"Everything you own is in the box to the left Ronald." He was greeted by his girlfriend's cold voice and thoroughly irked expression. He quickly ran a mental check on the last time he could've done something wrong and reassured himself she'd simply been mistaken. Or rather reassured himself that she could be made to believe that she'd been mistaken.
"What's going on 'Mione? I don't understand." He stepped forward to place his hands on her arms but was stopped by her drawing her wand on him. He frowned. She'd never done that before, this might take a bit more work than usual. To calm her down he began to walk over to the box she'd pointed to. He saw her relax her wand arm and stopped, turning back to her. "What's going on Hermione?" He repeated his question to her only to see her wand arm twitch again.
"Could you walk and talk, at the same time? Let me call you a cab." She was just about able to remain civil as she stalked past him to the telephone. She'd insisted on living in the muggle world as soon as they'd all finished Hogwarts. Ron, devoted enough to her at the time, had swiftly agreed and followed. It was times like these that Hermione wished they'd at least linked their fire place up to the Floo network. However at the time it made sense to refrain from that in case they had an unexpected call while entertaining their muggle friends.
Ron watched her as she made the phone call but made no further movement. "I'm not going anywhere until you explain what's going on Hermione." He'd tried acting confused; it was time to throw a bit more force behind his words. Hermione sighed and finally looked at him properly since he'd walked through the front door.
He honestly wasn't expecting her answer.
"Go ahead and get gone, call up that chick, and see if she's home."
She let out a bitter laugh at his shocked expression. "Oops I bet you thought that I didn't know. What did you think I was putting you out for?" Ron was still staring at her, dumbfounded, and Hermione continued. "I went to that lingerie shop you pointed out to me the other month, remember the one? I got a raise at work and wanted to surprise you. Imagine my surprise when I find you and Lavender playing dress up with the exact set I had in mind in the changing room. Imagine how I felt when I heard her giggling as you groped her and told her what you were going to be doing to her later after you'd fed me another lame excuse," she let out a frustrated groan, "Another lame excuse that I would swallow because I'm so trusting. That's my problem, I've realised. I'm so willing to believe in people that I care about…that are supposed to care about me, that I overlook the completely obvious situation that's going on right in front of me. So take your things, get in that cab and leave. I do not want to see you or hear from you again socially. Is that understood Ronald?"
He knew from the determined look in her eye that he was not going to be able to persuade her from this decision at the moment. The thing was he did love his girlfriend. He just fancied Lavender far too much to stay away. And she could be so much more fun than Hermione. Hermione preferred to read while Lavender would happily accompany him to a Quidditch match. And their personality traits transcended to other departments as well. A smirk found its way onto Ron's face before he could help it.
"What's so funny?"
"You won't find anyone else willing to have you Hermione. I'm irreplaceable."
Hermione laughed at Ron's final attempt to control her. "Oh please, I can have another you in a minute."
The small mobile phone in her hand lit up with a shrill ringing tone. Hermione conducted a quick conversation and Ron wondered what she meant by that. Who could she have met? She was either at work, reading or with him, Harry and Luna or at the Burrow. Hermione snapped the phone shut and smiled at Ron.
"As a matter of fact, he'll be here in a minute. So don't you ever for a second get to thinking you're irreplaceable." A car horn sounded outside. "That must be for you. Hurry up before your taxi leaves." Ron begrudgingly made his way to the front door, followed by Hermione. He decided to make one last appeal to her.
"Can't we work this out? I love you."
She let out a small laugh, which sounded a bit like a bark, and shook her head. "Oh Ronald you can't even make me your everything. So since I'm not your everything; how about I'll be nothing, nothing at all to you?" Ron gaped at her and Hermione smiled back, almost wearily. "You made your bed now lay in it. Goodbye Ronald." She leant round him and opened the front door to let him out. By force if she had to.
Ron, realising this battle was lost, turned to leave but was stopped by someone coming up the steps to their front door. Someone he wouldn't have expected to see. "Remus?"
"Remus you're early!" Hermione's voice squeaked out from behind him. Remus, to his credit, flushed when he met Ron's eyes. However he spoke with determination.
"I thought you might need some help with things so I took a taxi. A taxi which I believe," he turned to Ron, "is waiting for you."
Sure enough the taxi driver wound down his window and yelled to them, demanding someone get in his taxi now or he would leave. Ron trudged down the steps and pushed his box along the seats. The last thing he was as the taxi pulled away was Remus embracing an emotional looking Hermione.
She'd been right. He was replaceable.
