Okay, so, I had to go back and start work on my Genshin Impact Nahida-centric story from scratch. Why? Well, I felt the investigation-into-Eleazar-and-the Withering plot was to the detriment of any character development, including my intended pairing of Harry/Dehya/Dunyarzad. So I've changed the story around somewhat, starting not with Nahida's rescue, but with Harry ending up in Teyvat thanks to the actions of a certain Princess of the Abyss Order. I have no guarantee this will become a full story, but honestly, this story needs to be told, so I hope it will eventually.

That being said, I do have some tentatively exciting news. I am hoping to do another Nasuverse crossover before long, the first one in a while, my abortive attempt at a Harry/Medea fic last year notwithstanding. It was inspired by the latest Lostbelt in Fate/Grand Order, with more than a few characters deserving a second chance at life. Not Morgan or Baobhan Sith: they may have been sympathetic in the past, but their unrepentantly evil deeds for centuries meant they were little better than the Fae they oppressed, and I genuinely think they should have suffered more before their ends. But for the other two Tam Lin/Fairy Knights? They need all the hugs.

Basically, I'm looking to do a Harry/Barghest fic. Yes, you heard that right, and hopefully, that's piqued your interest. Although I didn't like Barghest's character at times, most of her nastier things are done while she's on the job, so to speak, and she hates herself for what she's done, never mind her curse to eat her lovers. In private, she shows herself to be one of the most decent and moral of the Fae characters in that Lostbelt. True, her desire to protect the Fae is, for the most part, misplaced, but she didn't deserve her end.

The idea is still in its earliest stages and may not yet eventuate, but I thought I'd let you know, see if it piqued your interest.

MY SISTER'S KEEPER

CHAPTER 1:

OPPORTUNITY IN DESPAIR

Would you like me to tell you a story? I admit, my daughter loves my stories, but darling Klee adores almost anything I do. But hopefully, this story will get the seal of approval from you.

Ah, but what should it be about? The fall of Enkanomiya or Khaenri'ah? Hmm, perhaps not. Those are too depressing, despite the pyrotechnics involved. Then again, given that those hidebound demiurges on Celestia were the ones behind that destruction, well, you can see why I do not wish to recount them. And the tales of my travels throughout Teyvat are already well-documented and available at any decent bookstore for a fair price.

Hmm…what about the tale of the wizard and the goddess? Oh? That piques your interest? Very well, then. Let's begin.

Once upon a time, there was a newborn goddess of wisdom, who was locked away by her people. A few who did so fooled themselves into thinking it was for her protection, that her lack of power and wisdom would be liabilities. In truth, most did so as a coup d'etat.

So, how did this goddess learn while imprisoned? She had the power to enter dreams, albeit only those of children, as well as certain other species. She learned about the world and how it worked, with the imagination and wonder of a child.

But even so, she was acutely aware that she was a prisoner, all because she was lesser than her predecessor, or so she was led to believe. She was a bird trapped in a cage, not even remotely gilded, by men who considered themselves even wiser than she was. And yet, despite her plight, she remained a greater being than those fools who wished to forget her very existence.

But then, a strange coincidence happened. She reached out to a child in his dreams…but this was no child of Teyvat, not in the way one would normally believe. This was a child of a quaint little world I have been to known as Earth. Things are…different in many ways to Teyvat. Gods are not as active there, or at least they haven't been for centuries, the religions they spawned aside. And magic is hidden, with the boy she contacted unaware that he was a wizard, and indeed, one of the most famous in recent history…albeit for being orphaned, and surviving a warlock's curse where his parents didn't.

They became friends. No, more than that. They became kin in everything but blood. Indeed, like her, he was caged for much of his life, albeit by cruel relatives who thought a boot cupboard underneath the stairs was a suitable bedroom for an orphan.

The goddess helped save the boy wizard's childhood. She helped him grow into the hero he was claimed to be. She watched him grow into adulthood with pride, as any sister would. But she knew he could never meet her outside of dreams, for she was caged, and on another world.

However, happenstance would conspire to bring them together. You see, I met the wizard's mentor long ago. The Abyss Order had been naughty, trying to establish a bridgehead on Earth. With my help, he blocked the way…but it was a stopgap measure, tied to his lifeforce. When he died…eventually, so too did the protections. And the Abyss Order sensed that their chance had come.

The wizard came into it by happenstance. He noticed strange new weapons appearing in his job, liaising between their law enforcement, and their quaintly-named Department of Mysteries. And he heard one of those he had shown mercy to had squandered that chance.

The wizard had power, not just the magic of his world, but Dendro power, like the goddess he was bound to. One only has to see the new forests in Little Hangleton where a graveyard used to be, or grown throughout the grounds of Hogwarts where Death Eaters were to see that. He thought if he needed to use those, even in desperation, it would be enough to counter any foe. He was wrong.

And yet, it gave him the chance to meet not only his sister, but many others. And with them, he would get involved in an exciting new adventure. Whether he wanted to or not…

He was flung away by a particularly brutal blow, skidding to a halt along the floor of the warehouse before crashing into a tree, looking up at his assailant, watching him with those cold, golden eyes. "I have to admit," she said, her cold tones betraying an ancient nature her teenaged voice and looks did not show, "you're pretty good, at least in terms of speed and unpredictability. But I have centuries of both power and experience over you. And you made a fatal mistake. Actually, a couple of them. First, you mentioned that you have a link to her." She looked around at the small forest filling the warehouse, her lips curling into a sneer. "The second was in using her powers, even without a Gnosis or Vision, on my followers."

"Followers? Those monsters, who wreak havoc across Teyvat?" he retorted, getting unsteadily to his feet, feeling magical exhaustion set in. "And you're using them to invade Earth?"

"They are only monsters because the gods either cursed them that way, or they stood by and let it happen."

"My sister was imprisoned after her birth, after the Cataclysm, you bloody stupid bitch!" he snapped. "How could she be to blame?"

"She is a god, apathetic to humans unless it suits them. The gods and everyone under them will burn. And as for you…" Suddenly, she was upon him, gripping him by the throat. "You have hindered my plans for this world for the first and last time, Harry Potter. Voldemort was a weakling compared to me, hindered by his own hypocrisy, and his former forces, while even weaker, would have been fine fodder for taking over this world. A shame. You remind me so much of Aether. But you are not my brother. I will send you into the Abyss to rot and die. And when my plans for Teyvat come to fruition, I will make sure to tell your sister how much you suffered before you died."

With that, she flung him into a portal of inky darkness that formed in a corner of the warehouse. He heard her gasp. But the darkness was already eating at his vision as he fell. He thought he felt arms wrap around him, but that may have been the hungry void he was plummeting through, devouring his very essence…

He sat bolt upright with a gasp, which devolved into a fit of coughing. Between that, a worrying fit of vertigo, and a splitting headache, he could be forgiven for his situational awareness not being up to scratch. So he was startled when a resonant, sardonic, and above all else, unfamiliar voice remarked, "Good, you're awake. The Abyss is not to be trifled with, and your magical exhaustion ensured even your brief exposure was debilitating."

Harry looked to where the voice came from. A man sat in a nearby chair, a book sitting in his lap. He was dressed all in black, his outfit looking vaguely military, with strange tassels coming from his back, the underside of said tassels showing a starscape. The man's features were handsome, and he looked to be young. But the blue eyes had a diamond-shaped pupil, and one side of his face was covered partly by a black mask. Short blonde hair finished the ensemble.

"Who are you?" Harry demanded, looking around the room. The furnishings seemed unfamiliar. "Where am I?"

"One question at a time. My name is Dainsleif. I was the one who rescued you from the Abyss after Lumine cast you in. I have to admit, I was a little impressed by how well you fought against her."

"…And you didn't see fit to help?"

"I was not in a position to help at the time. I was more concerned with discovering why the Abyss Order was trying to establish a bridgehead on your world, before you and your comrades blundered in. In addition, had I intervened earlier, would you have considered me friend or foe? Especially as Lumine and I have known each other a long time." As Harry boggled at him, Dainsleif added, "Once, long ago, we were friends and allies, before she truly fell to the darkness. Now, we are implacable foes. So if I intervened, and she recognised me, that may have had you or your allies attack me."

"Maybe you should ditch the clothing that screams 'dark knight of doom'," Harry snarked, before coughing even more.

He did notice a sardonic smirk briefly touch Dainsleif's lips, even if only briefly. "Unfortunately, I have a limited wardrobe, given that I am something of a dark knight errant. Hauling around a wardrobe would be counterproductive." His expression became serious. "But what you said earlier…about the Dendro Archon, Lesser Lord Kusanali being your sister…"

"Don't call her that," Harry snarled at him. "If you're going to call her by that name, then just call her Kusanali. Those bastard Sages betrayed her and called her by that demeaning name, not even giving her a chance to become better. They locked her up like she was an animal, in the meditation chamber her predecessor created, and ruling Sumeru in her stead, not for her own good, but their own."

As he devolved once more into a fit of coughing, Dainsleif watched him curiously. "…I see. So when you called her your sister, you weren't speaking hyperbole. And yet, you are no Archon…or at least you're mostly human, from what I can tell. Your eyes are certainly unusual."

Harry scowled. "They've been like that for some time. Ever since the first time I used Dendro powers. Anyway, she's not my sister by blood, but that doesn't matter."

"…No. No, it doesn't," Dainsleif agreed readily. "I will admit, I do not have that high an opinion of the gods, whether they be the Archons, or those demiurges sitting on high in Celestia. The Abyss Order were once my countrymen, survivors of…"

"Khaenri'ah," Harry hissed in horror. "The country that attacked all of Teyvat…and Celestia wiped them out. They are the Abyss Order?!"

"So your sister told you?" Dainsleif asked. "That makes things easier. I am sure you have little reason to believe my words, but unlike most of my cursed brethren, I mean you and the inhabitants of Teyvat no harm, unless they offer it to me first. My purpose is to thwart the Abyss Order, and destroy them. Still…to think the Dendro Archon was a prisoner for half a millennium. How do you know her in the first place?"

"I met her in my dreams," Harry said laconically. And that was all he was going to tell this man. Dainsleif may have rescued him from that bitch Lumine, but he also admitted that he was a Khaenri'an, and whose mutated countrymen had become the Abyss Order. True trust was hard to earn…and so easy to lose. Just as forgiveness tended to be squandered.

Still, he couldn't help but reflect on his sister. Kusanali, Buer…Nahida. A sister in everything but blood. He couldn't remember the date he first met her in his dreams, but he knew it was one cold night, in the cupboard under the stairs, in the Dursley household that Dumbledore, with the best of intentions blinding him to Petunia's true spiteful nature, condemned him to. He had cried himself to sleep, albeit as quietly as he could, to avoid Vernon beating him.

And then, she appeared before him.

The voice was that of a girl, not far removed from his age, and yet, so gentle and kind, and with a strange and yet undeniable wisdom that belied the young nature of her voice. The form was that of a young girl, dressed in a simple white dress with green tassels. Her ears were pointed, her long hair silvery with green tinges, her eyes the same colour as his own, but with cross-shaped pupils.

He didn't remember all of what they spoke of at the time, he was too young to remember anything but the gist, but he did remember what she first said to him. "Please, don't cry, Harry."

She was his first friend, and for many years, before the Hogwarts Letter came along, she was his only friend. Though she was more than that, in his eyes. His only relatives were the Dursleys, and they treated him like shit. Nahida was like the sister he never had, and yet needed. Almost like a big sister, for she woke a love of learning within him, one that stood him in good stead when he finally made it to Hogwarts. Better than that, she helped him feel loved during those dark times.

He didn't see her all the time in his dreams. Sometimes, he'd go for weeks, even months, without seeing her. Hell, he hadn't seen her for a couple of weeks prior to this clusterfuck. One day, he had hoped to come to Teyvat and rescue her. Only her warning that Celestia, the group of gods higher even than her and her fellow Archons, took a very dim view of travel between worlds, had him hesitate. That, and the thought of leaving his friends. True, he kept an Expanded Trunk with him at all times, and people joked he was always on the verge of going on a trip, but, well, he didn't want to leave his friends.

He was broken from his reverie by Dainsleif. "Well, in any case, I can tell that your devotion towards her is very real, and not that of a follower of a deity, but of family," he said. A slight smile touched his lips. "I envy that. My family is long gone, and Lumine, whom I considered a sister once, destroyed that bond when she joined the Abyss Order. Her brother, Aether, has thankfully not fallen to corruption, though he was sealed away for five centuries. I know Lumine has caused you many problems, but he would be one of your best allies when he arrives here."

"Here? In England?"

After a moment, Dainsleif sighed, and Harry was filled with a sense of dread, though he wasn't sure why. "…Harry, you were thrown through a portal into the Abyss. You were in there for only a short period, but when I went to save you, Lumine tried to stop me. The backlash of our attacks destroyed the portal leading to your world. You're not on Earth anymore, nor can you go back anytime soon." And as Harry felt dread and anger well up within him, Dainsleif added, "…I'm sorry."

It felt as if a trapdoor had opened up beneath Harry, plunging him into sheer emotional turmoil. "No…no…no, you're lying. I…" Harry leapt from the bed and dashed for the door, his limbs screaming in protest, even as his surging emotions compelled him to do this, to escape, to flee, to get away from this bastard and his lies. Dainsleif rushed to stop him, but a Banisher sent the Khaenri'an flying into the wall.

Harry hadn't been paying much attention to the room he had been in, something he blamed the magical exhaustion and the aches from the exposure to the Abyss caused. It seemed like an old-fashioned hotel room. He also didn't notice the faint, strange smell of what he now realised to be incense. He barged through, not caring about the stares he got as he fled outside, only to stop, and stare around him.

He was not far from the water, in what seemed like a valley, with a massive tree looming over part of the area he was in. Said area seemed to be a city of some sort, but very different to what he was used to. He was trying to find any familiar landmark, any at all, and came up blank. It didn't necessarily mean he wasn't on Earth anymore, he could be in another country, or at least that's what he was trying to reassure himself, or at least delude himself, into believing.

His head was swimming, and he began swaying on his feet. He staggered over to a nearby stall, not paying attention to the people nearby, before his body and his mind gave out at long last. The last thing he was conscious of as he crashed into the stall was the yelp of a young woman…

When he next woke up, or at least roused to a state of semi-consciousness, it was to Dainsleif's voice. "…Leave it up to you then. I have business to attend to, though if I can find a means to return him to his world, I will contact you. That being said, I should leave you with some warnings, for his ears. Firstly, to hold off on any attempt at rescuing his sister until he has recovered fully. Secondly, should he encounter Aether, not to hold what Lumine did against him."

"I'll be sure to remind him. In fact, I believe he's waking up. You won't stay?" asked a young woman's voice that somehow resonated in some strangely familiar way to him.

"No. My business cannot wait. But if what you said is true, he may find you a very welcome face indeed. My thanks to you. Goodbye."

Harry struggled to properly wake, to try and stop Dainsleif, to force him to take him back home, but to no avail, not before the door closed. He did hear another woman's voice scoff. "Pretentious, haughty, edgelord bastard. Forgive the language, my lady, but…I'm not sure I like him. And is it wise to have this guy here?"

"Dehya…if it's who I think it is…well, the scar's missing, but…if it's him…well, it's a good day."

Harry, by this point, was roused enough to be able to open his eyes. He was, once more, in a bedroom, but different to the one he had fled from just a short while ago. And there were two women here now. They were a study in contrasts. The one who was standing near the door, watching him warily with pale blue eyes, had dark skin and hair, the latter of which seemed styled into cat ears. Her clothing was surprisingly skimpy, showing much of her upper torso, while her leather trousers were ripped here and there. A sword was strapped to her back. She was beautiful, but it was a wild beauty, a warrior born.

The other woman had brown hair, framing more gentle but still beautiful features. Bandages covered her hands and forearms. And those features…they looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't remember why.

"Hello, Harry. I must admit, you gave me quite a scare earlier, crashing into that stall," the woman said with a warm and seemingly sincere smile. "Still, Dainsleif said you'd be confused and angry when you woke up, so…I thought I would remind you of something. One of the last times we met in Lord Kusanali's dreamscape, you told me about the Marauders' Map. Well…I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

"…Mischief…managed?" Suddenly, Harry realised why she seemed so familiar. "…Dunyarzad? Dunyarzad Homayani? Is that you?"

"In the flesh. And this is Dehya, my bodyguard and a captain of the Blazing Beasts Eremite group. You're in my home at Port Ormos. And it seems we have quite a lot to talk about…"

CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:

So, here you have it. Harry's in Teyvat, albeit unwillingly thanks to Lumine being a bitch and Dainsleif being a touch impulsive…but he's in good hands.

Now, Lumine may seem a touch OOC, but the few times we've seen the Abyss Princess or Abyss Prince, depending on the playthrough, it's either speaking to their twin sibling, or else to a member of the Abyss Order, so they don't have the same malice as they show here. For Lumine, anything to do with the gods, whether they be Celestia, the Seven Archons, or anything else, is a major trigger. Honestly, there are only two ways that the Abyss Prince/Princess can be redeemed: either they are going for a zero-approval gambit, or else they've been taken over by someone, possibly the 'Sinner'. Otherwise, they have no justification whatsoever for planning genocide against not only Celestia (which is justified, given Celestia's actions over the millennia), but the Archons and the people they rule.

So yeah, Lumine is a malicious bitch here, looking to use the Death Eaters as cannon fodder for taking over the Potterverse. Why? Because just in case her attempt to take on Celestia goes awry, she needs a bolthole, and one she can rule and, if necessary, convert the populace into an army. And because someone with a connection to the Dendro Archon is right in front of her…well, she's going to have him killed. Because Lumine is a petty bitch like that, who hates everything save for Khaenri'ans, and even then, not all that much, given her stupid risk with undoing the curse on the Khaenri'ans in the Chasm, or her hatred of Dainsleif.

As for Dainsleif, he's not good at comforting people.

Now, in the prior versions of this story, Harry rescued Nahida right away. But I felt that was to the detriment of the character development. Here, Harry is weakened, and brought into contact with the two characters who will be part of his pairing.

As for Dunyarzad knowing the Marauders' little password, well, I'm not sure exactly when the cutoff date for the Akasha Terminal to start harvesting dreams is. I decided to highball it a little, and choose about 13, at least for Dunyarzad.

No numbered annotations this time.