A/N: Gosh, I promised myself I'll update this properly ... already went back on that promise! Apologies for a delay, I've been busy at work and in general just ... not writing. This is merely a filler chapter with a flashback (not sure if I'll include more of those). The next chapter miiiight take a while again since my beta is going away for almost 3 weeks, but I'll try to figure something out. Anyway, enjoy!


Molly gasped when Kara tumbled from the fireplace, barely managing to catch herself on the mantle. As soon as Charlie appeared, his mother turned on him.

"Charles Weasley! Have you realized the shape this girl is in? And you took her to the Ministry looking like that?!" she yelled and to Kara's surprise Charlie seemed to cower a bit.

"I know, mum. Sorry about it, I didn't realize until it was too late," he mumbled, scratching his head nervously. He glanced at Kara. "Sorry, kiddo. Wasn't thinking, won't happen again." She pouted.

"Aw, but I like to walk like this. My feet feel free. Daraine tried to get me to wear some stuff during winter, but I threw those out as soon as it wasn't cold anymore." She sat down on a chair when Charlie beckoned and then told Molly about her day.

Molly and Charlie smiled at her as she told them all about her parents and them leaving her a lot of things.

"I have three houses, Mr Weasley said!" she exclaimed. "What can I do with three, Molly? I can't live in all of them at once. Maybe I'll keep moving!" She beamed. "I could sleep in a different bed every day! That would be amazing. But then, Mr Weasley also said that father left me a lot of land in Ireland. Do you think Daraine could come live there?" she turned around to face Charlie. "I bet there must be a nice cave somewhere! And if there isn't, then we can build her a place to sleep! Couldn't she come, Charlie?" This went on and on. She told them everything that happened and what she thought about the new people she met that day. She slowed down towards the end of her monologue.

"When can we go and buy things for school? The headmistress said I need to have them by November, but I would love to have them before so that I can see everything. And maybe you could start teaching me how to write?" A glance at Charlie who just nodded while helping his mother with the supper. "But when can we go?" she demanded. Molly replied.

"I have business in London tomorrow morning," she said thoughtfully. "You two could go to Gringotts and get her some money, buy the school supplies. We can meet up for lunch and I'll take her with me for some clothing and other things she might need." She washed her hands and walked over to Kara. "I think you need a brush, and perhaps we could cut your hair a bit. Right now it looks like a lion's mane." She tugged one of Kara's long red locks gently. Kara shook her head forcefully at that.

"I like my hair! It's pretty and long! No cutting!" Molly still looked thoughtful.

"Sure, but we still need to tame it a bit. You'll see how beautiful it is then." Kara nodded grumpily and Molly dropped the subject for the moment.

"Mum, where should we put Kara? She can't sleep in the living room for the next two weeks."

"She can have Ginny's room until then. I'll be staying in London again, I think, they need my help." Charlie nodded. "I'm not quite sure we could take her there yet, so you two will be staying here, but make sure to let me know if something happens." She smiled at Kara warmly again. "Come, let me show you the room. I already prepared it for you, darling."

Kara grabbed her bag and followed the woman up the set of stairs and straight into the first room, on the first floor landing. It was quite small but it had a big window with a nice view of the garden. The walls were painted pink, with a big picture of a dark-skinned woman in green robes hanging above the bed. Aside from a darkwood desk with a chair next to the window and a big wardrobe at the wall, there was no other the furniture in the little room. Kara turned around and noticed another picture hanging on the door - eight men with long hair, all wearing dark leathery-looking robes and painted black around the eyes.

"I put Ginny's things into those drawers," Molly explained, pointing at two drawers at the bottom of the wardrobe, "so feel free to use the remaining space as you wish, except the wardrobe, of course." Kara looked at the motherly woman.

"Thank you. Really. I think you taking me in so easily doesn't happen a lot, does it?" Molly shook her head and smiled a bit sheepishly.

"Ah, but you're just a young girl, Kara, not much older than my Ginny. I knew I'd have to make sure you're alright the moment you showed up in my fireplace with Charlie." Kara surprised her then - she wrapped her arms around the older woman, holding onto her tightly.

"Thank you," she whispered again, then grabbed her bag and put it onto the chair. Molly disappeared for a moment and reappeared with the nightgown she had given her the previous night, and a towel. She laid them on the bed.

"Well, if you decide to come down before dinner, I can take care of your hair," Molly said and smiled again before leaving. Kara sat on the bed and thought for a moment, then she opened her bag and took out a couple of items. The first one was a plush toy - a red panda with obvious marks of wear. The fur has fallen off completely in a few places, revealing the soft fabric underneath, but Kara didn't care. She gently put it down on the pillow, after holding the toy close to her chest for a few moments. Next was a framed photo of her parents on their wedding day, and an album with her baby photos. She put both on the desk, carefully arranging the framed photograph so that she could see it from the bed. Next came the strange mirror with water instead of reflective glass. She hid that under the pillow, not wanting people to see it. The last item was wrapped in a piece of dark cloth - it was a dagger created from a smooth black material with a simple bronze handle. She knew Daraine had brought it to her from her parents' house soon after they died. The dragon told her that she could feel the power within the weapon, but Kara never understood what she meant. To her it was just a simple knife and she kept it carefully wrapped into a piece of old cloth to keep from accidentally hurting herself. She left it wrapped, putting it on top of the photo album.

When she was done, she felt a little bit more at home and she got up and ran downstairs, more cheerful then before.

"Molly! Can we do my hair now?" She was smiling happily and Charlie's mother used her wand to summon a brush and a comb. She told her son to take over the food and sat Kara down on a stool, then started slowly and gently brushing the tangled mess.

Kara's hair was very long, falling past her waist, and it was quite tangled. The colour of it was mesmerizing - a dark, rich red, but with lighter highlights created by countless hours she had spent in the sun during the summer. It was thick and wavy, almost curling, and Molly had a bit of a hard time combing and brushing through it. It took her almost two hours to get through it all and she was very pleased with the result.

Kara's hair was now falling in large waves, no knots and tangles noticeable anymore. Kara took a thread between her fingers and felt the smooth and silky texture.

"Wow," she whispered, "it never felt this nice before." Molly patted her head.

"Now you only need to wash it," she told the girl. "It gets easier to comb it if you do it regularly. I assume you didn't really bother with combing and brushing?" Kara shrugged and shook her head.

"Not really, no, but I think it was worse before it got burned off ..." Her voice trailed off and Charlie joined in the conversation.

"Burned off? What were you doing?" Her smile was a bit sheepish.

"I was a lot younger then. I stood too close to Daraine while she was roasting some birds for me, and most of my hair was gone before she managed to throw a blanket on me." She shrugged off the concern in their faces. "I lived with a dragon. Getting my hair burned off a bit was nothing compared to some real burns I received because I was so clumsy. Oh, there was this one time when Daraine was sure I wouldn't make it ..." Again she trailed off, but Molly was staring at her, frozen with shock.

"What do you mean, not make it?" Charlie managed to get out. Kara remembered what happened ...


Daraine had brought a sheep back to their cave and Kara was carefully cutting the wool off with her dagger. When she had all the soft fleece carefully put away in her corner, Daraine gutted the sheep with a sharp claw and started skinning it. She was piling the meat on the spot they had assigned for food. When she was finished, Kara stuck the pieces onto a long sharp stick and leaned it against the wall, giving space to her dragon to roast all of the meat.

It smelled delicious and Kara was pulling out a small bag with the potatoes that were left from the last time they went scavenging for food, to get Daraine to roast those as well, when she tripped over the bones of the sheep - and went flying, straight into the path of the flame. Daraine stopped as soon as she noticed the girl, but the soft skin had already started to blister: Kara's left side had been burnt badly. She was lying down, still clutching the bag, trying to breathe slowly. She didn't make a noise when she felt the pain and heat licking her, but she could feel the tears stinging in her eyes. Daraine touched her with her snout.

'What were you thinking, little one?!' she exclaimed, sending waves of worry, concern and guilt into Kara's mind. Kara didn't respond and the dragon flew away, grabbing a bucket for water in her claws on the way out. She had returned about fifteen minutes later, carrying the bucket, now filled with water, and a whole bunch of small-leaved plants in her teeth. She dropped it next to the girl, then grabbed a cloth and brought it next to the girl.

'I can't do this all on my own, Kara, you'll need to help. Get rid of your clothes,' was the order she gave to the young girl. Kara was about twelve at the time. She did as instructed, flinching and sobbing all the time. When her shirt and pants were finally peeled off, Daraine could see the extent of the damage: her shoulder and upper left arm were red, in blisters, skin cracking up. The side of the torso and the left hip were as bad, and her face was singed, but luckily just superficially.

The dragon carefully, dipped the cloth into the water with her long claws and started gently patting the wounds. She had to get them cleaned first. She ignored the flinching, cringing and weeping of the girl, and kept going until she thought the wounds were as clean as possible, then she flew out with the bucket again. This time she had returned right away with fresh water. She threw the plants into it and then blew fire into it until it was boiling and steaming. She let the herbs soak and looked over the girl. Kara appeared to have passed out and Daraine was thankful for that, at least the girl wouldn't feel the pain for some time. She walked over the pile of clothes she stole for Kara and chose a few clean ones. She removed the plants from the bucket, replacing them with the clothing. When she believed it was chilled enough to not cause the girl extra pain, she draped the cloth over the wounds on her shoulder and sides, then laid down next to her, looking over her. When the cloth started drying, she pulled them off and soaked them in the water again, replacing them.

It took a whole week before Kara was able to move around much, after that things got easier. She could replace her own bandages and Daraine could leave for longer periods to get more food. About two weeks after the incident, Kara talked to the dragon.

'My wounds ... how bad were they?' Daraine looked at the girl, studying her, then touched her forehead.

'I thought you'd die. Don't do that again, Kara.' That was everything she had to say about it.


Molly's eyes were wide with shock while Kara was explaining the story. When she was finished, she got up and pulled up the side of the jumper she was wearing. A large patch of skin, stretching from the side of her breast and disappearing under her jeans, was white, scarred, standing out brightly on Kara's darker skin. The skin was rough, thickened and puckered, obviously badly healed. Molly gently touched the scar and then pulled the jumper down again, covering it.

"Well, that's quite a story," she whispered. Kara smiled brightly at her.

"Yes, but I survived and I'm here now. Do not worry like that, Molly." Charlie just shook his head and left. Kara looked after him. "Did I say something wrong to make him leave?" she asked, uncertain. His mother huffed.

"He's supposed to be used to seeing burns, seeing how he works with dragons!" After that, they were quiet, Kara sitting on the chair and studying Molly and what exactly she was preparing, while Molly was thinking about the girl. She knew she went through a lot, but she didn't imagine how hard it had been for her, growing up without a family, without other people, all alone in the mountains, with only a dragon for company.


That evening, the table was less crowded at supper. Molly didn't invite Remus and Tonks, Bill and Fleur were eating out and Arthur was late again, so only five of them were eating together.

Kara was eyeing the twins, paying more attention to them now. They were talking to each other in hushed tones when one of them looked up and saw her staring. He nudged the other.

"Look, the Dragon Lady is looking at us," he said loudly, "is there anything we can do for you, of Dragon Lady?" He mockingly half-bowed across the table and Kara tilted her head to the side.

"I'm not a dragon lady," she muttered at him. "I was curious how to tell the difference between the two of you." Molly set the last dish on the table.

"They're identical. Can't tell them apart. Even I have problems sometimes," she told Kara and piled up mashed potatoes on her plate. The twins were nodding.

"Very true indeed. No one knows except for us, and we don't tell people." Charlie rolled his eyes at him and turned to Kara.

"There is a difference, trust me. I'll tell you about it later." He gave her a wink and reached for meatballs on the table while the twins glared at him.

"Tell us," one of them demanded, "we must know so we can make sure it's fixed." But Charlie only shook his head, an evil grin spreading on his face.

"Oh, no, no way I'm telling you. I'll only tell her." Turning back to her, he said. "Eat, kiddo, these are really good." Kara tried the meatballs and mashed potatoes.

"Oh, Molly!" she exclaimed. "This is so good!"


After supper Charlie sent Kara to bed early.

"Listen, we're leaving early tomorrow. You don't want to be tired, do you?" She shook her head and smiled at him.

"Okay! Goodnight!" She climbed into the bed and wrapped her arms around the plushed toy. She wasn't comfortable in the soft bed, but all the excitement of the day caught up with her and she was soon sleeping soundly. When Molly peeked in later, she could only see red hair spilling from under the blanket. She smiled to herself and went to bed.


Kara was woken up by Charlie early the next morning. As soon as she opened her eyes she looked up straight at him.

"Are we going already?" He laughed.

"No, mum says she has to dress you properly and feed you first, before she allows us to leave." Kara nodded enthusiastically, bouncing up and down on the bed. She ran downstairs, still in her nightgown.

"Good morning, Molly!" she exclaimed and smiled brightly at the red-haired woman.

"Hello, Kara. Ready to go, aren't you!" The girl's bright eyes were shining, her hair falling down her back, a bit messy from sleep.

"Yes. Can't wait to go!" Arthur had already left for work and Bill and Fleur weren't going to be up until later, so only Molly and Charlie were in the kitchen with her. They smiled at her.

"Well, let's get you something proper to wear, then," the Weasley matriarch said and shot Charlie a nasty look, then marched Kara back into Ginny's room.

"Let's see," she muttered, going through the drawers and the wardrobe. Soon Kara was dressed up in jeans, long-sleeved brown tunic top and sneakers. Molly was brushing her hair.

"We should pull this into a braid or something," she told Kara.

"Why?"

"Well, you'll be shopping for your school uniform and for your clothes today and a braid would mean it's easier to keep it out of the way. Do you want me to do that for you?" Kara nodded and sat quietly while Molly pulled her hair into a tight braid. When she was done, Kara got up and pulled it over her shoulder, studying the weave.

"That looks pretty," she announced after a moment and nodded at Molly. "Thank you." She quickly stretched a few times and then left the room again, following Molly downstairs. Charlie was waiting by the fireplace.

"You're wearing your shoes now," he observed.

"Yes! Molly says I have to, but they feel strange. I didn't wear any when I was with Daraine."

"What did you wear then?" She looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Well, when it wasn't cold outside, I wouldn't wear anything, and when it became cold, I'd just stay inside the cave near the fire. It's not like I had anything to do. There were some games I could play by myself, or with Daraine, but that didn't last all of the time. Mostly I was just thinking about my life." Charlie cocked an eyebrow.

"What did you figure out about your life?"

"Well, I know now that it was very boring. When can we leave?" Charlie gently gripped her shoulders and led her to a chair.

"First, you'll eat, then we can go." Molly set a bowl of cereal, strawberries and milk down.

"Eat these." Kara ate hurriedly and was done quickly. Charlie grinned.

"Can we go now?"

"Yes, Kara, we're leaving now." Molly disappeared and returned a moment later, wearing robes that were darker and less tattered at the edge. She looked Charlie over and scoffed.

"You can't go like that, Charlie. Put something more proper on." Her son looked at himself.

"Huh? I'm wearing comfortable clothes, mum." He winked at Kara. "And it looks good, doesn't it?" She studied him. He was wearing black trousers, white shirt and black wizarding robes which could be mistaken for a long cloak. She shrugged.

"He looks fine to me," she said and Molly sighed.

"If you say so." Kara beamed at her.

"Can we go now?" When they both nodded, Charlie explained to Kara that they're going to Diagon Alley.

"And be sure to pronounce it correctly," Molly said when he was finished, "we had an accident with a boy ending up somewhere else a few years ago." Kara nodded dutifully.

"Diagon Alley, right?" she asked. When they both nodded, she grabbed a handful of the powder and took a step towards the fireplace, threw it in and entered the emerald flames. "Diagon Alley!"