The Hoax

Hermione Granger, heartbroken after Ron Weasley chose Lavender Brown, is determined to make him jealous. Her plan? Get a boyfriend. The target? Draco Malfoy. Meanwhile, Malfoy, equally desperate to escape the persistent Pansy Parkinson, decides Hermione is the perfect solution. Unbeknownst to them, their friends, Ginny Weasley and Blaise Zabini, discover their respective 'hoaxes' and decide to play matchmaker for their own amusement and benefit. Can two enemies fake a relationship convincingly enough to fool everyone and perhaps even themselves?

The Great Hall of Hogwarts buzzed with the low murmur of conversation and the clatter of cutlery. Seventh and eighth-year students, returned after the war, mingled and ate. You, Hermione Granger, found your eyes drawn, as they often were lately, to the doting couple across the table – Ron Weasley and Lavender Brown. A sigh escaped your lips. You pushed your plate away, the sight of their intertwined hands and casual affection making food suddenly unappealing.

You glanced at Harry and Ginny, also lost in their own world of coupledom. You felt a familiar pang of loneliness and embarrassment. You were the only single one in your close circle, and the person you cared for was with someone else. The war had changed many things, but not, it seemed, Ron’s heart after that confusing kiss.

You muttered under your breath about losing your appetite, but no one seemed to hear. Trapped by friendship but desperate for space, you decided to stay at Hogwarts for the winter holidays, hoping for a break from the constant reminders of what you didn't have. Your friends, to your dismay, decided to stay too, claiming it wouldn't be the same without you. Ginny, ever the supportive friend, suggested a drastic solution to your heartbreak: get a boyfriend to make Ron jealous. The idea, initially dismissed, began to take root, leading your thoughts down an unexpected, and potentially disastrous, path.

The Hoax

Romance Hogwarts Post-War Draco Malfoy Hermione Granger