Written for the QLFC round 10

Team: Pride of Portree

Position: Seeker

"So, we can claim this even though we're not Muggles, right?" Ron asked, holding the pink slip of paper in his hand.

"Yes, Ron, they're not going to check your blood status. We won it fair and square," Hermione replied. She walked across the room to where her husband was standing, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. "This is going to change our lives."

Winning the lottery gave them more money than Ron knew what to do with. His family had always been poor and, while his job had been reasonably well-paid, he did not often have a large amount of disposable income. With millions in Muggle money, however, he found he rather enjoyed the benefits of being rich.

He had the latest everything. The latest broom, the most fashionable robes, the popular books (although, admittedly, he never actually got round to reading them)... Frankly, his life was perfect.

He invested some of it, at Hermione's insistence, into various up-and-coming businesses, but the vast majority was theirs to spend as they pleased.

The holidays were fun. Visiting Bill in Egypt was something Ron had always wanted to do without annoying siblings trying to lock him in pyramids, and the month he and Hermione had spent with Charlie in Romania was one of the best of his life. He and Harry spent a couple of weeks in Vegas and, although he couldn't remember most of it, the amount of money spent indicated a good time was had by both of them.

Travelling around Scandinavia with Luna and her new husband had been a good laugh, although no amount of money could cause Hermione to grow less uptight about Luna's strange beliefs. Still, it was nice to be able to do these things without worrying that they could not afford it.

The nicest thing, however, was the way the locals treated them. As soon as Ron began flashing the cash, people were practically begging to assist him in every way possible, from flight and room upgrades to private tours of places usually inaccessable to the general public.

The money lasted years, and the income from the investments supplemented it nicely. Neither Ron nor Hermione would ever need to work again. Not that it stopped Hermione, of course, she simply moved on to more charitable ventures. As she pointed out to Ron, it wasn't as though they couldn't afford to make the occasional large donation. Ron didn't mind, of course, especially once he realised that being seen as a philanthropist only added to the positive way in which he was treated by others.

A decade on, however, Hermione was unhappy. She wanted a family. She wanted children, a home, a floo connection and a couple of cats. Ron, unfortunately, had absolutely no desire for any of that. It would mean growing up, something he had been trying hard not to do ever since winning the lottery. After all, why would he learn how to do his own laundry when he could afford to hire someone to do it for him. Of course, if he'd been able to have his own way he would have simply purchased a house elf, but Hermione wouldn't stand for that.

Children would mean no more poker nights at his house, the only house left where the raucous behaviour of drunken men in their thirties wouldn't disturb a baby, now that Harry had managed to knock Ron's little sister up.

Hermione's vision of a perfect future had once been his too. Ron regretted that they had grown so far apart, but he could not find it within himself to change anything.

"You already have changed, Ron," Hermione said sadly when he voiced these thoughts to her. "You used to be hardworking. You used to want a future together. You used to want to accomplish something, to stand out from everyone else, to make something of yourself!"

"Why would I need to do any of that now that I have money to do it for me?" Ron couldn't understand. Hermione's charity work combined with his hefty donations had made him as well-known around the Ministry as Lucius Malfoy had once been. He didn't need to work hard when he could pay others to do it for him. And he no longer felt the need to think about the future when living in the present was much more exciting.

"You need to decide what's more important to you, Ron. This lifestyle or me."

Hermione and Ron divorced two weeks later.

Once, Ron would have cared. Now, he found the freedom to be exhilarating. With no wife to tell him what to do he could finally live his life exactly as he wanted to.

"Hey, Harry, you up for a trip somewhere next week? We could do America again? Or maybe somewhere in Asia, don't think we've hit that continent yet."

"Ron, Ginny's due to give birth in two days. Don't tell me you forgot?" Harry looked fed up. It was probably all the baby stuff, Ron thought.

"So? I'll hire her a nanny, she won't need you around."

Harry glared. "I want to be around! That's my child, too."

Ron looked confused. "Why would you want to be there? They just scream for the first couple of years anyway."

Harry sighed. "I need to get home. My wife needs me. I'll see you when - if - you decide to come and visit your new niece or nephew."

Visiting Harry and Ginny was a mistake. Ron was suddenly feeling things he hadn't felt since he became rich. They just looked so... happy! The two of them and baby James. Both parents were clearly exhausted, and Ginny hadn't even bothered to put make-up on or brush her hair, but they were so clearly, sickeningly, happy together.

Ron missed Hermione, but he knew she had moved on with her life. She was happier without him, without the curse that wealthiness had brought him. Ron suddenly realised that he hadn't even seen his family in months, except for Ginny, but that was only because she happened to be married to his best mate. He hadn't been to Fred's grave in years. He hadn't even heard anything from his mother.

Perhaps she'd given up on him.

Perhaps, Ron thought, as he looked at the empty life he had created for himself, she would be right to do so.