed the man the omni-tool he had taken from Ghrak the slaver, "Here's the owner's omni-tool, he won't be needing it anymore. I've unlocked it and it should contain all of the codes you need to get this up and running. Take it and head back to Alliance space. You can probably find someone to pick you up quickly."

One of the women turned to him, "What are you going to do? And who the hell are you anyway?"

Harry smiled behind the mask, "I'm a friend of a friend. I came here to rescue someone and you all were lucky enough to get caught up in it. Now. Quickly. Get out of here. Nobody's checking departures because they're all trying to get out of here themselves."

The pilot and the woman who had questioned him, obviously people of authority within the group, glanced at each other before the woman shrugged, "I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. Thanks for the help whoever you are."

Harry inclined his head gracefully, "Go with the grace of the Goddess."

The pilot went and unlocked the skybridge and they all stampeded into the ship. Before he apparated away, Harry heard one of the women mutter to another, "I can't believe we ran through the town completely naked."

The other replied, "Shut up. It's better than being chained up like animals."

He reappeared in the lounge on his own ride and Ithinia and Clara both jumped up from where they sat, tense and ready to fight, before relaxing when they saw him again. Ithinia asked tersely, "The others?"

Harry took off his mask and hood before answering, "Safe. They're on a ship and should be able to make it to Alliance space easily."

Both breathed a sigh of relief and slumped back down in their chairs. The Asari replied to him, "Thank you. I know you didn't want to go back."

Harry smiled at her, "No, but it was better that I did."

Pounding on the door interrupted him and he quickly undid the Colloportus charm and slid the door open to find the Captain, furious, in front of him. The Turian spat out, "In the name of the Spirits! What did you do? The city is a madhouse and everyone is fleeing!"

Harry shrugged, "There were complications. You may want to take off now. Just follow the rest of the ships."

A strangled gurgling noise came from the Captain and Harry continued, "I'll double your pay if you leave now. Triple if you make Illium your first destination."

The call of money was to much for the captain to resist and he grunted an affirmative before stomping away. Harry closed the door and turned back to find both Ithinia and Clara staring at him. He ignored their looks and went to sit in one of the chairs. Once he'd dropped into it and removed his mask again he said, "I assume you have questions?"

It took him ten minutes to assure them that yes, he really was a Spectre, they really were headed to Illium where Ithinias mother was, and yes, it really was magic that he used. Iyala would explain it if she chose to. After that he transfigured the cot into a large mattress and conjured a heavy blanket and told the pair to get some rest. As soon as they'd gotten over their wonder at the transfiguration the pair lay down and were soon asleep, clinging to each other to try and ward off the horror that had been inflicted on them. Harry dimmed the lights and brought up his omni-tool to send a terse message to Iyala.

-Mission accomplished. Will arrive at Illium in 16 hours. Rendezvous at safe house at that time.-

Overcome with nostalgia, Harry absently held his hand out to her and she cocked her head slightly in confusion before reaching her own out and initiating a very shallow link. Harry dredged up centuries old memories and sent across his impressions: The love he felt holding his first granddaughter, the bone deep satisfaction of having seen his children grow up to start families of their own. She abruptly broke the link and sat back, solemn. After a full minute of contemplative silence she spoke again, "I've been thinking about getting out. Goddess, I've been a Spectre for half of my life. I could walk into any Huntress troop in the Republics and they'd give me a senior position."

The human wizard smiled gently at her, "I've known for a while."

"What? How?"

His smile turned to a smirk, "Why else would you be introducing me to your contacts around the Traverse and Terminus? I'm your successor. And, even though I'm human I'm not short lived, I'll be able to use them for a few centuries. Are you sure it doesn't work that way for Asari? Even those maidens passed out in your bedroom could have figured it out."

She snorted, "Cheeky bitch. Just for that you have to buy all my drinks for the rest of this vacation."

"Deal. I am going to need your contact on Noveria though. Tevos sent me a message a few days ago. There have been a few anomalies that C-sec has turned up in Binary-Helix's finances and shipping logs coming out of there. She wants me to check it out."

Iyala actually laughed in delight, "Better you than me. Fucking corporate worlds are a goddess damned pain in the ass, and Noveria worst of all. I'll gladly give you his information if it means I don't have to go anywhere near it."

Harry shrugged, "You laugh now, but remember, I spent half a century investigating uptight purebloods who wouldn't cooperate with an Auror unless you caught them wand in hand standing over a dead body. I know how to slip through the cracks of a stonewalled investigation."

She was about to respond hotly when a voice sounded from the villa, "Hey! You should see this! The geth attacked a human colony!"

Adrenaline shot through Harry's body, as both Spectre's bolted up and and practically sprinted into the villa. They skidded into the living room where Harry gently pushed another robe-clad Asari out of the way of the vid-screen so that he and Iyala could watch it. Two Asari were on the screen discussing the attack.

"-outrageous! Humanity accused Spectre Saren of this heinous act with absolutely no evidence. Their Butcher stood in front of the council and said she would kill Saren if she saw him!"

"Saren is the Spectre most notorious for collateral damage. A human colony was massacred by Geth! C-sec has already concluded their investigation and it has only been 18 hours since the attack! The Goddess alone knows what they're covering up."

Harry stopped listening and immediately turned away, "Iyala. I'm headed to the citadel. If Saren really has gone rogue I'm going to be there to bring him in."

He strode into his room and Iyala followed him. With a flick of his wand the odds and ends that had scattered across the room during his two weeks off started to pack themselves. Iyala said, "You've still got another two weeks left on your leave. Let someone else take this one. Besides, the humans may just be blowing smoke about him again. Before you were a Spectre there was a human they were considering but he blew the op while Saren was evaluating him. They blamed Saren and they've hated him ever since."

Harry shrugged, "Even if they keep the SA in the dark, the Council is going to put a Spectre on this to make sure it's not a prelude to full on war with the geth. Regardless, it was a human colony that was attacked and I'm going to take the assignment."

His friend leaned against the door and folded her arms, "For someone who's tried so hard to integrate as an Asari, you're still very loyal to humanity."

Harry stopped what he was doing and locked eyes with her, "Is it so wrong to try and live in a society that is as long lived as I? I've already watched my whole world wither away once, do you think I could stand to build something up every century just to watch it die? No… I would go mad if I tried to live with humans. At the same time, I am a human. I will help them when I can, and this is one of those times. Another Spectre might let the Council dictate how to run their investigation, and you know how loathe the Council is to help humanity. I don't care who did it, I won't put politics above the truth."

Everything had finished packing while Harry was talking and Harry grabbed clothes from the top of his bag to change into. He didn't bother to ask Iyala to leave because experience had taught him that she wouldn't and would tease him endlessly over human prudishness. Instead he kicked the slippers off and tossed his robe on the bed and began to pull on his clothes. While he was pulling up his trousers Iyala spoke again, "Do you think that I would bow to pressure from the Council?"

Harry snorted, "No, but you would not be given the assignment."

He grabbed his shirt and put his arms through the sleeves, beginning to button it as he continued, "They'll give it to Zelost or Jerin Vrynnick. Neither of them like humans and they both owe Saren too much to investigate him too closely. I know they're looking for a human Spectre candidate but Nihlus will mentor whoever they choose and by the time they do find someone the trail will be cold."

He finished the buttons and glanced over at Iyala, who was smirking at him, "What?"

She let out a bark of laughter, "I'm not going to stop you. I just wanted to make sure you'd thought it through."

Harry made another rude gesture, "I'm not some maiden asking for your wisdom, and I'm not your trainee who has to consult with you before I do anything."

Iyala gave a careless shrug and said blithely, "Old habits die hard."

With a flick of his wand Harry summoned his battle robes and pulled them on, leaving them open for now. He pulled on his boots and grabbed his bag before turning to Iyala, "Well. I'm off. Would you pack up my experiments and ship them to the Presidium safe-house?"

She scoffed before stepping forward and grabbing his arm, "Don't apparate away without me. I'm coming as well. I thought we'd be here longer so I gave my crew leave and the Lady of the Sea is docked for some upgrades."

Harry looked her over, "If you're coming, maybe you should put on some clothes."

She glanced down, a hint of purple coloring her cheeks, and let go of his arm, "Right. Give me fifteen minutes to shower and pack. Not all of us have your fancy tricks."

Harry laughed and teased, "I know we're friends Iyala but I didn't think you'd be so hot to come with me you'd forget your armor."

Iyala swiftly left the room, calling over her shoulder, "Next time we train together I'm actually going to bitch-slap you into unconsciousness."

The wizard laughed and went to the study where his experiments were to pack them up since he had the time. In truth, were he and Iyala to fight to the death, the only way that Iyala would win would be to ambush him and get in close or hit him with some truly powerful biotics. He'd come a long way from their first duel, and she'd helped him come up with tactics specifically to combat biotics. Element Zero wiped out the wizarding world, but didn't affect active magic like the enchantments that hid and protected Hogwarts. Biotics however, would degrade those enchantments over time. He'd had to replace two sets of battle-robes when duels with powerful biotic pirates had seen the enchantments broken by their powers. They also gave biotic users an innate resistance to magics that affected their bodies. Powerful curses would still hurt and kill them, but many non-lethal hexes and jinxes had no effect. To combat this, he'd had to brush up on his battle transfiguration, and while he probably wouldn't be as good as Dumbledore without another century of practice, he now had more non-lethal options to capture his biotic foes if he needed to.

Instead of the fifteen minutes Iyala had asked for it took them thirty minutes to pack up, get rid of her bedmates, and lock up the T'rahn vacation home. He apparated them halfway across the continent, putting them into his bedroom aboard the Gallant. When they reappeared, Iyala staggered against him, pulling them both down onto his small bed. She ended up halfway laying on him and his glare did nothing to affect her as she asked innocently, "What's that look for?"

"I know damn well that you can stand on your own after we apparate. Get off of me."

She wriggled on top of him but did nothing to get up, "Well Harry. Now that I know how sad your sex life is, I've taken it upon myself to fix it. We've got a six hour flight ahead of us, plenty of time get to work on it."

Harry rolled his eyes and pushed her off of him onto the floor, "It's not going to happen. I know you too well to sleep with you."

She grinned and hopped to her feet, "Aww. I'll hold you and whisper sweet nothings in your ear if that's what you want."

Harry grumbled as he left the tiny room and headed towards the cockpit, "If you don't stop I'm going to leave you here."

He sat down in the pilot's chair and began to warm up the engines and do his pre-flight checks. He used his Spectre status to to move himself up the queue to launch and after that he had to navigate the heavy space traffic around Thessia. It took him an hour and a half to reach the relay and go through it. The next six hours were spent with Iyala, brainstorming what and where they would investigate and researching the Geth. When they burst from the relay Harry sent a message to Tevos, letting her know that he was in system and ready to take over the investigation of the Eden Prime attack. He received a terse message to hurry to the council chambers but nothing else. Their docking at the Citadel was quick and when they did dock he cast his familiar self-transfigurations and glamours to become Aleria T'rahn and sealed up his robes. He didn't bother with the leathers because he very much doubted he was going to see combat or a hostile environment where he'd need an environmental seal. Iyala had donned her own commando leathers and was ready for combat.

They stepped off of his ship and after he'd locked it down Harry said, "Drop everything at the Presidium safe house. I'll speak to the Council and then meet you there. We'll apparate to the Spectre's office and we can get everything we need for the mission."

She nodded and without further ado they took an elevator down into the Spectre office. When they stepped out, it was nearly empty, but the few Spectres that were there were glued to a vid-screen, faces grim. The pair who'd just arrived ignored them and left the office, separating as soon as they emerged into the Presidium. Harry swiftly made his way towards the council tower He had to take another elevator but soon he was striding up the steps towards the chamber where he could hear the councilors speaking.

Tevos voice echoed through the chamber as he made it to the top of the steps, "Spectres are an ideal, a symbol, the embodiment of course, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instruments of our will.

Sparatus finished the Spectre's induction, "Spectre's bear a great burden. Both our first and last line of defence, the safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold."

The woman whom they were inducting, a blonde in the blue dress uniform of the Alliance navy bowed her head, "You honor me, councilors."

Tevos spoke again from the lofty height of her podium, "You are the first human Spectre, Commander. This is a great accomplishment for you and your entire species."

Valern followed, "We're sending you into the Traverse after Saren. He's a fugitive from justice, so you are authorized to use any means necessary to apprehend or eliminate him."

Harry zoned out as his head spun. Saren, a traitor? Humanity had their first Spectre, and he hadn't even known they had picked a candidate? Where in the name of the Goddess was Nihlus. He caught Tevos eye as she ended the council session and she motioned with her head in the direction of her office. He nodded minutely and then watched as she filed out along with the other councilors. Looking back over he noticed that the human Ambassador along with the naval Captain had left the new Spectre along with two other humans in armor, striding briskly away from the podium. Her two companions seemed to be congratulating her and she was talking quietly with them when he approached the group. As soon as get got within 10 feet of them her head snapped around and her gaze pierced him, flinty eyes that were a swirl of green and blue took him in. As he approached she spoke first, her smoky alto voice firm,"Who are you?"

He inclined his head before answering, "Aleria T'rahn. Spectre."

The man and the woman flanking her both raised their eyebrows in incredulity, probably at his robes. Somehow, the Spectre's eyes sharpened even more, assessing everything about him before she introduced herself, "Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy. Spectre now too… Do you need something."

His lips curved up slightly as they got to the root of the matter, "As a matter of fact I do. If you would come with me, I will show you the Spectre offices. I must have a quick word with Councilor Tevos but after that there are some administrative tasks to take care of to finalize your status."

This seemed to surprise all three of them and Shepard hesitated for a moment before nodding sharply, "Of course. I should have known. Lieutenant, Gunnery Chief, report back to the Normandy and start packing. When they assign me my own command, both of you are on it."

Both of them saluted, backs straight and pride etched across their faces. They turned to leave but the woman, tan skin with dark eyes and hair, had some parting words, "Thanks for the vote of confidence Commander. I'll be glad to be there when we kick that Turians teeth in."

They watched the pair walk away for a moment before Harry turned his attention back to the Commander, "Come. The Councilor's office is this way."

They set off and made the short journey to Tevos office in silence. Upon entering the reception area Tevos' secretary zeroed in on Harry, "Spectre T'rahn. Councilor Tevos requires your presence immediately."

He nodded shortly to her before saying to Shepard, "If you would not mind waiting here, this will not take long."

She answered shortly, "Of course."

He strode into Tevos office and as soon as the door closed flicked his wand out and threw up a silencing spell. He preempted her, "I was only out of contact for six hours! What the fuck happened!"

She rebuked him sharply, "Control your tongue. The Council was backed into a corner. We are lucky the humans are so easily appeased!"

Harry grimaced, "Appeased with a Spectre? The last I'd heard they were trying to narrow down the candidates. And where in the name of the Goddess is Nihlus!"

"Nihlus is dead."

Her blunt answer shocked Harry, "What happened!"

Tevos gave him a barebones summary of the Eden Prime mission and Commander Shepards efforts on the citadel to bring the truth to light. Harry fell down into one of the plush chairs Tevos kept and the Councilor herself sat wearily in the one behind her desk. After a few moments of silence he said contemplatively, "This is worse than I thought."

His boss chuckled darkly, "The oceans are always deeper than you think. Matriarch Benezia is working with Saren."

This truly shocked Harry, "Matriarch Benezia? As in T'soni? Head of one of the Thirty Families, former Solarch and Lunarch of the Temple of Athame? Currently the owner of one of the largest and most profitable conglomeration of corporations on Thessia? One of the most powerful living biotics?"

Tevos nodded grimly, "The same."

"Fuck!"

She didn't even try to reprimand him that time. Instead she replied wearily, "Once this gets out on Thessia there will be riots. She's highly respected and owns something like 1% of the entire Asari economy."

Harry grunted, "That will be your problem. If she's chasing Saren and Benezia, Commander Shepard is swimming right into a riptide."

Tevos shot back, "What else would you have us do?"

"Let me hunt them! You know it will take an equally powerful biotic or me if it comes to a fight with Benezia."

Tevos groaned and leaned forward, rubbing her temples, "I can't. Saren and his Geth nearly nuked a human colony, and did kill thousands of Alliance colonists. We had to give them something, and making Commander Shepard a Spectre and sending her after him was the best course."

Harry practically spat, "Politics."

"Yes."

There was another moment of silence before Harry spoke again, "It seems I'll have to get myself onto her mission then."

Tevos' eyes widened and she sat straighter, "Yes. That could work."

Harry kept the train of thought going, "With Nihlus dead, she doesn't have another Spectre to mentor her anymore. We can't just send a new Spectre out into the field without some oversight now can we?"

Tevos shook her head, "The humans would never accept."

The Wizard shook his head and sat forward, a grin beginning to form on his face, "No. You misunderstand. She will still be in command. I will be subordinate to her. I'll just be there to smooth things over for her, teach her the ins-and-outs of being a Spectre. Perhaps lend her my combat skills."

The devious smile that had been forming on Tevos' face disappeared suddenly, "Your identity would be an issue, and your magic. How would you explain it?"

He shrugged, "I have to come clean at some point. Besides, there are spells that protect my identity from being spread. It won't go beyond what I allow."

She pondered his idea for a few moments, "You will have to appeal directly to Commander Shepard. I cannot unilaterally assign this to you."

Harry nodded, "I'd surmised as much. I can call her in here and explain."

"Do it."

Harry stood up and went over to the door to stick his head out, "Commander Shepard?"

She was standing over near a window, gazing out into the abyss of space. On hearing her name she turned, "Yes?"

"Would you join the Councilor and I for a moment?"

The woman strode over and for the first time Harry was able to get a good, clear look at the newest Spectre. She was perhaps an inch taller than him, all whipcord muscle and svelte curves. Her white-blonde hair was put up in a severe braid that left bare a narrow aristocratic face; high cheekbones, straight nose, and a trio of light scars that ran across her right temple. He stood aside as she entered the room and then closed the door again. She glanced around, taking in the surprisingly austere office. Harry gestured for her to have a seat and she took one, back straight as a board. Harry sat in another one and said, "Do you prefer plain speech or would you like to talk around the point for a few minutes? I've found that humans hate that, but you're their first Spectre so you may surprise me."

He didn't even get a laugh as she replied, "What do you want?"

Harry sighed and then said bluntly, "You are tasked with tracking down Saren and Matriarch Benezia. To speak plainly, if you end up fighting Benezia without my or another biotics help, you will die."

That got a reaction out of her. A patch of red crept up her neck and a hint of heat entered her voice, "Don't think for a moment that just because I'm human I can't take care of one traitorous Asari!"

Harry shook his head, "It is not because you are human. There are few in this galaxy that could kill her in open combat. There are perhaps four Spectres, some priestesses of the Temple, a justicar or two, and Aria T'loak that could stand against her. She is one of the most powerful biotics in the galaxy and without another equally powerful biotic or an orbital bombardment she will win any fight you pick with her."

Her eyebrows had been slowly rising as he spoke, "You've got to be exaggerating. You make her sound invincible."

"You don't have much combat experience against biotics do you?"

She bristled and replied, "I've spent enough time fighting pirates to encounter biotics of all races. They all die the same as everyone else."

Harry chuckled lightly, "Yes, but could their barriers stop a tank round? Could their singularities rip apart a shuttle? Could they single handedly throw a biotic artillery strike powerful enough to decimate a company of soldiers?"

Shock rippled across her face as she admitted tersely, "No."

"Benezia can do all that and more."

There were a few moments of silence as the Commander digested his words. Tevos, who had sat quietly as they spoke, broke in, "We are not casting aspersions on your combat ability Commander. Your service record is exemplary and your history speaks for itself. Benezia however, transcends anything you have ever encountered."

Shepard burst out, "Then why the hell do I have this assignment, if you're so sure I'll fail?"

Harry again spat out the epitaph, "Politics."

Thoughts ran over her face for a moment before she grimaced, "I'm just a fucking soldier. My superiors point and I shoot until something is dead. It doesn't matter how powerful Benezia is, I'm still going after her and Saren."

Harry leaned forward, his own eyes locking with the Commanders, "And I would not stop you. You're a Spectre now, and that is your mission. However, I would like to help you. Let me join your team. I will be your counterweight to Benezias power, and help you complete your mission."

For the first time during the conversation Shepard sat back in her chair, all the while regarding Harry with suspicion, "I'm not going to let someone come in and take over my mission."

The wizard shook his head, "It's your mission, you're in command. I'll follow your lead Shepard."

She looked him over once again before crossing her arms and saying, "Fine. Just remember who is in command."

Harry nodded gracefully and smiled, "Thank you. You won't regret it. Now, there is something you need to know."

The wizard flicked his wand from his wrist-holster and and brought it up to tap the edge of his hood. The tough dragonhide split apart and Harry extracted a small strip of parchment that had been embedded in it."

Shepard was looking at him like he was insane but he just smiled and leaned forward to hand her the parchment. She took it hesitantly and he said, "Read it."

She glanced at it and mumbled to herself, "Spectre Aleria T'rahn is the wizard Harry Potter. Wizard? What the fuck?"

She looked back and looked at him, confusion all over his face. Harry grinned and brought his wand up, reversing the self-transfigurations, dispelling his glamours and voice-charms, and letting her see his real face.

"Jesus Christ, Holy Shit!"