A/N: I know I don't post much anymore. What can I say? I'm 35 with a full time job and a teenage son. Time to sit down and be creative is rare.

9

He watched from the shadows as the girl fired shot after shot into the chest of one of his best lieutenants. He would have helped, but he knew well enough that it was over from the first shot. Once the silver hit the heart, there was no saving him. As much as he wanted to step out and kill the annoying little witch right there, he had bigger fish to fry. The bitch and Potter would have to wait.

Hermione sat stiff in the back seat the the Impala next to Garth on the towels that Dean laid out so she didn't get the whatever she was covered in all over his car. Dean had been driving for 10 minutes, and she had yet to speak. As he drove down the dark stretch of road Dean glanced back at her. She was shell-shocked. He could understand that. "So, do you think that was it?" Sam asked while doing his best to not look at the witch.

"No," Hermione said quietly, "Greyback was good for muscle, not brains."

Nothing else was said when they dropped Garth back at the diner or during the short drive back to the motel. Once Dean parked the car Hermione was out and in the shabby room before Dean could even unfasten his seat belt. She bolted to the bathroom and started the shower before kneeling over the toilet and retching. She though that maybe it was a good thing she hadn't eaten much before peeling herself out of her sticky clothes and getting the the shower where she scrubbed and one the last of the good was gone, she sat down pulled her knees up to her chest and cried until the water ran cold.

She had no idea how much time had passed, but once she started shivering she shut the water off with a flick of her wrist and summoned a towel. Slowly she dried off and realized that she left her bag in the car. She cracked the door and saw Sam sitting in his bed. "Can I ask a favor?" she asked meekly. Once Sam turned his head towards the slightly open door. "Sure," he said.

"I left my bag in the car. I need clothes."

It wasn't long before there was a knock on the door. She opened it and stuck her arm out just long enough to grab her bag. She quickly got dressed in an old gray t shirt and some faded jeans before stepping out to find Dean, not Sam. "Hi," she said unsure of herself.

Dean looked at her approvingly, "Hey," he said, "Feeling better?" Hermione shrugged, "More human I guess. Still in a bit of shock I suppose." Dean chuckled for a moment, "Well Glinda, whatever is chasing after you and yours is steamrolling right for us, so it looks like we're all in this together now." Hermione looked him dead in the eye, "What happened?"

"Nothin yet," Dean responded. He sat down on the foot of the bed and stared at the beige threadbare blanket, "I've just seen big bads, and as big and bad as that asshat was, there is no friggin way that he's the brains behind this. More like a mad dog that somebody let off the leash."

Hermione nodded before shaking her still damp hair out of her face. "And now that they know you're involved..."

"They'll be coming after me and mine too," he said sadly.

Hermione watch as the man seemed to age ten years in just a few seconds. Gone was the sarcastic full of himself playboy, and in his place was a man who had been fighting his entire life. A man who had lost more than most people ever had over and over again. "I'm sorry for bringing this down on you," Hermione said as she sat next to him, "I didn't even think about how this might be for you."

"I get it," Dean answered, his hand resting over hers, "To you we're old news. I'm... I'm sorry for how I treated you before."

That was it she realized. She had won his respect instead of his pity. "Water under the bridge," she said as she leaned against him. "Just promise you won't shoot me again. It really hurt both times."

Dean couldn't help but smile. She looked up at him and he began leaning into her. Their lips brushed just for an instant when the motel room door blew open causing both of them to dive behind the bed and pull weapons.

Sam was walking towards the motel room with a bag of burgers for the group. He found Dean still collecting the dirty towels from when Hermione asked him to get her bag, and relayed the message to Dean along with the the fact that he was going for food. As he rounded the corner he saw a figure in a black cloak standing outside their room with a wand. Sam picked up his pace but the figure summoned a gust of wind that blew the door open. The figure too one step inside when her heard "Stupify!" in Hermione's voice followed by the figure flying backwards out of the room. By this time Sam had reached the area. He tossed the bag of burgers onto the hood of the impala and bent down to snatch the fallen wand from the ground. He couldn't be sure, but the shiny black wand seemed to feel angry that it had been separated from it's owner.

Dean ran out grabbed the figure and hauled him into the room with Sam following. "Alright you son of a bitch, what the hell do you want?" As Dean jostled the figure the hood came down causing Hermione to gasp. That messy hair, round glasses and the scar. It took only a moment for her to go from surprised to angry, "Dammit all! Dean let him go." instinctively Dean released the newcomer and stood shocked as Hermione glared daggers at him. "And you, Harry Potter, what the bloody hell are you doing here?"

Harry blinked a couple times as the last of the cobwebs in his head came loose, "I came for you," he said looking at the hunters staring down at him, "You've gone off the deep end Hermione. Quitting your job, running to America, and consorting the the very type of people who cause the statute of secrecy to be required in the first place. Kingsley told me to come get you before you got in over your head"

Dean watched at the outer edges of Hermione's hair began to raise from static and the light in the room began flickering. He needed to calm her down before she melted every piece of electronic equipment within shouting range. Without thinking he abandoned the intruder and rushed to her side enveloping her small frame into his arms. "Hey, it's OK. We'll figure this out." Slowly the ancient incandescent bulbs stabilized and the charged energy left the room. Then her turned back to the newcomer, "And you, What the hell man? We just got off a hunt, one that already has her on edge. You're lucky she didn't blow you apart coming in the way you did. Seriously man, do they not know how to friggin knock in that magical doo dah land you come from?"

Harry blushed for a moment. What would he had done if he had burst in and found his friend in a scandalous position? He realized that his act first and question later policy could have ended worse than a mild curse. "I'm sorry," he said, "I just didn't know if you had kidnapped her. Hunters have a reputation."

Dean actually rolled his eyes at this comment. He had to admit that Hunters did have a reputation, but not for what he suggested. "Look, she came to us," he responded.

Harry looked at his oldest living friend with a raised eyebrow, "Hermione, is this true? What was so important that you had to run to America and fall in with hunters instead of coming to me?"

Hermione felt her temper flaring. In the desk a light bulb exploded. She took a deep breath and tugged the t shirt down to straighten it, "Harry, you wouldn't believe me if I told you." She was ready to continue, but stopped and smirked, "Actually, you want to know? Fine I'll tell you, but you have to do something for me first."

Harry looked at the woman with an unconvinced stare, "This isn't like you, but in over twenty years I've learned to trust you."

"Good," Hermione said as she pulled out a small glass vial and her wand. She held the wand to her head. Dean was about to say something but stopped when she pulled glowing wisps out of her head and dropped them into the vial before handing it to the other wizard.

Harry looked at the memories quizzically, "What is this?"

Again Hermione smirked at him, "Proof that I killed Fenrir Greyback."

Dean smile at the chock evident on his face, "You're not serious?"

"As a heart attack Harry," Hermione responded, "You take that, bring me the boon as I specify in the letter I will give you and I will tell you as much as I can about what is going on."

Harry shook his head, "I can't do that. Hermione, you've broken international wizarding law. I have to take you back or Kingsley will have my head. You could be sent to Azkaban for this."

Dean did not like the sound of this and took a stance in front of the witch, "Just what the hell did she do? And what is Askerband?"

Harry grimaced at his butchering of the name, "Azkaban is a prison where we sent our world's criminals, and as far as what she did. She told you what she was which is highly illegal except in very certain circumstances."

"Such as?" Dean asked motioning him to continue.

"Such as marriage, or having a good reason which I do," Hermione answered for the wizard, "One that I will tell you once you've done what I asked."

Harry started to turn red, "Fine, I'll do it, but you had better have a damn good reason or I'll drag you back petrified if I have to."

Hermione quickly wrote out a letter on the motel stationary and handed it to her friend, "Trust me Harry, and give the kids a hug from me."

Harry nodded curtly and apparated out of the room with an audible pop. Hermione pointed her wand at the broken door frame and muttered, "Repairo." Dean watched in amazement that the door frame fut itself back together. "What did you do?" Dean asked as he inspected the door.

"I fixed the door," Hermione responded like it was obvious. Dean shook his head, "Not that, the wispy thing and the errand. What was that about?"

"Oh," Hermione said with a chuckle, "Remember how I said it was hoped that Greyback died in the war?" Dean nodded, "Well since they weren't sure they put a bounty on his head of ten thousand galleons. I just provided proof to collect it. Doing the conversion from galleons to pounds to dollars it comes to somewhere around one hundred thousand U.S. Dollars. I just made you a small fortune."

Harry appeared at the portkey point at the MACUSA headquarters with more questions than answers. He had no idea what he was going to tell Shacklebolt, but was sure he would catch hell. He could only hope that his friend knew what she was doing and hadn't completely lost her mind. He looked down at the letter Hermione had scrawled with her instructions and read the little not she put for him.

Harry,

Things have really gone to hell I know, but I need you to trust me. The world is at stake and there is a for darker than anything you've ever experienced on its way. Before you try to be a hero, I need you to know that there is nothing you can do to stop it. It appears that I'm the chosen one this time.

Love Always – H

He sighed as he folded up the cheap motel paper and slid into his robe pocket. Everything about this felt wrong, but after everything they had been through, and all she had suffered she had earned a leap of faith. With one last look around he put his hand on the red baseball cap in front of him and muttered, "Portus."

A/N: I'm doing my best to get back into writing. Please stick with me.