This is a story about that one couple who you have no idea ended up together.
Now, you must be wondering, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger?! Draco and Hermione aren't your everyday couple. Oh no. They're way too unique to be compared to anyone else. She symbolizes goodness while he is (misunderstood) evil. Before we talk about them collectively, let's look at them as individuals.
Hermione's most prominent features include her prodigious intellect and cleverness. She is levelheaded, book-smart, and very good with logic. She is often bossy yet unfailingly dutiful and loyal to her friends—a person who can be counted on. Hermione is always motivated to get the job done and has the ambition to be the best at everything. She is extremely compassionate and is quick to help those in need.
Draco is the prototypical spoiled, rich brat; he believes that his family's wealth and social position gives him the right to bully those poorer than himself. He is always handed things on a silver platter and hasn't worked hard for anything in his life. He is a phony. He pretends to be a tough character but always chickens out when the time comes. He shuts down compassion—how else would he become a Death Eater?
At first glance, Draco and Hermione are complete opposites but this is what makes their pairing, even more, beautiful. He's a pure-blood and she's a mud-blood. He's Slytherin and she's Gryffindor. He's tea and she's coffee. Draco calls Hermione a "filthy little mud-blood" during their first official meeting and she resents him thereafter. The time they spent together was always on different sides of things. They never saw eye-to-eye on anything. These differences are the very reason I find just the idea of them so appealing because despite their differences they're also very much alike.
In his second year, Draco (whilst dueling Harry) performed a curse that was not even close to what a second-year student was capable of. Just like Hermione (whose skills were more obvious), he was much more advanced than everyone else. Draco and Hermione were also very good at being secretive. Hermione kept her feelings to herself and Draco (in his sixth year) kept the entire vanishing cabinet very quiet and nobody (apart from the all-knowing Dumbledore) knew about it.
They both also hated losing to others. Draco hated being ousted by Harry on various occasions and Hermione also hated losing and coming in second. She absolutely hated it when Harry was outshining her in Potions during their sixth year at Hogwarts. They share innumerable small traits and qualities, and that is why I think that they'll work.
In a relationship, it is the small things that matter the most and they share countless such small traits and personality quirks. The very idea of something so imperfect existing appeals to me very much. A relationship that is so very much flawed but exists because of the smaller things. A relationship that defies the modern confinements based on what society dictates and can only be a work of fiction; that's what makes it unique and breathtakingly beautiful.
For me, Draco and Hermione are a modern day incarnation of Romeo and Juliet. So very beautiful but inevitably destined for doom. Draco and Hermione were never meant to be in the canonical Harry Potter universe. They were paired together by fans who, like me, realize that their relationship symbolizes so much more. True beauty can only be found in imperfections.
"... no matter how right we are for each other, we'll always be a little too wrong."
I will forever ship Draco and Hermione.
