A/N: I wanted to thank everyone who has commented so far. It's really great motivation. I also kind of wanted to apologize for the length of the chapters. I know a lot of people pride themselves on writing huge chapters and updating once a week, but with this, I can update more often and better translate the back and forth between Hermione and Draco. I hope that was coming across okay.

Thanks again!

Chaos.

Chapter Seven

Draco

Two weeks flew by faster than I thought it would. We submitted our plan for the ball to Dumbledore and McGonagall, who approved of everything, and spent the next week finding models of the things we wanted to include. Granger became an asset at that point, as much as I hated to admit it. The little mudblood had good connections with the tailor in Hogsmead and was able to gather the fabrics that we wanted to use from there. She was also great at drawing, so I left her to the task of sketching out the items we didn't want to buy if we didn't absolutely have to. I perfected the spell we needed so we could have the orb lighting as we had wanted. The presentation went off without a hitch, and we were told we would get the committee together in two weeks, during the first week of October, so we could set things in motion. One thing was sure: October would be crazy.

"I'm heading down to Hogsmead, Malfoy. Do you need anything?" Granger asked as we left the meeting. She had been a lot more… civil with me since we began this project. I hated how it was simply because that's who she was. Deep down, I don't think she gave a damn. She was just her usual, self-righteous, stuck up-

"Well? Do you need anything?" her words brought me out of that train of thought quickly.

"I was thinking of heading down there myself."

"Alright. I was just going to drop this stuff off and get changed, if you wanted to head down together. If not, you can go on ahead."

"Why would I want to go with you anyway?"

"I have to pick up more samples of fabric for the dance, and there's someone down there who might have those candelabras that we wanted. I want to buy locally, if we can, and I wanted to check some stuff out. I was also going to hunt for a dress before word gets out and all the good ones are taken. I wasn't sure if you'd want to come along for the first part, or if you'd wanted to get your costume as well."

"There's no way I'm getting my outfit from some small town tailor, so that last part is out of the question. As to the first… I guess I should, shouldn't I? I wish you would have mentioned it earlier. Just hurry up so we can leave already."

She only nodded, and we made our way to the dorm. She was in and out, as was to be expected of Granger, and we were on our way into town. The silence was almost unbearably awkward. I risked a glance in her direction and saw that her face was puffy, her eyes a little red, almost like she had been crying. It made me wish I had decided not to go with her. We checked out a few stores, actually finding some of the things we wanted, before heading into the tailors.

"I'll be hunting for costume designs while I'm in here as well, if you don't want to hang around. We can just check out the fabric, and you can be on your way."

"Sounds good to me, Granger."

"Hermione! Dear! I guess I'll be seeing a lot of you this year! Who's your friend? I don't think I've seen him in here before," a rather heavy set woman said as we walked in the store. She was pinning someone's dress, so I imagined that she was the tailor.

"Hello, Ms. Greenforth. This is the Head Boy, Draco Malfoy. We're here to look at some more fabric samples."

"Ah. Alright. You know where the books are, lass. Make sure that one doesn't break anything, you hear?"

"I'm sure I can keep him in line."

"Excuse me-!" I began, totally insulted by both of the women.

"Oh, Malfoy, just come on. It was a joke. We have to look at the swatches and stuff."

She led me to a back room filled with books of different fabric. The old bat who owned the shop organized them by color, so our search didn't take long. We found fabric for the chairs, tablecloths, drapes, and other accents. Granger took notes of the ones we liked, the ones we weren't sure of, and what items each fabric would be for. It pissed me off to see how organized she was.

"It must be a very boring life to lead if you're constantly making lists and organizing everything," I said. "Then again, I think boring suits you. You're about as plain as a doorknob."

She shot me a dirty look. "At least I'll have a list of all this stuff when you forget it. When planning something, it's important to make lists, or else the information just gets jumbled."

"You're borderline OCD, Granger."

"Not borderline, I actually do have obsessive compulsive disorder. It comes in handy most of the time."

I couldn't help it, I laughed. "Dear God, Granger, you're actually bonkers. This is like the greatest news I've heard all year."

She just sighed and shook her head, but I could see a smile playing on her lips as well. It made her look better, nice even, compared to that haunted look she had when we first started down here. All traces of her tears were just about gone. I cleared my throat and stood up from my chair before that thought was allowed to go any further.

"I'll leave you to it, then. I'm heading over to the Three Broomsticks, then back up to the castle. Have fun with your pathetic costume search."

"Whatever, Malfoy. I have everything handled here. Have fun with whatever it is you'll be doing."

"You know me, Granger. It's more like have fun with whoever I'm doing."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. It was so easy to piss her off, I thought as I left the shop. It was becoming a game, trying to break through that disturbing apathetic exterior she wore all the time. I enjoyed it, almost as much as I enjoyed Madam Rosmerta pouring me a shot of firewhiskey to go with my butterbeer. It wasn't cold enough out to warrant any of the warming effects from the drinks, but it was still nice. I found my thoughts drifting to that damned brunette again, so I asked for another shot. I would be damned if she was going to infiltrate my thoughts while I was trying to relax. No way in hell. I hated her.

Right?

That last thought burned so much more than any of the firewhiskey I had ever tried.