A/N: The robes mentionned for Harry, Hermione and the Assassin introduced (not named here, no spoilers) are basically Altair's robes. I tried describing them as best I could but I might not have done so properly. I tried to describe the version of Altair's robes seen in Assassin's Creed Unity since its the best rendition in my opinion. Just look for a screenshot if you want.
It was now the last day of Hermione's weekend at Kenway Mansion and already it was obvious that Hermione had considerably cheered up now that she knew Harry was alive, safe and healthy. The two friends had spent most of the day talking about Harry's training, something Hermione had grilled him on since she had learned of it the previous evening.
Harry and Hermione were currently sitting on Harry's bed in his room under the watchful eye of Hedwig. Harry was currently retelling about some of the memories of his ancestors he relived while in the Animus. Hermione, someone who loved history, couldn't help but be captivated by what he was saying. She was shocked at some of the bombshells Harry would casually drop, like the fact that Oliver Cromwell had been a Templar.
"What do you mean, Oliver Cromwell was a Templar?" she asked.
"Two days ago, I went through the life of one of my paternal ancestors named Sean Oleander. From what I gathered; he was an Irish-man who joined the Irish Brotherhood of the Assassins in 1650. Sean lost his wife and only son during the Sack of Wexford when he was only twenty-two years old. His four-years-old son was killed by Parliamentarian soldiers while his wife was taken prisoner and raped to death." said Harry, closing his eyes with a sigh. He could still feel the emotions of his ancestor when he had found out what had happened to his family. As interesting as spending time in the Animus was, feeling the guilt, grief and anger of an ancestor was not something Harry wanted to go through again. In a colder voice, he continued "Sean swore revenge on those that were responsible and when he learned that Cromwell was a Templar, he joined the Assassins, hoping to be able to fight him and his Order. In 1658, Sean took part in a plot to kill the Lord Protector and managed to do so during the summer when he poisoned him. Cromwell died a few months later."
"That's... wow." said Hermione. "It really does make you wonder how much history is intertwined with the Assassin-Templar War."
"I know." said Harry.
"Anything else you discovered in the Animus?" asked Hermione with excitement.
Harry gave a laugh. "Of course! Let's see..." he thought. "You know how the Knights Templar – the public façade of the Templar Order – fell, right?"
"Of course!" said Hermione before she began reciting some book she had once read. "The Knights Templar fell in the early 1300s when King Philip IV of France sent an order to arrest many Knights Templars and their Grand Master Jacques de Molay. Officially, the Knights Templar fell when French knights managed to arrest De Molay after storming their Paris stronghold. Unofficially, the Templar Order used the opportunity to go underground like the Assassins had done half-a-century earlier at the fall of Masyaf in the hands of the Mongols."
"Indeed, you are right. Ten points to Gryffindor!" joked Harry, making Hermione laugh. "Well, during one of my sessions, I relived a memory of one of my ancestors named Thomas the Carneillon, an Assassin who had been present during the storming of the Templar stronghold..."
He was interrupted when someone knocked on the door. "Enter!" Harry called. Someone opened the door. It was Sirius.
"Harry, Hermione. The Council want to speak with you." said Sirius. Harry and Hermione glanced at each other. Neither had expected that.
"Well, let's go, then." said Harry, jumping out of bed, quickly followed by Hermione.
Sirius led Harry and Hermione to the same room where they had been initiated. Sirius opened the door and entered; the two teenagers following. They were surprised to see that it wasn't dark at all and they could see everything clearly. The Council was currently in the middle of the room around a table – some standing, some sitting – and were looking at pieces of paper, parchment and maps while in deep discussion.
"Mentor." said Sirius, announcing their presence. "I brought Harry and Hermione."
Almost as one, the members of the Assassin Council all lifted their heads to look at the teenagers.
"Thank you, Sirius." said Daniel Granger. Just as Sirius was about to turn around, the Mentor said "I would like for you to stay, Sirius. I have someone I would like you to meet. All three of you."
Sirius looked only slightly surprised. He gave a nod and stayed where he was standing.
"Why did the Council request our presence, Mentor?" asked Hermione to her father.
Daniel smirked. "Relax, Hermione. No need to go in formalities when we are only a few. We brought you here because you will be assigned your first mission."
Both Hermione and Harry looked gobsmacked. "First mission, sir?" asked Harry. "I did not think we were trained enough yet..."
"Do not worry, it is not a challenging mission, Novice Potter." said Henry Morrigan.
"What is our mission then, sir?"
"We've been in contact with Professor Dumbledore and believe the person who entered Harry's name in the Tournament is working for Voldemort and could try something during the First Task. Your mission is to find out who that person is." said the Mentor.
"Dad, wouldn't whoever has entered Harry's name already left Hogwarts?" asked Hermione.
"Possibly, but Dumbledore believe that this person wouldn't have been able to do anything beforehand because of the scrutiny since Harry's death. The Headmaster believe that the First Task will be the perfect occasion to escape unnoticed, which is where you come in. Harry, you will escort the Headmaster to the First Task then look around for any suspicious activity within the Professors. Hermione, your job is to look for the students. You can ask around for information. Do not engage anyone unless you believe someone is in danger. Understood?"
"Yes, Mentor." answered both Novices.
"You won't be the only Assassins present during the First Task. We are also sending a magical Master Assassin with you." Someone knocked on the door. "That must be him. You can enter!" he called.
The door opened and a tall man with black skin and a kind face entered. Harry couldn't help but notice the man's robes, which were similar to Harry's and Sirius', except they were longer, its hood was in the same white fabric as the rest and the coloured fabric under the belt was not red but purple. To Harry, it looked oddly familiar to the robes of his ancestor Thomas de Carneillon, except they were white instead of black. Of course, if Hermione had known what he was thinking, she would have corrected him and told him they were a replica of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's robes.
The man entered and froze the moment he noticed Harry and Sirius. It took a few seconds for Harry to remember that he was supposed to be dead while Sirius was said to be a mass-murderer. No surprise he looked startled.
"This is Kingsley Shacklebolt, an Auror and Master Assassin. Kingsley will also be present during the First Task as an Auror. You will meet with him in Dumbledore's office an hour before the beginning. You are to report your findings to him after."
The man, Kingsley, shook his head and asked in a deep voice "Why are Harry Potter and Sirius Black here?"
The Council chuckled. "It's their own story to tell but, to make it short, Harry's death was faked to cover his escape from the magical world while Sirius Black is innocent of the crimes he was accused of."
"Yes." growled Sirius. "Pettigrew did all that."
"That does sound a lot more plausible. I never trusted that little shit." said Kingsley.
"So, you believe me then, King?" asked Sirius.
Kingsley nodded. "Yeah. If the Mentor say you are innocent, that's good enough for me. I never understood how you could have betrayed James anyway. You being innocent is the only thing that make sense."
"Brilliant!" said Sirius with a grin. Both approached the other and took each other in a man-hug. When they released each other, Sirius looked at Kingsley's belt and said in an amused voice "Still sporting the purple, Kingsley?"
"What can I say? It's a lovely colour." said the tall man with a smirk.
"Anyway..." interrupted Daniel. "Since Hermione's portkey will bring her back at Hogwarts in a few hours, I would like for her to receive her own robes."
"I'll take her to the armoury, if you want, Dan." said Sirius.
"Thank you." nodded Daniel. "You may go."
Sirius, Harry and Hermione arrived in the basement of the Mansion where the armoury was located. Harry hadn't even known there was a basement before, which had quite surprised him.
At first glance, the armoury wasn't as big as Harry had thought. The room was about the size of the Gryffindor common room. On Harry's right side were many, many wardrobes which Harry assumed were filled with muggle tailcoats and magical robes. On the left side was a wall covered with various type of weapons. About half of it were firearms while the others were melee. Harry could see that a quarter of the total number of weapons were swords and the other quarter were hand pistols. In the middle of a room stood a young woman her early twenties in a light-grey tailcoat who was currently looking at a ledger. The woman had long, straight black hair, brown eyes and light freckles around the nose.
"Hello, Eileen." grinned Sirius somewhat flirtishly. The woman looked up from her ledger, noticed Sirius and rolled her eyes.
"Sirius Black." said Eileen with a smile. Glancing at Harry and Hermione, she added "I suppose you aren't trying to ask me out on a date this time? Unless you managed to convince two teenagers to help you do the impossible?"
Harry and Hermione looked at Sirius in amusement. Sirius, not missing a beat, said "Doesn't sound like a bad idea, actually. Thanks!"
"The old dog is giving you problems, Eileen?" asked Hermione with a giggle. "Need help dealing with it?" she said as she withdrew her wand. Sirius made a sound suspiciously similar to a kicked puppy, which made the other three laugh.
"Nothing I can't handle." said Eileen, smiling at Hermione. "And it's still no, Sirius, and it will be the next time you ask me... again." she added to Harry's godfather with a playful roll of the eyes.
"Well, can't blame a man for trying to know a very attractive woman better." grinned Sirius. "And you never know, you might change your answer. Harry is the proof that you can always change your mind! Merlin know how many times James asked Lily out before she finally said yes..."
"Don't bring me and my parents into your failed love-life, Sirius." chuckled Harry.
"Already considering the possibility of having children with Eileen then, Sirius?" said Hermione teasingly. Sirius choked and spluttered. Neither Harry nor Hermione missed the reddening of Eileen's cheeks.
"Let's stop embarrassing the children, Hermione." said Harry, making his best friend laugh. The adults looked slightly indignant. "I'm Harry Potter, by the way and this is Hermione Granger." said Harry, introducing himself and Hermione.
Both Hermione and Eileen laughed. Harry looked confused, until Hermione cleared it up. "Eileen and I already know each other. We're cousins."
Now that Harry looked at them side-by-side, he could easily see the resemblance. Eileen did look very similar to both Hermione and her mother. It was most obvious in their faces, and both could have passed for sisters. There were a few differences however. Eileen's jaw was a bit longer and squarer than Hermione's and Hermione's lips were a bit bigger than her cousin's and looked a lot softer.
Harry did not realise what he had just thought.
"Her mum is my Aunt Emma." said Eileen, interrupting Harry's thoughts.
"I should have known." said Sirius. "After all, both of you are beautiful!"
"I would appreciate if you didn't hit on my Mum, Sirius." scowled Hermione. "Not unless you want me to neuter you."
Sirius whimpered and kept quiet, which Harry found amusing.
"Anyway, nice to meet you, Harry. I'm Eileen Crowder, Hermione's cousin and one of the Assassins in charge of the armoury. Now, what can I do for you?
"We're here to get equipment for our first mission." answered Hermione.
"First mission... Wait, you joined the Brotherhood, Hermione?" asked Eileen, looking at her cousin with surprise.
"Yep. Yesterday, as a matter of fact." she said. "That's the main reason why I'm here. I only have a Hidden Blade. I need at the very minimum my own pair of robes."
"Congratulations!" said Eileen, walking to her cousin and taking her in a hug. "I always wondered whether or not you would join. I guess I have my answer."
Hermione returned the hug. "It wasn't my plan to join, at first but... things changed." she said with a glance toward Harry.
"Well, time to give you your robes, then." said Eileen, releasing Hermione. Walking toward one of the wardrobes, she said "Let's try the robes first."
Eileen opened one of the wardrobes, revealing multiple white magical robes. Harry was surprised to see that they were all like Kingsley Shaklebolt's robes and not like the pair he was wearing, which were his father's. "Did the robes change?" he asked. "Sirius and I don't have the same design."
"The magical robes did after the war, yes. I'm not exactly sure why, I'm sure someone could tell you why." said Eileen as she took out one of the robes and placed it in front of Hermione. It didn't seem to be the right size as she frowned and put it back inside. Her left hand travelled through the wardrobe before she withdrew another pair and put it in front of Hermione. "They seem to be the right size!" she exclaimed. "Why don't you put them on?"
Hermione looked around. "Where?" she asked. "I'm not about to change in front of them!"
"Oh, you wound me, Hermione!" exclaimed Harry, a hand to his heart. Sirius let out a snort.
"You spend too much time with Sirius." she grumbled.
"There is a door behind me. It leads to the changing rooms."
"Thank you." said Hermione. Hermione left the room with her robes, leaving Eileen alone with Harry and Sirius.
Harry looked through the wardrobe. If he was honest with himself, he much preferred those robes to the one he currently had. He wondered if could have this type of robes as well, so he asked.
"Why would you want another pair of robes?" asked Sirius when Harry asked. "You're already wearing your father's."
"I know and that's why, Sirius." said Harry. "As much as I love Dad, wearing his robes just feel... not wrong per say but uncomfortable. They are Dad's, not mines. I'm scared of ruining them and I want to keep them as a memento to my father, not wear them in action. Also, the hood of the current robes hides more the face than Dad's robes, even without the obscuring charms, which would be a good thing for me since I'm supposed to be dead in the wizarding world."
"Not wrong." said Sirius. "You have valid points." Turning toward Eileen, he said "So, can Harry have his own robes as well?"
"Sure." she said as she walked back toward the still open wardrobe. Eileen looked at various robes before she took one pair out and put it in front of Harry's. "They seem the right size. Try them on!"
"Thank you." said Harry before he went through the same door as Hermione. Harry found himself in a small room with stalls on one end and mirrors on the other. It almost looked a bathroom.
"So, Hermione, do the robes fit you?" asked Harry loudly. He grinned when he heard a surprised shriek coming from one of the stalls.
"Harry? What are you doing here?"
"Changing into my own robes."
"But you already have pair!"
"They're my father's."
"Oh." said Hermione as Harry entered his own stall. "I understand."
"I know." said Harry. "That's why you're so brilliant."
Harry removed his father's robes and changed into his new robes. Harry could already see the differences between both pairs. James Potter's robes were a mix of leather and a wool-type material. The new robes were made of muslin and wool, if Harry was right. The robes were also completely white, unlike his father's robes which were white and brown.
The belt of the new robes was very similar to what he had with his father's robes. The belt was rounder however and the leather was smoother to the touch. The red fabric under it also extended in two knee-length stripes, one in the front and one in the back. These robes also had no cloak over the shoulders like his father's.
Not waiting any further, Harry put on the robes, then the belt. He then put his father's robes in the mokeskin pouch he had received the previous summer before strapping it on his belt in his back. Finally, Harry put on his bracer with his Hidden Blade strapped on it and put on his hood. He exited the stall.
Hermione had already exited her stall and was looking at herself in the mirror. Her hood was lowered. As she was looking through the mirror, she noticed Harry and gave a small jump.
"Wow, Harry. You look like Altaïr!" she said.
"Who?" asked Harry, confused.
"Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad!" When Harry didn't say anything, she let out a sigh. "The Levantine Mentor who revolutionised the Brotherhood!"
"Oh, him!" said Harry with understanding.
" Oh, him? " she asked, looking exasperated. "Didn't Sirius give you history lessons? Honestly." she said, shaking her head.
"You know I was never good in history." said Harry sheepishly.
Hermione rolled her eyes before putting on her own hood. Turning back toward Harry, she asked "How do I look?"
"Like me but shorter and with breasts... Ow!" said Harry. Hermione had hit him in the arm. "Fine! You look like a badass motherfucker!"
Hermione turned back toward the mirror. "Badass? I agree. Motherfucker? I don't."
"Your father is a motherfucker." muttered Harry.
"Excuse me!?" said Hermione indignantly, glaring at him through the mirror.
"He married your mother , didn't he?" he grinned. "I mean... there must be something happening in their bedroom..."
Hermione threw her arms in the air and let out a frustrated growl before leaving the room. She was followed by a snickering Harry.
"Oh dear, you don't look very happy." commented Eileen when Hermione returned to the armoury.
"Harry just called my father a motherfucker." said Hermione.
"Of course, he is. His wife is a mother!" said Sirius.
"That's what I said!" exclaimed Harry when he entered the room. Godfather and godson grinned before they gave each other a high five.
"I swear, you spend way too much time with Sirius." grumbled Hermione. "Anyway, can we get the rest?" she asked to her cousin.
"Sure." said Eileen. "Both of your robes seem to fit perfectly. You'll just need boot and pants. Jeans and school boots are not the best option so that's will be for you to take later. Now, let's look for the weapons."
The small group crossed the room to the other side. "Since you are going to the magical world, it is recommended you take at least a sword. Flashbangs are also recommended. It's a shame the smoke grenades are ineffective in the magical world as the smoke can just be vanished or I would have given you a few. You don't need a long-range weapon since you already have wands to do the job. You can take a few potions with you to self-heal during a mission but you won't find it here. Yeah, that's about it. A sword and flashbangs. I trust you know how to use a sword, right?" she asked.
Hermione nodded. "Mum and Dad gave me lessons during the summers."
Harry looked pensive. "I'm being trained with the Animus. I visited a lot of memories of ancestors who fought with swords but I don't know how much I learned from it yet."
"That's something we will have to test before Tuesday, when the First Task takes place, then." said Sirius.
Harry and Hermione went on to try and test various swords of all type. Harry had first suggested using Gryffindor's Sword but Sirius had rejected the idea right away.
"You told me the Sword of Gryffindor was imbued with Basilisk Venom, which would mean that the smallest cut made with it could kill someone. We don't know how advanced you are with the use of a sword yet so I don't want you to use the sword and risk cutting yourself or a friend."
"Fair enough." had said Harry, slightly disappointed. In the end, Harry and Hermione each ended up with a simple Saber each. Eileen also gave them a Cinquedea (long dagger) on Sirius' insistence. Sirius wanted them to have a secondary melee weapon in case they lost their sword during a mission. When Hermione had brought up the Hidden Blade, it had been Eileen who told them that it wasn't made for combat.
Harry and Hermione attached the sheaths of their weapons on their belt and sheathed their sword and dagger. Harry took another look at Hermione and grinned. "You still look like a badass."
"And you still look like Altaïr." said Hermione in answer. Having done what they had to do in the armoury, Sirius let them go and the duo walked back upstairs toward their rooms.
They met a few Assassins along the way and more than one gave low whistles in appreciation. One even moaned about how magical robes looked a lot better than muggle ones, which made them laugh.
"I guess we are ready for our mission later this week, then." said Harry as they entered Hermione's room.
"I hope so." she said.
Hermione and Harry looked at each other. Both were realising that they were close to being separated again. That weekend after a few weeks of believing they had lost the other made them realise how much they liked spending time together. Their separation would be harder than usual.
Before she knew what she was doing, Hermione took a few steps forward and grabbed Harry in a hug, which the boy gave back.
They held each other silently as they thought about how much their friendship would change now that they were both Assassins.
Both hoped that they would only get closer to each other.
A/N: I originally planned this chapter to also include the First Task but with the current chapter being more than 3K words, ending up on a nice cutoff point, made me change my mind. I also have many ideas for what happen in the First Task, which will probably result in a 4k+ long chapter so the next chapter will not suffer from it.
Promise, the next chapter will finally show Assassin!Harry (and some Assassin!Hermione) in action! :D