Chapter 23
The next morning Hermione woke alone in their bed. The fire still crackling away not far away in the living room. Her naked frame was entirely engulfed in the plush bedsheets as her bleary eyes cracked open in search for Storm. Her head was pounding, and she supposed that was what she got for drinking so much. Regardless of the occasion, she was still much older than she once was and hangovers were no joke.
Light clanking caught her attention, and she moved slowly to peak into the kitchen. Storm was stood stirring coffee, an oversized t-shirt draped over her shoulders not quite covering all the necessary bits and perky butt cheeks peaked out from underneath the hem. That got Hermione's attention, and she smirked to herself as the Shifter continued what she was doing.
It looked almost as if she was making breakfast, and Hermione figured she really expected nothing less. The Shifter was always ruled by two things, her belly and her libido and sometimes she wasn't quite sure which was the more powerful force. She would often argue it was her stomach, and Storm never really denied it.
She moved to push herself up to lean against the headboard she was surprised to find still intact after their activities from the night before. She was sure she had heard it crack at one point, though that might have been something else. At the thought a light blush creeped across the bridge of her nose, warming her face entirely as she considered what exactly they had done. It was definitely one hell of a wedding night.
"I made toast!" Storm called then, dragging Hermione out of her own mind. The brunette looking so entirely in a different world when she had noticed she was awake.
"Brilliant, I'm starving" Hermione admitted chirpily, her dark eyes falling to her wife who had a tray levitated above the bed as she flopped down next to the older woman. Taking up a very similar position as she lent against the headboard before allowing the tray to settle across their laps.
Hermione made for her own cup of tea straight away, grateful for the warmth and the few extra sugars Storm had put in. She always did when they'd had a few too many the night before, she knew it helped the older woman get over any fogginess that still remained after a night of drinking.
"I thought you might be, we definitely worked up an appetite last night" Storm grinned around the rim of her own coffee mug, her eyes all but sparkling in the dim light of their temporary home. Up close Hermione could see dark purple marks up the younger witch's throat from where her own lips had savaged the skin there.
"We definitely did" Hermione spoke a little absently, a little bit dreamily. She felt the remnants of their activities lingering in her bones. Her body was sore in the most glorious way, and she was dreading what it might be like to actually stand. "I'm quite sore" She admitted after a moment, though the smirk that twisted her own lips revealed she wasn't quite sad about it.
"Me too" Storm admitted with a laugh, "I don't think I've worked that hard before in my life" She added quietly, leaning over to press a tender kiss to the brunette's cheek. Her lips meeting sleep warmed skin just briefly there before they moved to press another kiss to the older woman's temple.
"You are alright though right?" She asked then, her dark eyes growing serious as she considered her wife. Flicking over all of Hermione's sharp features to ensure she hadn't done anything wrong.
"Perfect" Hermione spoke honestly. She couldn't find any qualms about how their night had gone, the whole day and it's end leaving her feeling so much more relaxed than she could remember feeling for a long time. The run up to the wedding had been stressful as they juggled work and trying to bring everything together. They had both been exhausted but the outcome had been worth all the hard work.
"I'm perfect" She spoke again, reassuring the younger witch with a wide smile. There was nothing she'd even consider changing about how things had unfolded.
"I'm going to go for a swim in a little bit, it's started to snow so I'd like to get one in just in case the lake freezes" Storm stated, and Hermione found she was entirely unsurprised by the fact the younger witch had already had a look outside that morning. Their tent enchanted to keep the warmth in. They were deep in the Scottish Highlands, and they had been expecting snow the entire weekend. She figured Storm wouldn't mind that.
"Well, will you be warm enough?" Hermione questioned, a little bit worried as she always was when Storm ventured out for a swim in all sorts of weather. She knew the Shifter had a means of coping with any climate, but she still didn't really like the idea of it.
As if to accentuate her point Storm shifted so her skin became more feather like as if it was the most normal thing in the world. She sipped her coffee and raised an eyebrow in an I told you so way. "Penguins have four layers of overlapping feathers that help trap heat into the body" She added, her voice soft as she explained one of her tricks.
Hermione was a little taken back by the information. She hadn't quite considered how much knowledge Storm had on various things like this. She supposed, in many circumstances the Shifter had the ability to overcome any obstacle and she briefly wondered why she opted to remain human.
"That's really clever" Hermione praised, her voice light as she reached out to stroke down the younger witch's skin. The feathers soft to the touch, and very different from her normal feel.
"You're really clever" Storm quipped back with a chuckle, shaking her head a little as she shifted her skin back to it's usual. "Sometimes it's like having the ultimate freedom, and sometimes it's like being trapped" She added quietly, the tray that had held their breakfast on being sent back to the kitchen with a simple charm, leaving their laps clear.
"My parents always told me to keep it hidden, and I'm glad I did. I dread to think what the Carrows would have done if they'd have known I was a halfbreed as well as a halfblood. They hated me enough as it was" She laughed then, there was no mirth in her tone as she spoke of the horrid death eaters that had terrorised the students under Snape's reign as headmaster.
In some ways Hermione felt as if they had gotten it easy. Though, it never had felt like it at the time. They were alone, and on the run wanted criminals, but at least they were free from the torture that the students had been subjected to. From the small amount of information she had about that period of time at Hogwarts she knew it had been awful.
"Why didn't your parents take you out of School?" Hermione questioned then, unsure of why Storm had stayed if it had been that bad. She knew many kids had gotten out, and had been kept from Hogwarts that year.
"They tried, but I refused" Storm stated simply, moving to pull the brunette into her body as she draped an arm around the smaller woman's shoulders. "If I wasn't there to take some of the punishment, there would be so many more younger kids that had no choice taking the heat for things that really weren't a big deal, and I would not leave Ginny to deal with that without me" She spoke, the lightness in her voice dying out.
"Then Luna disappeared after Christmas, and Ginny never came back after Easter. So it was just Neville trying to lead the D.A, so obviously I couldn't just let him take all the credit" She laughed then, shaking her head a little as she did so. Hermione listening to her every word, hanging on to the way her voice sounded then.
She had never spoken much about her experience during that year before. Hermione had never really noticed Storm before their last year only really as Ginny's friend, and she figured the year they had been absent changed her entirely. Between being beaten and tortured then losing her parents she was sure it had pushed her over the edge and into a realm of not really caring.
She hadn't been all too great at self preservation, and she supposed that had explained why. "It's all done now, and thanks to people like you we wont have to deal with that kind of thing again" She added simply, pressing a kiss to the side of Hermione's head. Her dark curls mussed and wild from their evening, having fallen from the bun she'd worn all day.
Hermione's keen mind was whirring, her fingers absently stroking across the younger woman's stomach over the fabric of her shirt. "I wish it had never happened at all." She quipped with a heavy sigh. "It feels like a different life entirely" She added simply, curling a little further into Storm's side.
"That it does. When we left school, I couldn't believe it when Cho showed up with a kid. You know I thought it was someone else's, and congratulated her!" Storm laughed then, never really delving into the story behind what had happened when she had initially found out she had a child.
"Really? You had no idea at all?" Hermione questioned, "Were you not a little suspicious with how old he was and how that linked to your… activities" She added, an eyebrow raising as she considered how Storm might react when they eventually get pregnant.
"I had no idea how big or small a baby should be. He could have been new born for all I knew" Storm laughed then, shaking her head as she recounted. "I almost passed out when she told me. Ginny shoved me down into a chair before I could hit the deck" She chuckled, entirely amused.
Hermione just shook her head, entirely able to believe that's how it had played out. She couldn't even imagine being in that situation. "You did really well with him, he's such a nice boy" She spoke honestly, really grateful for the fact the boy was such an accommodating person.
"Will you be alright if one of ours takes after me?" Storm questioned then, never really having spoken too much about the possibility. "I don't there there's a huge chance, but there is a chance" she added quietly.
"Absolutely, So long as they don't shift into a dragon willy nilly and rip up the floor" She quipped, rolling her eyes playfully as she moved to push herself from the bed. "I'll just be right back" She added as she moved to pull her robe over her shoulders. Legs shaking a little as she stood on them for the first time that morning.
She left Storm for a moment, listening as the shifter moved to roll into her space on the bed. The younger woman burying her nose in her pillow as she did every opportunity she had. Storm always muttered about how it smelled nice when Hermione questioned her.
The Shifter wasn't alone for long when Hermione came back, the brunette a little surprised by the Shifter's attire as she stepped back into the room. "I'm going to go for that swim now" Storm spoke easily, a grin tugging at her lips as she slid her wand into the strap secured to her thigh.
Wearing nothing more than her usual swim trunks and a bikini top. Leaving not a lot to the imagination as Hermione watched her sort herself out and get ready for the plunge into the icy water. The brunette unashamed of her lingering stare as she considered just how different they actually were when it came down to it. She figured that was why they worked so well together.
"Will you be alright on your own?" Storm questioned then as she moved to the door of the tent, ready to step out into the cold. Her skin shifted once again, eyes glossing over and getting a little wider as the brunette watched web grow between her fingers.
"I'm going to curl up by the fire with a book" The older woman spoke a little gleefully. She was more than content to be on her own for just a little while. While they both enjoyed the others company, there was no need to be glued together every second of every day. They were more than comfortable with doing their own thing for a bit.
"Alright, well I wont be long. I'm going to see how deep it is" Storm grinned then, Hermione noting how her teeth had changed and elongated into fangs that slipped past her bottom lip. She briefly wondered why that might be necessary but supposed she really didn't want to ask.
With that Storm turned on heel and disappeared to leave the older woman with her own thoughts. Hermione making her way over to grab the book she wanted from the side, and their usual red tartan blanket that Storm liked so much. She wrapped herself up in it's embrace and settled on the overstuffed sofa.
Images from the night before flashing through her keen mind as the cushions groaned underneath her as she got herself situated. Unable to stop the blush that had creeped up her neck as she thought back to the night before and how they had christened this particular item of furniture a few times before moving on.
A few hours passed before Storm came strolling back into the tent. Her lips blue and hair slicked back and dripping down her shoulders. A wide lopsided grin had taken her lips as she shut the tent door behind her. "It was deep!" She stated so brightly, excitement pulling it's way through her voice as she exclaimed her discovery.
"So deep!" She said again as Hermione watched her move across the space. A rather horrible looking gash evident across her shoulder, bleeding liberally down her chest. The Shifter entirely unfazed by the injury.
"Storm!" Hermione shrieked a little in surprise. Unsure exactly how she might have gotten such an injury, noting then a very similar looking wound seeping blood down her thigh. "You're bleeding!" She shrieked again as she stood, book forgotten entirely left wide open on the sofa she had been sat on.
"It's okay, I disturbed an eel and those things are fast!" Storm laughed then as she twisted to look at her wounds. Still quite unfazed by them. "They're a bit bitey!" She continued as she moved to the bathroom without explanation, leaving the door open behind her.
The sound of the shower starting echoing out from the open door, leaving Hermione a little perplexed as to what exactly was happening. Of course, Storm wasn't bothered at all. "Storm!" She called after the younger witch, pushing herself up to make her way towards the bathroom. Her dark eyes falling on her butt naked wife already under the warm spray of water.
"Yes?" Storm questioned then, soap running down her face to mix with the blood still trickling down her body. Pink swirling with the water before disappearing down the drain. "I'm alright. It only looks so bad because it's wet don't worry." She reassured the older woman, stood with her arms folded.
"Did you enjoy yourself anyway?" Hermione questioned after a moment of watching the younger woman, ensuring there was no hidden pain there. She supposed not when all Storm did was wince a little as she rubbed soap into the bites.
"I did, it's so much bigger than it looks from this shoreline" Storm replied, her bright eyes popping open as she turned to address Hermione. Her lips taken by her usual lopsided grin that twisted her features up with delight. "I might run the entire outside tomorrow. Treat myself" She quipped briefly, leaning out from under the spray to press a wet kiss to the older woman's lips.
"Only you would find that treat worthy" Hermione laughed then. It was no secret that the Shifter loved to get out on her own for a little while. Frequently returning a sweaty mess, or dripping wet depending on her venture of choice that day.
"It's liberating. I can burn off a decent amount of energy and sort through my own thoughts. I'm sure that's why I'm much more calm now." She added, moving to turn the water off before getting out to dry herself with her wand. Making no move to cover herself up at all, not that Hermione was surprised.
"Did you get much reading done?" She questioned then, watching as Hermione moved to leave the bathroom. Storm following close behind her, making her way to the bedroom in order to pull on a loose pair of shorts and a t-shirt to boot.
"I'm almost finished with this book, I've brought a few more just in case" The older woman quipped from her place in the kitchen, fixing them both another hot drink each. She figured even with her special abilities Storm would be cold after swimming in such weather.
"I couldn't think of anything worse" Storm laughed then, moving to clamber over the back of the sofa to flop down onto it's soft cushions. Ignoring the glare she received from Hermione. A little surprised the older woman didn't quip her usual "it's furniture not a jungle gym" and instead just rolled her eyes.
"Well I didn't say you had to read, did I? Just be quiet while I do" She spoke then, her voice light as she did so. A little bit teasing as she nudged the younger woman over so she too could sit down. Their hot drinks left to steam on the coffee table sat in the middle of the room.
"Can do, I'm tired after that swim and not really sleeping a fat lot last night" Storm quipped, she had been eyeing the floor in front of the fire as a cosy place to stretch out for a few hours. The heat from the ever present flames so calming.
"I'm not surprised, I have barely any energy and I've done nothing but sit here" Hermione stated simply, moving to curl herself up into the position she had been in, folding her legs beneath herself as she lent into Storm's side. The Younger woman draping an arm across her shoulders to pull her in a little tighter.
Noting happily that Hermione had pulled their large tartan blanket from where it had been left scrunched up to lay across their laps. "Well, you are old Hermione. Of course, you haven't got much energy left" Storm laughed then, her grin cheeky as she lent away from the scolding bat.
"Oi" Hermione spoke, her voice sharp but her lips had quirked up on one side as she regarded Storm from under her eyelashes. "You're only a year and a bit younger than I am!"
"And that little bit makes the world of difference, oh ancient one" Storm laughed, teasing as she caught the glare that was thrown her way.
"I'll remember this conversation the next time you need your glasses to watch the television or read Quidditch Weekly." Hermione quipped, her voice stern and her jaw set as she continued to glare at the younger woman.
Since they started seeing each other all that time ago, she quickly figured out that Storm frequently misplaced three things. Her keys, her wallet, and her glasses. She would always have to keep track of where those particular items were, otherwise they spent a while trying to figure out where they had been put before they could leave the house.
Storm always had a knack of leaving them somewhere confined, so simply summoning them didn't always work. That little habit had gotten much better since Hermione had put up shelves next to the door. Instructing the younger woman to leave her things there as soon as she entered the house.
Most of the time she did so, but sometimes Hermione still found her wallet still in her jeans in the wash basket. The younger woman simply shrugging every time it happened. She often thought, it was a miracle how she got by on her own all those years.
"You're evil, I love it" Storm laughed out loud then, eyes wide with delight as she lent in to press a kiss to the older woman's temple. "Honestly, sometimes so brutal."
"You have no idea" Hermione laughed then, unable to keep the stern persona on around Storm for long. The younger woman's sheer goofy nature pulling her own out. She was almost an entirely different person around the Shifter. If people from work could see her now they'd lose their minds, or accuse her of being an imposter.
"I feel bad for people you work with, I feel like you were bad in Hogwarts, but I couldn't even imagine being on that side of things now" Storm spoke happily, sipping at her coffee Hermione had fixed for her. Humming with delight as she noted it was just how she liked it.
"I'm not actually as bad now as I was back in Hogwarts" Hermione defended herself, though the coy smirk told Storm a different story. "I just like things to be done a certain way" She added as an afterthought, though she knew Storm knew that already. She had known that before they even met again.
"I know" Storm laughed, "it's part of the reason why I love you" She added simply, her own lips twisted up into a warm smile as she regarded the older woman. "We're very opposite in that respect, and I think we balance each other out quite well in the places we differ" She explained easily, sitting back against the cushion of the sofa as a yawn took her lips.
Hermione considered her words, and of course she knew Storm was very right once again. Hermione was very much mind, very black and white and sometimes that was a bit too much for people. Storm was very much body, and very much stuck in shades of grey. She understood what many people missed when it came to things not many people paid attention to, but she missed many things that were obvious to so many others.
"Did you get on with Luna?" Hermione asked then, sure of the answer. They had many of the same traits when it came to their judgement of others. There really wasn't any, and she figured they'd be the most relaxed friends on the face of the planet.
Storm's features twisted into an almost unreadable expression then, a light blush starting to creep up her throat and tint her features as she suddenly found the contents of her coffee cup so very interesting. The reaction so very different to the one Hermione had expected, sparking an ember of suspicion surrounding whether or not she wanted to know that answer.
"Well, yeah you could say that" Storm quipped simply, taking a sip of her coffee before she got up to wander to the kitchen. Making no move to answer the question with any more depth.
"What? What does that mean?" Hermione quizzed, her intrigue highly peaked at the bizarre reaction the Shifter had had.
"Nothing really… I mean Luna was awesome, we definitely got on very well. But I'm not sure you want to really know the ins and outs. There were a few encounters that weren't really strictly friendly" Storm stated, her blush growing ever deeper spreading out to the tips of her ears as she flicked her eyes to the floor.
"Cho, and Luna?" Hermione gasped, shaking her head a little in disbelief. Moving to sit at the edge of the sofa as she turned to face the younger woman, shock evident written across all her features.
Though she wasn't sure why she really was surprised. She knew the Shifter had a reputation back at Hogwarts, and afterwards. Though she knew it wasn't as bad as the rumours had made it out to be, Storm was definitely one to enjoy physicality.
"What? I can't even explain. Luna was cool, we saw the Thestrals a lot together at Hogwarts and then there was some kind of party after we all left school and it just… happened a few times" Storm shrugged, shaking her head a little as her hand found the back of her neck to rub awkwardly.
"Well, I'll be damned" Hermione laughed, shaking her head to whip unruly curls around her own shoulders as her dark eyes fell to her lap. She wasn't bothered about things that happened in the past. But she definitely hadn't expected that from the shifter.
"Are you alright? Like it's not weird now is it? You're not mad at me?" Storm questioned, her bravado faltering as she questioned the older woman seriously. Hoping that Hermione wasn't going to think less of her for the things she had done in the past.
"I'm absolutely fine, don't be so silly." Hermione scolded gently, noting the change within the younger woman. Seeing guilt well up so visibly as she stood against the kitchen counter as if she was afraid to get any closer. Hermione opened her arms then, beckoning the Shifter back to her for a cuddle.
"Of course it's not weird, not that I particularly enjoy thinking about people you've been with before, it just doesn't bother me. I know you are loyal to a fault and haven't got eyes for anyone else but me" Hermione soothed, wrapping her arms around Storm's shoulders as the younger witch collapsed next to her once again, moving to rest her head in the crook of Hermione's neck.
A sigh of relief escaped her then as she breathed deeply, happy to know Hermione didn't care about those kinds of things. She was for the here and now, and that was the only thing that actually impacted them in any way.
"Hermione, I always wanted you. I never really had eyes for anyone else, but obviously you were entirely off limits and then we left school and I figured I had to just get on with the cards i'd been dealt. I thought I'd get over the crush eventually, but that never really happened" she admitted quietly, though Hermione definitely had a hunch that was the case.
Now that she had admitted everything to herself, she knew that's where she stood as well. Their feelings very similar in that respect. Except Storm had had the balls to face hers, Hermione hadn't been brave enough to stray from what it was she already knew. She had figured her entire life had been dangerous, and she had stayed with the safety she had been offered by the relationship with Ron.
"Well, we're here now and that's all that matters." Hermione reassured her, pressing a kiss to the younger woman's temple as she smoothed dark hair back and away from Storm's face. Her lips meeting soft, warm skin so gently as she soothed any worries she had.
"I still can't believe we're married now" Storm laughed then, chuckling from her position. She moved slightly, moved to settle her head in Hermione's lap as the older woman settled against the back of the sofa. Taking up their very familiar position.
"Why do I feel like you're never going to get used to that fact?" The brunette asked a little absently as she traced Storm's sharp jaw. Her dark eyes settling on the younger woman's profile as Storm buried her nose in Hermione's stomach. The Shifter already much more relaxed than she was a moment earlier.
"I don't feel like I ever will" Storm laughed quietly, though she made no effort to move very far at all. Content where she was wrapped around the smaller woman's frame.
Hermione was grateful then, grateful for the knowledge that she would always be appreciated. She was finally where she was meant to be, and that was something she would be thankful for for many years to come.