Magi Ranger

By: Tenstar12

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Power Rangers.

Chapter 16, In Which Harry Goes Where No (Wand) Wizard has Gone Before…

"We're fucked…"

"Yes, Zack, you've said that already."

"Multiple times…"

"And that doesn't make it any less true!"

It had been mere minutes since Harry revealed that his wand was now useless and it seemed as though the entirety of the Rangers' resolve had burnt up as readily as his wand. Jason stood as the sole voice of reason amongst the Rangers with Alpha adding in a few comments every now and then while Harry stood stoically to one side.

"That may be," Jason insisted, rising from where he had been leaning on one of the consoles as he spoke. "But we can't just give up!"

"Why shouldn't we?" Kimberly interjected, her face downtrodden as she stood up to their leader. "Zordon is gone. The Zords may as well be. Harry's wand is out of commission. There's nothing more we can do!"

"But there's always a chance!" Jason shot back, his voice unwavering in his determination. "As long as we are willing and able to fight there's always a chance and even the smallest chance is enough of a reason to continue fighting. The world needs us, Rangers!"

Zack shook his head in exasperation. "Just face it, Jason. The Green Ranger was Rita's trump card. She played it. She won."

"No Rangers. I cannot accept that, Zordon would not accept that!" Alpha spoke firmly but a clear hint of panic was detectable in his robotic voice.

"But Zordon isn't here, Alpha." Billy said, turning from where he had been examining one of the consoles. "And no matter what we try, we can't seem to get a fix on his location."

"And what about Tommy!" Jason near shouted into the silence that followed Billy's comment. "We have to find a way to break Rita's spell and save him! We have to keep fighting if only to do that!"

There were several second of silence before Trini finally spoke up. "Harry… what do you think?"

One by one, the other Rangers turned to face the silent wizard. Harry was leaning up against one of the walls behind the consoles staring blankly at the ground, but he looked up when Trini spoke. Slowly, he met each of the Ranger's eyes, ending with Trini, before he spoke. "I know how you all feel. It's rather disturbing to me how close some of the parallels are between our situation now and the one I faced back at home during my own war…"

Harry pushed off the wall and moved to stand within the circle of consoles as the Rangers gathered in a group before him. "I told you I was involved in fighting against a group of terrorists and that I was the one directly responsible for taking out their leader and ending the whole thing. What I didn't mention was the circumstances that led up to that victory."

Harry sighed deeply, once more meeting each of their gazes as he spoke. "They were dark times. The Order of the Phoenix, that's what we called ourselves, were left fighting against a force of sadistic murderers who wanted nothing more than to kill everyone that didn't follow their beliefs in an effort to take over the country and quite possibly the world after that all under the banner of a glorified form of racism. We were under prepared, under staffed, and most of us were completely outmatched when it came to single combat against most of the members of Voldemort's forces. But there was one fact that kept us going despite all that. We knew that if we were to lose, if Voldemort and his Death Eaters were to take over, then all of those that we loved would be killed. All that we held dear would be perverted and destroyed. If we gave up, if we just decided one day that Voldemort had won and we couldn't do anything else to stop him, there would be nowhere in the world we could hide before he found us."

Harry could see his rather morbid message was sinking in as the horror started to grow in the Rangers' eyes. It was clear that they hadn't considered this part of the battle. "You have fought valiantly since the day Zordon chose you to become the Power Rangers and have managed to stop Rita at every turn until she brought in her own Ranger. The situation now is definitely rather serious, but if you were to simply give up it would hardly take you out of the fight. Rita would come down here with her armies, largely unopposed, and sweep through Angel Grove and the rest of the world from there. She would leave chaos and destruction in her wake, and anything and everything that any of us hold dear she would take personal pleasure in destroying completely."

He let his head drop as he fought back a few dark memories from his own war before glancing back up at them again. "I know it's not really what you want to hear, but right now, you five are the only thing standing in the way of Rita and her conquest of Earth. Zordon chose you all for a reason. Jason is right, even the slightest chance of victory is enough of a reason to continue fighting. Especially when you are fighting for all of your friends and family who would otherwise be defenseless against evil."

The five Rangers stood silent for several moments, their eyes glazed over slightly as they thought about what Harry had said. Finally, Kimberly shook her head. "I… I never really thought about it like that…"

The other four mumbled their agreement as Harry spoke again. "I know that's not really the kind of message you guys were hoping for, but we really have no other choice right now. We have to do whatever we can to combat the darkness, because without us, where would the world be?"

The Command Center once more descended into silence, even Alpha keeping quiet as the Rangers contemplated. Harry once more broke the silence as he stepped forward, holding his hand out palm down before him. "What do you say guys? For our family and friends, for all those innocents who would suffer if Rita were to take over, for everyone in Angel Grove and the World, we have to fight. Are you with me?"

Harry wasn't at all surprised when Jason was the first to step forward and place his hand over Harry's. His eyes were radiating his gratitude as he walked up, though Harry couldn't help but wonder how long it would last this time before Jason started sniping at him again.

Trini soon followed Jason and joined them with a soft small smile on her face and with Kimberly right on her tail. "You're right, Harry," the Pink Ranger said slowly. "I really don't like the situation as you painted it for us, but you're right. We have to keep fighting."

Billy was next to step forward and place his hand on the growing stack. "You're conclusion is logical, Harry. I'm just sorry I didn't see it before."

With only Zack left standing outside their huddle, all eyes turned to him. "You know," the Black Ranger said somewhat grumpily. "If Zordon had explained that stuff to us from the beginning I doubt any of us would have accepted the Power."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Destiny is rarely apparent to everyone from the get go, Zack. Do you think I wanted to be tossed into the middle of a war against a dark wizard who was supposed to have died a decade before when I first started going to Hogwarts at age eleven?" Harry was cut off by a shocked outcry from the Rangers at his revelation, but he merely waved his free hand airily. "I'll explain another time. But the point, Zack, is that I spent my first several years at Hogwarts trying to be nothing more than 'just Harry.' The only problem with that is that I was dragged right back into the heart of things no matter what I did. Fact is, nobody chooses to get involved in these things. Or at least nobody who can still be considered sane. But with how things are now, you are involved. All of us are and if we don't fight, who will?"

Zack only took another few seconds before he walked up and joined the group, placing his hand on top. "I suppose Zordon couldn't really give us all the doom and gloom stuff from the start or we would have run like crazy. You're right, Harry. We have to do this for everyone."

Harry smiled at the teen. "And that, Zack, is why you were chosen to be a Power Ranger. Why all of you were chosen by destiny and by Zordon to fight against Rita. Anyone can be pulled into a fight like this, but it takes a special kind of person to stand strong throughout it and fight on despite the odds."

The slightly emotional group was interrupted by a sudden loud beeping coming from several of the computer banks around them. "What's going on, Alpha?" Jason demanded as the group broke up.

The question was answered on its own as the twin pillars on either side of Zordon's tube lit up with electricity. Mere moments later, twin arcs jumped from each pillar and into the tube, forming into the outline of a familiar face. As the electrical energy faded, Zordon was revealed once more visible in the tube.

"The computer's auto-search subroutine finally located Zordon!" Alpha announced unnecessarily as the Rangers' faces all lit up at the sight of their mentor.

"ZORDON!" The Rangers all shouted in elation only for their faces to fall moments later when there was no response from the trapped wizard.

Upon closer inspection, Harry noticed that Zordon's eyes were closed and his face was tilted down slightly, as if sleeping. Mirroring his thoughts, Kimberly spoke up. "Is he asleep? Or can he even hear us?"

Alpha wobbled up to one of the computers and began pressing buttons again. "I sincerely doubt it. As he is caught in a time warp, Zordon has not slept in over ten thousand years and the computer indicates that all communication lines have been successfully established with Zordon. I just don't understand it! It's like he just isn't there!"

Zack slumped slightly and voiced what was on all of their minds. "Dammit… And just when I thought we were getting a break too…"

"Can you think of anything that would make Zordon act this way?" Trini asked Alpha, moving up to his side and watching as he continued to press seemingly random buttons on the console before him.

"Do you think Rita could have attacked him somehow?" Kimberly spoke next, fear once more in her voice.

"No," Alpha responded instantly. "That's impossible. When she trapped Zordon in the time warp it was intended to be for all eternity. It was only through incredible luck and Zordon's help from his end that I was able to establish a connection with him after he was first trapped. Rita had to make the prison incredibly strong to ensure he couldn't escape without a phenomenal amount of power, far more than Zordon or Rita could ever expect to have alone. If she had left a way to attack Zordon within his prison then he would have been able to use that opening to break out centuries ago."

"Take a look at this." Billy called from another console as he examined a printout he had just retrieved. "It's a diagnosis of Zordon's bio signature and bioelectrical readings."

Jason took the offered paper from the Blue Ranger and glanced at it for a moment before blinking and leaning closer. Harry took a peak at it from over Jason's shoulder and couldn't help but understand his reaction. The print on the paper was incredibly small and what little he could make out made absolutely no sense to him.

Kimberly, after taking a glance at the paper herself, turned back to Billy. "Billy, not all of us have genius level IQs. Could you please explain to us what this means?"

"Preferably in the Queen's English if at all possible?" Harry quickly said, feeling a slight headache just from his short glance at what was probably an incredibly complex technical readout.

Billy blinked before smiling sheepishly. "Sorry about that. It says that Zordon's physical health is as impeccable as always, which makes sense as he is effectively frozen as he was when he was first trapped, but his brainwave activity has diverged from the norm."

Alpha moved over to Jason and examined the paper in his grasp. "Yes… it does appear as though his mental activity levels have decreased approximately 27% from normal… almost as if…" The robot perked up slightly before turning quickly and moving faster than Harry had ever seen him move back to the central computer station where he started pressing buttons again.

"So what…" Zack offered slowly. "His lights are on, but nobody is home?"

The Rangers and Harry exchanged confused glances until Alpha interrupted them with an uncharacteristic shout. "YES! He is! Zordon is in meditation. He must be communing with the Morphing Grid!"

"He's doing what with the what now?" Zack asked, even Billy showing a hint of confusion for once.

Alpha turned back to face them, happiness evident in his voice. "According to the readings and after comparing them to past readings I can confidently conclude that Zordon is currently attempting to speak with the consciousness at the heart of the Morphing Grid that is the source of the Morphing Powers. He must be trying to get some kind of help for the battle against Rita and her Green Ranger!"

"So Zordon is trying to find something to help us?" Trini asked quietly, confidence growing in her eyes once more.

"Most likely, yes." Alpha nodded happily. "He does this every so often, seeking advice from the Grid before making any large decision about the Power. The last time he did so was shortly before requesting I teleport the five of you to the Command Center to become the Power Rangers. Based on these readings, he has been in his meditative state since shortly after the last time we got a partial line of communication with him. That would explain why we haven't been able to establish another link since then. He was too busy to aid the connection himself."

When Alpha trailed off, the humans in the room waited eagerly as the robot continued working the controls before him. After a minute or so, Jason finally spoke up. "Can you tell us anything else? Are there any chances of him waking up any time soon? We could really use a bit of advice about now."

When the Rangers and Harry all voiced varying levels of agreement, Alpha finally spoke again, although hesitantly. "I'm not sure, Jason. I am searching the computer records for any past instance of a communion with the Morphing Grid having taken this long, but I have been so far unsuccessful. It is possible that Zordon is having difficulties on his end, but rather doubtful since his situation hasn't changed in the time he has been trapped beyond losing connection with the Command Center."

"Is he in some kind of trouble, Alpha?" Kimberly asked in concern, glancing worriedly up at Zordon's still face.

"I really don't know, Kimberly." Alpha responded, much to the Ranger's disappointment, "I have no way of finding that out from this end. Zordon always kept the majority of the details of his communications with the Morphing Grid private beyond explaining the final decisions and conclusions made. I suppose it is possible he is having some kind of difficulty, but there is no way to know for sure."

Harry and the Rangers were silent once more. Each of them mulling over the thought that they had Zordon back, but at the same time didn't. It was frustrating in the extreme for them all in light of recent events.

"Hey!" Kimberly suddenly shouted, making everyone jump slightly. "Sorry, but I just had an idea. Since Zordon is doing his magic thing and we can't contact him while he is, why don't we send our resident magic guy after him?"

All eyes turned to Harry who felt his eyes widen slightly. "Err… I don't know that that would work very well Kimberly."

"Why not?" she all but demanded, frowning at him.

"Well for one thing, I use a different brand of magic. I don't really know that I would be able to do what he's doing."

Billy hummed for a moment before speaking. "While your caution has merit, the fact that Rita was able to use small amounts of your particular brand of magic in her spells, even if unintentionally, indicates that it may be irrelevant."

Harry ran Billy's words through his mind a few times to figure out what he was saying before continuing. "And secondly, I have no real idea how to do what he's done, much less find Zordon once I'm wherever I would need to be."

Alpha was the one who popped his balloon this time drawing everyone's attention as he spoke. "From what I understand of the process, Zordon puts himself into a meditative state and follows his personal connection to the morphing grid to the heart of the Power. He described it once like a trail of energy he has to follow. If I calibrate the sensors correctly, I should be able to detect any such energy trail to more closely pinpoint Zordon's interdimensional location. With a few sensors linking you to the computer, I would be able to use it to guide you to Zordon's presence. From there, you should be able to locate and follow the same trail Zordon did since you have already demonstrated an ability to sense when Morphing Grid energy is used to cast spells."

Harry could feel the Rangers' excitement and hope growing even as his own protests were defeated. He really didn't like this idea, especially as it seemed like a very desperate move to him. In his experience, desperate moves were performed with little planning or preparation and ended rather poorly more often than not. All the same, he couldn't think of any other reason to object and in the current situation, desperate moves were probably the only option they had.

With a great sigh and a certain feeling of foreboding, Harry nodded his head. "Alright, if you think that this will work, Alpha, then I suppose I'll give it a shot."

Harry's feeling of dread only got deeper as the Rangers began cheering, probably happy just to have some kind of a plan.

-MR-

Alpha had only needed a few minutes to modify the computer's sensors and locate the trail of Morphing Grid energy that Zordon had followed. So it was that a mere ten minutes later saw Harry once more lying on a cot in the center of the circle of consoles. The biggest difference this time were numerous wires and such attached to his head and then connected to one of the nearby computers.

"Now remember, Harry," Alpha instructed from nearby. "Once you have placed yourself in a meditative state, the computer will guide your mental projection to Zordon's physical presence. Once there, you should be able to locate the energy trail and follow it right to Zordon."

Harry nodded before letting out a sigh. "I would just like to go on record, once again, by saying that I'm not entirely comfortable with this."

Jason frowned at him from his spot next to Zack several feet away. "Then why did you agree to do it?"

"Because I can't support speeches like the one I made earlier if I'm not willing to back up my own beliefs when it comes down to it. This is an absolutely crazy plan, but it's the only one we have. We need Zordon's help if there is any chance of beating out Rita and breaking her spell on Tommy."

Kimberly and Trini walked up next to the cot and looked down at him, both looking concerned. Kimberly spoke first. "If you really aren't comfortable with this then you don't have to do it, Harry. We'll find some other way. Heck, maybe we could even just wait for Zordon to come out of his trance himself. It might not even be too long before he does."

Harry smiled at Kimberly and her attempt to give him an out, even though this had originally been her idea that everyone else just ran with. "It's fine Kimberly. This really is the only choice we have and I really am the only one who can do it. I'll be fine."

Kimberly nodded though Harry thought he caught sight of tears in her eyes before she turned away. Trini just kneeled down next to the cot and put a hand on his arm, squeezing lightly. "Promise you'll come back?"

Harry grinned as reassuringly as possible. "I promise I'll do my very best."

Trini just stared at him for a moment before lunging forward and hugging him as best she could while he was lying on the cot. He had been told not to move too much or else risk displacing some of the electrodes on his face so couldn't hug her back properly, but he did the best he could. A few moments later, Trini leaned back with a blush bright enough to light the room. "I… ah… you owed me a hug for saving you earlier…"

Harry smiled slightly, his mind spinning and fighting down his own blush as best he could. "Right… of course."

Trini gave him one final nod and stood abruptly before speed walking to stand next to Kimberly. The Pink Ranger was clearly fighting down a smile on her face as she shot random glances at her friend who was resolutely studying her shoes.

Harry glanced in the other direction to find Zack and Jason fighting down snickers of their own. He lifted one eyebrow as he continued to stare at them until Zack finally noticed and straightened himself up, casually elbowing Jason and nodding toward the wizard so the Red Ranger would sober himself as well.

Giving the two a brief nod, Harry glanced to where Alpha and Billy were working the computers. The plan was for at least one of them to remain at the station, monitoring his progress as best they could in the hopes of averting any life ending consequences. That was the plan anyway. In all truth, despite the example of Rita, Harry really wasn't sure that his magic wouldn't react poorly to the process. In his experience, and he had relayed this to the others, his type of magic had this crazy habit of shorting out electronics every time they met. This point had even been proven when Billy had had to go through so many prototypes before finding a communicator that wouldn't die as soon as he tried to use it. Alpha, however, insisted that the computers in the Command Center were heavily shielded from that type of energy overload, so there would be nothing to worry about now that they were fully repaired again.

Harry was hardly convinced, but he knew there wasn't really another choice.

"Are you ready, Harry?" Alpha asked, waddling over with a handheld device of some kind that he waved over Harry's body before pressing a few buttons and repeating the gesture.

"Ready as I'll ever be," was Harry's tired sounding reply.

"Alright," Alpha nodded before moving back to his station. "The computers are ready. Go ahead and go into your meditative state and I will begin the process."

Harry gave a slight nod, once more to avoid shifting the sensors. "Wish me luck…"

With a great exhalation, Harry forced his body to relax and let himself fade into the meditative trance he used to work on his Occlumency shields.

-MR-

Harry felt his consciousness return as it always did when he entered his mindscape. As he floated in the peaceful realm of his mind he spread his presence out as he was taught, feeling each of the magical shields he had painstakingly erected around his mind in the years he had been practicing Occlumency. Noting that each barrier was fully intact as he passed them, Harry reached the outermost one just in time to feel a slight ping with a decidedly… artificial feel to it. With a mental sigh, Harry gathered himself together again and grasped the probe that he assumed was from the computer and felt his consciousness get tugged outside of his mind in a way he had never felt before.

Harry had tried to learn Legilimency once he had gotten the hang of Occlumency. Mad Eye Moody had been of the opinion that it was important for as many people on a single squad as possible to have the skill for interrogation purposes and so had mandated training in at least the basics. Harry, however, had balked at the feeling of leaving his own mind and body behind to explore another's and so had dropped out of the training. It just wasn't for him, he'd said.

Now he felt himself reliving the tense, all-consuming sensation of flying outside of one's own physical body multiplied several times over as the probe pulled him along completely outside of his control and presumably toward Zordon's physical presence so he could complete the task set for him. If it hadn't been for the "solid" presence of the computer's magi-technological probe for Harry to "grip," he probably would have lost his mind from the sheer feeling of discomfort and fear he felt as he flew through the emptiness around him.

Flying blind through the void, far from the safety and familiarity of his body, was not what Harry Potter considered a good time.

Finally, after what felt like hours but was probably only a few minutes, Harry felt something different. Up ahead of him in the direction he was being pulled, he could feel a massive and calming presence. Only when the sensation of movement stopped did Harry register it as the feel of Zordon's massive magical reserves. Harry was well and truly floored by the immensity of the trapped wizard's power. He had thought Zordon was powerful when he was only feeling his projected presence, but if what he felt now was any indication then Rita may have had no other choice than to imprison him if she ever wanted any chance of winning their war.

Though it was possible that Zordon's power had only reached this level through the ten thousand years he had been magically exerting himself while trapped…

Giving himself a mental shake, mostly because he currently had no physical body, Harry once more extended his presence into the emptiness around him, hoping to find some hint of the magical energy trail that he was supposed to find while still keeping a "hand" on the probe so he could find his way back should all else fail.

Finally, after a few minutes of searching, Harry felt something different. It was an energy source leading away from Zordon's physical presence that felt more… pure than what was emanating from the wizard. It was just energy with no tints to it that would resonate with one wielder or the other.

Hoping against hope that this was what he was looking for, Harry pulled his own presence back into a compact form and drifted toward the trail, releasing his hold on the probe as he did so and giving a mental sigh of relief when it remained in the same general "location."

He approached the energy and tentatively "touched" it only to feel himself be pulled into and along the trail at a "speed" much faster than that of the probe. He felt his panic return as he went, flying through the void once more outside his own control and this time without even the life raft of the probe to "cling" to.

And then, just as suddenly, he stopped. And Zordon was there.

"Harry?" Zordon asked, his presence as all-consuming as he had ever felt in its purely magical form.

"Zordon…" Harry sighed in relief. "I was really freaking out there for a second. I wasn't sure where I was going. This whole thing was really poorly planned. None of us even had any idea if it would work right and…"

"Harry, calm down please." Zordon's voice cut through Harry's and instilled a sense of peace within the wizard. "What has happened that led you to try and reach me here? Are things so desperate already?"

Harry "nodded" before answering, "Without a doubt. The Zords are out of commission and the wand I was able to craft is burnt out. Rita is on the verge of winning and I was only barely able to convince/scare the Rangers into not giving up on the fight entirely. The computer finally managed to establish a connection with you, but you were in a trance and everyone started freaking again. Then the plan was hatched for me to try this. They need your help, Zordon. Heck, I need your help. I don't know what I'm doing around here! I was barely involved in the planning stuff in my own war. I spent more time training than anything else and it was only desperation the lead to me even finishing things when I did. I-"

Harry's rant was cut off by a massive chuckle that reverberated throughout the area around them as a massive presence entirely made up of pure, un-tinted energy burst into existence around them. "So, this is the little magic user that dropped into the middle of things and disturbed the balance in our dimension…"

If Harry had been in his physical body, he would have had the wind knocked out of him. This presence was more massively powerful than anything he had ever felt before and it was only the slight feeling of jovial laughter in its voice that kept Harry from descending into a full panic.

"Who…? What…?"

The laughter rang out again before the presence pulled itself in, now less all-encompassing than it had first been which made it quite a bit less nerve wracking for the wizard. "I apologize, young one. Usually, by the time a magic user first meets me they are more used to immersing themselves in the outer edges of my power and so they don't react as strongly as you did."

Harry drew himself together again, feeling very much out of his element, before asking the pressing question on his mind. "Who… or what are you?"

"Have you not guessed my little friend? I am the protector of the balance in the dimension you found yourself in. I am that which grants the forces of goodness and justice the power to battle against all that is evil. I am the embodiment of the Morphing Grid. A consciousness that developed over the untold eons of the existence of the Power."

"Ah…" Harry stammered. He was happy that he had, apparently, reached his destination, but it was only now that he realized that he had no idea what he was supposed to do now that he had gotten there. He himself hadn't put much thought into it and none of the others had offered any suggestions.

His rapid thought process was cut shot as the Grid chuckled once more. "You were quite right about him, Zordon. I like him already." What had the Grid meant by that? Was it reading his mind somehow? "It is kind of hard not to when you are shouting all your thoughts for all to hear. You are well outside of your shields, young one, and the style of mental protection your people use leaves you woefully unprotected when outside of those shields. It is not unsurprising since, as far as I can tell, there is no great presence behind your race's magical power, but it is a fact all the same."

Harry was feeling embarrassed at this point. "Sorry about that…" Only then did he notice a distinct feeling of amusement coming from Zordon's presence. Was he enjoying Harry's embarrassment?

Another booming laugh was his answer and he was once more reminded that both these presences could read his thoughts without any apparent effort. "To spare you any further embarrassment, young Harry, I will move on to my point. You have been an individual of great interest to me ever since you passed into my realm of notice. I do not blame you for it, especially since you being here is the work of a Power even greater then myself, but your presence and that of your stolen focus has greatly upset the balance of power in our dimension. With Rita's power enhanced, she has been able to take more of the Power for her own use. This in turn had shifted the balance of energies away from the side of the light all across the galaxy, resulting in the various agents of evil being able to take even greater portions of Power for themselves which then shifts it further still. It is a process of exponential growth and something that only you can hope to fix now."

"M-me?" Harry stuttered. "How do you expect me to be able to fix something like that? This sounds like a huge problem. Definitely way outside of my ability to fix. How can I be the only one who can?"

"It is simply because you are the original cause of the shift, Harry." Zordon spoke up, drawing Harry's attention. "It is as the Grid said, you are not to blame for you came into our dimension without knowing the ramifications and you hardly allowed Rita to take your Elder Wand from you, but the fact remains that your arrival in our dimension is what caused the issue that we now face."

"Zordon speaks truly, young one, but it is as easy a problem to fix as it was for you to arrive." The Grid sounded almost smug as it spoke.

Harry felt like his brain had gone blank, and not just because he was trying not to think of anything too loudly. "So… does that mean that you want the light side to win this war?"

He heard what was unmistakably a snort before the Grid spoke again. "Not at all. I merely desire the balance. The Power is me and I am the Power. If the balance in the Power shifts, as it has been doing since you arrived as previously stated, then I shift along with it. I am not… comfortable when off balance. Evil will always exist somewhere, just as good will. I am only content when the two forces are in balance and you must help restore this balance. You were a powerful force for good and the light in your own dimension so it is only fitting that you take the mantle up once more in this one." The tone of the Grid's voice shifted to a noticeably more jovial nature. "Besides, whenever someone accesses the Power, I become aware of everything around that being. Some of the battles and struggles that my wielders go through are quite entertaining. It is one reason I take such a close role in designing some of the manifestations of my Power, it amuses to me to see my work in action."

Slightly taken aback at the almost dismissive way the Grid was now speaking, not to mention the fact that multiple battles for the safety of unknown millions of innocents across the galaxy were considered mere entertainment, Harry mulled the situation over. If what he had been told was true, then his appearance in this dimension had thrown things completely off kilter. If things continued as they were, evil would eventually win and it could all be traced back to him. Could he really just stand by and let innocents suffer under the forces of darkness? He had had a problem with blaming himself in his last world every time something bad happened, even when he had not been directly involved, but how bad would he react when things really could be considered his fault. In this situation, didn't he have a duty to do whatever possible to correct the problem?

But above all this, it came down to his "Saving People Thing." If he wasn't willing to put his all into helping others, he wouldn't be Harry James Potter. Despite all the trouble it had gotten him into in the past, it was an essential part of what made him who he was. It was why he had put up relatively little fight when he first became involved in the battle against Rita. Yes, she stole his wand and yes, he ended up in the middle of the battle with the Pinoctopus without truly intending to, but deep down he always knew he would be involved in this new fight against evil in the first place. It was just what he did.

"Well said, Harry." The pride in Zordon's voice was almost tangible as Harry blushed at his not-quite-private thoughts yet again. "So, can it be done?"

Zordon's last statement was directed at the Grid's presence, but it was to Harry that it answered. "Young Harry, I have made the decision to take your presence here as a challenge. You have greatly thrown off the balance of the Power and so will need to be an equally great force of light to correct that. As such there will be certain sacrifices you must make in order to obtain my help in saving your new friends and new home."

Harry felt an edge of uneasiness creep up on him. "What kind of sacrifices…?"

The Grid's presence gave off the feel of a shrug. "I ask only for half of your current magical potential. I will take this magic of yours and study it, I will integrate it into the Power, and so make it more compatible to the rest of your magic. For this I will grant you the ability to access the Power as Zordon does. In time and with training from Zordon, you will regain your current strength and may even exceed it with enough work. Along with this, I ask for the sacrifice of the physical magical artifacts you brought with you into this world. They will be used to help facilitate the Power that will be granted for your use in future battles against the forces of darkness."

Harry balked slightly when the Grid first began, only to relax as the exchanges were explained. Yes, he would lose a large amount of his magic, but it wasn't like it wouldn't be worth it. And the Grid had told him he could regain it in time so was he even really losing anything in the long run? The biggest problem he had was giving up the magical artifacts. The only artifacts that he had with him were the Hallows, or at least the stone and cloak since Rita had the wand. Could he really give up the only remnants and reminders of his old world? Could he give up his father's cloak?

And the biggest question… Did he have a choice?

Zordon sighed. "That is indeed the tragedy of the situation, Harry. You don't have much of a choice. Unfortunately, if you don't accept the bargain and enter the battle on our side, the imbalance will continue to grow until finally the Grid itself will turn against us and all forces on the side of the light will be cut off from the Power. At that point, Harry, darkness will inevitably take control of everything."

Harry felt his metaphysical jaw drop. "Way to break it to me easily, Zordon…"

The Grid's voice was as grim as Zordon's. "It is a rather dire situation, Harry. Can I assume you have made your decision?"

With a sigh of his own, Harry answered. "It's not much of a choice to make. I wouldn't be who I am if I didn't agree to your bargain. I might miss the stone and especially the cloak for what they represent, but I don't think I can afford to balance my own personal nostalgia against the safety of an entire galaxy's worth of innocents."

With satisfaction now coloring its voice, the Grid spoke once more. "Well said indeed, young Harry. Your physical body, and the artifacts in question, are currently in Zordon's Command Center, correct?" At Harry's confirmation, the Grid continued. "Then I shall summon them here."

Mere moments later there was a flicker in the Grid's presence and Harry's ring bearing the mounted Resurrection Stone and the liquid silver of the Cloak of Invisibility appeared in the void before them. Harry was momentarily struck by the novelty of physical items existing in the vast void that his mental presence was currently in, but quickly discarded it when the Grid began humming to itself in dissatisfaction. "There is something quite distinct missing from these items… There is a third, is there not? And that is what was taken by Rita, yes?"

"There is," Harry answered coolly, feeling his frustration with Rita all over again. "They were known as the Deathly Hallows. Three artifacts created by Death itself and given to three wizards in my home dimension. An unbeatable wand, an undetectable invisibility cloak, and a stone that can bring back the spirits of the dead. Upon my arrival, Rita detected the wand and she and Goldar ambushed me and stole it. That's what set off this whole chain of events."

The Grid hummed for a moment more. "Well, this will never do. We shall need a replacement, I think. At least until you regain the actual… Hallow did you call them? Hmm…" With another pulse of its magical presence, a third physical item appeared. Harry immediately recognized it as the burned out husk of his patchwork wand, the broken tip somehow reattached but with the wood still looking charred. "This will do for now."

Without warning, Harry was once more enveloped in the Power of the Morphing Grid, unable to react. To his instinctive horror, the power seemed to reach into him and grasp at something deep within. Then, with a strong pulling sensation, all Harry knew was pain. He might have screamed, though he couldn't say for sure. The burning pain engulfed his entire being in a way much greater than the Cruciatus Curse ever had as the Power invading him ripped and tore at the core of his presence.

Finally, several agonizing minutes later, Harry felt a part of himself come free as the Power pulled away from him to engulf the three physical items in a storm of Power. Harry found himself having to cling to Zordon's presence, the old wizard standing like a beacon in the night amongst this Power that would have otherwise swept Harry into the void like nothing as he recovered.

When the storm of Power died down and Harry was once more able to focus on his surroundings, the cloak, ring, and charred wand were gone and in their place was a bright point of light.

"It has been done. The bargain was offered and accepted. Take this Power now, Harry, and use it to fight against evil. Use it to restore the balance and know that the Power now protects you."

Tentatively, Harry "reached" out and touched the point of light before him. Before his "eyes" the point flashed a bright white before darkening to an almost invisible black and then shifting yet again to a deep royal purple. Finally, the light contracted in on itself and turned golden, leaving Harry with the curious sensation of holding a physical object in his ethereal hand once the light died down.

"Now, Harry, return to your body. Zordon will be waiting for you when you awaken and the battle will begin anew. Good luck Harry Potter."

Before he could make any response, a burst of Power from the Grid slammed into his presence, ripping him away from Zordon at such a speed there was no way he could react in time. It was only the dimly sensed but rapidly growing feel of his own body that let him relax until he slammed back into it.

He sat up with a gasp, ripping the sensors from his face as he did so and glanced around to find himself alone in the Command Center with Alpha.

"Harry! What happened? I was able to detect when you reached Zordon and started down the trail to commune with the Morphing Grid, but we didn't know how long that would take. Then Rita sent down the Green Ranger and the others went out to battle him and then you started glowing and your ring and cloak vanished and then…"

"Calm yourself Alpha 5." Zordon woke up in time to cut off the overexcited robot's ramblings long enough for Harry to fully regain himself, still not quite comprehending all that had just happened to him.

Though it only took a glance at the small item he now held in his hand to make him realize that it had been all too real.

-MR-

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