Okay, so...while playing Genshin Impact, I managed to luck out and pull Nahida, which I think augurs well for this fic. Time will tell if it goes anywhere, true, but Nahida is easily one of the best characters in the entire game, the best daughteru in the game bar none, and certainly the most likeable Archon so far (Venti's a drunken layabout, Zhongli is a mooch at best, and at worst, far more malevolent than I reckon many of his fans think he is, the Tsaritsa is a megalomaniac whom, I feel, is intent on world conquest, and Ei, while she needs a LOT of hugs, also needs a good kick up the arse for her misdeeds). Plus, in the right combination, she is pretty lethal (I already had a 'Fuck You' DPS combo with Yelan's Elemental Burst and Lisa's normal attacks, but Nahida's Elemental Skill helps take that combo to another level), and that Elemental Skill is VERY handy for farming materials in the field from afar.

The teaser trailer I posted, featuring Serapsis, aka Fawkes, was a sort of non-canon trailer for it. This, I hope, will give you an idea of what the story will be like properly. Of course, there's still the very real and likely possibility that this take on the fic will fall through, but I do intend to do a Potterverse crossover with Nahida as a central character, because she deserves better. I mean, I've already done a oneshot crossover with The Sandman, where Dream punishes Azar and the other Sages, but I want to do a longer story about helping her.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy...

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER,

BUT DREAMS ARE SUPREME

CHAPTER 1:

WELCOME TO TEYVAT

Where does this story begin? A tricky question to answer. But this story is not my own, even if I took part in it. It took until Albus' death for me to remember who I was, to regain my power. And even then, it took a long time for me to regain enough to be of help to anyone. By the time I did so, the war was over, the dust had settled…and the treachery had run its course.

To this day, I still cannot understand why Albus gave Snape so much leeway. The only reasonable explanation was that Albus felt that Snape, compelled by the love he felt for Lily, would redeem himself. True, Snape was going to make the ultimate sacrifice, but he also intended to drag Harry Potter, the child he loathed for being the offspring of his greatest enemy and his former friend, down with him.

In a small way, it was partly my fault. My tears, given to him soon after the fateful Halloween night that robbed him of his parents, had inadvertently forged a link to the world I was exiled from, and to the remnant and successor of my mistress, the second I had sworn service to. A lonely boy, a prisoner of his relatives, was linked to a deity in the form of a little girl who had only known a cage almost her entire life. This girl was the Goddess of Wisdom, or a nascent one at least.

And Harry Potter had had a curiosity and a thirst for learning awakened by the girl he had only seen in his dreams.

But gaining knowledge and being more intelligent does not grant you happiness. Harry Potter knew this, as did Hermione Granger. Albus knew this as well. And when one tries to show off this intelligence, it can arouse jealousy and contempt in others.

Snape only saw the arrogance of James Potter when Harry showed his intelligence. He did not see a boy eager to prove he could do well, just the offspring of a man he despised. Their interactions sparked a bitter rivalry, one that culminated in Snape ensuring he had a posthumous victory: by revealing the Horcrux within Harry's scar to the gutter press of Magical Britain.

Harry was promptly imprisoned, despite the protests of those who saw him as the hero he was. The Horcrux had been gone some time before, but Snape's vindictiveness ensured that many bridges were burnt. That was the state of affairs when I returned to them. I had remembered Albus and Harry discussing Harry's dreams, of the successor to the one I was sworn to. I wished to reunite them.

I approached Harry's friends, and agreed to rescue him from Azkaban. Then, we made preparations. Some of Harry's friends opted to stay. Others decided to come with us, to the world I had been exiled from.

Teyvat.

A world of wonders and horrors, ruled by the Seven Archons, who themselves answered to the tyrants of Celestia. Those monstrous demiurges were the reason I was exiled to Earth, during the Cataclysm, the rise and fall of the misotheistic nation of Khaenri'ah. I would not have returned, but I felt responsible for the successor to my lady. That, and I wished to see how the lands I once protected had fared in my absence, to say nothing of giving Harry Potter a second chance he deserved, to do as he wished on his terms. A new start on a new world.

Of course, trouble has a tendency to find him. But what is life without a little trouble? Rather boring, I fear…

The first thing people noticed about Tighnari of the Forest Watchers of Sumeru were the ears and tail, like that of a fox. They were a bit hard not to notice, really. It was a sign of his heritage, being descended from the Valuka Shuna, who originally came from the desert regions in the west of Sumeru.

On occasion, the second thing people noticed about Tighnari was that he had a rather sharp tongue. This was, admittedly, towards people who did stupid things while roaming the vast rainforests of Sumeru, some of them people who were supposed to be very smart, like scholars of the Sumeru Akademiya. Then again, Tighnari knew that intelligence in one area didn't mean anything like common sense or preparedness.

Of course, some people took umbrage to Tighnari lecturing them. He was young, in his twenties, dark hair with a green fringe framing youthful features. Certainly, he seemed too young to be the Chief Officer of the Forest Watchers, let alone a prodigy graduate of the Akademiya. And even some who did know about his impressive qualifications and standing still thought him a little upstart who thought he could lecture his betters.

Tighnari despised the politics of the Akademiya. It was one of the reasons he left the comforts of Sumeru City for a seemingly unglamorous post as the Chief Officer of the Forest Watchers. Of course, there was also actually helping people: for those who genuinely needed help and hadn't been complete fools about it, over and over again, Tighnari was sincere in being helpful. And his talents, he felt, were better utilised in the field instead of cooped up in some lab or workshop.

In any case, it was his job to patrol the forests of Sumeru, monitoring the ecosystem, take note and clear out any Withering zones, and help people who needed help. In the latter capacity, he met all kinds of people, often merchants from Mondstadt, Liyue and Fontaine, Adventurers from across Teyvat, along with tourists…and less desirable travellers. Like the occasional member of the Fatui, the Snezhnayan organisation that he had good reason to despise, even before he took one of their victims under his wing.

Diplomats? More like agents provocateur, at best. Rumour had recently reached his ears that they had been involved in the recent civil war in Inazuma, not to mention the recent mess in Liyue, and the Stormterror fiasco in Mondstadt. And there was what they did to poor Collei, his protégé, ward, and patient. Even now, he wondered how long it would be before the Eleazar she suffered from killed her. Considering her growth as a person, how she had changed for the better after being helped in Mondstadt, it was unfair that she would die well before her time of that insidious disease.

Then again, life was unfair. The Akademiya may trumpet their pursuit of knowledge, but Tighnari knew that they used the much-vaunted Akasha System to enforce a certain form of classism. Those they looked down upon, especially the Eremites, had the information they had access to restricted. And it didn't help that the current Grand Sage, Azar, was an arrogant bastard of the highest order, who loved shutting down anything artistic in Sumeru City.

Maybe things would be better if Lesser Lord Kusanali was around. She was secluded in the Sanctuary of Surasthana since…well, her birth, five centuries ago. But…was she really secluded there for her protection, or a prisoner? Thoughts like that troubled Tighnari.

It was that idle musing that he had in mind as he approached Gandharva Vale, the base of the Forest Watchers, and his home. He had to make a delivery to the researchers at Pardis Dhyai, and was now returning…only to find a group of people speaking with some Forest Watchers. A rather motley group in clothing he didn't quite recognise. He wondered if one of them had eaten a poison mushroom or something. None of them seemed ill, but one of them could have been taken in to be treated at Gandharva Vale.

And then, his ears picked up a conversation. The eloquent, cultured purr of the tall red-haired man reached him. "…Wait to speak with this Chief Officer."

One of the Forest Watchers, who looked wary of the group, then looked to Tighnari. "Well, here he comes. Tighnari!"

Tighnari hurried over. "What seems to be the problem?"

"These eight turned up out of nowhere a few minutes ago. They won't say where they are from, only that we wouldn't believe them. They wanted to speak to someone in charge, especially this guy." He indicated the red-haired man.

The motley group were watching him. Their leader, of sorts, seemed to be the redhead, a tall man with aquiline, vaguely ascetic features, and golden eyes that even now peered at him with curiosity. There were three other adults, a careworn and scarred man with amber eyes, and a young woman with bright pink hair, cradling an infant, along with an older woman who vaguely resembled the pink-haired woman, albeit with darker hair.

The remaining three were in their late teens, maybe their early twenties. One of the girls had silvery blonde hair and pale eyes, and a dotty demeanour, while the other had bushy hair and a more serious demeanour. The young man had a messy mane of dark hair and emerald eyes framed by glasses.

Curious were their expressions, though. The redhead seemed to recognise Tighnari, or at least his people. However, the others were looking at him as if they'd never seen a Valuka Shuna before. True, he'd seen not-dissimilar expressions on some newcomers to Sumeru, but something about those expressions seemed…different. Though at least they didn't seem to show any disdain, just confusion and curiosity.

That in itself reassured Tighnari. Those expressions, plus the fact that one of these newcomers appeared to be a mother of a baby, indicated that they weren't likely to be malevolent. True, it wouldn't hurt to be vigilant, but he doubted that they were undercover Fatui or something like that. The Fatui probably wouldn't use an infant in one of their groups: they were monsters, but they probably wouldn't do such a thing, if only to avoid even worse reputations than they already had.

Though the two men of the group did smell strange. Indeed, the careworn one smelled of something like wolves. And then there was the redhead, smelling of…ashes? Oh no, please let him not be an arsonist.

The redhead nodded. "I see…a Valuka Shuna, or at least one of their progeny, in charge of the Forest Watchers. This bodes well, I hope."

"…You come from Sumeru?" Tighnari asked.

"Originally. However, my companions are from much further afield."

It was the young man with dark hair and glasses who continued. "Yeah. Anyway, I'm Harry Potter, Chuckles here is Fawkes," he indicated the redhead. "This is Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood." He indicated the bushy-haired girl and the blonde respectively. "And that's Remus Lupin and Tonks, along with their son Teddy, and Tonks' mother, Andromeda."

A motley mix of names, though he got the feeling that Fawkes wasn't the redhead's real name. After some thought, Tighnari said, "Okay, well, if you want to speak with me, then come this way, please…"

Collei was waiting just outside his home. Given the green-haired girl's posture and the way she held her arm, he guessed another flare-up of her Eleazar. "Oh, you're back, Master. And who are these people?"

"Visitors from afar, apparently, Collei," Tighnari said. "But…hey!"

The reason for Tighnari's yelp was because Fawkes was pushing past him to peer at Collei. He reached out to take her hand, but thankfully stopped when he saw her shy away. The redhead then turned to look at Tighnari. "The girl has Eleazar."

Tighnari frowned. How could this man tell? Collei had covered up the scaly skin of her condition with her clothes. "She does, and Collei also doesn't like being touched."

"…My apologies," Fawkes said, looking a little contrite. "I didn't mean to make her uncomfortable. I can help her. I can't cure it, but I have a method by which it can be pushed back for a period of time." He rummaged in his jacket (which seemed like it would be too hot for Sumeru's hot and, in the forest, humid climate), and fished out a vial filled with a clear liquid, handing it to Tighnari, who took it reluctantly.

"And what is this miracle treatment?" Tighnari asked sceptically, remembering what Il Dottore did to Collei.

"My tears."

As Tighnari started, and then stared at the vial, the bushy-haired girl, Hermione, facepalmed. "Fawkes…we have got to work on your tact."

"I didn't need tact when I gave them to Harry after that incident with the Basilisk," Fawkes said, crossing his arms, before returning his gaze to Tighnari. "If you decide not to give them to the girl, then that is up to you. But it is the best method I know of to mitigate her illness, stave off the worst of it."

Tighnari, despite the man's tone, found his curiosity aroused. "And why would you claim that your tears can treat Collei?"

Fawkes sighed, before he disappeared in a brief blast of flame. In his place was a crimson and golden bird, rather large and magnificent. "Because I am a Phoenix," Fawkes' voice came from the beak of the bird.

Collei's eyes lit up with wonder, and Tighnari, despite his scepticism, had to admit it was a pretty magnificent-looking bird. And certainly close to the legends of the Phoenix of King Deshret, Serapsis. Phoenix tears certainly were said to have restorative properties, if you believed the legends.

Fawkes changed back into his human form. "Whether you believe us or not is up to you. But I brought Harry, his friends and loved ones here because there was little left for them back home…but there was something here, an injustice both of us wished to correct. Harry and I."

Tighnari looked to Harry, who nodded grimly. "I need to ask…" Harry began, "what do you think of Kusanali, the Dendro Archon?"

"Kusanali? Not Lesser Lord Kusanali?" Tighnari mused out loud. "I'm not sure what I can say. Nobody but the Sages of the Akademiya have seen her for five centuries. Supposedly, it's because she's in seclusion…but honestly, the way the Sages and the people of Sumeru City speak of her…"

Harry and Fawkes shared a look. Fawkes nodded, before Harry said, "What if I were to tell you that the Sages imprisoned her, locked her away since pretty much her birth? That she has never been outside the Sanctuary of Surasthana or whatever it's called since then? That they despise her, that they wish Rukkhadaveta was still alive, and ignore the fact that her wisdom needed to be nurtured?"

Tighnari wish he could have been shocked by such questions, he really did. But he knew what the Sages were really like. He knew this was what they probably would have done. Collei looked shocked, though. "I would not put it past the Sages to have done so. Why do you ask?"

"…And if Kusanali were to be freed? Would you help her?"

An odd question, though Tighnari suspected he knew why it had been asked. He found the question easier to answer than he thought. "Certainly, but it's the sort of thing you have to do smartly. I mean, if she were to be freed by someone, that someone would make an enemy of the Sages, I imagine, and you don't make enemies of them lightly."

Fawkes' golden eyes peered at him searchingly, and then at Collei, who was watching on in confusion. "…Good. I cannot read thoughts per se, but I can read the shades of intentions to some degree. A shame you did little but ponder my lady's plight, instead of acting, but the Sages do have some power behind them, so your recalcitrance is understandable."

"If so, then what can you do?" Tighnari asked. "In fact, more to the point…why do you care about Kusanali so much?" He'd noted the fact that they'd insistently dubbed her 'Kusanali' without the 'Lesser Lord' title, and yet spoke her name with respect. Fawkes had the respect of someone discussing a god or at least a liege lord. But with Harry…it was different. It felt a little more…personal, he reckoned.

"…I can't speak for Fawkes, as I'm not sure you'd believe what he claims. I scarcely believe it myself," Harry eventually said. "But Kusanali…no, Nahida…I have known her from an early age. I saw her in my dreams. As far as I am concerned, she is my sister…and I am not letting her rot in that cage the Sages have locked her in…"

CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:

So, Harry, some of his friends and loved ones, and Fawkes have come to Teyvat, and to Sumeru. But what's this? Haary views Nahida as his sister?

Just so you know, I view Fawkes/Serapsis as being voiced by Simon Templeman of Legacy of Kain fame.

No numbered annotations this time.