Dauntless Dimensions

Chapter XI

Not A Daunted Day

Harry couldn't help but smile widely at Stephanie, as she sat next to him in the Leaky Cauldron, buzzing in excitement, as she cuddled his right arm to her body. They were waiting for Hermione, and Ginny and Luna, as Luna's father had been only too happy to let her join Ginny in staying with Harry, and making some new friends.

"Come on, stupid fire!" Stephanie said eagerly staring at the large stone fireplace, which would soon spit out two girls who would hopefully become her new friends, as she wasn't sure how Hermione would arrive, as she didn't have a magical family; she wasn't sure how they did things.

Then it happened. The flames turned from red to green, and blazed up, and there they were: a blonde girl with blue eyes, and a red head with brown eyes.

"Harry!" Ginny called out in shy delight as she rushed over as he stood with Stephanie, and she hugged onto him tightly before pulling back. "This is my best friend, Luna Lovegood!" she introduced her.

"It's a pleasure, Luna," Harry said, taking the blonde girl's hand, and kissing the back while she, Ginny, and Stephanie blushed, though the latter did roll her eyes, she half wondered whether she could try that on a girl sometime, as it just looked like it would be teasingly fun.

"Harry!" they were interrupted as a bushy haired girl with hazel eyes rushed over from the door from the muggle world, and hugged hold of Harry, only to be held tightly in return, before he let her go.

"Hey, Hermione!" Harry said with a wicked grin while Stephanie tugged his left arm. "Of course, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Stephanie!" he said smugly introducing the girls to each other. "Steph here will be in your year, Gin, with you and Luna!"

"It's nice to meet you!" Hermione said enthusiastically shaking her hand before she had a chance to try the hand kiss thing, and she pouted at Harry's look, as he must have noticed what she just failed at.

"Yes. Nice to meet you!" Ginny agreed while Luna nodded dreamily in agreement.

"Ginevra!" Ginny grimaced as the rest of her family followed out of the fire. "I told you and Luna not to rush on ahead!" Molly Weasley, Ginny's mother reprimanded.

Hermione was just with her father, and he approached with a befuddled smile at Mrs. Weasley. "Molly Weasley… isn't it?" he asked, and she nodded readily. "Sorry, I'm always terrible with names. Anyway, I don't mean to seem rude, but I've been rather busy as late with the holidays, and extra clients. I was hoping it would be okay to leave Hermione with you, she did say that, Harry had asked, and then she'll be going home with Harry, and I believe your daughter will be spending the holiday too? She has enough money to be dealing with her supplies, and she needs some new robes… and-."

Molly Weasley laughed and smiled brightly as she interrupted. "Don't worry dear… Hermione is always welcome to join us. If you have to work, by all means; unfortunately, my husband, Arthur gets those days too, now more than ever since the promotion."

Mr. Granger sighed in relief and smiled at his daughter. "Now, Hermione, be a good girl for Mrs. Weasley, and Harry's… fathers, and I'll probably see you for Christmas," he said, kissing his daughter's forehead, and hurrying away, and out of the pub.

"Come on everyone. Let's go shopping then!" Ginny cheered as she grabbed Luna and Stephanie by the hand each since the three of them would be in the same year, and tugged them to the back door that would lead into the magical shopping district of London.

Stephanie was wowed by everything as she hadn't seen Diagon Alley before, and was rather fond of Ginny and Luna straightaway, as it would be nice to have girl friends closer in age than she and Tanith ever were, as they went shopping, and she discovered they were both rather interesting, and extremely knowledgeable, and helpful, as she was technically a muggle-born. Hermione stayed back with Harry talking about the vacation she went on with her parents, but she was also rather helpful and nice to her.

Though, Stephanie felt rather uncomfortable that Ginny's family were a lot poorer than her because Harry paid for everything she needed because she couldn't access her money from her world. Though, Stephanie knew that Harry would buy Ginny any and everything she wanted, but Ginny and her family were too proud, and wouldn't accept straight out handouts like that. Though, Ginny's father had recently gotten a few promotions, and was making a lot more money; they felt that dealing with their more pressing bills first was the best way to do things, which was rather sensible.

However, Harry wouldn't let Ginny have a second-hand wand. He was rather insistent on buying Ginny a brand-new wand, so that she could be the best her, she could be. Harry offered it as Ginny's birthday present, since it was her eleventh birthday in just two days. Ginny and her mother had still been reluctant, but for the fact, he was also buying Luna her wand, as a late birthday present, and she had no problem accepting, and therefore, Ginny had no choice.

Therefore, Harry led, Ginny, Luna, and Stephanie to the Wand Gadget Shop with Hermione while Molly Weasley said for them to stay together, and meet up in two hours at the bookstore.

"Hello!" a young woman said greeting the children as they entered the store, and Harry noted that she wasn't the owner's daughter, so they must have been doing well enough to start hiring staff. "Let's see whether I can get this right… three new wands?" she asked hopefully looking over Ginny, Luna, and Stephanie.

"Yes!" Hermione said looked as if she was awed. "Harry and I are second years, and already have our wands."

The young woman nodded readily. "Okay then, to find your wands, just walk through the section, and touch any one you feel like, and trust me; you'll know it when you find your wand."

The three girls excited, started picking up wands while the young woman followed them, and made sure they didn't wave wands around if they hadn't been chosen, as she already had to repair a few shelves that day from wand waving.

There were several other assistants around the shop, four of which were guiding three or four new first years around the wand aisles each, and one assistant had an older gentleman who looked to be in his forties, looking sheepish as he likely broke his previous wand, and may have seen the deals they had, and couldn't resist checking out the store. Harry was glad the shop was doing so well as he looked around to see other older students looking around for new wand straps, or other school stationary supplies, and other little gadgets and nick-nacks. A few of the other students said hello, or gave a nod of greeting, but they didn't see anyone they were on 'hanging out' terms with.

"This is it!" Ginny suddenly squealed out in delight as she held a blue metallic wand of some kind. Harry smiled as she looked so excited, and it was rather adorable, as both Luna and Stephanie pouted in disappointment as they had yet to find their wands, and looking there were tens of thousands of wands waiting for them to try their luck with them, so it could take a while longer.

The woman laughed as they waited as she boxed up Ginny's wand, and tied it with a little ribbon, before handing it to Ginny to wait for her friends to finish.

Harry grinned as he got Ginny's attention and gestured to the wand holsters, and she looked confused. "You have your Hogwarts letter, don't you?" he asked, and she nodded as she pulled it from her pocket. "Well, first years buying their first wand from here, get a half price wand holster to keep your wand safe, so I wouldn't want to waste a deal like that, so go and pick one out."

"A-are you sure?" she asked embarrassedly.

Harry chuckled and gave her a hug, "of course I am, and you deserve a treat for being so kind as to take Steph in straight away."

Ginny's cheeks were on fire, but she smiled widely. "She's pretty fun, so I'm good!" she said as Hermione grabbed her hand with a smirk and tugged her over to the holsters to pick one out, and Ginny saw the signs showing off the First Years promotion, and she was wowed as she had never seen signs like them before; bright and colourful, or special promotions come to think of it.

Harry chuckled before turning his attention back to Stephanie and Luna, as they hunted down their wands. It was only ten minutes later than Stephanie held up a smoky coloured wand, and just stopped and stared at it in surprise. However, just a couple of shelves down, Luna paused a second later while holding a creamy coloured wand with a similar look. The two girls turned to each other with identical grins before turning to Harry as the assistant wrapped up their wands and handed them back.

"Come on, lets pick you out a wand holster each too," Harry said as he led the girls and the smiling assistant to join Hermione and Ginny, and the three of them had soon gotten their holsters and Harry paid at the counter with all three of their Hogwarts letters getting a sparkly purple magical stamp saying: The Wand Gadget Shop.

Stephanie surprised Harry once outside, as she smirked and thread her fingers through his as she held his right hand in her left. They hadn't talked much about what they were to each other, but neither refused the other any contact, and they were just comfortable being together, and they had kissed once, the day before, as Stephanie got a little over eager about their trip, and it just happened, and they just kissed for a short while, holding each other, thankful they were alone at the time, but neither of them felt they needed to say anything right then; they were new to all of it, and extremely young gods, so they didn't need to rush things, as they had forever together. Though, that thought was a little scary, it was also exciting.

"So, Steph needs to get her robes, and… wait, then so do you, Gin, Luna…?" Harry asked rhetorically, and turned to Hermione. "And you need some new robes, and I think I should buy some new ones too, thinking of it, I've grown a bit."

"Oh, my mum will get me something!" Ginny quickly said as Harry was leading them into a clothes store called Strawberry Stripe that had some first-year deals, which seemed to have caught on.

"Can I help you?" a young woman asked.

Harry nodded. "Kit up all four of them for Hogwarts please, and me too, if you don't mind!?"

"Harry!" Ginny hissed embarrassedly.

"It's all on me!" he said sharply smirking at Ginny. "Last time I promise, but if you're going to be engaged to me, you will only wear new. If it will make you feel better, Gin, do amazingly at school, and you can pay me back once you get an amazing job… or become a quidditch star or something. I know you love quidditch!"

Ginny sighed as she nodded her head in defeat as Stephanie laughingly pushed her after the woman while Harry went off to find assistance in the men's section.

"Look, Ginny…" Stephanie said while tape measures attacked the four girls by themselves. "Harry takes sick pleasure in the happiness of others… well those he likes. Seriously, it's kind of annoying. He feels bad about all the marriage stuff with all these girls, and not getting much of a say, and he cares about you guys a lot, and I know you feel weird about accepting expensive things, but he wants to make sure you have some nice stuff… and its only clothes… and us looking cute makes him look better by extension, and don't make us look bad either!"

Hermione and Luna snickered while Ginny pouted and half-sulked rather cutely, as Stephanie offered a smug grin. Ginny tried not to complain too much as Harry paid for everything the girls wanted without batting an eye, and Stephanie made sure that Ginny got some new outfits for outside of school too, and took her own sick pleasure in stripping and dressing Ginny like a doll to try on lots of things while Hermione and Luna helped search for items, though the three of them also got a few new outfits out of Harry too, Ginny was pampered with them before everything was sent on to Harry's cottage manor.

However, when they finally got to the bookshop, after having gotten the rest of their school things, they were first surprised to see that a 'pureblood' establishment had started copying the muggle-born ran shops with deals and offers. However, they were further surprised to see a queue leading out of the door, so they did the only thing they could do. They rudely pushed their way through the people into the shop, as they had no interest in some weird author's autograph.

It took a while for Harry and Stephanie to find all their books as they left the other three to their own vices since Mrs. Weasley was in the shop rushing around to get her kids the books they needed, and Harry found it amusing that Ron was being used like a pack mule, and was sulking.

Once Stephanie and Harry had all the books; they waited in a queue. They had thought it led to the tills. However, they came to the uncomfortable realisation that the queue they were in was to see the ridiculous loser, about the gaudy Defence books they had to buy for the new year. The queue's end must have moved inside, as this man couldn't have had that many fans in the magical UK that it would last that long.

The man was cheerfully smiling with blindingly bright white teeth, that actually-twinkled, and he was with a daily prophet reporter taking pictures of him with some of the people getting their books autographed with some seriously cringy personalisation's. He was a pansy from what Harry could see. He recognised him from the pictures on all his Defence books: Gilderoy Lockhart.

Lockhart, seemed to have radar for potential front pagers, as he looked up sharply, and frowned at Harry, as Harry did have a few pictures in the papers to recognise him from since he didn't have the scar. It was that whole deal with Sirius and getting his set free that got a few pictures shot of him.

"Why I never," Lockhart declared in glee, as he rushed over to Harry. "It's Harry Potter!" Harry rolled his eyes as the store went quiet with excited murmuring, and Harry sighed as he let Lockhart pull him to the front of the shop causing all his books to fall to the floor.

"Hey," Harry then said angrily. He then stamped on Lockhart's foot, causing the moron to scream like a baby as Harry might have at least fractured a bone, but in the magical world that wasn't much of a problem, and while defending yourself in the muggle UK was a grey area, in the magical world it was expected.

Harry smirked as the man grabbed his foot, tears streaming down his face. Harry looked as if he punched Lockhart lightly in the stomach next. However, they all heard the hit and the man doubled over in pain.

Lockhart looked up, breathing laboured through his tears in horror. It felt like he had been hit by a freaking beaters bat, and the boy looked as if he was trying to be gentle. No, how could that be possible. Then Harry gave him a light flick to the forehead, causing the man to topple over backwards with a crash, unconscious on the floor. Harry was supposed to guide heroes, not let lying pieces of scum take credit for, and exaggerate the deeds of others. The worst thing was, as a fiction writer, Lockhart could have had real fame, selling his books in the muggle and magical worlds.

"Bloody moron," Harry said turning around and ignoring the gaping crowd and photographer that was taking pictures gleefully, and started picking up his books. "How would he like it if some weirdo tried dragging him off," Harry mumbled to himself as he collected his fallen books. Then chucked. "He would probably love it."

Harry then looked at the staring crowd and shrugged. "I don't think I'll pay for these books," he said to no one in particular. "Compensation for being attacked. This place should have security guards to stop weirdos like him from trying to nab twelve-year-old boys." Harry then dropped all his books into Ginny's cauldron. "Here Ginny, you might as well keep these ones, I'll just buy my own!" he said smugly while Stephanie was in a state of monstrous giggles as Harry somehow had another set of books waiting for him with her, and looked so smug about his trick as he secretly paid for all their books anyway, and got a huge discount on every single one from the clerk, and plenty of apologies for Lockhart bothering him.

"You, okay, Steph?" Harry asked as she was still snickering, but she nodded as they headed towards the exit when they paused as a smug bleach blonde boy with hair slicked back stepped in their way.

"Think you're clever, do you Potter?" Malfoy spat out, and from his eyes; it was obvious that he instantly regretted it, but couldn't help himself.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Hmm… well I normally let my grades speak for themselves, but they're pretty meh to above average, so I'll just tell you. Yes, I do think I'm clever." he responded. It was always fun to piss of some twit being an arsehole, and Draco Malfoy was being the definition of an asshole right then. That kind of made it even more enjoyable.

Malfoy's eyes had widened for a brief moment before a sneer erupted ten-fold on his face. "Think you're funny do you Potter?" he demanded angrily grounding his teeth.

Harry shrugged impishly. "Why yes I do. Now, move aside or I'll bitch-slap you from now into next week." Stephanie was having a great time, and realised from the ferretish boy paling that he knew he probably shouldn't wrong side Harry, but the poor sod had obviously been damaged somewhere down the road.

"Are you threatening my son, Potter," came a sneering voice as a man with long bleach blonde hair approached.

Stephanie snorted. "It sounded like it to me!" she interjected, "but if you don't want your little baby beaten up, perhaps you should have taught it some manners?"

Draco's father looked taken-a-back for a moment before glaring harder. "You dare speak to me like that, girl?" he said, but paused as Harry moved forward slightly, and he found himself taking a full two steps back, surprised as for that moment he had a flash of irrational fear; the fear like he felt a year ago.

"You shouldn't make threats you can't back up, boy!" Malfoy Sr. said, but looked rather uncertain now. "You… you touch my son, and I'll make you suffer."

Harry grinned dangerously, like a predator toying with a mouse, as he concentrated, and then with the click of his fingers, Draco got hit with a small blast of wind, as Skulduggery had been teaching him magic from their world too, and the boy crashed down into the world of dreams, as he slumped to the floor.

Draco's father stared from Harry to his son with a mix of fear and horror. What brought about the fear was the speed, and no use of a wand. He couldn't even tell what happened. And even worse, it looked weak – like Harry Potter chose not to put any effort into the magic.

Hermione stared in awe with her mouth hanging open. How the hell did he do that? She had thought she was seeing things when Harry effortlessly decked Lockhart. But now seeing this. She knew Harry was fit. She could feel his powerful muscles when he hugged her, but this was unreal. She had little doubt that the older Malfoy may soon be following his son to lala land if he didn't back down, and it seemed only Stephanie looked unconcerned with Harry's show of strength, like she knew more about his talents than anyone.

"Whops, I think I sneezed too hard!" Harry commented nonchalant with an amused shrug while many double-took as they were certain he didn't even pretend to sneeze.

"Why you little, mudblood!" Mr. Malfoy withdrew his wand, rage burning in his eyes. "Cruc…" he suddenly found Harry's hand around his wrist. It cracked, and Malfoy screamed in pain; his wand dropping to the floor from his now slack fingers. He then doubled over as Harry's knee hit his gut cracking a few ribs.

Malfoy Sr. screamed out in pain, spitting, and chocking up blood. Harry smirked as he grabbed the blonde man's hair and pulled him closer, cold fury in his eyes. Malfoy looked into those fierce cold emerald eyes with tears running from his, as he shook in terror, and it was like he just knew, the man with the sword and this boy knew each other somehow.

"Now you listen here you filthy little wept-blood!" Harry hissed angrily causing the man to flinch, almost causing some hair to rip out of his skull. "You and your filthy little murderers don't scare me! You're all a bunch of freaking cowards that can't do anything right! You and filth like you just think that life is but a game. And maybe it is! But I cheat so don't play with me or any of my friends! Next time you'll remember to keep your distance. Wizards shouldn't fight a street fighter at such close quarters! All I did was knock Draco out… he doesn't have to be like you. He can be better than that. It isn't too late for him, but it is for you, so any more Death Eating, and maybe the universe will just swallow you hole."

Harry then flung Malfoy Sr. nonchalant to the floor where he whimpered in pain, holding his gut as blood dribbled down his chin. Harry then crouched and picked up Malfoy Sr's. wand and snapped it, throwing the pieces to the man's feet.

"Retire from being a dickhead, Malfoy," Harry said coolly. "And maybe, Draco can get the out your father never left you."

"Can I beat up the next one?" Stephanie asked hopefully. Harry shrugged while she smirked. "But what is a Wept-blood? I know mudblood is like them being arsehats to witches and wizards born from normal people like I was, so… is it like the opposite, like their blood crying out for… well, new blood?"

"Wow!" Hermione said in shock. "I had to have Harry explain that to me. You two are scary, but maybe we should go," she said looking around at all the staring.

"Well, how about I buy you all an ice cream?" Harry suggested reasonably as Ginny was to one side staring in awe with Luna, both girls slowly nodded from their shock.

Therefore, Harry led his girls from the shop and down the street where the rest of the Weasley's would catch up a few minutes later with Ron and the twins awestruck with Harry's fighting talents, and though Mrs. Weasley wanted to reprimand Harry; his ability to fight made her feel better about everything, as he could and would look after Ginny, as she saw how protective he was over that Irish girl, she knew he would be of her daughter too.

to be continued…