Thank you sooo much to my one reviewer, Sunnyflower2005! I'm so glad you liked the first chappie! Oh, and if you're not Sunnyflower2005, and you're reading this, REVIEW! Please! Anyway, if you need a disclaimer, check the first chapter. It's there, right at the top. Ok, not much else to say, so on to the second chapter!

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Ch. 2 - A Day With Step-dad Dave

Katie opened her eyes begrudgingly at seven-fifteen the morning before she left for Hogwarts, intent on getting back to a regular sleeping schedule. Hopefully the sleeping aid she'd taken the night before had helped. or maybe she'd just made her mind shut up and let her sleep. Who knew?

Downstairs, Mum and Dave were cooking pancakes. Katie watched with hidden disgust as they slathered butter over the pan and ladled huge dollops of pancake batter over the butter. It sizzled and cooked for a few minutes and finally they turned the pancakes over, finished their cooking, and dropped them on a plate before turning back and putting more greasy butter down.

"Good morning, Kate. Do you want some pancakes?" Dave asked.

"No, thank you," Katie replied, ignoring the fact that her step-father had called her 'Kate.'

Mum frowned. "But we've got all these pancakes made!"

"I'm just not hungry," Katie said, loudly enough that no one else could hear her stomach growling. "All I want is an apple."

"Well, I guess we could always save them for later," Dave said. He watched as Katie picked out a bruise-free green apple and bit into it, smiling at the taste. 'I love apples.' "Why do you eat so many apples?"

Katie gave Dave a blank stare. What kind of question was that? Instead of answering, she turned to Mum and said, "So when are we leaving for Diagon Alley?"

"Actually," Dave began, and was met with a surprised glance from Katie. "Actually, Mum and I decided it would be better if you and I went together."

'Better?' Katie thought, 'Better?! How can a shopping trip with step-dad Dave be better than a girls' day out with Mum?' Katie and Mum had been shopping at Diagon Alley together since Katie's first year. Once or twice, Katie's Dad had come too, but usually he was too busy at the Ministry of Magic. But Dave? Dave was a muggle, for crying out loud!

"Mum, why can't we go together?" Katie whined. Silently she kicked herself; whining was low.

"The Ministry needs me today, dear," Mum said with a sad smile. "I took a day off at the beginning of the week, when Dave and I went to London. I can't miss it again!"

Katie frowned. Mum only worked three days a week at the Ministry, why did this have to be one of those work days?

"Go get ready, Katie, we're leaving in half an hour," Dave said briskly after finishing his meal. Katie opened her mouth to protest, but closed it after a moment. It was pointless to argue with Dave and Mum. So she headed back upstairs to shower, dress, and scour her room for as many galleons, sickles, and knuts she could find.

Forty-five minutes later Dave took the car keys out of one of the kitchen drawers and gestured towards the front door, but Katie shook her head. "There is no way I'm riding in a muggle car to Diagon Alley.

"Why?" Dave asked.

"Because I'm a witch," Katie replied coolly, and headed to the living room, where the fireplace sat. She took a handful of floo powder out of the pot near the hearth, tossed it in and yelled "Diagon Alley!" before jumping into the place and shutting her eyes tight. After a few moments she stumbled back out, grinning as she saw Diagon Alley around her.

"Oof!" she heard, and turned to see step-dad Dave lying on the floor, covered in soot. She couldn't help but laugh as she picked him up and dusted him off.

"You're telling me Mum's never taken you through the Floo Network?" Katie asked as they walked down the alley, but Dave didn't answer. He was staring around him, transfixed at the all the wizards and witches milling about, the stores that sold everything from broomsticks to Quidditch supplies, and the multitude of students age eleven to seventeen scurrying around.

"This is... amazing," Dave breathed after maybe ten minutes. Katie sighed. At this rate, she would never get her shopping done. Pulling out the list of supplies she needed, Katie took the poor muggle by the hand and headed in the direction of the bookstore.

"I'm just going to collect the books I need, you wait here by the door," Katie said, physically placing step-dad Dave to the left of the door. Then she quickly headed towards the books, collecting them all and checking them off on her list. When she returned to the front of the store, Dave was involved in a conversation with a wizard in his mid-thirties.

"Ah, here she is! Katie, this is Larry Turshel; Larry, this is my daughter, Katie."

Katie was so surprised at Dave's last words that she didn't even try to shake Larry Turshel's hand. She stared at Larry for a moment before turning her gaze upon Dave. Then she left the bookstore without a word.

Dave caught up with Katie at the apothecary, and watched mutely as she gathered the potions ingredients she needed. She dropped them all in a rather large cauldron and hauled it over to the potions man, completely refusing Dave's help.

"Thirteen galleons, seven sickles, please," the apothecary man said in a reedy voice. Katie fished out the money and paid.

"Would you mind if I kept this here while I finished my shopping?" she asked the man. He nodded, picked the cauldron up, and set it behind the desk.

"We close at dusk," he said, and Katie nodded and walked out.

Dave followed her as she did her shopping, not daring to verbalize. For that, Katie was grateful. Hopefully by the time he brought up the courage to say something, she would have cooled down enough. She doubted it.

Finally, their shopping done and the cauldron returned to Katie's arms, Dave spoke. "It's right around dinnertime. D'you want to get a bite to eat while we're here?"

With nothing better to say, Katie nodded and followed Dave as they strolled through Diagon Alley once more. Finally they found a nice, clean, small restaurant, and settled down at the one of the tables.

"Something to drink?" the waiter asked.

"I'll have a butterbeer, please," Katie said immediately. It wasn't on her diet, she knew, and she would probably gain an excessive amount of weight from it, but butterbeers were the one thing Katie couldn't live without. And with Dave here to torment her, she decided to indulge.

"I'll have the same," Dave said. Within minutes the butterbeers arrived, along with two menus. Katie took a large swallow and Dave followed suit, but immediately he blanched.

"A little young for beer, aren't you, Katie?" he asked.

Katie sighed. Not only was Dave a muggle, he was an American muggle.

"Don't tell me what I can and cannot drink," Katie replied as casually as she could.

"I'm not telling you anything, Kate, I was just-"

"Don't call me Kate."

"Ok."

Silence. Katie opened her menu and glared at it. Most of the choices were some form of meat, pasta or white bread, lavishly buttered. Finally she found the salads, and, now knowing her order, listened as Dave ordered first.

"I'll have... a hamburger with all the fixings, a baked potato on the side, and... Do you think I could have a slice of that delicious chocolate cake right there?" he asked, pointing to a picture.

"Of course, sir. And for you, madam?"

Katie swallowed hard. "Yes, I'd like the number three salad please, with green peppers."

"What kind of dressing would you like? We have Ranch, French, the Chef's Special-"

"No dressing, please."

"Very good then. Any dessert?"

"None."

"Your food will be ready shortly." With that, he took the menus and hurried away.

Dave played with the napkin in his lap, and Katie stared off into the distance, trying to calculate how many calories she'd ingested that day.

"You don't eat much, do you, Kate-y?" Dave asked, a little hesitant on pronouncing Katie's name correctly.

"No, I don't."

"Why?"

'Because my stomach shrank. It's really quite helpful,' Katie thought. Instead of saying this, she replied, "I just don't get hungry, that's all."

"You're awfully thin. Maybe you should..."

"I'm perfectly healthy."

Dave nodded. For a moment Katie felt bad for him; she was being awfully hard on the man. He was in love with her mother, yes, but he couldn't change that. He hadn't meant to steal Dad's spot.

"Listen, Kate-y, I'm sorry for what I said in the bookstore today," the man said in a rather small voice.

"Then why did you say it?" Katie asked, trying not to sound as demanding as she felt.

"I just - I don't really know, actually. I think perhaps I could call you my daughter without you getting very mad at me-"

"Please," Katie whispered, "Please, never call me your daughter. I'm not your daughter, and you're not my father." Tears were swelling in her eyes. She blinked them back rapidly and looked up at the ceiling. "My father is Isaac Bell. Mum married him seventeen years ago, and divorced him in February of this year. And no matter how hard you try, you will never replace him."

Dave opened his mouth to reply, but the food had come. He sighed audibly and began eating his hamburger. Katie nodded, filled her fork with salad, and ate in complete silence.

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Hmm, that was a bit depressing, now, wasn't it? Poor Katie... poor Dave! I'm sorry to say that if you didn't like this chapter, you probably won't like the rest. So, don't flame me, I beg, just leave.

Next chapter, Katie finally heads off to Hogwarts! As this is set in the third book, you'll just have to deal with the dementors. Must follow the book!

R/R or I'll steal Oliver's broom! (Hmm, that sounds fun...)