Welcome ladies and gents!

I really couldn't stop writing this chapter. It's full of descriptions, so I hope that they don't confuse you guys too much xD I will try and draw the stuff that I was talking about sometime soon, so that you can see my vision of it :D

I would like to give my thanks to and nathy13 for both alerts and favs! Also, I keep forgetting to thank all the people that added me to their fav or alert list as an author, thank you very much! That makes me blush and giggle uncontrollably :D

Also, thank you for the review HenriaSownbinder, you're awesome!

Enjoy! (this chapter is a bit longer than my other ones for some reason..)

The Beatles – Love Me Do (1962)

The ride was surprisingly short for Jack. The time when she was going towards Hogwarts the first time, it had seemed like hours! But, going back for the holidays it was like they had barely gotten on before the trolley witch had gone by and then poof! Charlie was walking by, telling them to change into their casual clothes.

Jack had ended up sitting with Fred and George, who were surprisingly not in the same compartment with Alicia and Angelina. Instead, they were pestering someone named Wood. Oliver Wood, as he had introduced himself, was a third year Gryffindor, who loved Quidditch a bit too much in Jack's opinion. When she had knocked and asked to sit with them, he had jumped up and happily welcomed her in. And during the ride, he had tossed glances her way one too many times. Obviously, he was a Dragon fan.

Though, the third year didn't have time to ask her anything about her Pa. Fred and George were obviously on a mission to get the Quidditch nut to allow them to play, despite being first years. All in all, Jack agreed. Not allowing younger students to play was ridiculous. Sure, some of them sat on the broom for the first time in their Flying lesson, but others flew for years before that. It was unfair for some to not be allowed to try out for the team. Besides, Fred and George were really good flyers! She had seen them zooming around the field and annoying Madam Hooch. They also liked to tease Dmitry, because he got very sick as soon as he pushed off the ground.

Though, the twins got distracted when a boy named Towler (the one that Lee had been looking for a while back, remembered Jack) joined their compartment. He had made one excuse or the other about crazy girls (Jack had raised one sarcastic eyebrow) and then settled down. Then, the group had ended up playing Exploding Snap. Wood was grateful that the twins weren't pestering him anymore. Jack was happy that she was playing a game with friends. Towler looked a bit dazed, but he seemed rather joyful, until the cards exploded in his face. The twins were having a blast trying to get the cards to explode, rather than win the game.

At some point, Jack fell asleep, waking up to the sound of the train stopping. When she tried to get up, she noticed that she couldn't. Looking to the side she saw Fred and George on each side of her, dead asleep and leaning on her.

"Thank Merlin that they fell asleep, little monsters." Remarked Wood with a chuckle. He was gathering his things, preparing to leave. "Please wait until I'm gone to wake them up, alright?" He seemed a bit anxious.

Jack giggled and gave him a tiny nod. "They're not that bad I promise." The witch tried to explain. Wood shook his head and pulled his trunk out.

"If you say so." Then the third year headed out. "It was nice meeting you, Knight."

"You, too." Jack replied. Strange. She had expected him to ask all about her father as soon as he had had the opportunity. She scrunched up her nose. Maybe she had misjudged him? She needed to stop doing that. Her Pa always told her 'don't judge on what you see the first time'. But, she often ended up doing just that. She needed to try more and become better.

Smiling, Jack shook the twin to her left. Now that they were still, and sleeping, she could see slight differences between them. The way that they curled up against her was completely different. While one was clutching her arm, the other was completely relaxed. One slept with his mouth open, the other didn't. Jack couldn't stop herself from laughing. Oh, how she could prank him right now!

"Fred. George. Wake up." Jack shook them again. "We've arrived." The one to her left shifted, murmured something that sounded like 'just five more' and then hugged her even closer. Well, that was ridiculous. She knew that she was like a small furnace, her father always liked to sit right next to her on the couch because of that, but this was a bit too much. "Hey." Jack shook the other twin and he raised his head up, eyes drowsy and hair messy.

"Wha'?" The redhead asked, yawning in the end. Jack shook her head at him. They were like cats, really. They got overly excited, played all ride and then fell dead asleep.

"We've arrived." The small witch told him. "Please detach your brother? I like my arm." The twin laughed at her redheaded problem.

X

The King's Cross platform nine and three quarters was chaos. Children were rushing to their parents, pulling their trunks messily behind them. Owls were screeching, rats escaping and toads croaking. There were younger siblings, still not attending the school, running about and trying to get 'forgotten' on the Hogwarts Express.

Jack dragged her suitcase together with the twins. They had managed to wake up the other twin, who turned out to be Fred, who was now yawning and grumbling about nice sleep. He apparently liked that Jack was like a small furnace and wanted to keep her. He had actually asked George if they could 'keep her'. But the twin had denied, saying that their mother would disapprove of them bringing a stray pet home. Jack wasn't talking to them since that comment, much to their amusement.

"Do you see your folks?" Asked Jack, looking around, but not seeing Dragon. Knowing him, he was going to be late. Fred and George exchanged glances while she wasn't looking.

"No."

"Not really." Jack tossed them a dubious look over her shoulder once she saw their mother, bustling about. She remembered the fierce lady from Diagon Alley, when she had dragged the twins away by their ears. She was a rather short, plump woman, with ginger hair and a kind face. Her robes weren't made of expensive materials and they seemed to be corrected and patched many times. There was a stain near the bottom that told Jack that the woman worked in the garden a lot. The small witch smiled, immediately liking the woman.

"Fred! George! There you are!" The woman exclaimed, finally noticing the two troublemakers. Fred made a face. George tried to smile at his mother, but it looked more like a painful grimace.

"But Jack's father isn't here yet, mum." George whined. Yes, he whined.

"Can't we wait a bit longer?" Asked (whined) Fred from the other side. The woman now focused on Jack and the small girl took a step back. She liked the woman, but that didn't mean that she was comfortable around her.

"Please?" The twins chorused, each grabbing one of Jack's hands. The small witch stood there, dumbfounded and silent. They were going to wait with her?

"Oh, alright! But just for a bit longer!" The woman finally caved. "I'm Molly, dear, Molly Weasley. These two don't give you too much trouble I hope?" The woman finally introduced herself.

"This is Jack Knight, mum." George interrupted the small witch who gave him a glare.

"Dragon's daughter." Clarified Fred. Jack switched her not-so-evil-glare-of-death to him now.

"I can introduce myself!" Jack complained, poking their sides and making them jump away from her simultaneously. Jack saw the way Mrs Weasley gave her a smile at that action. Obviously, the twins were just as much of a menace at home as they were at school. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Weasley." The small witch said politely, extending her free hand. Mrs. Weasley grasped it in a short and firm handshake, surprise on her face.

"Likewise, dear." Said the ginger haired witch. "Now, your father is coming? Is he late?" Jack was about to answer, but Mrs. Weasley got distracted. "Charlie! There you are, dear! Why don't you take the twins' trunks? They're going to wait for their friend's father to arrive."

"Alright there, Jack?" Greeted Charlie causing her to blush and nod silently. The twins shared identical grins.

"I'm sorry, dear. I need to find Percy. Don't let these two drag you into too much trouble." And then Mrs. Weasley was gone. Jack looked up to Charlie who messed up her hair and put the twins' trunks on his trolley.

"I'll see you lot later. Have a great Christmas, Jack." With that, the redheaded sixth year also vanished into the crowd. Jack stood there, staring after him for a second. But, the twins wouldn't let that happen.

"Well, then." Said Fred.

"Shall we-" Took over George, as usual.

"put you-"

"somewhere-"

"where you can-" Jack kept looking right and left, like a Ping Pong match. She really needed to remember not to let them stand on each side of her. The more she hung out with them the more her neck was beginning to hurt.

"actually be seen?" They finished together. One of them grabbed her trunk and began pulling it towards the exit and away from the train. They saw some crates and dragged both her and her things towards them.

"Alright then." Exclaimed George.

"Up you go!" Said Fred and they pushed her up onto the wooden crates. Jack steadied herself, holding onto their shoulders. She really hoped that the owner of the crates wouldn't be back anytime soon. That would be one awkward conversation.

"This really isn't necessary. Pa has a way of finding me in a crowd that overcomes my vertically challenged stature." The twins exchanged glances. Obviously, they had been avoiding the subject of her shortness for some reason. Maybe they had thought that she was sensitive about it? Or that her mother suffered from dwarfism (as they knew who her father was)? Surprisingly, she had noticed that about the twins. They always messed around, sometimes even bordering the line of cruel and bullying. But, they had their own 'code' that they didn't break. That was one of the reasons why she actually chose to withstand their, often obnoxious, ways and be friends with them.

"Really?" Asked Fred.

"I thought he lost you in the crowd often?" Added George.

"Well-" Jack began.

"Midget!" A loud yell was heard, making a lot of people turn their heads. "Where's my midget?!" Another shout. Sure enough, there was Dragon, wearing his favorite scarlet robes, complete with the ridiculous muggle Santa hat on top of his head. Jack could feel a grin spreading on her face as she noticed the red-faced Captain Sherwood. He was looking at the ground and trying to melt into it and away from the curious looks that he was getting from the witches and wizards alike.

Jack jumped down from the crates, ignoring the twins' shout of surprise and raced towards her father. She could feel her throat closing up, like she couldn't breathe. Her eyes were suddenly stinging. Why? She didn't miss her Pa that much. She had only been at Hogwarts for a little while, too.

"Pa!" The small witch threw herself into her father's arms. Dragon picked her up easily and squeezed her.

"There's my favorite midget! Look at that!" He said, putting her back down. "She didn't grow one bit!" Jack laughed, her smile huge, punching his arm.

"I grew! Look!" And then she stood by him, on her tiptoes, looking at Sherwood. "Did I grow taller, Captain Sherwood?" The handsome Quidditch player nodded, a small smile on his face. He had always found his coach's little daughter to be quite adorable.

"She sure did, coach. You better watch out, or soon she'll be taller than you!" The youth played along, despite the fact that Jack was barely reaching her father's chest.

"Pa!" Jack grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the twins and her trunk. "Come meet my friends!"

X

"Those twins, they're troublemakers, aren't they?" Asked Dragon as they walked along the frozen dirt road. The small group had met the twins (who were unusually polite in Jack's opinion) and then found Mrs. Weasley, who was quite delighted to meet the both former and current Quidditch star (I don't fancy him, George!; He's not George, I am!). The twins had said their goodbye to Jack, both petting her short hair affectionately (they were quite surprised when she gave each of them a big hug), and promised to write during the break. It was strange how close Jack had gotten to them during her fight with Angelina.

"Yes. They helped me with the prank!" Jack exclaimed excitedly. "Did Pa tell you about it, Captain Sherwood?" She turned to the young man who was walking with them. They had apparited near the house that Dragon had purchased, but needed to walk for a bit, due to the protective charms around it (You're a bit paranoid, coach, aren't you?; More than a bit.; Hey, I'm not! Stop ganging up on me, you two!). They were behind Merlin's suspenders, really, walking in the middle of a snow-covered field.

"He did. He told the whole team about it." Laughed Sherwood. "Many times, in fact. I think that I can tell the story by heart now." Teased the Quidditch player.

"Sod off, Lucian." Remarked Dragon, struggling to pull Jack's trunk over the frozen bumps in the road. He got annoyed, though, as the luggage was stuck and took out his wand.

"Don't call me Lucian, coach." Frowned Captain Sherwood.

"Whatever you say, Lucian." Dragon pushed his luck, returning the wand into his robes after a series of quick spells. Jack could swear that her trunk had floated a little bit off the ground all the way home.

Home, yes. They turned left after a while and entered a beautiful, frozen forest. Jack looked around in wonder, taking in the snow covered, sparkling pine trees. They were positively breathtaking. They also smelled divine, and whenever the wind would blow, it sounded like someone was singing in the woods. Sherwood and Dragon shared an amused look as the young witch slowly began lagging, because she was trying to see everything.

Jack saw the road through the woods come to an end, and a frozen lake spread in front of them. "This way." Called Dragon, taking her to the right. Jack couldn't help the gasp that came out of her lips when she saw the house. No, not the house. Their home. Her home. She had a home! No more rented flats. No more used bedrooms. No more living out of the trunk. No more. She had a home!

With a whoop of joy, Jack ran forward, along the lake bank. She simply couldn't help it. The bubble of joy that she had in her chest was unexplainable. It rivaled even the one that she had had on her way to the infamous Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The lake came up to a snow covered bank, slightly slippery (as Jack almost fell over a few times, causing Captain Sherwood to catch her with his reflexes) slope that went all the way to the trees. Once you went a bit to the right from the small dirt road that led to the lake, you could see a house built on the rocky part of the shore. It had two levels and a long dock that went into the lake. There was even one part of the house that was built over the water itself.

Jack gaped at the house, her home, for a minute and then ran towards it once more. She needed to go up slightly, towards the forest, to climb all the way to the rock where the entrance was. As the house was basically on the rocks above the lake, you needed to take the slightly steep road towards the door. The house was in three colors, grey, of the stones that were on the outside, and green and red, which were on the roof and along the windows. The door was large and wide, in deep red oak, with natural lifelines of the tree.

Jack ginned when she saw the mistletoe hanging on the door. She kept jumping up and down impatiently. "C'mon, Pa! Open it!" Dragon shook his head at her childish antics and unlocked the house with one wave of his wand. Jack burst inside, ignoring the laughter of the two men behind her. She was instantly enveloped in the warm air of the room.

The interior didn't disappoint one bit. The house was all wooden from the inside, red oak, Jack noticed. The room that she entered was the living room and it was huge! There was a comfortable looking sofa and armchairs around the fireplace to her left and a long table to her right, also in red oak. She undid her shoes and immediately jumped onto the decorated rug. It was so soft that the little witch couldn't resist dropping down onto it. She laughed and rolled to her left, full in her winter clothes.

"At least take that wet cloak off, would you?" Remarked Dragon, his inner OCD (that he had passed down to Jack, too) awakening. "Like a little dog, isn't she?" Captain Sherwood shook his head, staying away from the topic. Dragon left the trunk in the shoes area, taking off his and stepping up the one wooden step that led into the living room. He grinned when he saw his little daughter getting up and dutifully taking off her cloak and mittens. She was an adorable little thing.

"Are you hungry?" The man asked, shedding his cloak and putting it on the hanger. He took Captain Sherwood's blue one and also placed it there. Jack tried to reach on her own to put it up, but couldn't.

"A little bit. Could you?" She asked and Dragon took out his wand and flicked it. One of the hooks lowered itself to proper height for his daughter. Jack smiled and put her cloak there happily.

"Incendio!" Captain Sherwood chanted at the fireplace, causing it to burst into larger flames. He walked over and placed some more logs onto the, now happily crackling, fire. "Should I make something, then, coach? When are the rest of them coming?" The man asked.

Dragon seemed to think for a moment. "Let's prepare something light? The rest of them will be here in the late afternoon. Charlotte had to run some errands for her sister." Sherwood nodded. Jack was already looking around, though, trying to take everything in.

Now that she looked a bit better, there was a kitchen with a long counter to the right of the door, beyond the long table. There was a stove and many cupboards. Also, a muggle invention called the refrigerator. Obviously, her father was keeping to his ways. She smiled when she saw that you could exit onto a wooden porch from the kitchen. No doubt, it was the part of the house that was over the lake. She could barely wait for summer to come!

But, she couldn't see the bedrooms yet. She looked to see Dragon and Captain Sherwood in a deep conversation about Quidditch (or so she thought). Jack decided to explore. She headed towards the wooden staircase that she had seen earlier. It went from the fireplace all the way up to the next level of the house. The steps were nicely polished, wooden, and large enough for her to sit on. Once she arrived to the top, she noticed the divided space. There was a hallway, it's floor also done in soft carpet, leading away from the lake. On the end of it was a large window. She looked left and right, deciding to explore all the rooms.

There were five. Once you entered them, you could actually see that the house was new. The first to her right was definitely her father's, having a large bed with red and black sheets and various posters and Quidditch formation maps thrown around. Her father hadn't completed the wall, as it was still partially painted. He hadn't unpacked his boxes and trunk either. Jack saw the door leading further from her father's room, and carefully stepped over the mess on the floor to peer in. It was a simple bathroom, with a shower. Her Pa had never been one for baths, after all. With a grin, Jack continued on.

The first room to the left was empty. She looked around, noticing the identical window as in her father's room that overlooked the lake and smiling. The wall wasn't painted yet and there was no desk or bed. She headed towards the door that led further from that room and found another bathroom, a bit bigger than her father's. She saw the tub and smiled. She might've found her room! Then, she noticed the second door leading from that bathroom and headed that way. It led into another room. It was also empty, like the one before, but it had no windows, which was a pity. She would need to tell her Pa to remodel that somehow. Every room needed a window, after all!

The small witch left through that room and headed to the last one on the left side. It was the smallest of all that she had entered, with pure white walls and shelves all around. There was a table in the middle with a hole in the center that sported a glass bowl of sorts on decorative metal bars that winded together in a complicated pattern. Jack stared at them for a while, before shrugging and leaving the room. It wasn't interesting. Besides, sometimes she didn't want to know why Dragon had some things.

Then, Jack exited into the hallway once more. She opened the last door and entered. The room was simple, one bed and one desk, some shelves along the wall. There was a window from which you could see the entrance to the house and some of the woods. She decided that she didn't really like the view and scrunched up her nose. This room also had a bathroom with a small shower.

True, she wanted her own room, and her own shower, preferably with a tub, but she didn't want to share it! While the last room wasn't a share-bathroom one, maybe it was better? But there was no tub, and Jack didn't like the view out of the window. Maybe she could choose that one with the shared bathroom, but close the access from that no-window room? No, that would be bad. A room without windows or a bathroom. Terrible.

Jack exited into the hallway once more, a look of concentration on her face. She didn't know what to do. The small witch, nose scrunched up, walked towards the large window and looked out. She was directly above the entrance, looking at the steps. No matter, Jack thought. She had a home now. There was no 'perfect place' anywhere. She had simply been fantasizing.

After letting a small sigh of disappointment, Jack shook her head. No, she wouldn't be sad! She refused to be sad! This was her home now. She finally had a home to come back to. Her father was a great parent, but he was a free spirit. Despite the burden of a young child, he had kept travelling, living here and there, renting flats, crashing at his friends' or staying in hotels. Sure, since they had money, that was never a problem.

And, Dragon loved Quidditch. When he wasn't at the pitch, he was at another pitch, looking at other teams and their matches. This meant that the Knight family was constantly following the Ballycastle team. Great Britain, France, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Yugoslavia, Israel, Greece, America, Japan, Kazakhstan, Egypt etc. Jack had been there. She had visited those countries, some for a mere week and some for a couple of months. Some barely for a day. Simply, she had been a traveler, a wanderer, never stopping. And, she had loved it. She had never resented Dragon for his passion. In fact, she had admired him for it. He lived what he loved. She wished to be like her father when she grew up, too. Working with dragons. Living her dream.

But, Jack had always longed for a home, for a place to settle down. She had loved her wandering lifestyle, but she had also longed for security. Now, after starting school, she had some. But, in the end, her rather selfish challenge to her father had led to something like this. Something so perfect. She loved this house. She loved her father. She loved Hogwarts. She loved her life.

"What do you think?" Asked Dragon. Jack whirled around to see him standing just behind her. She hadn't heard him arrive. He had a small smile on his face, but his eyes were vulnerable, uncertain.

Jack smiled. "I love it." She replied.

"Of course, there's still work to be done. I picked my room, the closest to downstairs, so that I can go back and forth. I still haven't unpacked, though. I was waiting for you to-" And he kept going. Jack smiled, watching her father ramble on and on about something completely irrelevant, his arms waving around in the air, gesturing. She had missed this. "What's with that face?" Asked Dragon suddenly, stopping his nervous rant. He was rather anxious about the house, as he had picked it with Lucian (who had been rather adamant about getting this one).

"I love you." Jack told him and gave him a hug. Dragon smiled, arms reaching around her to squeeze the small girl. That's what was wrong with her! He had missed his little caretaker while she was at Hogwarts. His days had been empty, no matter how many trainings, practices and matches he attended. Even if he went to parties or pubs with the team or his friends, no amount of Firewhisky had been enough to dull the emptiness. His days had been tedious and laughter-less. To think that he had become so dependent on one small creature in merely eleven years.

"I'm so lucky, my little midget." He told her, swaying them from side to side. Jack wasn't sniffling anymore, though, she had begun to giggle. He picked her up easily then, causing her to squeal in laughter.

"Pa!" She laughed. "That's a ridiculous sentence! It's embarrassing!" Dragon laughed his booming laugh which rang through the house. He bent forward and kissed his daughter's nose.

"Good! Then I'm doing my job as a father right!" He chuckled. "I'm properly embarrassing you!" Jack struggled and wriggled out of his arms as he kept laughing.

"Let's go downstairs, Pa? We should help Captain Sherwood." Jack dutifully called out to her father. He gave her an amused look.

"Sure, midget." He decided to go along. "Wait, have you seen your room?" Dragon stopped suddenly. Jack scrunched up her nose, confused.

"Shouldn't I simply pick one of these?" She asked causing her father to laugh. He shook his head.

"If you want one of those, you can have it. But, I have something better." He told her, childish excitement in his eyes. "You know how I always take over the basement for my stuff, right?" He walked towards the window at the end of the hallway with no signs of stopping. Jack nodded. He always did like his 'man cave' for Quidditch re-watching, trophy collecting and occasional potion brewing. It was one place that Jack always gave him (and never attempted cleaning) during their stay in a rented house somewhere. "Well, I decided to give you something like that, too." He told her with a grin and moved the small wall tapestry to the side.

It revealed wooden stairs, much like the one below, but smaller, leading further up. Jack grinned, excitement bubbling in her stomach once more.

All for now folks!

Onto the review!

HenriaSownbinder: What can I say? I like to surprise :D Here's another quick one :P Hahaha you should do some motivational speaking XD I love reading reviews :) They make my days! :D

Awwww! Kids are precious :D But, they are certainly a handful :P I mostly have younger cousins and a brother and sister from my father's side, so I remember how insane it used to be, and back then I was a kid, too xD

Oh, Jack's completely oblivious to that part. Simply, she divides people into 'friend' or 'love interest' I believe that she is the epitome of friendzone xD For her, it's unthinkable that the two categories could overlap, at least for now. Lawrence is going down a bumpy road of puppy love xD I couldn't resist it! Jack is, too, though. I don't know if she's going to be a late bloomer.. She's rather mature for her age, so I suppose she might be a bit indifferent to the whole drama thing? Who knows…

I'm getting there, I'm dropping breadcrumbs all over the fic :P I think that Fred was a red light, though ahahhaha I knew that you guys were going to notice that one :D

I hope you enjoyed! :D