Dramione: The Truth Behind The Obsession
Dramione: The Truth Behind The Obsession
Part Two: Repercussions
After in the initiation of the relationship, the couple's main obstacle is definitely the reactions of their friends and family. Hermione faces opposition of the worst kind – she is forced to fight against her best friends and her fellow Light supporters. As Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore so rightly once said, "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends." However, from what Rowling has written about Hermione, I would assume that in the likely event that Harry, Ron, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Fred, George, Ginny etc were against her and Draco, she would only take it upon herself to fight harder to make it work.
Another scenario may be that she knows her friends would rather kill her (rather drastic, I think, but vaguely plausible) than see her involved with Mr Malfoy Junior, so she would be pressured into making a decision that nobody should ever have to make. Her friends, her beliefs and her family… or the love of her life. Though the books were not written from Hermione's point-of-view, we know enough about her to make a prediction. Though love is a strong emotion, she is a Gryffindor, and will undoubtedly stick with those who have stuck by her.
One can only imagine the inner turmoil she would face at having to choose between the two sides of her life… I feel it would be quite like splitting yourself in two.
We know that, up to a point, Draco very much agrees with his heritage – that Hermione, being a Muggle-born, is disgusting, untouchable, dirty blooded and not to be classed as human – though when the fic is from Draco's perspective, we witness the battles he stages with himself against falling for Hermione. Most of the time, they both see themselves in the worse situation, (in my opinion, humble as it may be, not a very Hermione-like attitude) as Draco faces a force that could kill him as easily as snapping a twig, and Hermione is poised to loose the respect and support of her fellow Order Members, (or classmates, if the fic in question is based at Hogwarts) and, more importantly, her two best friends.
As a Slytherin, Draco would see this as ridiculous, and the attitudes of the two rival houses would clash: Slytherin, look after number one; and Gryffindor, love thy neighbour as thyself etc. The better fics do not have a perfect run, and the couple must come to blows about something and overcome it for it to be seamless relationship in my eyes.
Post-Deathly Hallows AU fics address a much matured version of the Draco Malfoy we knew and hated. Some show an estranged Hermione or Draco, maybe living in the Muggle world, fighting a battle of their own, or nursing an age-old wound, but nearly every time on their own, with no-one to turn to in their 'hour of need.' Indeed, this is really quite irrelevant to this section's title, ("repercussions") but I rather think that this in itself makes it completely significant, as it is sometimes the fact that they have no-one that drives them together, and not that those that they have being too close to them driving them apart.
If the ever-prominent friends give the relationship a taboo, it gains a sense of foreboding, which adds to the excitement, especially if the liaison is being kept a secret. This then supplies authors with the extra 'kick' they need to write a truly wonderful story, and move it along at points of real low. Those who care about Hermione would automatically condemn the involvement, but as I indicated above, this merely adds to the general exhilaration of a fic, as Dramione fiction is all about the thrill of the chase.
I will return to this issue in later chapters, but I believe it deserves a mention here. Unrequited love results in low self-esteem, anxiety, and rapid mood-swings between depression and euphoria. These 'symptoms' would entail a dejected outlook on all other aspects of the admirer's life, with different consequences for either half of the couple. Hermione's work would become sloppier; her friends would be alarmed if she spent all her time pining over a certain blond ferret; any romantic feelings between her and Ron would dissolve into nothingness; and, in her opinion, her life would loose purpose.
Draco, on the other hand, would stand to loose much, much more than a few 'Outstandings' in his OWLs or NEWTs. The Dark side (apologies for the slightly Star Wars-esque vocabulary, I don't know how else to phrase it…?) would feel the backlash, as his task (during HBP) would take a back-seat, as he just wouldn't be so focused; Pansy - and any other excuses for friends that he has – would gradually slip away as his attention became diverted; and last, and probably least, if we're honest, his title (the 'Slytherin Prince') would almost certainly pass along to the next rich, arrogant, conceited Death-Eater-expected.
I'm positive that any consequences of the Dramione relationship would usually be surplus to the original intention, (excluding any fics centred around Draco's betrayal) but nevertheless, they are particularly essential to plot, as the books have led us to believe that apart from school work, Hermione does not really exist for anything except her friends; and all Draco is required to do with his life is become yet another mindless supporter of Lord Voldemort, marry a pureblood and continue the Malfoy bloodline; and clearly any affiliation between the two would make most of these aims completely redundant.
I think all Hermione would proceed to do would be to think about the effects of her actions in relation to everyone else, and Draco's own behaviour would completely depend on what kind of character he is in the fic under consideration. Sometimes he would regret it because it may put Hermione in danger, or if it puts himself in danger, or if he is loyal to the Dark Lord, or if he is still too self-centred to think about anybody apart from himself, he would do nothing at all. Then again, something is bound to happen as a result the romance, which, of course, is really the whole point of writing about them at all.
Next time: I consider the physical attraction between the two in all its glory. (Be warned, rating may go up!)
A/N: Words in bold taken from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Inspired by the wonderful attica's "Logic will break your heart", and the book that Hermione writes about Draco Malfoy.
