A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! Really appreciate them as always!

Chapter 17

Harry was upon her as soon as he had seen her pull the dark mask from the Deatheater's face. She couldn't stop her own features from dropping in shock for just a moment; before morphing up into realisation. Harry's green eyes were fixed to the man's face as he too looked on in complete disbelief. They were both quiet in that moment, shaken by what Hermione had just uncovered.

They had been after some death eaters that hadn't given up the ghost, but this was not one of them. This was a problem, a much bigger problem than they originally thought. This meant that there were people who were an active threat that they had no idea about.

"Storm knew it, she said she recognised him last night." Hermione started, her voice level as her brows fixed themselves together, as the dawning realisation hit her at full force. The reality of the situation was grim, and sparked something deep within her. "She just couldn't figure out where it was exactly that she knew him from." Hermione spoke sharply then, her words harsh as she attempted to contain the unshed fury that was welling within the pit of her stomach as her sharp eyes regarded his face.

"He has a thing for using the cutting curse. He's the one who attacked her at Hogwarts and tore her to pieces. He could have so easily killed her just, but instead he just chose to rip chunks out of her instead." She spoke through clenched teeth, pushing down the urge to rip him to shreds where he lay.

"That's why she recognised him. She never saw his face back then, and I never saw him again after I left him in that hallway. We got ambushed again and she saved me from the killing curse as soon as I got to her. I never really looked at him properly after that. He must have gotten away" She explained, putting the pieces together as if it had been so obvious the entire time. Berating herself silently for not being quick enough. For once again being just a second too slow to stop the younger woman from being hurt.

"We expected something Hermione, but had no idea he was part of it. We knew we would always be targets for his followers. But we need to know how they gained access to our homes." Harry started, his fingers pressing into his eyes out of frustration as he sighed heavily, the weight of the situation settling over his shoulders quite heavily.

"We'll wrap this mess up, I'll leave Ginny and some Aurors here while I go check to make sure Grimauld place hasn't been compromised." Harry explained as he knelt beside his best friend, moving to look over his shoulder towards his own wife who was still kneeling beside an unconscious Storm. Holding the Shifter's head in her lap and stroking her hair from her face so tenderly. Her own face nicked and starting to bruise in some places, something that set Harry's teeth on edge.

"You can stay there until we know exactly what's going on, until we know we can secure this place and the Burrow once again" He spoke quietly though there was a certain determination that tinted his tone. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder gently, his fingers squeezing just so in an attempt to ground her. He looked exhausted, and Hermione knew he was right. She trusted him whole heartedly, and knew he would do whatever he could to keep them all safe. Just as she would do for him, just as Storm would for them all.

She knew he was right; they HAD expected this or at least something. There had been clues and small occurrences that had been a bit too much of a coincidence for them to really be just that. Their lives would always be on the line and this was just a stark reminder of that. As long as people still supported Voldemort's ideals, they would be a target and that just meant they'd have to work hard to right the wrongs still left in the world.

Though, not many would have the balls to actually do anything, it seemed these awful excuses for Deatheaters had gathered enough together to be a legitimate threat. Seeing Storm in the Ministry must have unsettled this fool, and they had decided to act before she figured out where it was she knew him from.

"You should go back to Storm; it looks like Cho's doing well and you don't want her to wake up without you." Harry spoke again, his voice low and soothing as it came quietly just for her. His green eyes fixing her with a knowing stare and a small reassuring smile.

She steeled her resolve and with shaky, blood coated hands she pushed herself off the hard wooden floor that had been destroyed by Storm's claws. As she stood up onto unsteady legs, she figured she was definitely getting too old to deal with things like this. The adrenaline had completely left her body now, draining her energy with it.

Crossing the room as quickly as she could, she moved to kneel with the redhead and Cho. All eyes trained on the Shifter's pale face, streaked with bloody fingerprints as Ginny stroked her fingers gently down her cheek. Her hazel eyes vacant as they stared down at her best friend's pasty face and still features. "I hate that this is what we have to deal with, even all this time later" Her voice came, though there was nothing but the truth held within her tone.

"They've exposed themselves now, we know what's happening and we'll put them in Azkaban for as long as they dare breathe" Hermione spoke with conviction, her own fingers moving to take Storm's wrist once again, pressing to feel the pulse point throbbing even stronger than it had before.

"I might try and convince the Aurors to wipe their memories clean once they've finished their interrogation so they don't even know why they're rotting in that prison, they'll just suffer as they should with no reason for it" She added, her tone absolutely dripping with unshed venom. Her lip curled into a snarl as she spoke.

The Shifter's skin was impossibly warm to the touch, and a little sticky from where she had tried to stop the flow of her own blood before passing out. Hermione moved then to pull her wand from where she had stuffed it back into her pocket, aiming it towards her Shifter she cleaned the pool of blood the younger woman had been laying in. The dried blood had come next and it left the younger woman looking even paler than before.

"I'm going to have to go and get Joseph. He heard your Patronus Ginny, and I'm sure he's an absolute mess" Cho spoke quietly then as if she wasn't too sure about breaking the silence after Hermione's rant. Her own dark eyes never once leaving Storm's side as strong fingers held the bandage tight to clammy skin.

"She'll be awake soon, but she's going to be in a lot of pain." The former Ravenclaw explained to both Hermione and Ginny as she moved to grab her wand left discarded at her side to apply a sticking charm to the fabric. "As soon as you know what's going on let me know. I will bring Joe to see her. I'll look over her again then, this is going to take at least a day to heal properly." She spoke with conviction, dark eyes finally moving to meet Hermione's and Ginny's in turn.

The three of them shared a knowing look as they all surrounded the youngest of the group for a few final seconds before Cho moved away and disapparated with a soft crack. Leaving just Ginny and Hermione to sit with the Shifter who was still none the wiser. Still out cold, Hermione figured it was probably the amount of blood she had actually lost. Cho had stopped any more bleeding quite effectively, but she guessed there was nothing much to be done about the amount that had already been lost.

"Well, this is a great Christmas day" Ginny quipped sarcastically as she ran a tired hand through her hair to flick it back over her shoulders. Her hazel eyes finally scanning the room around them entirely, examining the damage that had actually been done to the home. Noting with a disbelieving chuckle that their Christmas tree and all their gifts still sat totally untouched on the side furthest from the kitchen. "Did she shift into a dragon then? She always said she wanted to see how quickly she could win a fight that way" She quizzed then, entirely serious.

"Obviously she turned into a bloody dragon, I've never seen anything like it!" Hermione's voice came then, a little bit shrill as she spoke. She was still unable to decide if she was angry at her fiancé for being so reckless or proud of her for being so brave. She figured it was a pretty equal mix of the two, and couldn't say for certain she wouldn't be giving Storm the earful of her life as soon as she opened her eyes.

"She thought she'd got them all, she'd said she had heard only three of them and then he just sprang out of nowhere" Hermione added quietly, moving to trace her own fingers down the younger woman's jaw that had tensed a little before the Shifter's lips twisted into a lazy smirk.

"Hermione, if you could have done what I did, you would have too. They interrupted Elf!" Came Storm's groggy voice, rough and tired as dark eyes cracked open ever so slightly. Her lips had started to regain some colour, and instead of blending in to the rest of her skin they actually had a light pink tinge to them.

"Not because they wanted to kill you both at all, but because they interrupted that daft film. Priorities" Ginny retorted before Hermione could, amusement taking her voice entirely as the Shifter stirred. Her fingers moving to fall to her own thighs as the Shifter squirmed a little where she lay, hazel eyes meeting her dark dazed squint for a moment. She was truly relieved her best friend had regained her consciousness and had started off by making jokes, she figured she couldn't be that hurt if that was the case.

"Storm, I don't know why you think this is funny" The eldest witch snapped angrily, her dark irises alive with fury as she met Storm's own barely there gaze. The youngest of the three having enough tact to look slightly sheepish as she was scolded. "You could have been killed! He could have killed you instead of stunning you. Then what?" The older woman raged on, her grip on the Shifter's wrist growing painfully tight.

"I don't know what I could have done differently." Storm retorted unapologetically, her own features twisting up in pain as she tried to move again. Her dark eyes shutting tightly as she made to push herself off the floor into an upright position, allowing Ginny's arms to reach around her to help her get situated. Her chest heaved as she strained to sit normally, the angle leaving her breathless as the not quite healed wound stretched and sent waves of pain up her spine.

"You could have been more careful! You were reckless and didn't think about it at all! Instead, you just stood there making jokes after incinerating whatever was in your path!" Hermione almost yelled, her voice laced with anger as she raged on. Her nerves were most definitely shot to pieces, and Storm laughing about it set her anger alight once again.

"I only just got you, I could have lost you!" Hermione huffed then, shaking her head to whip unruly curls around her own shoulders. She could feel herself deflating as dark doe eyes took in the younger woman's ghostly features, her own dark eyes sunken in and heavily rimmed with dark circles. Though a small, sheepish smile had taken her lips hostage as she watched Hermione seethe quietly.

"I'm not going anywhere anytime soon Hermione. It'll take much more than a couple Deatheaters to get you out of this situation" Storm spoke quietly, her own strong shoulders slumped as she lent back into the redhead who had settled behind her once again. Ginny's eyes never leaving Hermione's own as she watched on as a quiet party in the conversation.

"Did anyone get hurt at the Burrow, Red?" Storm asked then, dark eyes falling shut once more as she waited for the answer. She wasn't going to give the brunette any more opportunity to yell at her for something she wasn't actually sorry for. She would take being the one torn to pieces a thousand times over if it meant Hermione ended up well enough to yell at all. She figured there would be more than enough time later for them to discuss anything further.

"No, not really. We had pretty fair warning and I think they definitely underestimated us all. The Burrow is pretty torn up, Dad and my brothers will have that right as rain in no time." Ginny soothed, her voice quiet as she explained briefly what had happened. Her own intense gaze trained on her best friend lent firmly into her front.

She was well aware of Hermione still watching them both, how her own dark doe like eyes still remained sharp and her jaw remained tense. There were unshed tears still glossing over dark eyes, threatening to spill liberally down cheeks that were flecked with small grazes and cuts. She looked so torn and fed up with how things had gone. She looked exactly how Ginny felt, the redhead mused quietly to herself.

"Well, that's good." Storm mumbled, any energy she had gained back had been sapped away by the conversation. It wasn't long before she was out again, her body relaxed impossibly against the redhead's. Taking comfort in the presence of both women, not paying much mind to anything else that was going on around them.

"She's passed out again" Hermione whimpered, her emotions finally getting the better of her. Hot tears spilled then, marking streaks through the grime still coating her face from the destruction of their home and the small fires that Storm had ignited. Her dark gaze flicking across Storm's once again still features as if trying to reassure herself that the younger witch was indeed alright, just wounded.

Footsteps alerted her them to Harry's return, and soon the green-eyed boy was crouching beside her once again. His own intense stare taking in Storm's features for just a moment before flicking up to his wife and best friend in turn. "Grimauld place is untouched, the wards are all still in place. Let's get you there and sorted."

"I think we should stay here" Hermione spoke then, "I can pull the house back together and get Storm sorted in bed. Nobody is coming after us after this. Just help me put the wards back in place." Her tone was firm, and her wand was already in her hand as she moved to really take in what was happening. All the Deatheaters had been removed and most of the Aurors were also gone now.

"If that's what you want to do. Why don't you two get her in bed and I'll start pulling the house back together. If we all do it, it won't take long. All those involved in the attack were caught so if there are any left out there we should be able to apprehend them quite quickly." Harry explained as he too pulled his wand from his cloak.

His words set them in motion, and a few hours passed as they worked on getting the home on the water back to how it had been before the attack. Storm had been settled in their bed after being cleaned up properly and freed of any blood that had been left after Hermione's small clean down earlier. Between the three of them they worked as a well-oiled machine, and Ginny had made a joke about Storm always sleeping through the hard work.

Hermione had stood on their reinstated decking as she saw the pair off, back to the Burrow where the Weasley's too had opted to stay. Solidifying their defiance against anything that may or may not come for them. Nothing was going to rock their boat for too long, they would always come out on top. That's something that would never change, regardless of how hard people tried to get to them.

Before Hermione settled, she sent her Patronus to Cho to let her know what was happening and they were more than welcome to come see them. They had planned to stick to Storm's tradition of Pizza for dinner, and that was definitely easy enough to sort for four rather than just the two of them. She went about sorting herself a cup of tea, pottering about the kitchen that had only a few hours ago been destroyed.

There were definitely benefits to magic, so many benefits it was mind boggling to think about. Though as she actually thought on the topic, she was sure if they were muggles this type of situation would definitely not be a normality. They had done really well to go more than a decade without anything more than a whisper, and she figured this may be the last of it. She truly hoped that was the case.

An eruption of flame from the living room caught her attention and pulled her out of her own head. Soon enough Joseph was wandering into the room, his hands stuffed deep into his pockets as dark eyes examined the home. He looked much like Storm normally did. Though his broad shoulder's that were normally squared so proudly were slumped. His smile wasn't as beaming, and he looked tired.

Cho was close behind him, a bigger bag than she had had with her earlier slung over her shoulder as her own dark stare met Hermione's as soon as she entered the room. Her delicate features twisted up with sympathy as she took in the tired brunette entirely. A small smile twisted her lips up at the corners, though for the moment she remained silent.

"Where's mom?" Joe questioned then, his voice tense and laced with thinly veiled apprehension as he too met Hermione's eyes. A small smile pulling his features up as he noted how she too looked so entirely drained. "Are you alright?" He asked then before she even had time to answer his first question. The second had surprised her, her eyebrows raising a little as her features warped a little in shock.

"She's in bed asleep, go up and see her if you like. It might be time to see if she's hungry, we were going to order a Pizza" Hermione offered quietly, "I'm alright, thank you" She added quietly, unsure really what else to say. Though, she made sure to offer the boy still watching her with a familiar intensity a warm smile and a sure nod.

"I'll ask" Joe added before padding away slowly to disappear from the room. Though the quick, rushed footsteps on the steps told them both his calm demeanour had been nothing more than a facade. He had been absolutely chomping at the bit to get to his mother once Cho had returned home. He had asked every question under the sun, and hadn't settled at all until the little otter carrying Hermione's voice had floated through into their living room.

"It looks as if it never happened at all" Cho spoke then as she took the mug of tea that had been offered to her. Moving to settle herself on one of the wooden chairs surrounding the little dining table. The bright lights of the kitchen making the dark night outside seem even darker, almost as if anything beyond the walls of the home didn't exist at all.

She watched as Hermione inhaled deeply, visibly steeling her nerves as she pushed herself from the countertop. "Harry and Ginny helped put it all back together. I still can't believe it actually happened" She quipped wryly, her voice a little strained as she thought back to what an awful Christmas day this had been. What a day to decide to reign terror on unsuspecting parties, what a day indeed.

"You would think after all this time they would just give up the ghost" Cho added, her own voice soft as she spoke into the relative silence of the home. "Hopefully this is the last of it, Storm will be back to normal in a day or so as well." The Scottish woman added with a soft sigh into her steaming mug of tea.

A moment later voices echoed out from the living room, and the quiet creak of the wooden stairs could be heard throughout the space. Both women turned to watch as Joe helped his mother into the room. Her arm thrown over his shoulder, and a small tired smile tugging her lips up slightly at the corners. He was grinning from ear to ear as she regaled him of the tale of what had happened, how she had shifted into a dragon and how cool it had been.

He laughed happily, dark eyes wide and sparkling as he listened to what she had to say. He looked totally elated by the fact she was alright, content with seeing her himself. "Hermione said we're getting Pizza!" Joe added finally as his dark eyes flicked over to the brunette sat watching them both.

"Are you and your momma staying?" Storm asked quietly, her own similar stare moving to take in each of the women sat at the table to confirm what her lad had said. Excitement welled in the pit of her stomach as she watched Cho nod with a wide smile. The last time she had seen her son for Christmas dinner had been many years before, and she figured this was probably the best outcome she could have hoped for.

"I'll nearly get myself torn in half more often then!" She laughed out loud before quickly moving to hold her side, her elated features twisting up in pain as she winced. Though, the small smile that still held her lips captive told the brunette all she needed to know.

"Let's not do that" Hermione quipped, shaking her head a little disbelievingly as she watched Joe help set Storm down in the chair beside her. Her hands automatically moving to steady the grinning witch as she sat down slowly. Finger splaying out across the Shifter's back as she lent over to press a tender kiss to the younger woman's jaw. Noting she had much more colour now, something that settled the unease in her stomach.

"Well, okay but this is still great" Storm quipped back, her grin wide as she lent into Hermione's touch. Allowing the small embrace to sooth her so entirely, focusing on the way the brunette held her and touched her so gently in the smallest of ways. She had been so angry earlier, and Storm was grateful she had seemed to have calmed down, at least in front of the boy and Cho.

Hermione could do nothing but roll her eyes, unable to contain the ease that settled over her shoulders as she rubbed her palm across Storm's back. The way the younger witch's eyes fluttered shut for a moment, and how her nostrils flared once she knew she was relaxed. She figured after everything ending the evening as the surprising foursome wasn't exactly the worst way the night could have gone.

"Can I have a look?" Cho questioned then, motioning to her own midsection as she questioned the Shifter. "I need to change that bandage and reapply some of those potions, but I'm pretty sure this one won't scar" She added as an afterthought. She had been well aware of how Storm had scarred the last time, during the war. Her healing skills back then mediocre at best, but it had done the job at the time.

Storm just nodded as she lent back in her chair lifting the shirt she had been changed into, figuring Hermione must have cleaned her up before she had been put to bed earlier. The t-shirt she had worn that morning had been destroyed, torn to pieces and caked in blood. She guessed she probably would never actually see it again; Hermione never actually liked that t-shirt anyway.

Her skin around where the curse had torn through her was heavily bruised and angry looking. The bandage was still stuck in place, unmoving and hiding the worst of it quite easily. Cho moved to kneel in front of her for just a moment, her wand trained on the bandage until it came lose to reveal the wound itself. Hermione watched as Storm's face blanched and all her features dropped as she took in the much better-looking tear.

A gasp from the boy sat across from her pulled her attention away from the very queasy looking Shifter. Joe's eyes were fixed firmly on his mother's side and the colour had left his sharp features as he watched on in horror. His face soon twisting up into something that resembled disgust and then anger as he realised someone had done this to his mother.

"It's okay mate" Storm called, her voice even and soothing as she reassured her son. Her own dark eyes flicking up to meet his as she removed her attention from the still gaping wound at her side. "It doesn't really even hurt, your mom's doing a great job and Hermione's making sure I'm looked after really well" Storm stated again, her fingers tight around the hem of her t-shirt as she lent further into the Brunette who was still holding her steady, stroking fingers across the skin at the back of her neck in the nicest way.

"So, what kind of Pizza do you like Joe?" Hermione questioned then, dark eyes flicking towards the lad that reminded her so much of her Shifter. Making an attempt to pull his attention away from his mother's wound. She watched as he moved in his seat, shifting uncomfortably as he pulled his own dark stare from the pale skin of his mother's side.

"I like anything, pepperoni is my favourite, or ham and pineapple" He replied, his voice lighter than Hermione had expected. The topic of food seemed to be the best one to drag both the Shifter and her son away from any other topic. The thought almost made Hermione laugh, almost.

"Ham and Pineapple!" Storm added, her lips twisted up into a bright smirk as she added her own thoughts into the conversation. "Are we going to go and get it soon, because honestly I am starving" She added a little sheepishly, moving to watch as Cho finished off what she had been doing.

"You're not going anywhere" Hermione spoke firmly, shaking her head as she did so. "I'm sure Cho won't mind coming with me. You two can set the table" The brunette added, her tone still firm as she turned her attention to the girl she had once gone to school with all those years ago .

Cho was nodding her agreement as she made to put the things she had used to sort Storm out away. Pulling a few different vials from her pack as she did so, each identical to the others. "These will help make sure there is nothing nasty going on, i'm not sure I like how dark the skin around the actual wound has gone" She spoke then, handing the Vials over for Hermione to take.

"I'm happy to go with you to pick up the pizza, I'm sure these two can hold down the fort for a little while" She added with a small knowing smirk as she motioned to Storm and Joe in tandem.

Once Hermione and Cho had gone, they weren't gone for very long at all. After dinner and a few quick begrudging goodbyes between Joe and Storm, Hermione and the Shifter had been left for the evening. An animated film was put on the television, and the two of them did their absolute best to forget the afternoon that they'd had.

They had stretched out in much the same position that they had been before all hell had broken loose. Storm's larger frame taking up the outside of the sofa, and Hermione's curled into her warmth on the inside. The television and the Christmas lights the only thing illuminating the room around them in a warm glow. It was almost as if the whole ordeal had never happened at all, save for the gaping wound in Storm's side.

But there was a heaviness that surrounded the fact that they still hadn't spoken about what exactly had happened. Storm had no idea what had happened apart from the fact they had been attacked by Deatheaters. She had no idea who had been behind it, or a part of it. Even Hermione wasn't that sure about exactly who had led the way.

The older woman had tried to explain, but Storm had just shaken her head and said it was a story for another day. She had quietly mumbled about how she was happy Hermione was safe for now, and that was enough for her in that moment. The way she had wrapped herself around Hermione had been telling enough and the brunette was sure that as long as Storm was around, she would be as safe as she could possibly be.

That statement had been true for years even if she had no idea it had been the case. The moment Storm had wrapped herself around her during the war that notion had been settled. The younger woman was a force to be reckoned with, and between them they made a team that was as good as unstoppable.

Whatever threat was still out there, whatever was coming it could come. She was unafraid in that moment and so entirely content with how things were unravelling. Though, the mystery was still not solved they would face whatever it was together.