An/ Thank you for those comments guys. I will do my best to ensure things are referenced in a bit more detail. Sometimes I forget this thing is like 5 years old.

Chapter 27

Storm felt like she was standing still, allowing the world to whip around her. It seemed to pass in technicolour, in flashes and snapshots of moments that she would hold onto forever. Spring turned swiftly to summer and with it brought more adventures with little Joe and Hermione. Quidditch had been intense and she found herself grateful for every evening zoning on their back patio with a cold butterbeer.

It was a hot Saturday morning, and the sun was already high in the sky when Storm found herself stood within the confines of the Harpies stadium. Ginny was once again beside her waiting to be called out onto the pitch. It was their third game of the world cup, and it was against the Americans. Storm was nervous as she had heard their tactic was to land her off her broom in any way they could. She had been offered security detail which took the form of one of their beaters sticking by her side at all times. He would make sure nobody got close enough to touch the younger woman while she tried to end the game as quickly as possible.

It felt as if she was back at Hogwarts waiting to play the Slytherins once again. Though she knew this would be different. This would be much, much harder. She had neglected to tell Hermione about the plans in the hopes of not panicking the older woman. She was quietly confident in their ability to smash out a brilliant game even in the face of impending doom.

She had had an unshakable bad feeling about this match ever since she had run into her former teammate with a grudge back at the opening ceremony. She knew there was unfinished business on the American's side, and she also knew the blonde was very persuasive when she had a plan she wanted fulfilled.

Her heart thundered in her chest as she tried to take deep breaths in order to sooth the bat like butterflies that had erupted in her belly as soon as she heard the commentator beckon them out into the air. She would keep her fingers crossed and eyes peeled in order to find the snitch quickly.

The thundering of her heart was soon replaced by the wind whipping violently at her ears as she took to the sky in a familiar fashion. They had done this countless times now, and for a moment she mused that she would never get used to the idea of being a professional at anything: let alone her favourite sport. She took her place hovering in the air beside their beater that had been assigned to keep all iron balls out of her way, her eyes catching his for a moment watching as he nodded and gave a tight lipped smile. All she had time to do was return the smile with a smirk before they were off.

She automatically took her chance to ascend further into the air to get a better view of what was happening around them. She kept her flying as unpredictable as possible without being entirely erratic. The game was intense, and the Americans were playing really well. She had rarely seen their chasers struggle to keep in front but as far as she could tell they were neck and neck.

The pressure mounted as time went on and she could feel the frustration welling in the pit of her stomach. She was already fed up of dodging players and bludgers alike. Apparently, the idea of a beater tailing her was enough for the opposition to switch up their game and any opportunity they had they tried to spook her.

It felt like an eternity before she spotted the snitch the other side of the pitch, watching intensely as the other seeker made his way towards it. Her knuckles went white and all caution was thrown to the wind as she took off at a speed many would struggle to keep up with. Dark eyes zeroing in on her target as she swished and dived around gameplay buzzing around her. She watched as the little golden ball zipped and circled a very familiar redhead followed by a much bigger much more dangerous ball, "Ginny!" She yelled out as loud as she could, watching as the older woman turned just in time to see the bludger flying towards her.

A moment of distraction was all it took for a solid bat to be swung her way, landing solidly with a sickening crack to the ribs. Her head snapped to see the offending player who had snuck up on her and caught the American beater far too close for her liking. As if on instinct she swerved and slammed her entire weight against the man, sending him veering off course and into another one of their players.

Dark eyes finally caught up to what was happening and narrowed just in time to catch another glimpse of the snitch. While she had been preoccupied, their beater had sunk a bludger into the American seekers arm as he had gone to grab the snitch. He was still giving it his best, but it was obvious he was struggling to keep up.

She took her chance, pulling herself as close to the broom as possible to end the game. Her ribs were burning with every inhale and she felt a stomach-turning crunch with every exhale. All of her muscles were tense with strain and finally, she grabbed the ball right out of the air.

She didn't wait for the commentator to announce their win before landing and making a beeline for the changing room. Ginny hot on her heels as she all but ran to catch up to her "Storm!" she called, though didn't make the effort to grab the shifter. Worried about jerking her in any kind of way.

"I think he broke my ribs!" Storm called, turning to speak to the older woman. "Hermione is going to kill me!" She stated again, though not as seriously.

"I saw that!" The redhead stated as she finally fell into stride with the younger girl. "Let's get our stuff and we'll get you back. I'm sure your sister will be able to sort that out"

"Surely hitting someone with the actual bat is a penalty or something?" Storm spoke again as she shrunk her broom down to stuff it into her pack, grabbing it with her good hand.

She was grateful that Hermione had opted to stay home for this game. They were having a small get together later that evening and she was getting things ready for the arrival of their parents, Arty, Harry and Ginny. Taking advantage of the weather and their large expanse of beach. At least she hadn't seen the hit, it wouldn't be so bad.

"I think she's already helping Hermione set up for the bbq later" Storm spoke again, moving to make her way out of the changing rooms and into the hall. Following close to the redhead as they went. "Just wanted to make sure Arty wasn't bored and had something to do is all" Storm quipped as she shook her head, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly.

"You're so thoughtful" Ginny countered, rolling her eyes as she spoke. "What are days off anyway?" She laughed smiling up at the taller man. "Do you want to apparate, or shall I?" She quizzed, wand drawn and ready to go.

"Be my guest!" The shifter stated, holding an elbow out for Ginny to take. "We all know you like to be the one in control" She prodded with a sly smirk.

"Well, that's because some of us can't be trusted with even the simplest of tasks" The redhead retorted with a snort. Grabbing the offered elbow before apperating them with a soft pop.

Storm was so grateful to see their home when they landed on the soft sand. Her ears perking at the small sigh of contentment as Ginny too took in the scene in front of them. The game had gone on for much longer than anyone had intended. It had been a lot more stressful than anyone had intended also, and if Storm had to hazard a guess, she would say neither of them felt even a little bad about ditching as quickly as possible.

Arty and Hermione were both sat on the decking already, what looked to be a muggle cooler sat beside them as they chatted idly. They had caught it at just the right time and Storm assumed Joey was napping. A pastime that had turned out to be one of his favourite things to do.

Another soft pop rang out somewhere behind them, and she turned slightly to see Harry making his way towards Ginny. A large smile pulled his lips up as his green eyes sparkled behind his glasses in the sunlight. "I heard about the win! Well done!" he called out as he closed the gap between them. Pulling the older witch up towards the house with him.

"A win and no injuries?" Hermione called out as she looked out to them from the patio, waiting with open arms as Storm took to the steps.

"Well..." Storm muttered with a sheepish smile. "No serious injuries" Storm laughed, shaking her head. She watched as the older woman just held her gaze. Hermione shook her head though her smile never faltered.

"Why am I not surprised?" Arty piped up, "What happened?" She asked, watching as Storm all but flopped into one of the sun loungers.

"I got a bat to the ribs" She muttered a little distractedly, leaning to grab a bottle of butterbeer out of the cooler, shifting her jaw into a protruding beak in order to pop the top off with practiced ease.

"Unfortunately, seekers tend to get aimed at a lot" He spoke as if it was a matter of fact "and keepers actually. It seems they have a target on their back. Especially if they are a significant threat to the win" Harry stated as he took a butterbeer that Hermione had offered him with a muttered thank you.

"It sure does seem that way" Hermione muttered, watching as Arty was pretty forcefully pulling Storm up into a sitting position, lifting her jersey up just enough to see purple bruising flecked with black streaks mar the younger woman's flesh. She couldn't help the sympathetic wince that pulled at her features as she moved to hold the material of the Jersey out of Arty's way so she could work.

"You could help you know" She muttered, running her fingers through the younger witch's messy hair as the shifter took a hefty swig of the sweet liquid from the bottle gripped in her hand.

"Where's the fun in that?" Storm quipped finally; an eyebrow raised in question though they both knew it was rhetorical.

"I think this win actually means you're the top of your table for now. I think you should only have three more games left until the next part of the cup." Harry spoke, he had been keeping track of the other teams as best as he could.

"Well of course, we have to beat Krum!" Storm stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. At this point, Hermione wasn't even sure the younger woman was bothered about winning the tournament, she had a pretty strong feeling that she just wanted to beat the Bulgarians.

"And win!" Ginny added with a strong nod. "Who's cooking tonight anyway?" She asked finally, eyeing the bbq as if she had never seen such a contraption.

"I am" Harry spoke up once again, his lips tugged up into a smug smile.

"I can't wait. What time are our parents coming?" Storm quizzed, settling back into the chair as Arty finished faffing with her side. It ultimately felt much better and she quietly mused about how lucky she was to have a mediwitch as a sibling.

"They shouldn't be too long now" Hermione added, settling beside the shifter. Leaning quite heavily into her.

"Great, I'm starving! Can we light the grill?" She asked, though the question was aimed more towards Harry. The older man nodding quite happily before getting up to have a look at the muggle contraption.

"It's been a while since I used one of these!" He stated, his voice laced with delight. Quite happy to get his hands dirty.

"We used to have one at my grandparent's house. They are muggles. I always thought things tasted much better when they used it" Storm explained quietly.

Another few small pop sounds rang out and when they looked up Joe and Gerald were wandering up the beach, shortly followed by Lori and Jean.

They looked to be quite happy, chatting as they approached the decking.

"Well! It is good to see you are all here. I have an announcement to make" Joe spoke, pulling everyone's attention towards himself.

"Out with it then?" Arty replied her light eyes taking in her father. He looked tired, but happy and she found herself briefly wondering what on earth he had to announce.