Hello ladies and gentlemen!

I'm sorry about not updating regularly, I will attempt to do at least a monthly update from now on. I've been quite depressed for some time, actually, and I'm pretty sure that it's been showing in my writing (or lack of thereof). Anyways, after my trip to Egypt a couple of months back, I've been getting better and have regained some inspiration for writing!

Now then, hopefully you are still with me, waiting for the new chapters, as I'm still very much into completing this story.

I would very much like to thank annhug who informed me about a fanfiction contest. I was very flattered that anyone thought that my story would be good enough to submit as an entry. Unfortunately, it wasn't finished and thus didn't qualify for the contest.

Next, I would like to give my thanks to all the people who put this story on alerts, in their favs and of course, who reviewed (I will answer them on the bottom, as usual). You know that you guys are the thing that keeps me writing :D

Without further ado:

Chapter 25: ABBA – Chiquitita (1979)

The library was partially dark, the only lighting coming from the fireplace in the corner and the small lamps on the tables. The sun had long gone down, and the unusually warm day of the spring was finally giving wake to the blissful moon and its cool. A gentle wind blew in threw the open window, making the rhomboid multi-colored glass rattle gently as it thumped against the stone wall for the nth time that evening.

The small witch at the desk nearest to it groaned, pushing her long bangs out of her face once more. "For the love of Merlin." She murmured unhappily, getting up and leaving her book open.

"I've got it." The redheaded boy sitting opposite of her raised his wand and flicked it at the window, murmuring a charm. The window stayed glued to the stone, not moving an inch even when the breeze blew through.

"Bloody window." Jack plopped back down into her seat, ignoring the tingling of her behind that was telling her that she had been, in fact, sitting in that position for two hours too long. She wriggled a bit, getting a more comfortable spot on the soft pillow of the library chair.

"You're awfully irritable." Commented the boy off-handedly. Her pale eyes fixed on him with a glare, causing him to stop twirling his wand and raise his hands in mock surrender. "Bloody bollocks, woman! Don't resort to murder!" He joked getting himself one more glare.

"If you don't want to help, you can leave." Jack growled through her teeth, flipping the page of her tome. The boy shrugged.

"We both know this isn't how I do things. I still like the idea of just finding the darn thing ourselves." Fred closed the book in front of him and sat up, leaning on the table. "I know a few more useful spells now. And, I saw you today in Charms. Your Fire-Making Spell is even better than before."

"Don't be silly, Fred. We don't know what we are dealing with." Jack sighed, closing the tome and pushing it towards him. "We could get killed." She told him. "I'm too young to have some demon eat my bloody innards as I watch."

The wizard cringed at the image that popped into his head. "Demons don't exist, Knight." The small witch gave him another icy glare and he stood up, picking their two discarded books up. "Yes, yes, I'm going." He headed to take them back to their place as Jack searched for the next magical creature that had the potential to be their mystery in the corridors.

She glanced into the dark and murmured. "That's what you think, Weasley." But, the book in front of her soon drew her attention. Alp, the small witch read. A creature that makes nightmares and sits on your chest waiting for you to wake up, breathless. Mischievous. Likes to suck blood. Can shapeshift. Jack skimmed through the text, rushing to get to the last lines.

"Not to be confused with the similarly named Alp-luachra, the alp is sometimes likened to a vampire, but its behavior is more akin to that of the incubus. It is distinct from both of these creatures in that it wears a magic hat called a Tarnkappe, from which it draws its powers. The word "alp" is a variation on the word "elf". It is also known by the following names: trud, mar, mart, mahr, schrat, and walrider."

Jack felt her heart beating faster and faster. This could be it. This could be the thing in the corridors. The demonic creature of German origin. What in the world was it doing here? In Britain? And, more importantly, why was it here? Because, an Alp always had a master. And its master was the one that ordered it what to do. Who to haunt. Who to hunt.

Jack had never been so happy in her entire short life that she loved horror more than that day in her first year. She had had an obsession with nightmares a few years back, when she had been about seven or eight. They had gone to Yugoslavia for a mock match with the Ballycastle Bats. Of course, their team had won, beating their hosts with a small difference of fifty points. However, the party had been magnificent, as they always tended to be in Slavic countries.

There, Jack had first heard about the ancient Slavic mythology from an old witch. Regardless of her Vlach origins, the old lady had learned many of the Yugoslavian customs, declaring herself a Serb who simply spoke Vlach. Jack had hit it off with the old witch in mere moments of their meeting, as the woman didn't speak much English, but was eager to talk to the young girl working with the famous Quidditch team. The old witch, with surprisingly colored hair for her age, was the owner of the Quidditch stadium, and she had led the curious child through her house nearby, showing her the system that she used to hide the pitch from Muggles.

That's where Jack mostly hung out, listening with the other kids that came by to the many stories of myths and horrors that the old witch knew. There, she had first heard of Noćna Mora, the evil creature that seduced men in their dreams, making them have nightmares. From then on, the small girl had had an obsession with bad dreams that had lasted for about a year.

So, knowing bits and pieces about the Alp was not surprising at all. But, she didn't remember the details. Most of the myths were similar anyways, for they were mostly caused by the same type of a creature. With a grin, Jack read the words that she had been looking for. Night terrors and lucid dreams.

Slamming the book closed, Jack jumped up with joy. "I found it." She whispered. "I'm not crazy." She said to herself again, grinning in complete joy. "I found it! Weasley! Fred! Fred!" And she turned to the row of books where he had vanished. Only, there was no row. There was no shelf. There was no window stuck to the stone with a charm. There was no serene moon and breeze. There was only darkness.

Jack sucked in a shaky breath, blinking. Her table was there. Her favorite table with the green lamp and the comfortable, cushioned chairs. Her books were still messily stacked, the last one (Terrifying Terrors As Muggles See Them by Katerina Vladova) messily closed in her glee. It was still there. She could see the book that Fred was supposed to read next. But, where was he?

Her feet were numb, like many nights before. The dark was everywhere, icy, all around her. Jack shivered, whipping out her wand. She aimed it where the window had been and fired a spell that she had recently learned on her own. Bright blue fire raced from her wand, almost like a whip, vanishing into the darkness. And then, everything burst around her.

For a moment, Jack was weightless as she was thrown back, her books flying everywhere, hitting her as she, too, vanished into the liquid dark that was around her.

"Jack!" The witch gasped, springing up from her book. She met Fred's worried gaze and found herself staring into his eyes. They were different then George's, she realized. Somehow, they were more closed off. Like he was always afraid of something. The small girl reached out, ignoring the arms that had been gripping her shoulders in the wizard's attempt to wake her and she hugged him. "Jack? You awake now?"

"Yeah." The girl sighed, her heart slowing down. She let him go, the scent of chocolate and dying fire quickly being replaced by the smell of books all around them. "Was I asleep?" She asked, sitting back down.

"You were having a nightmare." The boy replied, still watching her carefully. His ears had gone a fine red, as well as his neck at the unusual gesture of the witch opposite of him. "You wouldn't wake up. And then you tried to hex me." He explained, getting her full attention.

"Merlin, I'm sorry." With a worried look, she inspected him for injuries.

"I'm certain he accepts your apology."

"Arse." Jack rolled her eyes at him. She really had been spending a lot of time with Angelina. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I'm quick with a wand." He smiled, proud of his joke. She rolled her eyes again. Opening the book in front of her, Jack began flipping through. Then, she stopped suddenly. A very familiar demonic creature was staring up at her from the page, as it sat on a women's chest in the drawing.

"Look at this." She called the young wizard over.

X

To be honest, Fred had thought that he was in for another sleepless night that day. But, he had been proved wrong. That brilliant, annoying little witch had figured it out! She had solved their problem, finding the nature of the creature that was running around the castle! The little voice inside his head reminding him that they still needed a way to find, trap, disable or kill the creature made itself known. He squashed it. There was no need to bother with such thoughts this late in the night. Or early in the morning. Fred's thoughts were always jumbled in those wonderful hours. He reprimanded himself and stumbled up the last couple of stairs to his dorm.

So, after seeing Jack of to her room, as Fred usually did when they researched well into the night, the wizard snuck (attempting to be quiet) into his dormitory. They had figured out that they couldn't stay past curfew in the library, as Madam Pince would mercilessly turn them in. So, the unlikely duo had found refuge in the kitchens at ungodly hours, much to Fred's joy. Ditty had become used to their company, always having cups of warm cocoa ready for them.

Fred had found out easily that Jack liked routines. She loved to be in control of her life, as much as Hogwarts allowed it. It wasn't much, but she always had a daily schedule worked out. His impromptu ideas drove her insane, which he reveled in. One day, he had suggested that they go outside and do their research next to the Black Lake, she had freaked, saying that it had to be in the library. So, as much as the twin loved messing around with the small witch, he decided to attempt to appease her on this simple thing.

Most nights they would head to the kitchens after the library and there they would stay for a while, Jack reading about different creatures and making notes and Fred messing around mostly, but giving her ideas about what to look for next. He realized at one point that they had begun discussing Quidditch as well, also practicing minor spells and making jokes about their friends as they stuffed their faces in the amazing late-night snack that the elves provided for them dutifully.

The door of his dormitory opened soundlessly as he pushed it forwards and crept in. Fred folded the Map and placed it back in his pocket. He wouldn't need it for the rest of the night anyways. With a couple of practiced motions, he changed into his pajamas in the dark, cursing under his breath when he stubbed his toe on someone's trunk.

"Bollocks." Fred whispered once more, sitting on his bed and making the thick covers sigh and rustle. Despite the quickly approaching warm summer, the dormitory was quite cold during the night, both due to Britain's climate and the high position of the tower. So, there was a nice fire, dying out in the old ceramic heater in the middle of the room. Fred gave a small sigh, feeling the heat and the familiar smell of his bed relax him.

He began clambering up, towards his pillow, when he heard the voice. "Fred?" Great, he thought, his brother was awake.

"It's nothing, George. Just getting to bed." Fred murmured back, trying to squash his annoyance. It wasn't often that he was mad at his brother. Well, brother yes, twin, not so much. George was his other half. The person that grounded him and understood him the best. It had been a while since he was annoyed at George. Usually, it was them annoying everyone else. However, the nosiness of his twin was grating his nerves in the worst of ways right now.

"You were with Ja-Jack?" His twin questioned, sleep leaving his voice as he cleared his throat. Fred closed his eyes, exhaling slowly.

"No, I was with Percy." The redhead deadpanned, finally letting his anger slip out.

"Ok." He heard shuffling from George's bed and then silence. Fred waited a couple more minutes for another question, but it didn't come.

"'Night." He told his twin, only to meet silence. Maybe he wasn't the only one who was annoyed.

X

Jack tossed and turned the whole night. She couldn't sleep. The nightmares didn't bother her this time, to her surprise, but she was still restless. Her body was in a state of hyper vigilance, numb, but taunt and ready to do something. She yawned once more, turning in her bed again.

She stared at the wall for a bit and then closed her eyes, trying to force herself to sleep. A few minutes later, she still couldn't. Giving up, the young girl tossed her covers off and slipped onto the cold floor. The fire was dying, so the room was getting colder by the minute. Despite the spring that had arrived, nights were still fairly chilly at the castle.

Jack brushed her bangs back, annoyed at their length and sneaked over to her small cupboard. She quickly chose an outfit for the day and changed out of her nightgown. The young witch then grabbed her old bag, stuffing the books that she needed for class and some parchment and quills inside. She snuck out of the dormitory, careful not to wake Alicia. The girl's sleep was as light as a rabbit's. She would wake at the smallest sound.

As soon as she was on the steps, the young witch was allowed to make more noise. She put on her shoes there, not bothering with being absolutely quiet and rushing down the stairs. The common room was empty at this time of night (or morning) and Jack almost ran through it, not looking around. She pushed the portrait as she rushed out of the 'safe zone' and into the dark castle hallways.

The Fat Lady grumbled about being woken up, but the young witch didn't care. She couldn't sleep, and she wasn't planning on going back and trying to. She supposed that Fred had had a bad influence on her. Just a few months back a nighttime walk around the castle would've been the farthest thing from her mind. But, Jack had changed.

She wasn't the meek and fairly creepy girl, utterly obsessed with dragons anymore. Well, she was still obsessed with dragons. With a small, but cheerful, smile at the thought of the winged lizards, the short haired witch ran around the familiar corner and then rushed behind the tapestry to find the hidden shortcut. She truly was spending too much time with Fred. She knew the hidden paths of Hogwarts like the back of her hand now. Well, those that the twin was gracious enough to share with her.

Hearing footsteps at the end of the narrow corridor, Jack froze, creeping to the end of the hidden passage. She caught a glimpse of a tall woman in beige, walking with complete grace. Professor Vasilescu was on the patrol. Jack held her breath, her heart beating wildly as she watched the woman pause and then turn around quickly. Her straight blonde hair flew around her shoulders with the momentum and Jack could've sworn that her eyes flashed yellow for a moment.

A trick of the light, she assured herself. Dumbledore was the greatest wizard of their time; he wouldn't allow someone dangerous to work as a Professor at the school. Besides, Vasilescu was very nice to her. Jack liked the strange teacher of DADA. Angelina's face popped into her head as she thought that. Her dark-skinned friend always complained how the woman was creepy. Well, she could form a club with Weasley, thought Jack, her nose wrinkling in disdain.

The tall Professor soon left, the heels of her shoes clanking delicately down the hallway. Jack waited for a moment longer before exiting her hiding place and rushing the opposite way. She wondered if she could try wearing heels. Charlotte, the Ballycastle Bats Keeper, sometimes wore them. The redhead was definitely the shortest one on the team, and she occasionally tried to give herself a boost with the fancy shoes. Then again, compared to Charlotte King, Jack was a very clumsy person. Remembering the incident from Lucky Zeke's birthday party last year (Lucky Zeke's birthdays were always celebrated with quite a bit of drinking involved), the short witch dismissed the idea of heels.

Jack finally stopped once she reached her destination. She snuck into the Transfiguration classroom with a quick 'Alohomora' (which embarrassingly took two tries to work) and looked around. The room was dimly lit by the moonlight, but it kept switching between the dark and light. She would need to create a light source. Luckily enough, Jack was good at those spells.

The young witch looked once more at the Professor's desk, almost expecting McGonagall to be sitting there, staring at her disapprovingly over her glasses. However, the space was empty. Jack placed her bag on the closest desk and pulled her wand out of her sock. With one complicated motion and a low murmur of 'Plura Lumos' the room slowly filled with tiny shining balls of energy, lighting up. Jack waved them over with her wand, making them arrange in a chandelier shape and stay hovering over her desk of choice.

The young witch then settled into her chair and pulled out her current reading material. It was a muggle book called 'Interview with the Vampire' by Anne Rice. So far, she had been amazed by it and was very much looking forward to the ending. Of course, there were some mistakes in the myth of vampires, but she was willing to overlook those. The story was too good to pass.

Time seemed to fly by, and Jack was awoken by knocking. Her head shot up from the pages of her book and she figured that she had fallen asleep at some point. Strangely, there had been no nightmares. There was another bout of knocking and the young witch looked around. Sure enough, there was the source. Her beautiful large owl was staring at her through the window, looking quite cross with her for some reason.

Jack chuckled, and then headed over to open the glass. Aras flew in with a disgruntled hoot. "What's wrong, my adorable, monstrous bird?" The owl seemed to cheer up a tad at the words, but he still ruffled his feathers in annoyance. "Alright, I will write a letter to send to Pa at breakfast. I promise." At this, the giant bird seemed to cheer up a bit. He settled in his usual seat, on Jack's shoulder, as she extinguished the lights that were sill floating about the desk with a wave of her wand.

"Let's get to the Great Hall." The small witch rambled. "I don't know about you, but I would die for some bacon right about now." Jack picked up her book to pack it when a piece of parchment fell out of the pages and onto the stone floor. The small witch sighed, ignoring it. She knew well enough what it was.

Jack threw the strap of her bag over her shoulder and hurried out of the classroom. Aras hooted and left her shoulder as she walked. "Wait!" The witch turned. "Where are you going? Aitvaras!" Soon enough, the owl was back, carrying a familiar piece of parchment in its beak.

He hooted happily through it as he settled on her shoulder, handing it to the witch. She accepted the letter with a somber frown. Aras made another cooing noise from his seat, happy with his usefulness. Jack didn't move for a moment, staring at the cursive letters in green ink on the top of the page.

Dear Miss Knight,

We were very honored to receive your application for our 'Friendly Beasts' summer camp. However, we regret to inform you that-

Jack crumpled the parchment in her fist and stuffed it into her bag. "Good job, Aras. Thank you." She told him sadly, but without ill-intent. Her owl had meant to do something useful for his mistress. In an absentminded state, the young witch walked onwards to the Great Hall, lost in thought.

She had received the letter some time ago, yet with the whole 'Secret Nightly Investigation With Git (Who Turned Out Not To Be Such A Git) Number One' her mind had been taken off it slightly. She had been rejected for the camp. Apparently, a first year wasn't good enough. She needed more experience. They were aiming at the third years who were already taking Care of Magical Creatures. They thought that wizards were more suitable, rather than witches.

The responder from the Dragon Sanctuary (Mathilda Bethany Harper, Head of Human Resources) had provided plenty of reasons why Jack's application was rejected. She had read the letter so many times that she had learned them all by heart.

Now, Jack wasn't one to be depressed by a little setback. No, she would fight against all the factors and get her summer with the flying lizards. But, there were also some things that she couldn't change. Like, was there going to be a camp in two years? How will she ever get experience with dragons without the camp? She couldn't change her gender. She was too young and too inexperienced for her dream camp.

Altogether, Jack had found herself straying away from the numerous dragon-themed things that she owned (let's face it, those took more than a half of her trunk), as the mere thought of the flying lizards made her think of the recent rejection. She had even stopped carrying the heavy, leather bound Encyclopedia in the Making that she always had with her. True, her shoulder felt light as a feather now, but there was a certain weight on both her mind and back that she couldn't shake off.

Dragons were something that defined her. They were a part of her being. Jack without dragons was like Angelina without Quidditch. Like Alicia without a new crush every week. Like Lawrence without Muggle jokes.

"Jack!" The short witch turned around and waited for a bit. Soon enough, two girls caught up with her. "Where were you this morning?" Angelina asked as the trio went to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"I woke up early and went for a walk." The short witch supplied with a smile. A little white lie won't hurt her friends. After all, she really wanted to avoid another fight with Angelina about her little obsession. Not to mention that the dark skinned first year would strongly disapprove of her little midnight walk around the castle.

"Well, you didn't miss much." Angelina walked to the Gryffindor table in a huff and sat down. Alicia and Jack exchanged a glance, also finding their spots. As their friend dug into her breakfast with gusto, Jack mouthed at Alicia over her head.

"What's gotten into her?"

"Sarah Millard." Alicia mouthed back with an over-exaggerated motion to Angelina's back. Sure enough, there was a sign there, floating just behind the first year's back. It clearly spelled out in bold red letters: I'm daft.

Jack frowned. "Can we remove it?" She mouthed, but Alicia just shook her head. "I see." The short witch murmured to herself. She grinned, her previous melancholic mood going away. "Then we retaliate." She whispered and turned around, looking for The Gossiping Duo. It was fairly easy to locate the two girls, as they were always surrounded by their band of worshipers.

Jack took out her wand, swishing it in a sharp, tugging motion and whispered a quick spell under her breath. Sarah Millard screamed as her, too short to be called a skirt, bottom hit the floor.

Hope you enjoyed!

Onto the reviews!

HenriaSownbinder: I'm glad that you liked it! She's definitely more comfortable with George, rather than Fred, as he is meaner to her xD Lee's dreads… Well, yep, they are pretty fascinating. And, seeing as Jack is an 'act first, think later' kind of a person, she would play with them and then apologize later if necessary.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

MalfoyTwin: I'm sorry for the long wait! :( No CharliexJack in this chapter, but there will be some soon! Honestly, I wasn't planning on it, but it was just too perfect to pass up. We've all had a crush or two on a senior or a friend's older brother, right?

Savage Kill: I'm not sure that Dmitry would enjoy not being in Slytherin xD He is a Slytherin through and through, hopefully, I will be able to show that throughout the story :D He enjoys knowledge, though, and surprisingly has found some understanding with McGonagall :)

Oh yeah, Jack crushing on Charlie was something that wasn't planned, but it is necessary. He is the friend's handsome older brother type that every girl has had a crush on. Not to mention their mutual dragon obsession. Hmmmm the twins reaction to Jack's feelings? They would probably tease and prank her xD Even worse for Charlie!

Growth sprout? Perhaps later on… She's still a little one for now :D

Thanks for the review!

CarlaAether: Thank you very much on the compliments! I'm totally blushing as I re-read the review xD Hopefully this chapter satisfies some of your curiosity? And probably opens more questions :D

Do review again, I always love to hear what my readers think :) You are my inspiration for writing!

Poseidon'sGryffindorDaughter: Thank you very much for the review! Hopefully you enjoyed this one!

Lady Syndra: Ooooooh! I was very happy to have you intrigued :D Probably, this chapter will answer some of your questions? And hopefully make you await the next one just as eagerly :D

I will really try and write faster this time (I'm a terrible slowpoke)

Clarydarcy: Thank you very much! I tried really hard with Jack and Dragon. My parents are divorced and I live only with my mum, so I've always wanted to have a good relationship with my dad (we do still speak, but he's not too present in my daily life). Jack is basically living my fantasy here :P He's a single dad who's really trying his best to raise the little menace.

I'm so glad that you like my portrayal of the twins! Believe me or not, they are the hardest to write, as I really love them and am trying to do them justice xD I've read a lot of fanfiction where they go a little astray in their character (Fred gets overly mad or George is too 'meek').

Anyways, I was very glad to receive that please with the chocolate and almonds (very yummy combination) and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter :D