CHAPTER 3:

THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

Dunyarzad had insisted that Harry stay for dinner. It had taken some persuading to her parents to let Harry stay, even if for one night. Then again, proving he was her imaginary friend was a touch difficult. He was glad he'd gotten into the habit of keeping an Expanded Trunk on him with a good chunk of items with him lately. It meant having on hand what was basically a small portable manor, and a fairly hefty supply of valuables that he could exchange for the local currency, Mora in this case, including some jewels that the Homayanis bought.

During that time, Harry tried to remain calm, to counter his despair at being stranded, and his desire to free his sister from those damned Sages. He didn't succeed, but his rationality at least won out over his admittedly tempestuous temperament. He had been Sorted into Ravenclaw after all, albeit due to the love of learning Nahida had awoken in him. And as much as Snape derided his impulsive nature despite being in Ravenclaw, calling him a Gryffindor in Raven's robes with his habitual sneer, Harry still valued learning and intelligence.

It was during dinner that Harry told Dehya and the Homayanis about his life. Dunyarzad knew about part of it, about some of his time with the Dursleys, as well as his first couple of years at Hogwarts. But she listened raptly as he told the tale of his later years at Hogwarts. And the others listened to his earlier tales. Of Hagrid coming to meet him. Of being Sorted into Ravenclaw, and Hermione following him there. Of his misadventures at Hogwarts.

New to Dunyarzad was the awakening of his Dendro powers. Using neither Vision nor Gnosis, he seemed to be able to channel Nahida's own Dendro abilities. The first time was at the graveyard, after Cedric's murder and Voldemort torturing Harry with the Cruciatus. At the time, he only wanted to get away, and while a forest was the result, none of the Death Eaters were affected at the time.

That changed during the Department of Mysteries fiasco, after Sirius' death, and the downing of Hermione and Ron. He'd filled the halls of that place with trees, some of them created from the Death Eaters themselves. Trees had also filled the foyer of the Ministry, and Dumbledore had to work fast to ensure Harry wasn't arrested.

And then, the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry, thanks to Snape, had concocted a plan to ensure he could be snuck into Voldemort's presence…and then gank them. The boundaries of the Forbidden Forest had been extended that day. It took Harry being employed by the Unspeakables to put out the political fires that little saga had caused, as many people feared Harry because of those abilities. A new Dark Lord on the rise, they whispered.

Morons. They feared what they didn't understand. If he hadn't been given a leg-up by Nahida, if he hadn't been given a desire to learn, what then? He wasn't a genius in the straightforward way that Hermione was, or the loopy, lateral way Luna was. But he had a desire for learning, and knowledge most wizards didn't bother to consider, or to think to apply. Dendro power was merely one tool in his arsenal.

And he had a surprising maturity beyond his years, most of the time, anyway. It was why Dumbledore told him about the Blood Wards when he asked about why he had to go back to the Dursleys at the end of his first year. It was how, after a moment of despair, he'd tried to have the Horcrux removed, and succeeded after Dumbledore told him about the damn thing at the end of Year 5. Muggle surgery was marvellous, after all, and removing a part of his skull where the dark soul fragment resided actually removed the Horcrux without killing him. Dumbledore's expression of surprise, relief, and joy was something Harry would always treasure, as a reminder that, for all the old man's many mistakes and thinking the best of people…he was one of those sort of people who was glad to be proven wrong. Unlike Snape, until Nahida set him straight after one so-called 'Occlumency lesson'.

In the end, he owed almost everything he was to Nahida. Nahida may have brought out what was already there, but it was her influence that did that. And it was past time he repaid that. Ending up in Teyvat was a golden opportunity, even if he was stranded here, because it meant he could repay that debt, even if Nahida would never want it due.

Though he needed to do it smart. He needed to do it right. He intended to take the next few days to plan it out properly. And the Homayanis seemed intrigued. While Dunyarzad's parents weren't particularly religious, they indulged their daughter's faith sincerely. And learning that the Dendro Archon was a prisoner had them taking notice.

It was after dinner that he began planning, Dunyarzad and her parents, along with Dehya, looking on. Dehya sighed as he pored over a map of Sumeru City. "Potter, just so you know, the Sanctuary of Surasthana is well-guarded. I was part of the Corps of Thirty, policing Sumeru City, that's how I know. I get what Nahida means to you already, and if you're telling the truth, she shouldn't be locked away by those bastards." She looked to the Homayanis. "Forgive the language."

"Oh, it's quite all right," Dunyarzad's father, Lord Shazhaman, said. "Vulgar language certainly has a place in describing many of the Sages, including the Great Sage Azar. I've had the displeasure of meeting him more than once, and even when he was just the Sage of Rtawahist Dharshan, he was an arrogant man. The only one that I have met who was a decent chap was Naphis of the Amurta Dharshan. But Mr Potter…if you really consider yourself the Dendro Archon's brother, this isn't something you can do hastily."

"I know, but…I need to do this. She's spent 500 years in a cage," Harry said. "By comparison, I spent about a decade at most in one, and even then, I was let out during the day, most of the time. Nahida can only see the outside world through dreams. Besides, magic, proper magic, isn't common on Teyvat. Oh, you can use elemental energy through Visions, which is still a kind of magic, and there's various magical arts, particularly the Adepti abilities of Liyue and the Onmyodo of Inazuma, but magic outside of those is actually somewhat rarer than back home, given what Nahida told me."

"Does that mean you intend to use your Invisibility Cloak, Harry?" Dunyarzad asked.

"Amongst other things," Harry said with a grim smile.

"…Invisibility Cloak?" Dehya asked. "…I'm guessing it's exactly what it says on the tin?"

Harry smirked, before pulling out his Expanded Trunk, unshrinking it, and then activating the compartments rather than the residential mode, and choosing the compartment with the Invisibility Cloak, before hauling it out and handing it to Dunyarzad. The young woman's eyes lit up in delight, before she draped it around her body, only her head left exposed. Harry cackled at Dehya and the Homayanis' dumbfounded expression at the sight of Dunyarzad's head seemingly floating in midair.

"Whoa…" Dehya murmured after recovering. "I've seen a Fatui Pyro Agent cloak himself in a similar manner once. Where did you get this?"

"Family heirloom. It used to be my father's," Harry said, even as Dunyarzad shucked the Cloak off and examined its silvery folds. "He used it to help him in his pranking. The thing is, this Invisibility Cloak is centuries old. Most wear out after a few years. But this one is one of the Deathly Hallows, which is either a gift from Death, or else the creation of Ignotus Peverell. Either way, it's one of the most famous magical artifacts from back home."

"I can see why this would be useful to release Lord Kusanali," Shazhaman mused. "Still, what about releasing her from her confinement?"

"I doubt the Sages would know," Harry said with a scowl. "Why would they need to remember how to release her when they have no intention of doing so? Maybe Alohamora, an unlocking charm, can work from the outside. But that's overly optimistic. Depending on the size of the chamber she's in, I could potentially Apparate in, and Apparate out."

"Come again?" Scheherezade(1), Dunyarzad's mother, asked.

"Magical teleportation," Harry said. "It's like what you can do with those Teleport Monuments, only you don't need those, just a good idea of where you're going. It's loud, though, making a sound like a whip cracking or a gunshot. So once I use it, stealth's pretty much out the window, Cloak or not. In any case, I'm probably going to approach the Sanctuary of Surasthana from the air."

"From the air?" Dehya asked. "Can you fly? Turn into a bird or something?"

"I have an Owl Animagus form, but I can't be invisible in that," Harry remarked. "Instead, I'm going by broomstick."

"Broomstick. What," Dehya said flatly.

"It's true," Dunyarzad said with a smile. "They even play a ball game with it, not unlike a form of football combined with basketball, called Quidditch. Though aren't the rules complicated?"

"True, but they have nothing on the rules of cricket," Harry said ruefully. He looked over at the Homayanis and Dehya. "Look, I know it's too much to ask to house Nahida here. You'd be in potential danger from the Sages, at least until I can conceal her identity using the Fidelius. That's a charm that can conceal a location or an identity, and only one person can divulge it. But even so, while Dunyarzad has been my friend for years, none of you have reason to trust me or help me with this, nor do I expect you to."

Shazhaman held up a hand. "Mr Potter…that is certainly true. For all that my daughter believes you to be the boy she met in her dreams, and that I believe that she is no credulous fool…the fact remains that the only proof you have to offer was a passphrase she claims to have learned from you in her dreams. In addition, even if you are telling the truth about Lord Kusanali, simply rescuing her from the Sages will not solve the issue of them taking power from the Dendro Archon."

Harry knew Shazhaman didn't mean anything malicious by his words. So he tried not to glare, instead gesturing at the man to continue. He wanted to hear what the man said.

"But that being said…I like to flatter myself as a good reader of people. I need to be in my business. And sometimes, what is needed is a leap of faith, albeit supported by instincts and what knowledge one has. And if what you are saying is true, then Lord Kusanali's plight is a stain upon Sumeru itself. Locking away the Goddess of Wisdom for her own protection is one thing, but once she has learned and grown, surely she could have been released? That she hasn't for five centuries, despite what you and Dunyarzad have said about her character and intelligence, shows that the Sages have claimed power for themselves, power that isn't rightfully their own."

Scheherazade nodded. "It would be another matter if the Dendro Archon voluntarily ceded power to them…but I consider myself an amateur historian, and no proclamation had been made to that effect. In fact, they seem set on downplaying her as much as possible. It honestly makes sense that they keep her prisoner, though why she doesn't leave…"

"It's because the Sages, starting from those who imprisoned her, rammed it into her head that she is Lesser Lord Kusanali," Harry snarled. "Just as the Dursleys called me a freak, amongst other terms, making me feel so much less than I was. Five centuries of that is enough to permanently cripple anyone's self-esteem. Not to mention that, from what I gathered, she's the youngest of the Archons, younger than Barbatos, Morax, Baal, Focalors and the rest of them. That didn't help. Honestly, it's a miracle she's as well-adjusted as she is, that she can still be friendly to people she meets in her dreams. She's basically there as ornamentation. That, and her Gnosis runs the Akasha System, I think."

"My point is, Mr Potter," Shazhaman said, "Lord Kusanali is more than welcome in our household. Then again, Dehya, what do you think?"

Dehya looked to her employer. "Permission to speak freely?" On Shazhaman's nod, she said, "Security-wise, unless Potter's telling the truth about this Fidelius charm thing, having the Dendro Archon here is going to be a concern. And I don't know enough about her personality, save for second-hand sources, from Potter and your daughter. What if five centuries has driven her cuckoo, and we don't know it? In addition, as an Eremite, I have to admit, I have mixed feelings about the Dendro Archon. I'm no Deshret-worshipping moron like my father was, or his ilk, but I'm not fond of gods in general. In life, you can't rely on gods to help you. Just your own strength, mind, and willpower." She then closed her eyes. "But…in the end, I agree. There are plenty of people who deserve to be locked up forever in a damned cage, but a newborn god? That's just unmitigated cruelty. Besides, a lot of my people have issues with Rukkhadevata, claiming she betrayed Deshret. Kusanali isn't her, as far as I know. I dunno how Archons are born or get replaced or whatever. So I'd rather see for myself what she is like before I make any judgement. Besides, anything that sticks it sideways to the Sages, I'm always up for."

"Haven't you been employed by the Akademiya before, Dehya?" Dunyarzad asked. "You said they were reliable employers."

"Reliable, yes, in that most of them pay well, pay promptly, and don't try to screw you over. Hell, some scholars are pleasant enough. But too many scholars look down on Eremites as bandits and criminals, even those of my people with good reputations, and the one Sage I've been employed by, Khajeh of the Haravatat Dharshan, was a condescending arse of the highest order, if you'll forgive the language. Bluntly, I'd rather trust a Matra than a Sage. From what I've heard, the current General Mahamatra, Cyno, is a hard man, but he's also got more integrity than all the Sages put together, and he and his mentor purged a lot of corruption from the Matras. Anyway, my point is, Potter, if you're going to go through with it, do it smart, and use that Fidelius thing on Kusanali ASAP. I'm worried about the safety of my employers."

Harry nodded. As much as her words annoyed him, he did understand the reason behind them. Harry was, after all, an interloper here, a security risk, and he was planning to make things potentially worse. "Believe me, Nahida will be worth rescuing, Dehya. Honestly, if more people in Sumeru knew what she looked like and how she acted, they'd be clamouring to worship her. And I don't intend to put Dunyarzad and her parents in danger. If they want to take the risk by helping me shelter her, then I will do what I can to minimise that risk. Honestly, I can't do that for at least a couple of days. That bastard Dainsleif was right, I'm still not recovered from what happened. But I need to spend that time doing something productive."

"Then it's settled," Shazhaman said with a smirk. "Let's be accomplices in rescuing the Dendro Archon! I think we could do with some more excitement in our lives!"

His cheerful proclamation was met by an eye roll from his wife, a sigh of resignation from Dehya, and a smile of delight from Dunyarzad. Harry couldn't help but chuckle. Even stranded on Teyvat, he had some allies at least, even if, save for Dunyarzad, they were tentative.

And hopefully, very soon, his sister would be given the freedom she had been denied for centuries. The freedom she deserved. Because now, he wanted nothing less than that…

CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:

So, Harry's explained the situation and his plans to the Homayanis, and he's gotten some tentative agreement. Don't worry, there'll be a rescue in the future.

1. Dunyarzad is name for the sister of Scheherazade from the 1001 Nights. I thought that, as her mother isn't named, to name her Scheherazade.