The REAL Me!

Thanks to: Everyone who wrote a review. I'll put names in the next chapter.

THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYONE WHO PUT ME UNDER THERE FAVORITE AUTHOR/STORY LISTS! TO ME THAT IS A REAL HONOR! THANKS FOR MAKING MY DAY!

Before I start with chapter seven I have a random question that I would like to ask. I want to know how many of you readers are male and how many are female? I told you it was random! My friend has this theory that only girls and gay guys read this kind of romantic type stuff! I hope this all makes since!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to J.K. Rowling except my own copies of her books and movies, a monthly calendar, a daily calendar, a planner, and a few posters! LOL!

A/N: Please be patient! It will be R rated soon, but right now in my story they are a little to young to be doing anything that would give it that rating. I am not one to write child pornography! LOL! Those who do write that kind of stuff….yikes! Stay away!

Ch. 7 Dinner and Gifts

Dinner the next night didn't go the way Dad had hoped it would. He had decided that he would cook for Draco and me. You would think that being a Potions Master he would be a great cook. I mean cooking requires you to measure things out and follow directions just like potions. Well, you would think that wouldn't you? I guess he was just nervous. He made us spaghetti with garlic bread on the side. He cooked the noodles to long and put way too much of some kind of spice in the sauce. The garlic bread had way too much garlic and not only that it was burnt.

There was little conversation going on at the table. Dad and I would talk about school and other wizard type things that I had missed growing up. Draco would grunt every once in a while I guess to just to remind us that he was there. By the time we were on the topic of flying lessons, Dad had had enough of Draco's attitude. "Draco could you please try to have some manners?" He asked and Draco replied, "I'm sorry Uncle Sev, but it is hard to do so with people who are practically filthy little mu…!"

That is all he could get out before Dad had stood up and started yelling, "DRACO TAYLOR MALFOY! YOU ARE EXCUSSED FROM THIS TABLE IMMEDIATELY! I WILL NOT TOLERATE THAT KIND OF BEHAVIOR!" I had never seen Dad that angry before. It almost scared me. Draco stood up from the table and walked out the door without so much as looking at either Dad or myself. It had gotten completely silent. I had grown very tense. Finally the silence was broken when Dad had turned to me, "Hermione, sweetheart, I am so sorry that I left you with those muggles. I should have gone with you. I could have gotten a job somewhere else and you and Draco could still be secret friends with out Lucius knowing. This is all my fault."

For the second time in two days my father had apologized for my life. I had had enough. "Dad," I interrupted, "listen to me. You did what you thought was best. Yes I didn't get to grow up with you but at least I grew up and am here with you now. And Yes I did loose my best friend but I have and will make others. Draco and I may or may not be able to be friends again. I don't blame him for being a prat about this. How would you feel in his place? I guess what I am trying to say, Dad, is that what happened, happened and it isn't your fault so stop apologizing."

My dad had looked at me with tears in his eyes. He knew I was right. He gave me hug and told me that he just want to be a good father and was having a hard time. I assured him that he was doing a great job and hugged him one last time as I excused myself to go to bed.

The follow Thursday was to be my first flying lesson. I was not looking forward to it at all. First of all I hated heights. Second, the Gryffindors had their lessons with the Slytherins, which meant that Draco would be there. Third, flying isn't something that you can learn form a book and I didn't want to embarrass myself.

The morning of, Neville and I were reading Quidditch Through the Ages trying to at least learn the basics before we had to actually get on a broom. We were interrupted when mail started to arrive. Neville had received a small package from his grandmother. It contained a remembrall. He was very ecstatic about it and was telling us all about it when Draco showed up and took it from him. 'I can't believe I was ever friends with him,' I thought to myself as Professor McGonagall showed up to stop the commotion.

At three-thirty our lesson had stated. Well, you all know what happened there so I really don't need to relive that moment. When McGonagall came to get Harry, my heart almost stopped. I had hated Draco more then than I ever had. Because of him, Harry would be sent home. I was mad, that is until I learned that instead of getting expelled Harry had made seeker of the Quidditch team. Oh how I couldn't wait to see the look on Draco Malfoy's face.

I am trying to hurry up through the stuff you already know so bare with me. Well you know about the wizard's duel and how I had tried to stop it. I knew it was a trick. We had a very close call with Filch and the huge three-headed dog that I learned later was named Fluffy. I had noticed the trapped door almost right away. When I told Harry and Ron about it they were being very rude. I was just trying to be friends with them and that was how the repaid me. I decided to talk to dad about the trapped door.

I went upstairs and wrote him a letter about what happened and he replied almost immediately.

Hermione,

I understand that you were trying to protect Harry and the Weasley boy but you need to learn to mind your own business. They will get caught one day and it would be best if you were not with them when they do. They put your life in danger when you went through that door. And speaking of that door, I don't want to hear you talking about it again. Is that understood? There is a reason that it is there and you all are not supposed to know about it. If Harry and the Weasley are trying to figure it out please inform me. I will put a stop to it. In the meantime how about we have dessert tomorrow night after dinner? I promise I will not cook it. I will bring it with me from the great hall. Get some sleep. You have class tomorrow.

Love,

Dad

I had done what Dad had asked. I just ignored every thought I had about that trapped door. I even ignored Harry and Ron when they were talking about it. In fact I wasn't talking to them at all. Dad was right; they had put my life in danger last night. Draco was surprised, again, to see Harry still at school. 'I wonder if Dad had invited him to dessert as well?' I though.

After dinner I went to have dessert with Dad. I was expecting to see Draco there. Half of me wanted him there and the other half didn't. To my surprise, Draco was not

there. I was thankful that I got to spend some time alone with my father. He apparently wanted to 'get to know me' better. There was something fishy about the way he was so persistent on wanting to know all the answers. I found out later the reason why. The next week was my birthday. I was so busy with school that I had forgotten, well he had remembered. I was sitting in class that day when prefect from Hufflepuff had walked in.

"Excuse me Professor, but Professor Snape would like to speak with Miss. Granger in his office." I was excused and ran to my dad's classroom where his class had been dismissed. He had never called me out of class before so I thought it was an emergency. I couldn't see him anywhere, so I called out for him.

"Dad? You here?"

"In here sweetheart!"

"Dad, what's wrong? Are you o..ok…"

When I had walked into his office, I was surprised to see balloons, and banners that read 'Happy Birthday Hermione!' In the corner of the room there was a small cake with the same words on it. Dad had seen me look at it and assured me that he didn't make it. When he had said that I had noticed for the first time all the people in the room. Of course there was my dad but he had invited Dumbledore, Draco, and to my surprise Aunt Narcissa. She had tears in her eyes. "Look at you. My little 'Mione has all grown up. Oh Sev, she starting to look just like her mother," with that said she pulled me into a suffocating hug. I don't think that she was planning on letting go. In fact Dad had to pry her off of me.

After Aunt Narcissa let go, my dad had pulled me into a hug as well. "Happy birthday, pumpkin!" "Thanks Daddy!" Dumbledore had ended the silence, "Alright now, come on, lets open all of these gifts and eat the cake. We don't have much time. The next class starts in half an hour. Draco had stayed in comer of the room the entire time, clearly not wanting to be there.

I loved all of my gifts. I had received a new journal from Dumbledore who said that my mother used to keep one. I got some new clothes and some jewelry from Aunt Narcissa and Draco. Draco didn't like the idea that his name was on the card. The last gift was a thick silver bracelet with green vines and a single red rose placed in the center. On the inside 'Daddy's little princess' was engraved along with the initials S.S. and H.L.S.(Dad doesn't have a middle name) I guess you know who that was from. He also gave me a locket with a picture of him and my mother holding me on the inside. I hugged him after he helped me put them on. I was never going to take them off.

The bell rang and with a wave of his wand Dumbledore had the place cleared of all the birthday gear. Draco left the room in a hurry, not wanting to be seen. I said my good byes to everyone else and followed him. My next class was charms, and then the day was over. I fell asleep that night looking at the picture in my locket.