Fashionably Speaking

Hermione Granger

After the kidnapping, things went back to "status quo," I suppose. I avoided Malfoy like crazy. Whenever problems arose, I either confronted them boldly—think my speeches to Ron—or I avoided them completely.

My heart was in an awkward place. Part of me wanted to spend time with Malfoy… and the other part of it wanted to forget all of the "moments" we shared. Part of me thought that somewhere deep down, I loved him. The other part of me shuddered at the thought.

"June 3rd." Draco muttered from my doorway.

"What?" I asked. I mean, we were avoiding each other, but this was ridiculous! Only saying one or two words wasn't going to cut it. I wasn't a mind reader!

"That's the wedding date." He said with an emotionless face.

"Oh." I bit my lip and stared at the ground dumbly.

"On March 14, I'm having a formal ball to announce the date." He continued.

"Wasn't that what the last ball was for?" I asked slowly.

"I suppose… but this one is even more formal and the wedding will be predominantly the topic of discussion. Business matters seemed to overrule the last affair."

I didn't meet his eyes when I nodded. I couldn't stand avoiding him like this. I wished he would laugh and talk and be himself around me again. But I realized that I never really knew who he was, exactly.

"Here's some more gold. You'll need a formal gown, and the girls could use new ones, too." I took the pouch and ignored the increase in my heart rate when our hands brushed together.

"Thanks." I said slowly.

I never looked up at his eyes. I was too afraid of what I would see.

----

March 14 was a week away. Taking the gold he'd given me, I took the girls out of Malfoy Manor.

"Are we going to Hogsmeade?" Stella asked hopefully.

"No." I said kindly, trying not to disappoint her. "We're going to a muggle store."

"WHY?" Stella asked with disgust.

"Because I'm not going to buy us outfits… I'm going to make them." I explained patiently.

"How?" Luna asked, her wide blue eyes beaming.

"With some fabric and a sewing machine." I said simply. They both gave me blank stares. I laughed. "I'll show you soon enough."

After our conversation, we arrived in a small muggle shopping center. The girls were wearing simple sundresses, so they didn't stick out too much. I thumbed through the shelves of fabrics slowly.

"I like purple." Luna hinted. I smiled. I took a deep berry-colored silk from the shelf. I then got some sunny yellow tulle and black lace.

"What's your favorite color, Stella?" I asked her.

"Um…" She didn't answer me right away. I saw her looking through the patterned silk. "Can you get this?" She held up a gorgeous green and blue floral silk.

"Sure." I took the fabric from her and found matching tulle.

For myself, I took some pink, polka-dotted silk and some dark pink satin ribbon. I wanted to look spectacular, though I wasn't entirely sure why. Because you want Draco to think you're stunning. And you want him to say that to you. A voice inside my head sung.

That's not true. I argued with myself.

I took the fabric and rang it all up. I'd only spent about half the gold.

I took the girls back to Malfoy Manor immediately after we bought the fabric. I had brought along the few possessions I owned when I moved into the manor. My muggle things, like my sewing machine, were kept in a large trunk in the closet. I didn't need Malfoy to walk in and ask questions. I didn't need to be constantly reminded that I was a mudblood.

The girls followed me into my "living room." I took out my sewing box and machine from the depths of my bedroom closet and set it out on the coffee table.

"That thing is barbaric looking." Stella commented. I rolled my eyes.

Sewing had always been an escape for me. In school, whenever I was stressed, I would sew. I know, "Muggle appliances don't work in Hogwarts!" I managed to get around that using magic. Throughout school, I used a sewing machine without anyone finding out. Well, Dumbledore knew, but it was impossible to get anything past him. He let me use it, as long as I didn't tell anyone. I had to be super careful to not let anyone walk in on me sewing.

But anyway, back to sewing. In school, I made most of the clothes I wore under my robes. No one really knew that, though, because I didn't tell anyone. On days when we were allowed to dress "sans uniform", I often wore clothes I made myself. I got a load of compliments and people seemed to generally like my designs, but I still didn't share my talents with anyone.

I took out the purple silk and began to cut it into pieces. I took a measuring tape to Luna and then cut my pieces accordingly. I wasn't to keen on measuring… I mostly eyeballed my measurements and designs. I ran a piece of fabric through the machine and a nice, straight hem was created. Stella grabbed the silk from my hands and examined it.

"You know that in the wizarding world, you can do the exact same thing five times faster, right?" She asked cautiously.

"Yes, I know." I said. "But I hate using magic to make clothes! It's so much more fun the muggle way!"

"You sound like my grandmother." Stella rolled her eyes.

I gave her a blank face. "Narcissa Malfoy?" Stella prompted. I nodded. "Yeah, well, ever since her husband died, she's taken a liking toward muggle things. Daddy hates it… he calls her a 'muggle-loving Weasley-wannabee.'"

I burst out laughing. It was such a Malfoy thing to say!

"Grandma-ma is a fashion person." Luna said softly.

"Yeah, she does photo shoots and has her own runway projects. She doesn't design any of the clothes… but she promotes them and sells them in her chain of stores." Stella explained.

"Then where's the muggle part of this?" I asked slowly.

"She doesn't use a wizard camera… she likes black and white muggle still pictures, or something." She clarified.

I agreed. As much as the moving pictures in the wizarding world fascinated me, I preferred the look of muggle photographs. It was like that moment in time was captured; frozen, never to be returned to again. No matter what you did, that shot couldn't be redone. And you could never go back to that moment in time… the photograph was the only place you could relive it.

When the conversation stopped, I got back to my routine of measuring, cutting, pinning, and sewing. In about a half hour, I had an entire gown completed. The girls looked at me with amazement. I guess all my years of sewing paid off.

Luna tried it on and it fit her with perfection. It was a deep purple silk with yellow tulle sticking out from underneath. There was a little bit of lace around the neckline and sleeves. It was sort of medieval looking, and it was just as I'd pictured it in my head. She twirled the fabric around and raced out the door. "I'll let her wear it for a little while." I said with a smile.

"Hermione?" Stella asked slowly. "Do you think you could teach me to sew?"

I smiled. "Would your father consent to this?" I asked her, knowing he wouldn't.

"No." She frowned. "But I really want to learn!" She pouted.

"Why don't I talk to your dad about it?" I asked her. "I can be convincing if I want to be." I smirked.

"Thank you!" She hugged me and ran after her little sister. I cleaned up my supplies and went to look for the girls.

I found Luna in the hallway outside Malfoy's room. He was kneeling next to her on the ground, admiring his daughter.

"You said Granger made this?" He asked her with amazement. Luna nodded. "It's gorgeous!"

I turned the corner and they all looked up at me. "I'm glad you like it."

"Even if you did do it the muggle way, this is fantastic!" He exclaimed, picking up his daughter.

I couldn't hide a smile. "You know, my mother is a fashion coordinator…"

I shook my head. "It's just a hobby."

"You really could make this a career, Granger." He said in a serious tone.

"I've got my career right here." I said, patting Stella on the head.

He gave me a disbelieving look. "Granger… I'm talking to my mother about you."

"Fine," I muttered hopelessly. It wasn't possible to win against him.

Author's Note: Wow, another long chapter! I was asked how much longer this would be. Well... I don't know! I know how this is going to end, but I'm not sure how I'm getting there. I've written up to chapter27, but I'm still editing the last one. When I write, I think of things in blocks: begininng, random in-between stuff, and ending. I have to make this flow into the grand finale I've got up my sleeve. FINALE SPOILER: The finale is going to be in almost every major character's point of view. So basically, it's the same thing, just through everyone's eyes. NEXT CHAPTER SPOILER: The next chapter has some more about Narcissa and her business. It's pretty funny... and yeah. I'll stop now. Thanks for the reviews... I look forward to reading them!