This is a little one shot I originally posted on my wattpad account. It's still there in my Dramione One Shot Collection. Anyway this is Dramione coming out from Ginny's POV.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters.
They did the right thing. Ginny was sure of that.
They did what they did out of love. They were just looking out for her, making sure she didn't get her heart broken.
They were so sure that's what would happen. Because there was no way that pureblood snob Draco Malfoy would ever actually care about anyone other than himself, let alone love.
He's just using you Hermione! They said.
He'll break your heart and laugh with his slimy Slytherin friends!
You're a fool if you think he actually cares about you.
They were pretty brutal with their confrontation and throughout it all Ginny told herself it was for her own good. Even as she watched Hermione's eyes well up and defend the miserable bastard.
He's not like that. She said
He's changed.
Please just listen.
But Ginny, Harry, and Ron were convinced she was wrong. Just another in Malfoy's endless string of delusional girls who would do anything and everything he asked for.
Harry told her he was disappointed she'd ended up being one of them.
Ron said he was disgusted with her behavior. That it was the worst thing she could have ever done.
Ginny pleaded for her to listen to reason.
Nothing they said changed her mind.
Finally Ron dropped the gauntlet.
It's either him or us Hermione. Your choice.
Ginny would never forget the look of utter betrayal in her best friend's eyes. Hermione looked at Ron as if he was a complete stranger, like she couldn't believe he was doing this to her. Then there was a flash of something in her eyes. Ginny has never seen her look at Ron that way before and it unnerved her because it was similar to the look she gave Umbridge and Marietta Edgecombe.
It was at this point that Ginny considered that maybe, maybe, it wasn't the best idea for them to push Hermione like this. Maybe it would be better for them to leave things alone for now. Maybe, just maybe, Hermione did know what she was doing.
She opened her mouth to say something, then a memory of Lucius Malfoy slipping her Tom Riddle's diary flashed through her mind and she stopped. Malfoy's father was a cold, evil bastard and so was he.
Hermione was better off without him.
Ginny wasn't really sure what happened after that. She just assumed that Hermione would have made the right decision and left Malfoy. Surely whatever romance was going on between them wasn't enough for her to choose him over the friends who've been there for her for years.
When Hermione started avoiding the three of them, Ginny thought she was just upset. After a few days, she'd realize they were only looking out for her and they'd have their friend back.
When another week passed and she still refused to look at them, Ginny thought that they should apologize. Maybe they pushed her too hard, they were pretty harsh.
So they tried to get her to talk to them.
They tried to sit with her in class.
Tried to catch her in the halls.
Ron even tried to partner with her for Prefect duties and everybody knew how much he hated those things.
But they never got the chance to talk to her.
Neville and Luna seemed to have gotten the idea that Hermione was upset with them and was doing everything in their power to keep them away from her. Even Lavender and Parvati joined in on the campaign saying they heard about what happened with Hermione and they were appalled at their behaviour.
Neville and Lavender sat with her in all their classes. And in those they didn't share, they got Padma to sit with her.
In the common room, she would always be surrounded by Neville, Lavender and Parvati not leaving the three of them any chance to sit with her.
They walked her to and from classes.
For patrols, Padma always signed up to be Hermione's partner.
When she was in the library studying, Neville and Luna would always be there with her.
It killed Ginny that her best friend was avoiding her. That she would leave the room as soon as either her, Harry, or Ron would come in. The three of them were so confused by her behaviour. They didn't understand why she was avoiding them if she chose them over Malfoy.
It was when Hermione refused their invitation to the Burrow for the Easter holidays that Ginny got really scared that she'd lost her best friend for good. Harry and Ron were scared as well but since Hermione didn't tell any of them where she would be going, the three of them were forced to stay at the Burrow for six days without her.
In those six days, the three Gryffindors came up with several plans to win Hermione back. They would show her how truly sorry they were for their harsh words and help her move on from the blonde bastard that somehow managed to capture her heart.
They had it all planned out and they even had Neville agree to help them on the condition that they were absolutely sincere in their apology and they never interfere with Hermione's happiness again.
Their apology would be big and sincere and it would be so good that Hermione would forgive them in a heartbeat.
They were so sure their plan would work.
So sure that Hermione would forgive them.
That is until dinner at the Great Hall the day all the students returned from break.
Until Ron looked at the door and gasped.
Right in the middle of the wide double doors was Hermione Granger, their best friend, holding hands with Draco Malfoy, prat extraordinaire and all around bad guy. The couple took one long look around the Hall before smiling and sharing a passionate kiss right there as if telling everyone to sod off.
Everybody in the Great Hall stopped what they were doing to stare at the odd couple.
Are they together?
What the hell?
There go my chances with Granger.
Is this for real?
I thought they hated each other.
She's so lucky.
But no one was as shocked as Ginny, Harry, and Ron.
They couldn't believe she actually chose him over them! Him! The boy who made all their lives hell and introduced her to the foulest name on earth! She chose him over the friends who held her and comforted her when he cried over him!
Harry actually froze when he saw them. He literally froze and for a second Ginny thought his brain actually exploded!
Ron, after recovering from his moment of shock, practically vibrated with rage when he saw them. And Ginny was sure that if it weren't for Neville's firm grip on his shoulder, he would have leapt from his seat and physically separated the couple on the entryway.
Ginny, well she was confused. She couldn't understand how this could happen. She never once thought that Hermione would actually choose the Slytherin over them.
Was it spite? Was she doing this as revenge for their harsh words weeks ago? Was she confounded? Imperiused? Drunk on Malfoy's love potion?
Ginny had no idea why Hermione was doing this but there had to be a reasonable explanation for Hermione snogging Malfoy in front of everybody. She wanted so badly to understand why her best friend, who was usually so smart, let herself be fooled by Draco Malfoy. But she could not think of a single good reason. Sure, Malfoy was handsome, and smart, and rich, and a lot of girls say he kissed like sin, but despite all that he was still an asshole and a bully! Why on earth would Hermione be with him?
So she watched the couple.
They smiled at each other some more before Hermione lead him to the Ravenclaw table and they sat down between Luna and Padma. She watched them talk and smile at each other. Watched the way Malfoy would occasionally press his hand on Hermione's back as if to comfort her. The way Hermione relaxed when he did. The way Malfoy looked at her while she talked to Padma. The way she laughed and looked at him with that spark in her eyes. The gentle way that he tucked her hair behind her ear like the damn leading man in a muggle RomCom.
She only watched them for the rest of dinner but Ginny thought she finally understood.
She didn't understand everything, she still had a lot of questions and she knew it would take a while, if ever, for her to completely understand her friend's decision. But for now, she at least understood why Hermione stayed with Malfoy despite Ron's ultimatum.
It wasn't spite. It wasn't delusion or any mind altering spell.
Hermione stayed with him because she was happy with him. Because Malfoy looked at her like every word that came out of her mouth was the most interesting thing on earth. Because he looked at her the way every girl wanted the boy they fancied to look at them, like there was nothing he'd rather do than sit there and look at her.
Hermione chose him because he didn't ask her to choose.
So, despite her initial reservations, Ginny backed off. She didn't meddle in their relationship and she convinced the boys to do the same. She told them that Hermione was a big girl and she didn't need them telling her how to live her life. When they argued with her, she told them that if they pushed Hermione too much, that they would lose her forever and the already rocky relationship they have with her would become even harder to fix.
Ginny just hoped she was doing the right thing.