CHAPTER 28:

REUNION

Harry nearly acted then and there, but Nahida met his gaze, and shook his head. She wanted him to wait while she played for time, he guessed. She then looked to him. "What do you want?"

"I want many things, Nahida," Il Dottore said. "But as to what is pertinent to this meeting, given what I overheard of your purpose, I have no intention of revealing your location to the Sages, not that I could given the Fidelius, or stopping you from cleansing Irmunsul. It was how I know of your true identity. As you yourself spoke your identity within my hearing, it effectively made me privy to the secret you keep under the Fidelius. Quite fascinating, the magic of that world. Unfortunately, I am pressed for time, so I can't make a more detailed study."

"Then why come here with the brainwashed Matra and Cyno?" Harry said.

"Partly for my own protection, but partly because I am not done with the Knave's little pets," Il Dottore said, glaring down at Lyney and Lynette. "You may have interrupted the dream samsara, but it has mostly served its purpose. But when the Eremites under my employ failed to report promptly to me with these two in tow, I knew something had gone wrong. I traced the interference in the dream samsara to this house, though I was certain that the Goddess of Wisdom had a hand in it anyway. I will not interfere in your quest to cleanse Irmunsul and prove your worthiness, Nahida. But the twins are mine to do with as I see fit."

"You've come here alone, not counting your brainwashed Matra, into a house with three Archons," Zhongli said, crossing his arms. "Even given your rank as the Second of the Harbingers, to say nothing of your multiple bodies, that speaks of absolute confidence…or arrogance."

"Four Archons," Il Dottore corrected. "I am aware that Potter is an Archon-human hybrid. Most fascinating. But the fact remains that the Matra are my shield. Should it come to a battle, you risk killing them. They have little such compunction about killing anyone barring Nahida. The price is a pair of the Knave's little pets. I'm surprised you even defend them, knowing they come from that little factory churning out spies and assassins."

Harry glared levelly at Il Dottore. "I don't defend them. But leaving them in the hands of someone like you is a bad idea. And you made a mistake, Il Dottore. Several, actually. Nahida, now!"

He was gambling that she had something up her sleeve, and thankfully, she did. The Matra and Cyno swayed on their feet, their weapons dropping, the glowing emblems of their Akasha Terminals changing from pale green to a darker leaf green. Meanwhile, he did something he hadn't done since just before being stranded on Teyvat. He gathered the Dendro energy within him, and inflicted it on the Fatui Harbinger in front of him.

Il Dottore's body writhed and distorted, his mask falling off his face to reveal his crimson eyes wide in surprise and agony, before suddenly, he became a tree. The displacement knocked a few of the Matra off their feet, but Nahida merely frowned in concentration, before she gestured. The Akasha Terminals on the Matra flicked, and then the projection showing them to be active faded.

Cyno swayed on his feet, before blinking. "…What am I doing here?" he asked.

"Long story short, Il Dottore happened," Dehya said. "He did something funky to your Akasha Terminal to take control of you."

"…And where is he?"

Harry nodded to the tree near Cyno. "I put paid to that one. He's still alive, technically. Unfortunately, the bastard has multiple bodies."

"…I think I'll need an explanation…but for now, I think I need to take my leave," Cyno said, after a moment's silent contemplation of the ridiculous origin of a tree seemingly growing out of the carpet in the Homayani's pied-a-terre in Sumeru City. "I sent the form for leave some time before. I had intended to leave today."

"Where for?" Nahida asked.

"Aaru Village, for now," Cyno said. "I think the Sages have focused their attention on the Village Keepers."

The others exchanged looks, before Nahida said, "I intend to head to Gandharva Ville first, and then Port Ormos to ensure the Homayanis are fine. Then, we'll try to join you."

Harry looked to Nahida. "I knew you'd have something up your sleeve, but how did you do that?"

"I briefly overrode their consciousness with my own, and then purged the Akasha Terminals before switching them off," Nahida said, before looking to the ground and frowning. "Wait a moment, that envelope…" She hurried over to it, and examined it carefully, before opening it.

"What does it say?" Harry asked.

Dunyarzad peered at the letter. "It's from Il Dottore. The gall of the man…The Dendro Archons, their peers, the Descender Aether, and their associates are cordially invited to the unveiling of the Shouko no Kami, the Everlasting Lord of Arcane Wisdom, on the next Jnagarbha Day. On that day, kindly present yourselves to the Sanctuary of Surasthana. There, we shall see a clash the likes of which have not been seen since the Archon Wars. The stakes are dominion over Sumeru, and the right to restore Irmunsul. This Shouko no Kami…this must be what they're dubbing Scaramouche."

"What did he mean by calling Aether a 'Descender'?" Sirius mused.

"…It must be another term for an offworlder," Nahida said. "As in 'descending from the stars'. Still, we'd better get going. Dehya, get the Blazing Beasts ready to leave. Get Dunyarzad back to Port Ormos. Take Sirius and either Zhongli or Venti with you. For all that Il Dottore seems confident about this, I wouldn't put it past him to try and take hostages from the Homayanis, especially to try and force us to hand over the twins. We won't be long at Gandharva Ville, I hope."

"And what of the twins?" Aether asked.

"We take them with us. Fatui or not, we're not leaving them to be Il Dottore's guinea pigs," Nahida said. "Especially as we just saw that Il Dottore is experimenting with using Akasha Terminals as a form of mind-control. I can block it, I think, but I can't guarantee it. The only consolation is that he can't afford to spare the computing power from Akasha to control more than a certain amount of people, maybe a few dozen at most by my estimation, and that's stretching it."

"Is this wise, Nahida?" Harry asked. "Especially you telling them who you were earlier?"

"I made the decision after seeing Lynette's past, Harry."

"I'll be waiting for a full explanation in Aaru Village," Cyno said. "But first, I'll need to give instructions to my men. You'd best hurry, I doubt Il Dottore will wait much longer to take action…"

Harry used a Portkey to send Dehya, her men, Dunyarzad, Sirius, and Zhongli to Port Ormos. He then used another to bring the others to Gandharva Ville, not willing to risk heading to a Teleport Monument. This was the first time the others had used a Portkey, and Paimon was swaying in mid-air. If this was a cartoon, her eyes would be spinning spirals. "Ugh, Paimon…threw up a little in the mouth," the fairy-like being said, gagging slightly.

"And wizards travel like that in your world all the time?" Venti asked, looking green.

"His world?" Lynette asked, even as she swayed a little herself.

"Not the time," Harry said. "Keep this in mind, I don't trust either of you, and I think Nahida made a mistake revealing who she was to you. But I'm not going to let Il Dottore have his way with you either. Backstab any of us, though, and you're going back to Arlecchino in matching urns, assuming there's enough left to send to that bitch. Am I understood?"

Lyney held up his hands. "Yes, yes, of course! And believe me, my sister and I owe you and Nahida a debt ourselves. We would only betray you if it was a direct order from Father herself! Actually, did you happen to have with you our possessions?"

"We have your communicator, if that's what you're asking about, but Zhongli had it last," Harry said. "When we rendezvous at Port Ormos, you can take it up with him."

With that, he strode along the path towards Tighnari's hut, hoping to find either him or Collei present. Both were, indeed, present, Tighnari tending to Collei. They looked up. "What's wrong?" Tighnari asked. "I'm guessing you stopped whatever was affecting Sumeru City, but you've got these two with you."

"It's a long story, Tighnari. The short version is…Il Dottore is definitely in Sumeru…and he and the Sages are working together," Harry said.

Tighnari and Collei shared looks of horror, before the fox-eared and tailed Forest Watcher said, "If you've got time to spare, I'd like the long version, please…"

Nahida and Harry took turns relating the story to Tighnari and Collei. Collei was shivering at the thought of her boogyman being close by, while Tighnari was frowning in thought. Once they were finished, Tighnari asked, "Should we remove our Akasha Terminals?"

"Actually, I have figured out how to block any attempt to subvert them," Nahida said. "I had enough time to study what Il Dottore did to them, and I believe I can close the backdoors he used and keep them shut. And his so-called depositing of information into the subconscious was closer to creating a persistent hallucination rather than truly taking control. What worries me is that he used the Akasha Terminals to eavesdrop on us and learn of my identity that way."

"Then please do it, to us, and to everyone you can in Gandharva Ville, as soon as possible," Tighnari said. "Still…you believe that this secret project the Sages and Il Dottore are working on involves having Scaramouche, one of the Fatui Harbingers, undergo apotheosis?"

"A-Puffy-what?" Paimon asked.

"Apotheosis," Aether said. "It means the point where a mortal becomes a deity. True, Scaramouche is already partway there, being the creation of the Raiden Shogun."

Venti shook his head. "But he is no god, just an automaton with divine power and a will of his own. Oh, apotheosis is possible, but it's a diabolical ascension, given his attitude. Il Dottore has to know that giving Scaramouche godhood is a bad idea, what with the huge chip he has on his shoulder. He probably just wants to see what happens, or else thinks he had precautions enough, which he may do. As for the Sages, they're probably way too foolish to realise how bad an idea it is."

"A shame we couldn't persuade him to turn on Il Dottore, but Scaramouche, from what I know of him, always marched to the beat of his own drum," Lyney mused.

"In any case, I've got Haypasia resting at Pardis Dhyai," Tighnari said. "She's acting somewhat like the Village Keepers, except…there's something more to her actions. I don't think she's got a fragment of Lord Rukkhadevata's consciousness within her. She claims to be linked to a god. I've kept her away from the attentions of the Corps of Thirty. I told Cyno about her."

"Is she all right?" Aether asked.

"Somewhat," Tighnari said, before he sat bolt upright, his ears twitching. There was a commotion outside, and Tighnari left the hut. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

"We heard that you have those twin magicians here. Hand them over, in the name of the Sages!"

Tighnari scoffed at the rough-sounding voice. "And why haven't the Sages sent the Corps of Thirty or the Matra? You're not welcome here, Tashfin, you or your brigands masquerading as mercenaries."

"You think you're so tough, Forest Watcher? Hand them over, or I'll burn this place to the ground."

Before Tighnari could reply, however, there was a whimsical lilt of a voice, of a woman whose voice and attitude was young, but the tone was old. "Now we can't have that, can we? I like setting a lot of things on fire, but a rainforest isn't one of them."

"I know that voice…" Aether said quietly.

"Huh? Who're you?" Tashfin demanded.

And then, Harry heard a voice he was worried he'd never hear again.

"EXPELLIARMUS! STUPEFY!"

The same words rang out in chorus. Once the cacophony of spells were over, the woman's voice said, "Sorry we couldn't use Jumpty-Dumpty, Klee, but I am sure Tighnari here would not appreciate Gandharva Ville being on fire."

"That's okay, Mummy!" said a young girl's voice, her own tone strange, high-pitched and shrill to some degree, though not as shrill as Paimon's. "Can we go blast-fishing in Port Ormos?"

"I'll think about it, dear," said the woman, before she poked her head into the hut. She had light blonde hair, crimson eyes, and was dressed in a red stereotypical witch's outfit with a clover motif. Oddly enough, she had the pointed ears of an elf(1). She waved a hand. "Hi! Ah, we meet at last, Aether and Paimon! Klee sent me copies of the pictures you took with a Kamera. Oh, and you must be Harry Potter! I remember Albus speaking about you the last time we met."

Harry stared at the woman, who was giving him real Lovegood vibes, that same mixture of eccentricity, insanity, and lack of care about what people thought about her. But she also seemed immensely dangerous. "…Are you Alice?" he asked, albeit with a guess, considering she knew Dumbledore.

"Indeed, I am," she said, ushering in a smaller version of herself, a child not even in her double digits, he guessed, though dressed in a crimson uniform with a cap, with a backpack on her back. "And this is my daughter Klee." The girl waved cheerfully.

"It's good to meet you at long last, Alice," Aether said. "But…who were those with you? If I didn't know any better, those sounded like spells from Earth."

"…That's because they were," Harry said, looking to Alice. "…Did you bring them here?"

"I paid a visit to Britain when I arrived on your world, and sensed the barrier I had set up with Albus to prevent the Abyss Order from gaining a foothold on your world was gone. I was preoccupied at the time you had your own encounter with them, for which I must apologise," the woman said solemnly. "But…well, a brief stopover aside in Mondstadt to pick up my daughter for a holiday, I've brought over some familiar faces, as you may have guessed, who wish to help you."

Harry stumbled over to the hut's entrance, and peeked out, wondering if what he was going to see was a hallucination, a dream. But he knew it wasn't the case. That voice was too distinctive, too familiar, too central to his memories.

And there they were. Hermione Granger. Luna Lovegood. Remus and Tonks. His closest friends and loved ones, aside from Nahida.

Still, he needed to be sure. Maybe this was some trick by Il Dottore. "How did we save Sirius in our third year, Hermione?"

"With my Time-Turner, and help from Dumbledore and Buckbeak, and abusing Novikov's Self-Consistency Principle," Hermione said. "Who figured out the solution to Snape's potion riddle at the end of first year?"

"You, of course," Harry said, his eyes glistening with tears. "Merlin, you're here, you're all here…"

And that was all that needed to be said, at least for now. A reunion between friends and loved ones ensued shortly thereafter. And despite the dark times that had come to pass, and those yet to come, Harry was grateful, for this much at least…

CHAPTER 28 ANNOTATIONS:

At long last, the cavalry from the Potterverse has arrived!

I'd always intended to bring in more Potterverse characters. Hell, earlier versions had Hermione, Luna, and the Lupin-Tonks family come along from the beginning, but balancing so many characters while development was needed for them was too difficult. The focus wasn't there on Harry and Nahida, as much as it should've been, let alone Dunyarzad and Dehya, who are part of the pairing, after all.

Then again, I also wanted to pair Hermione and Luna with Tighnari and Cyno. I actually wanted Hermione with Tighnari and Luna with Cyno, but I reckon Hermione, with her rules worship, would get along better with Cyno, while Luna would be tolerated more by Tighnari long enough for him to get to know her.

On a different note, while I finished this chapter long ago and had it kept aside for the December mass-update, I finished the Fontaine arc yesterday. And, well, holy shit. Although the Sumeru arc is the best written, this is still a close second.

Furina…well, my attitude towards her has changed. Nahida needs more hugs than Furina, but honestly, Furina comes a close second in terms of the Archons so far. In fact, my earlier omake voice line had Harry dissing Furina somewhat. But once he learns the full story, well, this is his reaction…

"…Damn. Don't get me wrong, her attitude left a lot to be desired, and she should have nutted up and confided to someone, anyone, who could keep a secret. But still…500 years, playing that part, with the prophecy dangling over your head…Focalors, you're pretty cruel inflicting that on Furina. I know what it's like to deal with prophecies, and I'm not sure I could have endured that long. So, Furina…you want to have a tea party with me and my sister? I'll make the cakes…"

So, yeah. Don't get me wrong, Focalors did much to save Fontaine, but I still think what she put Furina through was pretty dickish. Honestly, Focalors reeks of Dumbledore, only at least she had a better reason for keeping secrets.

Then again, Celestia has yet another reason to be utterly destroyed. I actually suspected the truth about Fontaine, or at least their true nature was something I'd hypothesized idly. But seriously, it feels a bit like what happened with the Middle Earth Dwarves in The Silmarillion, only instead of Iluvatar letting them live, you have Celestia deciding to punish Egeria and her people in a cruel manner.

And then, there's the truth behind the Gnoses. Yet another crime to lay at Celestia's doorstop.

And Arlecchino shows herself to be the best Harbinger, by dint of engaging in very little atrocity (her attack on Furina aside), actually caring about her subordinates, being better than her cruel predecessor, and being engaged in goodwill work in disaster relief, even if it's partly as PR for the Fatui. After La Signora, Scaramouche, and Il Dottore engaged in competitive puppy dropkicking, and Tartaglia nearly (if reluctantly) causing the destruction of Liyue Harbour to draw out Morax, it's a refreshing change. Seriously, if I do another Potterverse crossover with Genshin Impact, she's leapt right up the possible pairing rankings.

And Skirk's made an appearance! And I knew she'd end up being a Scathach-expy. Hell, she even shares the same Japanese voice actress as Nasuverse Scathach, Mamiko Noto.

Anyway, the next chapter will be out with the December mass-update, unless I get inspiration, or have another omake chapter.

Review-answering time! PikaMew1288: It supposedly will be released for the Switch, but there's no definitive date, and honestly, I wouldn't hold my breath. It's available for mobile devices, Steam, and the current Playstation consoles, though.

Desropter: While I had considered such a pairing idly, I was still thinking she'd turn out villainous at the end of the Fontaine arc. So imagine my pleasant surprise when Arlecchino actually remains pleasant throughout, her attacks (verbal and physical) on Furina aside. So, while I wouldn't say it's definitive, well, never say never. I've posted a challenge along similar lines in my usual forums here on this site, but I'm giving such a story serious thought. It wasn't inspired by your review, but rather, by her character in the game, though.

1. Basically, Alice looks like an adult Klee wearing a more grown-up version of Klee's Blossoming Starlight costume.