BS"D

Okay, this really has nothing to do with anything else I've written. I wrote this for my friend Iguanablogger a long time ago. It was when she was first telling me about Assassin's Creed, and Ezio's propensity for jumping off rooftops into haystacks. I hear it happens rather often.

Neither belong to me. This is AU.

Hogwarts Library , circa 1996

"Hnh," Hermione said in interest, looking up from the book she was studying, Obscure Italian Incantations. To her disappointment, neither Harry nor Ron even glanced up in interest, despite the very pointed nature of the "Hnh" sound that she had made. She tried again. "Hnh" she repeated, loud as she dared to in the furiously enforced quiet of the library before tacking on "Well that's interesting," for good measure.

"Hmm?" Ron asked, cottoning on at last. "What is?"

"This." She turned the book around so that both the boys could read it at the same time. She pointed to the line she had stopped on. "This spell. It's to change bales of hay into barrels of water, but with an added glamour to keep them looking like hay from above."

"So?" Harry asked.

Hermione shrugged in irritation. "I was just wondering why someone would invent that. It seems pretty useless."

"Well it probably was. Look," Ron said, pointing at the page, "It says it was only used once. By the inventor, as far as they know."

"Oh, I didn't notice that," Hermione said, turning the book back towards herself. "Federico Auditore da Firenze." She read. "From Florence."

"Wonder why he needed it," mused Harry, turning back to his homework.

…

Florence, Italy circa 1480

It was evening time and the city life, though never completely at slumber, was coming to a slow lull after the bustle and clamor of the day. Federico was relaxing in the front room of the family palazzo. Well, perhaps relaxing was the wrong word. In fact, all his senses were buzzing with the wonderful anticipation that came with waiting for one of his pranks to pan out. Any minute now…

A grin spread across his face as he heard the familiar pounding of his brother's boots overhead. Ezio's footfalls shook the house as he dashed across the rooftop and leapt out over the ledge. There was silence for a full second and a half before-

SPLASH. A veritable tidal wave of water shot into the air as Ezio landed point-blank in the transfigured barrel. The sound of his spluttering curses filled the air, as he splashed out of the barrel and stormed into the front room. Federico couldn't help but howl with laughter, gasping for breath, at the sight; Ezio looked like nothing less than a drowned rat, his dark hair plastered to his forehead and clothes clinging heavily to his frame.

"You'll pay for this, you figlio di puttana," he fumed, hunched over and dripping onto the carpet.

"I… look forward… to it," Federico gasped out between chuckles, wiping tears out of his eyes. "Ah, mio dio," he sighed happily, as his younger brother squelched up the stairs to dry off and change "that was the best."

oooooooooooooooooo

And before I get hate-mail, I know that it's unlikely at best that any of the Auditore were wizards in the Harry Potter sense. It's just what I know best- and, subsequently like to make the most fun of.