Harriet had a hard time processing what she just learned. The current Hogwarts Headmaster's name was Ulysse Potter. He was a fellow Potter! Family! Harriet felt her head spin. In comparison, said man looked like he was taking the news a lot better. He had a smile on his face. He looked happy.

The two were currently making their way to the Headmaster's office – Ulysse's office – to speak about her 'problem' in private. The walk was mostly full of silence, a result of both of the Potters processing the fact they were in company of family. It was only once they neared the seventh floor that Harriet spoke.

"Who was this man?" she asked, curious.

"You mean Prince?" Ulysse asked. Harriet nodded. "He was our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, once upon a time." he told her.

Her brows furrowed. Once upon a time? "What do you mean?" she asked, confused. "What happened?"

The man sighed. "You told me you learned of me through Achille da Livorno. Am I right to guess you have spent the last few years in Italy?"

"Yes." she confirmed. "Why?"

"Because if you have been living in Italy, then you might not know what happened here a few years ago."

"Something happened here?" she asked, surprised. She didn't remember any important even happening in the British wizarding world in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. Damn Professor Binns and his focus on goblin rebellions!

"Yes." the raven-haired man said, sighing again. He began explaining. "A few years ago, a Dark Lady rose up in the British Isles. She spread terror throughout the isles, attacking and killing wizarding families. Nobody knew her name, for only her and her closest of followers knew it. She was nicknamed 'Lady Ankou' by the population."

"What was the cause behind her actions?" Harriet asked.

Ulysse shrugged. "Nobody knows to this day. Ankou did not have a Modus operandi. She attacked and killed without remorse or due cause. Her actions did not appear to follow a certain path. There was no hint she was trying to conquer the British isles and install herself as ruler, nor did she seem to want to eradicate any group of individual, which Dark Lords and Ladys of the past have done. She simply killed and terrorized for the sake of killing and terrorizing. This is what made her so terrible. Everyone was afraid of her."

"This is awful!" Harriet exclaimed. She couldn't help but think Ankou was what Bellatrix Lestrange would have become if she wasn't arrested shortly after Voldemort's downfall. A crazy witch without a purpose attacking people because she could. That's what she did to the Longbottoms, after all. "Is she still around? Or is she dead?" she asked him.

"She is dead, thankfully." Ulysse said, making Harriet sigh in relief. "Which bring me back to your original question. Simon Prince – the man you duelled a few minutes ago – was our Defence teacher during Lady Ankou's reign of terror. One day, Ankou and her followers attacked Hogwarts. The majority of students were evacuated before she could breach the walls. Prince stayed behind to ensure the safety of the last batch of students who had yet to leave. He ended-up duelling her head to head. He resisted her long enough to allow the last student to depart."

The duo turned around a corner, and the gargoyle guarding the office became visible. Ulysse did not stop his story, not noticing the look of guilt and despair slowly appearing on Harriet's face.

"Ankou was furious. I believe her goal was to slaughter the students as a show of ultimate power. When she defeated Prince, she took out her anger on him by torturing him brutally. She tried to get the location of the students out of him, but Prince showed an incredible strength by refusing to tell her the information she sought, no matter what she did to him. In the end, she managed to break his mind and his magic. Lumos!"

The gargoyle blocking the entrance moved out of the way, the incantation of the Lighting Charm being the password, allowing them inside the office.

"The man you met earlier is only a shell of his former self. Unable to think clearly and to use magic." Ulysse finished sadly. "Simon Prince sacrificed himself to protect his students. When he was eventually rescued some days later, and his state was discovered, some tried to have him kicked out of the castle as he was no longer able to teach. I refused. Prince is an honourable man who did a lot for the students and I do not want to repay his sacrifice by throwing him away. In the end, I managed to hire him as a caretaker and the Keeper of the Keys of Hogwarts. He take that job very seriously, and to this day protect the students."

The man sat down in his chair behind his desk, inviting Harriet to conjure a chair to sit in, which she did.

"When you entered the grounds without invitation, I believe Prince might have assumed you to have been a potential assailant, and faced you thinking he was protecting the students, even if the school isn't in session currently." he finished. "I hope this answered your question." Ulysse said pleasantly.

Harriet snorted. That was an understatement. "I feel so horrible." She put her face in her hands. "When he baited me, I just retaliated. I didn't want to hurt him, but I didn't consider the reasons behind his actions and just went along with the duel. Gosh, I'm so stupid." she groaned, feeling horribly guilty. She'd been confronted man who was mentally ill, who only wanted to protect the school and its students, and instead of walking away, she attacked him.

"I cannot blame you for defending yourself, for he struck first. However, I can blame you for rising to his bait and hurting him with your blades when simpler, harmless solutions such as the stunning spell were available." he said firmly.

Harriet flinched in guilt, knowing he was very much right. She had become so accustomed to fighting with her sword and hidden blade to hide her magic from muggles that, once confronted with a swordsman on the grounds of Hogwarts, she did not even think of using her magic, despite being in a place were no muggles could be found. She really could have handled the situation better, and the chastising of a fellow Potter, of a family member, made her feel ashamed to the point of tears.

What would Ezio think of her?

"I'm sorry." she muttered, refusing to look at Ulysse in the eyes.

There was a sigh. "Harriet, look at me." Ulysse said in a soft voice. Harriet slowly raised her head until their eyes met. "Making a mistake is not the end of the world. What matters is that you acknowledge it and understand how it happened so you do not repeat it in the future." he told her. He then gave her a smile. "And hey, if you want, I can lead you to his home after our meeting, so you can apologize to him."

"I'd like that." she whispered, wiping her tears.

His words brought comfort to her. Like a parent comforting their child. She really liked him, and dearly hoped he was her ancestor, not a brother of one. She wanted him to be her grandfather. She really wanted that.

Ulysse returned to his seat while she finished wiping her cheeks. Her mind brought back his words. "Right... our meeting." she spoke, remembering it was the whole reason why she came to Britain in the first place.

"Yes. You spoke of a 'magical problem' you had, right?"

Harriet nodded. "I know it is going to sound far fetched and fantastical. But what I am going to tell you is the truth."

"That should be interesting." Ulysse muttered to himself in amusement. Harriet caught it, and smiled, feeling a bit of the tension loosen.

She took a deep breath and spoke. "My name is Harriet Lily Potter, and I was born on the 31st of July in the year 1980. In the year 1996, I was suddenly transported back in time to the year 1498 and I have no idea why it happened or how I can go back home."

Ulysse stared at her with wide eyes. "Well that, I didn't expect." he said. "You said you are a time traveller? You are from the future?" he asked. Harriet nodded.

"From nearly five-hundred years in the future, yes."

"And you don't know how you ended-up here?"

She shook her head. "I have no idea." she confirmed. "I was in bed and fell asleep. When I woke up, I was in Mar-" She briefly stopped, knowing Ulysse would have no idea who Margherita was. "-In someone else's house. I was in the year 1498."

Ulysse suddenly stood up. He rushed to a bookshelf and took out a book, which he quickly opened. Harriet used the opportunity to take a proper look at the office. Not lot had changed between now and Dumbledore's time. The major difference she could see was all the missing paintings of Headmasters who would go on to lead the school after Ulysse. There were also a lot of missing decorative items, with Dumbledore having left his personal touches everywhere. In comparison, this version of the Headmaster's office was rather lacking, indicating Ulysse had either been instated as Headmaster recently, or that he simply did not spend enough time in the office every day to make decorating it worth it.

"How did you feel? Before you left, I mean. You said you were in bed, yes?" he asked, his eyes not leaving his book as he skimmed through the pages, turning them every few seconds.

"I felt..." Harriet let out a breath, remembering Sirius' death, which was still painful to this day. "I was heartbroken. My godfather and the last of my family was killed in front of my very eyes a few weeks earlier. I was mourning him." she explained. Harriet noticed how the man briefly froze when she spoke of having lost the last of her family, before he returned to his frantic scanning of the book.

There were another few minutes of silence before Ulysse spoke again. By this point, he was back behind his desk, reading his book avidly. He briefly looked up to her. "What were you thinking when you were mourning him? Were you wishing for something?"

Harriet blinked. "Actually, yes I was." she said, surprised herself by her answer. She never once thought about what was going on through her mind that night, not even when she was scrambling to explain being thrown in the past in the days following her arrival. Yet, despite this, she remembered exactly her line of thoughts from that night, like she voiced those wishes only moments ago.

"What did you wish?" Ulysse asked softly.

Harriet swallowed and began quoting herself. "I just wish I knew how to handle a fight so nobody would be in danger because of me. I wish I had the skills to kill Voldemort so the prophecy wouldn't be so terrifying. I wish..."

Here she hesitated, remembering the pain of her last wish, and wondering how Ulysse would react. The man seemed to sense her hesitation, for he gave her a comforting look of understanding, one who promised he would not judge her.

"I wish I had someone who would love me and never leave me alone again." she spoke, closing her eyes at the pain.

Ulysse let out a breath, like a man who had just been punched in the heart. "Oh, you poor thing." he muttered sadly.

His sadness on her behalf was the straw that broke the camel's back. Harriet broke down in tears and, before she realized it, told Ulysse the entire story of her life. Her parents' death, her life at the Dursleys, learning she was a witch, making friends, the hardship and struggles she went through up to the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, the loss of Sirius and her time travel where she met Margherita, a woman who became the closest thing she had to a mother, only to loose her a year later to the Borgia.

When she ended her tale – right after Ezio rescued her from the stake – Harriet realized Ulysse was no longer sitting behind his desk but holding her, muttering soft words of comfort in her ear while rubbing her back. Like a father comforting his distraught daughter.

"Sorry." she ended up muttering. "I rarely break down like that." she said, trying to save a bit of dignity.

"There is nothing to apologize for. I think you were holding on to a lot of grief, knowingly or not. It was bound to come out sooner or later." he told her wisely. Harriet nodded, acknowledging his words. The man looked at her in the eyes. "I am so sorry for all you had to endure, Harriet." he said with a remorseful voice. Harriet shrugged. Not saying anything.

Neither of them spoke for a moment, absorbing the silence. It took a few minutes before one of them spoke. It was Harriet. "Why did you ask me what I wished for?"

"Because I believe I know how you were sent to the past." he revealed. Harriet shot up.

"What? Really?!" she asked, shocked. "How did- What's the answer?" she asked rapidly.

"The book I was reading," he said, nodding toward the object in question, which was laying on the desk. "It spoke of tales of time travellers. There is no known way to control the flow of time – at least so far. The time turners you spoke of do make it possible in your time. A really neat invention I hope to see in my lifetime." He then shook his head, like he was chastising himself for going off-track. "But that is beside the point. The point is that you aren't the first to travel back in time. Not in your original time nor in this time."

"People were sent back in time like I was?"

Ulysse nodded. "There is an incredible number of tales of time travellers. However, the majority seem to be nothing but lies, as they make no logical sense whatsoever. However, there is one way that is known for a fact to have sent people back in time. I believe this is what happened to you. You were thrown back in time because of wish magic." he revealed.

"Wish magic?" she asked, confused.

"Wish magic is a strange phenomenon which is largely misunderstood. What we do know however is that it manifest when someone pure of heart has an incredibly strong wish, so strong that it affect magic. There is many ways it can react to a wish. Sending the wisher back in time is one of them."

"But I didn't wish to go back in time." Harriet said, still confused.

"You are right. You did not wish to go back in time." he confirmed. "But, you wished for something. You wished to be trained, to know how to keep your loved ones safe, and to have the power and skill to match your Dark Lord to defeat him once and for all. And, you wished for love. You did not wish to go back in time, but magic sent you here because it saw it as the solution. Tell me, was magic right? Did you receive training? Do you now have the power to protect your loved ones? Have you found love?"

Harriet stared ahead, not seeing anything. Because she was very shocked. The answer to Ulysse's question was simple.

Yes.

She wanted to be able to protect her friends, to defeat Voldemort, and to find love. Since she arrived in the Renaissance, she learned defensive and healing magic from Margherita, joined the Assassins and trained in muggle and magical combat, and met Ezio Auditore, who she fell in love with.

Her wishes had all been granted – or were in the process of being granted. She just hadn't realized yet.

"You're right." she spoke, looking at Ulysse. "I did get training. I learned how to heal and protect, and how to fight and kill. And I fell in love with someone." she finished with a shy smile. "His name is Ezio."

Ulysse looked very happy at her words. "You see?" he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Your wishes were granted. Not in the way you expected, but you did get them."

He was right. She did get her wishes. The knowledge made her feel lighter. For so long, she wondered why she was sent back in time. What caused it. And now she knew. Magic sent her back in time for her sake. To help her receive what she wished for. Because magic deemed her pure of heart enough to get her wishes granted.

But, there was still the question of if she could return home.

"How do I return home, though? I wished to know how to defend my friends and defeat Voldemort. It doesn't make much sense to have my wishes granted if I never see my friends or face Voldemort again."

"I am not sure." he said, looking curious himself. Ulysse briefly stood up and grabbed for the book on his desk before sitting back down next to her. He read something, and turned a page. Then another page. And another.

It took more than five minutes before Ulysse spoke again. "I think I know." he said. "All of the tales of people who were sent back in time as a result of wish magic all end up the same way."

"How?"

Ulysse looked up to Harriet. "In all of them, the witch or wizard ended-up being sent back to their original time precisely five years after their departure. From the sound of it, magic give you exactly five years to get your wishes granted before sending you back."

"Five years?" she spoke, shocked. She would only spend five years in the Renaissance? Harriet was already reaching the beginning of her fourth year back in time. She arrived at the end of December 1498. Five years later was in December 1503. It was currently the summer of 1501. Half of her time had come and gone. Half was left to go before she would see Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville and the Weasleys again. Half before she would see her friends and loved ones again.

For some reason, five years didn't seem enough. Only five years to get her wishes granted. To learn how to protect, to defeat Voldemort, and to find-"

Harriet suddenly shot to her feet, her eyes wide in panic. "Wait a minute! That doesn't make any sense!" she exclaimed. She turned to Ulysse, who looked shocked at her outburst. "My third wish, it wasn't just to find love, but to find someone who would love me and never leave me! I did fall in love, but if I'm sent back to 1996, I'll never see him again. He will have left me, even if it's against our wills!" she cried, tears forming in her eyes again.

She couldn't ignore the heartbreak she had at the thought that she only had two-and-a-half more years with Ezio before they would be separated by five-hundred years again. Two-and-a-half years, and he would be gone. She always knew to some extent that she would return to her present and would likely never see him again. She even prepared herself for that fact when she left England in case she could return to 1996 immediately. But, she never truly realized how important what she would leave behind was by returning to 1996. What she would have to abandon.

"I have no answer for you, Harriet." Ulysse sighed sadly. "I believe that, like a prophecy, you won't know the exact result until they have come to pass. Only once you are back in your time, will you be able to figure out how exactly your wishes were granted. You still have two years – give or take – in this time. Things can change in two years, and the answer might be found then." He then stood up and gave her a warm hug, which Harriet returned like a child starved for attention. "All I can tell you is that you should enjoy your remaining time in this century. Live your life as you see fit."

"I will." she said, squeezing him. She then let go of him and gave him a smile, which he returned.

"Now that you have your answers, do you want to stay here for a time, or do you need to leave?" he asked her.

"I need to return to London soon, but not immediately. Why?" she asked.

Ulysse grinned. "I would love to bring you home with me, to meet my family. I have no doubt my wife would be very happy to meet our great-many-times granddaughter."

"Are we, though?" she blurted. Her eyes went wide, realizing how they could be interpreted, and backtracked. "I mean, I would love to be your descendant, but I don't know a lot about my family tree. I don't know how closely or loosely related we are." she told him.

"Well, there is one easy way to find out." he told her, still grinning. He moved behind his desk and opened a drawer. He took out a piece of parchment, which he put on the table. Harriet noticed how the parchment wasn't any normal piece, but had a rather strange blue tint to it.

"What's this?" she asked.

"This is a neat enchanted parchment that can tell the blood relation between two individuals." he said. "It is usually for all kind of purposes. Two friends who want to find a family connection, a parent who want to find out if their child truly is theirs, or two lovers wanting to know if they are distantly related enough to be together."

"Sounds useful." Harriet grimaced, thinking of a scenario where two lovers could find out they were close cousins by accident.

"It can be." Ulysse said, shrugging at her expression. "But, I want to use it today to find out exact connection. What do you say?" he asked, looking almost excited at the prospect.

Harriet smiled. "Sure. Why not." she said.

"Allow me to go first." he said.

Ulysse conjured a knife and used it to piece the skin of his finger. He let a drop of blood fall on the parchment. With that done, he healed his wound before pushing the parchment toward her.

Harriet followed his example. However, instead of conjuring a knife, she extended her hidden blade and used it to give herself a prickle on her right hand. A drop of blood fell on the parchment and Harriet healed herself.

Under their watchful eyes, the red parchment slowly turned purple as it processed their blood. Then, it turned a light shade of blue, and words began appearing.

ULYSSE T. POTTER HARRIET L. POTTER

Grandfather – Granddaughter

Fifteen generations removed.

Both Potters looked up, grinning. They were related! Ulysse was Harriet's ancestor, and she his descendant! Fifteen generations of Potters separated them.

"Thank you, Ulysse." she said emotionally. She had found her family, and it meant everything to her.

"From now on, why don't you just call me 'Grandfather' instead?" he suggested with a smile. Harriet nodded. "Good. Now, do you want to go meet your grandmother and our children? I wonder from which one you descent. Maybe we can figure it out!"

"Sure." she chuckled.

Harriet spent the rest of the day in company of the Potters. She got to meet her grandmother, Olivia, who was absolutely ecstatic to meet Harriet. The first thing Olivia told her was "You have such beautiful eyes!". Harriet had blushed a lot at her words.

She also met their three children. Melissa, age eleven, was the oldest and was a month away from beginning her first year at Hogwarts, something the girl seemed to be waiting with impatience. Benjamin, an eight-year-old boy, was the eldest boy and the second eldest child after Melissa. The boy greatly admired his sister, and followed her around like a lost puppy. Finally, there was Andrew, a three-year-old boy and the youngest child of the Potters.

Ulysse and Harriet made another blood test to see which child she descended from. Harriet expected Benjamin to be her ancestor. So, she was surprised when it turned out she descended from Andrew instead. The fact the three-year-old boy she met was her great-grandfather really messed with her mind.

Harriet got to know Ulysse and Olivia better during that day. She learned that Ulysse had a tragic childhood. He was the only surviving child of a family of five, his siblings all dying from illness at a young age. Worse, his mother died of a broken heart after burying so many children, leaving his father Alexander to raise his only surviving child alone.

His life improved when he went to Hogwarts and made friends. It was there he met Olivia Bones, who he befriended. Olivia also did not have siblings. Thankfully, it wasn't the result of a tragedy, but simply that her parents did not have any children after her.

Ulysse and Olivia's relationship evolved throughout their years as students, and they graduated Hogwarts together as a couple in love. They married a few years later in their early twenties. Both dreamed of having a large family, but they had to wait until their thirties for their dream to begin taking shape with the birth of Melissa.

The Potters dotted on their children, something Harriet saw extended to herself, especially once Olivia learned she grew up as an orphan. She loved her grandparents and felt cherished by them.

Unfortunately, it was yet another reason why her return to 1996 in two-and-a-half years would be such a heartbreak. Not only would she leave Ezio, but she would also leave them, returning to a time where she was the only surviving magical Potter.

While Harriet got to learn more about Ulysse and Olivia, they were also able to learn more about her. Ulysse happened to have a pensieve, which Harriet made extensive use of once the children went to bed to show moments of her life to her grandparents. The two Potters were in awe of the modern world, which was positively alien to them. They also got to see how much changed in the magical world in five hundred years, which was unsurprisingly not a lot, and some of her adventures in Rome. She mostly avoided the topic of the Assassins, and instead showed many memories of Margherita – which brought tears to her eyes – and a few with Ezio. The few that weren't connected one way or another to the Assassins, that is.

At the end of the day, a sleepy Harriet was invited by Ulysse to spend the night with them. Harriet accepted, but told them she would have to leave early in the morning to catch a carriage to London. It was a good thing she mentioned it, for it gave her something she very much wanted.

"I can make you a portkey to London, if you want. You won't have to take an eight-hours ride there." Ulysse suggested.

Harriet looked at him with wide eyes. "You can do that?"

"Yes." he said with a shrug, seemingly not understanding why she was shocked.

"Can you make me one that can send me to Rome?" she pleaded, unknowingly giving him puppy-doe eyes. "I really don't want to spend another month and a half on the sea to go back home.

"Yes, of course. If you want." he told her, amused at her expression.

"Thank you!" Harriet beamed. "I thought I would have to ask around to find someone to make one for me!"

"Don't worry. Your grandfather can take care of it." he said, making her chuckle.

No longer having any need to take a carriage to London, Harriet was able to spend the morning of the following day with her family. However, when noon came, Harriet knew it was time to return to London.

"Thank you again for your help, grandfather." Harriet said as Ulysse led her outside of the Potter household on the grounds.

"Don't worry about it. I do not mind helping out family." he said, waving his hand in dismissal. "Now, you said you wanted a portkey for Rome?"

"One for Rome and one for London." Harriet said. "I still have some business to attend to in London before I can leave for Italy." Ulysse nodded in understanding.

He took out his wand. "Give me your left arm." he said. Harriet did as he ask. He pointed his wand at her bracer and began waving his wand around. He gestured for a few seconds before he finished with a strong movement while incantating "Portus!". The bracer glowed for a brief moment. "There. Done."

"What did you do?" she asked, curious. She had a feeling there was more to it than a simple portkey.

"I enchanted it be a portkey with multiple destinations that you can go to whenever you want with the use of a password." he told her. Harriet's eyes grew in surprise. Sensing her upcoming question, he answered her. "The first destination is Diagon Alley, in London, and you can reach it by saying 'Doorway to Magic'." The second is Rome. I used a location I saw in your memories, an alleyway on the edge of the river where small ships are docked. The password for that is 'Where Time Took Over'. And, finally, the third destination is here, with the password 'Home Sweet Home'." With a smile, he put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't hesitate to visit us anytime you want, alright?"

Harriet hugged him. "Thank you, grandfather." she said.

"You're welcome, dear." he returned, kissing her on the top of her head.

Harriet smiled and took a few step back. She looked at her enchanted bracer and back at him. He gave her an encouraging nod.

"See you soon." she told him. "Doorway to Magic!"

Harriet felt the portkey pull her by her navel. Ulysse disappeared from her vision, only to be replaced a few instants later by Madam Dodderidge when she landed in the Leaky Cauldron's backyard, at the entrance of the alley.

"Welcome back, Harriet!" the woman said. "I see you've come by portkey this time."

"Yes." the Assassin said with a smile. "Flying is fun, but I wasn't looking forward to the boring eight-hours flight to London. My grandfather Ulysse offered to make me a portkey instead."

"Ulysse? You mean Ulysse Potter, the Hogwarts Headmaster?" she asked, surprised. Harriet nodded. "I did wonder if you two were related. You have the same hair and look similar enough. He seem a bit young to be a grandfather, though."

"There's a reason why I call him that, but it's complicated and I don't want to go into it." Harriet said, not wanting to go into details with a woman she barely knew.

After exchanging more pleasantries, Harriet left the Leaky Cauldron for Diagon. On the way to the stable, she noticed a shop she hadn't noticed on her previous visit, and which didn't exist in her time: a blacksmith. Someone was making and selling muggle weapons in Diagon. It bore a sign where 'The Armoury' was written.

"Well, that's interesting." Harriet murmured to herself. Curious, she decided to have a look.

The blacksmith's shop wasn't very big, but was very open. When she entered, Harriet found herself in a large room. At the back was a pair of open door that lead to a small backyard, where the sound of hammer hitting metal could be heard. Looking around, she spotted all sort of things a warrior could look for, be it weapons or armour. Sword of all kind and designs were placed on various racks, while spears, glaives, axes and maces were displayed on the wall. A counter with a glass top stood in front of the open doors, and Harriet could see daggers and other small weapons displayed under the glass.

The sound of hammer hitting metal stopped. Harriet looked up to see a sweaty man with curly brown hair step inside the room. "Good afternoon, Miss, and welcome to The Armoury." the man said with a charming tone. "How may I help you? Are you looking for something?"

Harriet didn't immediately answer his question, mostly because she herself did not know the answer. "Sorry, I was a bit curious. I was surprised to see a blacksmith in Diagon. I did not know witches and wizards used muggle weapons!" she exclaimed, surprised.

"Are you a muggle?" the man asked her.

"No. I'm a witch." she told him.

"Then why are you surprised our kind use muggle weapons? You are carrying a sword as we speak!" he said with a chuckle.

"Well yes, but I'm no normal witch." she said with a smirk.

Harriet was trying to appear mysterious. Unfortunately for her, that illusion was immediately shattered. "No. You're also an Assassin." the man said. He laughed at the expression of shock on her face. "Don't be so surprised. My cousin Arthur is part of your Brotherhood."

"Arthur?" she asked, feeling like the name was familiar. It then hit her. "Arthur Greengrass, you mean?" She remembered the wizard who Jenson called a friend.

"Exactly. I suppose I should introduce myself, if you know my cousin. My name is Castor Black, at your service."

Harriet raised her eyebrows. It seemed like she was meeting everyone's ancestors during her visit to England. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Black. My name is Harriet Potter."

"Potter? Any relation to Ulysse Potter?"

"He's my grandfather, yes." she said with a nod.

"Arthur and I had him as a teacher when we went to Hogwarts. Nice man. Always willing to look the other way when we were pranking fellow students." Mr. Black said, making her smile. "Now, is there something that interest you here, Miss Potter?"

Harriet took a quick look around the shop. "Actually, there might be." she said. "I'm part of the Italian Brotherhood of the Assassin and Ezio – the man who recruited me – is a dear friend of mine. He asked me recently in a letter to buy him a souvenir while I was in England. I'm thinking I could buy him a weapon. What do you think?" she asked.

"That would be a fantastic idea, especially since warriors are the ones who can fully enjoy what make magical weapons so great."

"Is there a big difference between muggle and magical weapons?" she asked, surprised.

"Of course!" Mr. Black grinned. He looked very happy to discuss his craft. "Magical weapons have enchantments to make them better. Take a sword for instance. One neat charm ensure that the sword will be light and perfectly balanced no matter who use it. They also have charms to keep them permanently sharp and clean and charms to stop them from wearing down and breaking. Magical swords can suffer through heavy use for decades without being destroyed. And, my favourite of all: a charm that permit a sword to penetrate thick armour like they are made of paper! Perfect if you want an advantage over muggles without revealing your magic." he explained. "Not as good as a goblin-made blade, of course, but close enough. More than enough to use against muggles, that is for sure." he said with a chuckle.

Harriet looked at the swords on display in their racks with wide, interested eyes. A sword that Ezio wouldn't need to sharpen every so often? A sword he wouldn't have to clean after a fight, which could be a hassle when you were trying to sneak away incognito? A sword he could use and use without risk of breaking it? A sword that could pierce the heaviest of armours?

Oh yes, Ezio was going to love her gift.

"I'll take one." she said. "Actually, change that. I'll take two. One for my friend and one for me."

"Fantastic." Mr. Black grinned. He looked so much like Sirius when he grinned that, for a brief moment, it took her breath away. Thankfully, the man did not notice her reaction, too focused he was on the swords. He walked to the racks. "I have different styles available, based from designs from all around the world. Here, let me show you."

One by one, Mr. Black showed her swords of various lengths and styles. Harriet gave a hard pass to most of them, not necessarily interested in them. It took fifteen minutes of browsing until Harriet found the perfect sword.

"What about this one?" Mr. Black said, grabbing another sword. Like all other swords, it was placed in its sheath. Mr. Black grabbed the handle and unsheathed it, revealing the blade. He dropped the sheath back in the rack before gently dropping the blade in the palm of his empty hand, releasing his grip on the handle. He presented it to Harriet, who gasped.

At first glance, the sword looked a lot like the Sword of Gryffindor. It was about the same length, and shared a similar grip design. However, the similarities ended there, as the pommel and guard were completely different. While they also had red rubies like the Sword of Gryffindor, the pommel was shaped to look like the head of an eagle, while the guard looked like its wings. It was magnificent, and exactly what she was looking for. It looked like the sword of an Assassin.

"This is perfect." she whispered in awe. "This is perfect for Ezio."

"So I assume you will take it?" he asked. Harriet nodded excitingly. "What about the other sword?" he asked, putting the one he held back in its sheath and giving it to her.

Harriet looked at the pommel of the sword, which stuck out of the sheath. "Do you have another one just like this?" she asked.

"Exactly like this? No." he said. She sighed in disappointment. "However, I do have some very similar designs. In fact, I have a handful of them that are identical, save for the animal represented."

"Really?" she perked up.

"Yes, really." he told her. He moved further down the shop and grabbed a sword. He returned to her and unsheathed it before presenting it to her. It was just like the sword she wanted to buy for Ezio, but the stones were emeralds instead of rubies, and the animal was a snake.

"I love the emeralds. But not a fan of the snake, to be honest."

"Ah, let me guess. You're a Gryffindor, aren't you?" he asked her. Harriet nodded proudly. "Thought so. Only Gryffindors would be brave, or stupid enough to join the Assassins." he said teasingly.

"Isn't your cousin an Assassin?"

"Yes he is. And yes, he was a Gryffindor. I told him that Slytherin was the better house and that we should get sorted in there together but noooo, he got himself sorted in Gryffindor. Stupid prat." he said with mock exasperation. Harriet giggled. "Well, then. I think I might have the sword just for you."

Mr. Black placed the snake sword back in its place and grabbed another one. He unsheathed it and removed it, revealing another similar design, but with the head of a lion serving as a pommel rather than a snake. Otherwise, it was rather identical to the sword she chose for Ezio, down to the wing-shaped guard and the red rubies.

"I love it!" she said with an awed grin. "But, could it be possible to change the rubies for emeralds like the one with the snake?

"Of course! It should take me a few minutes. Let me just go in the back to change them." He turned and moved to the doors. Just before he crossed them, he jokingly shouted "Don't think of running away with the other sword. The room is charmed to stop thieves."

"Wasn't even thinking of it!" she truthfully shouted in return.

Harriet moved to the counter and patiently waited for the man to change the stones. A dozen minutes after he removed himself to the back of the shop with the lion sword, Mr. Black returned. She immediately noticed the green glows of the emerald stones. Mr. Black removed the sword from the sheath and put it on the counter. Harriet gasped.

"This is amazing! Yes, exactly like that! I'll take it!"

"Glad you love them." he said, smiling.

"What's the price?" she asked.

The price made her eyebrows raise. Harriet burned through what was left of her funds, but she did not regret it. Ezio's reaction to his gift would be worth it, and that wasn't taking into consideration the advantages of such a sword. At the last minute, she also had Mr. Black engrave their names in their respective blades, as an homage to the first blade she wielded.

With the two swords temporarily attached around her back, Harriet left The Armoury and finally went to the stable, where she withdrew Snowy from Lailoken's care. The man did not flirt with her once while she paid him, having respected her refusal. Harriet attached the two sheathed swords on the horse and mounted it. She left Diagon to return to the Brotherhood.

Harriet and Snowy were trotting away in the streets of London on their way to the Assassin's Headquarters when she suddenly heard the sound of the children cry her name. "Miss Harriet! Miss Harriet!" they shouted. Harriet smiled and turned around to look at them, only for her smile to fall off her face at their terrified expressions.

"Children? What's wrong?" she asked, very concerned.

"Miss Harriet!" Bethany – the little girl with brown, curly hair – spoke. She had tears in her eyes. "The bad friends of Mr. Afton hurt Mr. Hammond and his friends!" she said with a sob.

"What?!" she exclaimed. "Do you mean the Templars?"

"That's them, yes ma'am." one of the oldest of the children said.

Harriet felt dread form in the pit of her stomach. Templars got to Jenson? "When you say Jenson's friends, to you mean people who wear clothes like me, but in black? Assassins?" she asked them, feeling her dread grow. The children nodded. "Where?" she asked them. They pointed in the general direction of the Assassin headquarters.

Harriet almost cursed in front of them.

"Okay, go hide somewhere safe. Do not come out until the fighting is over! Understood?" she asked them sternly. The children nodded. "Good, now go, and quick!" The children ran way. Once they vanished, she apologized to her stead, saying "I'm sorry Snowy, but you'll have to run."

She pulled on the leash hard to get the horse's attention and slammed her boots on its side. The horse whined and rushed forward, galloping at full speed.

Harriet pushed her stead hard to reach headquarters in time to help. She was thankful that it wasn't located far from the city. Snowy and its rider ran out of the eastern gate of London and turned north. A minute later, she saw fighting appear over the horizon. She rushed even harder and unsheathed her old sword. As she approached, she saw two dozen Assassins fight twice their number in Templars. While outnumbered, the Assassins were putting on a gallant fight, if the corpses on the street were any indication.

She was surprised at the number of Assassins present, and wondered if they were all urgently recalled to protect their headquarters, or if the Templars struck at the worst moment possible when a big part of the Brotherhood were back at headquarters. Either way didn't matter. The Assassins were able to defend themselves.

Harriet noticed a lone Assassin struggling against two Templars. She turned toward them and pulled her sword. She struck one of the Templars, killing him instantly, before jumping off Snowy. With her wand, she blasted the second Templar away, saving the struggling Assassin, who was gasping for air, holding his rib.

"Thank you." the Assassin said in relief.

"Are you hurt?" she asked, concerned. She wanted to jump in the fight, but didn't want to leave an injured Assassin behind.

"Broken rib, I think." he said quietly. Harriet helped him sit down somewhere. He sighed in relief. "What is your name, sister?" he asked.

"Harriet Potter." she answered him. She took out her wand and began casting a few trusty healing charms taught to her by Margherita.

"Ah, yes, the witch Assassin who Jenson has nothing but praise for." the Assassin said with a smile. "You need to find him. Last time I saw him, he was fighting four soldiers all by himself. He was grinning, the lunatic." he chuckled. Harriet smiled.

The Assassin suddenly let out a gasp as a snap was heard inside his body. "Amazing! I no longer feel any pain!" he said in awe.

"I healed you." Harriet revealed.

"You shouldn't have slowed down for me, but thank you, sister. Now go. I will go help others who are outnumbered."

Harriet nodded and ran away. She ran in the battle zone, putting her old sword back in its sheath before pulling out her new sword. It was time to see how good magical swords where.

In the corner of her eyes, Harriet noticed a flash of steel. She immediately brought up her sword, just in time to block the clash of a Templar's sword. With her free hand, she punched the man in the face. Her opponent recoiled but managed to limit the openings on his defence. Harriet placed herself in a defensive stance, and let the Templar strike first. He did, bringing his sword down on her. Harriet blocked the sword and pushed it away with her own before kicking him in the guts. The Templar bent over in pain, distracting him long enough for Harriet to impale him in the stomach. She pulled her sword away and watched in awe as the blood on the blade vanished, leaving it crystal clear.

"This is amazing." she muttered to herself in awe. She was very glad to have bought herself her own sword!

Three Templars noticed the fall of Harriet's opponent and decide to take her on together. Thankfully, they were not very well armed, which told Harriet that not only would she have an easy time defeating them, but that they likely weren't very experienced in combat. Low level recruits who thought they could take on an Assassin, most likely.

Of course, Harriet was also technically still a recruit, but her experience didn't reflect it.

"You want to fight?" she asked them, bringing her sword up. "Then come on!" she shouted with a grin. Her grin unnerved the soldiers, if the looks they shared was any indication. Yet, they did not run away. They brought their swords up to match her, and the fight begun.

The soldier on her right struck first, and Harriet dodged his blade. She immediately brought her sword up to block the blade of the soldier on the left. Seeing herself open to the soldier in front of her, she jumped backwards just in time to avoid his blade. The Templars took a step forward to close the distance, and Harriet used the opportunity. She rushed toward the one on her left and kicked him in the guts with her knee before stabbing him with her hidden blade. At the same time, she brought her sword up to block an attack from the right, and pushed it away.

One down. Two to go.

Harriet took a step back to keep control of the distance between them. This time, the two soldiers did not take a step forward to match her. She saw how weary they were now that she managed to take one of them down. She came up with a sudden idea, and put it into action before she had the time to think it through.

Harriet gripped her sword in her right hand and threw it in direction of the soldier on the left of her. Her blade flew toward the soldier who, too surprised by her move, did not move away in time and ended up impaled by the sword, the charms ensuring it penetrated through the man's armour. At the same time, she released her wand from its holster and cast a spell in the face of the soldier on the right, blasting his face off and killing him.

With her opponents now down, Harriet put her wand back in its holster and grabbed her sword off the soldier's body. She noticed some Assassins being overwhelmed, and rushed forward to help them before it was too late.

Sword in hand, she struck unaware Templars in the back and helped fellow Assassins who were struggling in their fight. After helping out a few Assassins, she stumbled on Mentor Sterling, who was fighting two large soldiers covered from head to toe in armours. Both were carrying axes. While Mentor Sterling didn't seem to struggle holding on, it didn't look like he knew how to take them down either.

"Mentor, what's going on?" Harriet asked, jumping in the fight. She threw herself on the ground to avoid one of the soldiers' axes before jumping back to her feet.

"Glad to see you back, Harriet!" Mentor Sterling spoke. "And this? This is revenge for Afton's assassination!" he said, dodging an axe.

Harriet also dodged an axe by rolling to the side. Seeing the left flank exposed, she used the opportunity to strike. Her sword went through the armour like butter, killing the man inside, whose last breath was used to gasp in shock. "How did they find us?" she asked. She noticed another flash of steel in the corner of her vision, and blocked the blade of a regular soldier who came too late to try to save the armoured one.

"Your guess is as good as mine!" Mentor Sterling said.

No longer having two of them fighting him at once, Mentor Sterling was able to open an opportunity to hurt the man, which he used to stab him between two plates of his armour. The blow didn't kill him, but it made the soldier's movements much less coordinated and fast, allowing Mentor Sterling to go for the kill. Dodging a desperate strike of the axe, the Mentor of the English Assassins jumped on the soldier's back and stabbed him in the neck with his hidden blade, killing the soldier for good. At the same time, Harriet kicked her opponent between the legs and brought down her sword on the man's shoulder, nearly cleaving his arm off. She pulled it out and struck him in the neck, killing him.

"Great job. I could hold them up alone, but I couldn't do much else without help." Mentor Sterling praised.

"Something I doubt many others could have done." Harriet said.

"Indeed." he said with a smile. "Let's go help out our companions. Oh, and you'll have to tell me where you got that sword. I want one for myself."

"Ask Arthur Greengrass!" Harriet laughed as they ran toward other fights. "His cousin made it!"

"Will do!" he said.

Slowly, the Assassins fought and resisted the Templars until their numbers slowly evened out. When half of the Templars were killed, the others turned and ran away, making the Assassins the victors.

Assassins all around Harriet shouted in victory at the retreating Templars. She was out of breath, but otherwise unharmed in the fight. She felt very proud of the way she fought, having saved and healed numerous Assassins during the battle.

Unfortunately, that pride was all forgotten when Mentor Sterling's urgently shouted "Everyone in the amphitheatre now!"

Harriet and her fellow Assassins shared concerned glances. They all entered headquarters and stepped down the stairs and went to the amphitheatre. While the Assassins took their seats, Harriet made the rounds, helping heal wounds with her magic, to the gratitude of her brother and sisters in arm.

Once she was done, she sat down with the other Assassins. She looked around for signs of Jenson, but couldn't find him. She ignored the twinge of concern she felt. Hopefully, he was just with the Mentor helping with something.

To her dismay, she learned her guess was wrong when Mentor Sterling stepped inside the amphitheatre. He was alone. His face was grave. Dread formed in Harriet's stomach as the man went and stood in front of his Brotherhood.

"Unfortunately, because of today's attack, we lost six of our good men and women. Esteban Bishop, Annabelle Remington, Owen Hodgetts, Robin of York, Simon Armstrong and James Vaisey. These were the Assassins who lost their lives protecting us and our ideals." he said.

Harriet closed her eyes in grief. While the victims weren't people she got to know, she was still hurt by their death.

"Unfortunately, I also bear the sad news that three Assassins, Samuel Attaway, Wallace Calderon and Jenson Hammond, were captured and taken hostage by the Templars." he revealed.

"WHAT?!" Harriet exclaimed. Every eye turned to her, but Harriet did not see them. Jenson, the friend she made when she returned to England, the man who kept her safe when she was captured by Nelson Afton, the man who treated the children will such kindness, was captured! "How are we going to rescue him?" she asked impatiently.

"Unfortunately, it will have to wait." he said with a sad sigh. "For now, we will need to focus on evacuating the Brotherhood. These headquarters are now compromised. Once we are safe, and our dead buried, then we will plan a rescue mission." He was going to say something else when Harriet interrupted him.

"Can't we just form a team to go save them while the others relocate?" she asked.

Mentor Sterling closed his eyes, looking very annoyed at her interruption. "With all due respect, Miss Potter, this is a matter for the English Brotherhood to deal with, not the Italian Brotherhood."

The shock of being put down by the Mentor lasted only long enough for fury and indignation to build up. With a huff, she stood up. "Fine! Arrivederci e buona fortuna! (Goodbye and good luck!)" she spat in Italian before storming out of the amphitheatre.

Harriet rushed to her sleeping quarters and grabbed all of her personal effects before leaving headquarters. Her mind was furiously thinking.

The English Brotherhood didn't want to save their own? Fine. It wouldn't stop her, however. She wasn't part of the English Brotherhood, something Mentor Sterling just made abundantly clear. As the only representative of the Italian Brotherhood in England, she was going to make her own decision.

And the Italian Brotherhood was going to save the captured Assassins. Screw waiting!