A/N: Okay, I see everyone wanted more. I agree that the first chapter was sad, and I hate sad endings. So hopefully we can get a happier ending for my two favorite people. Severus and Hermione deserve to be happy.
I think I responded to everyone's Reviews accept for one that I couldn't.
To Severessa: Thanks for the review but Mione would never have support herself by being a prostitute. She's too smart and talented for that. But I did get a good chuckle from the idea. I loved it. Thanks. Hope to hear from you again and everyone else who reviewed.
Special Thanks to my new Beta, Kristine Thorne, for fixing all my errors.
Disclaimer: Don't own anything pertaining to this story. Just playing with it for fun.
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Chapter 2
Hermione sat at her desk at work. It was time to go home. Time to pack her things and follow the rest of the large crowd out of the office and down to the fireplaces so everyone could floo home. She hated this time of day. Hated leaving her peaceful little world here and having to go home to him.
She really wondered how she had been silly enough all those years ago to think he was the person for her. He wasn't. She had figured that out in less than three years after they married. It was her own fault. She knew what he was, but had foolishly thought it would change.
That he would change. That he would stop being that immature boy who had no other interest other than eating and quidditch. But he hadn't.
They were twenty-six years old and he still couldn't even eat without shoveling in his food while trying to talk with half of said food hanging out. It disgusted her. Literally made her sick to her stomach.
People asked how she was able to maintain that girlish figure after so many years all the time. The answer was easy. The moment her husband started to eat, she lost her appetite by just looking at him.
Not being able to eat seemed a great way to stay slim. The only real meal she took in was lunch. The only meal he wasn't present for.
Hermione sighed. It wasn't just his atrocious table manners that were the problem. That was just one of her major pet peeves. Could the man not just swallow before he spoke? Was it that hard to slowly ingest food off his plate with a fork like normal people without needing a large spoon and stuffing his face as fast as he could like he feared his dinner disappearing?
No it wasn't just how he ate. It was everything. He had thrown such a fit when he learned she intended to go back to work after they married. He felt that Hermione should do what his mother did. Stay home and take care of him and his kids.
Though he didn't want kids right now. She had wanted a family. But he had been dragging his feet from day one. Then told his mother that it was her fault for them not having any. If she would stop working maybe they would have time to work at having a family. Those words just made her seethe.
Ron told his whole family that Hermione couldn't seem to get pregnant since she spent so much time away from home. That it was her fault that their sex life was reduced to a few times a month. Well it was partly her fault.
It was her fault that she told him that she just didn't feel up to it so many nights a month. But really she couldn't help it. She wasn't attracted to him anymore. How could she lie down and let him have his few minutes of grunting when all she saw was a whiny and infuriating redheaded git when she looked at him?
The man didn't know how to let her take a few minutes to relax when she got home. All Hermione wanted to do was curl up with a good book for an hour or so to unwind. But the moment she got home he started in on her. It was the same questions every night.
Where was dinner? That was easy, it wasn't made yet since the sod couldn't lift a finger to start it while he was home and she wasn't. He was too used to his mum being home all day and having any and all meals ready when the men got home.
Why was dinner always late? That too was easy, it was answered with his first question.
Was Hermione planning on getting the kitchen clean before coming to bed? Sure, she worked all day, then came home to cook his dinner. She'd be sure to take the time to clean up the mess of dinner since Ron couldn't be bothered to help at all and do any cleaning what-so-ever.
Why was it that he always had to go to bed alone? Well maybe if he got up off his arse every once in a while and helped out, even just a tiny bit, she wouldn't have to use whatever free time she had to do all the housework. She had to clean the kitchen, clean the living room, do the laundry, keep the dusting taken care of, sweep, mop, vacuum, and anything else that needed to be done. All within a few hours, and without much magic due to the fact that some of the books she had were rather sensitive and couldn't be exposed to magic without causing problems.
Why don't we ever have sex anymore? That one made her want to laugh. Why would she want to have sex with him after all the other questions were answered? Where was she supposed to find the energy to even lie there to let him do his thing? If she had to finish the job on her own later, why bother starting with him present to begin with? She might as well skip the two or three minutes with him and just jump straight to masturbating.
Hermione sighed. She hated the end of the day. She would have to go home to him and start the 'fun' all over again. If only she hadn't been raised to believe that marriage was sacred, to believe divorce was never an option. If she hadn't been, then she would have kicked him out years ago.
It was her house anyway. Ron blew all of his money on stupid things and rarely contributed to the bills. Sure, they had subscriptions to every magazine that even might mention quidditch. They had more memorabilia than she ever wanted to have to the stupid game. They had every little toy and contraption that he wanted to play with.
But he couldn't give even a knut towards things they needed. Like food. Or floo powder. Or any other necessity they might actually have. He couldn't even contribute to the vacation fund she had started. A fund she had been dropping every spare ounce of money she had into for years now. Even doing without things she wanted so she could add just a bit more money to it.
Not buying books or even new robes when hers were in dire need of replacement sometimes. She had made do with what she already had just to be able to save some money so they could have a nice vacation.
She wanted to go somewhere nice, and exotic. She wanted to go somewhere where she might actually be pampered for a change. She wanted something that she never got at home. Peace. Happiness. Pleasure.
If she saved enough then maybe she could afford for Ron to be taken care of so she could enjoy a few hours to sit and read. Or be able to take in a massage for her tense and sore muscles that ached everyday from all the work she did on a day-to-day basis.
She had tried to get Ron to sit with her and plan a vacation ever since she started the fund. The money sitting in a large tin at home so when they were ready they didn't have to go to the bank and deal with the time involved getting to it.
She had gotten brochures and read up on so many places, but Ron never would talk to her about it. Telling her instead that it didn't matter what they planned now if they didn't have the money to do it yet. When they had enough saved up, then they would pour over whatever they needed to so they could make the plans.
Hermione hadn't bothered pointing out that without some planning that they'd never know how much they needed to take that vacation. They wouldn't know if the ten thousand galleons she had saved up would be enough or if she would need more.
Realizing she was just procrastinating, she gathered her things and made her way down to the fireplaces. It was less crowded now that so much time had passed with her just sitting at her desk and thinking.
Almost an hour had gone by as she once again thought about what her life had become. She realized she missed the times she had been still a student at Hogwarts. Missed having the meals just there for her, without her having to prepare them. Missed having no other responsibilities other than homework and studies, and classes.
She missed her classes. She had been so good at them. Her professors had loved her. Well most of them had. One had hated her. Hated everything she stood for, everything she was. She couldn't help who she was.
It was ingrained in her physique. She knew she was a know-it-all and she was all right with that. She had been so young. So naive. She had believed that if she worked hard enough then the world would be her oyster.
The old adage made her laugh. If this was her oyster, then heaven help those that didn't work so hard. But that was just it. She knew for a fact that those that didn't work as hard as she did had a much happier life.
Harry had done a lot in his life, but hadn't worked nearly as hard in school as she had, and he was happy with Ginny. He had a wife that was a partner. He didn't expect her to do what Ron expected of her.
He had two beautiful kids and was thinking of having a third. He had a life he couldn't wait to get home to. He was happy.
She knew too that many of her fellow peers from school were happy in their lives. Not all, but most. Even a good chunk of her fellow coworkers were happy. Why couldn't she be happy too? Why couldn't she be one of those that couldn't wait to get home?
She knew why. Those other happy people didn't have what she did. They didn't have the huge mess to face each and everyday like she did when she got home. They didn't have Ron.
She grabbed a handful of floo powder and went home. She used her wand to clear away the ashes from herself and took a moment to listen. It was silent. Where was Ron?
He knew she got paid today and always started to harass her for more money for his toys. Always asked if he could take just a few sickles from her paycheck to get something he felt he needed and didn't have the money for.
She of course would have to remind him that her money went to bills and the fund she had started. He would sulk, but he still bugged her every payday anyway.
With a shrug, she walked to the kitchen to start dinner. Since this was one of the few rooms she could use magic in without fear of what would happen, she used her wand to start dinner. Getting the meat to marinate, the potatoes to wash themselves, the peas to shell on their own.
It was a rare luxury to be able to use magic with dinner, but she took advantage of it today. With a few minutes free, she went to take a rushed shower. She wanted to wash the tiredness away. To cleanse the stress from her body.
When she was done, she pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Then headed back to the kitchen. She finished getting dinner cooking, and settled down to start reading for a bit. She had about twenty minutes before she really had to check on things. So she would enjoy the peace and quiet.
She had barely read for ten minutes when she heard the rush of green flames announcing someone's arrival. She set her book down, knowing who it was. The loud clomping steps were a dead giveaway. Ron had never learned to walk, he stomped everywhere he went.
Ron came bustling in the room with her, a large excited grin on his face. Had it been anyone else, she would have returned the grin and felt her own excitement start flowing through her. She loved good news and loved sharing in people's excitement.
But since it was Ron that meant he had just done something that would annoy her. She knew he only got excited over a new toy that he wasted his money on. But this seemed bigger. Maybe he did have good news, but she still had a hard time feeling anything but an odd exhausted acceptance.
"Mione, you'll never believe what I just did." Ron said, not even bothering to say hello or ask about her day.
Hermione fought a tired sigh. "What did you do Ron?" She asked, knowing he'd pout if she didn't ask. She wasn't up to his pouting tonight.
Ron grinned again. "I know you've been wanting to take a vacation for years now and I figured out the perfect one. We have just enough to do it too."
Hermione perked up just a bit. A vacation? Really? She thought in surprise. She was in dire need of one too. If they could afford it now, then the money she had planned on adding to their charmed tin would just be extra. Maybe give her some money to get some shopping done before they went. She needed some new clothes anyway.
"What did you find Ron?" She asked, her excitement starting to bubble inside her.
Ron smirked at her, looking like the smartest man alive, though she knew he was far from it. "We are going to go to the World Cup in a few weeks. Then three weeks later, we are going to spend the next two weeks with the best quidditch team ever. We get to live, eat, breath, and actually train with the Chuddley Cannons. It's like spring training camp that the muggles have for batball."
Hermione stared at him perplexed. Batball? He must mean baseball. She figured.
Then what he actually said sank in. "You want us to spend our vacation money on training with a quiddich team? Ron...I hate quidditch. I hate flying on broomsticks. In fact they scare the hell out of me. Why would I want to do any of that?"
Ron smiled at her in his annoyingly patronizing way when he thought she was being daft. "Mione, I know you hate to fly, but I think its just because you've never been shown how by a really good teacher. The coaches know all the best ways to get over your fear. They'll get you over your tiny, silly fear of brooms."
Tiny, silly fear? It wasn't tiny. It wasn't silly. It was huge, and understandable. All you had between you and the ground was a small stick that was a pain in the arse to control. What was he thinking? All this was running through her mind as she stared at him.
"Ron, I know you think this would be a good vacation for us, but I don't want to do it. Maybe we can see if you can go for a few days or even a week, then I can take a separate vacation that I'd enjoy. That way we both get what we want. I don't know how much the quidditch camp costs, but it might take another year or so for us to afford two vacations." Hermione said, secretly loving the idea of two vacations. That way she might actually enjoy hers if Ron wasn't around.
Ron gave her a frown for a moment before giving her another annoying smile she found she hated. "Mione, you'll love it you'll see. You just have to give it a chance. Once you do, you'll find you're hooked just like I am."
Hermione could feel her anger spiking. This was another thing that annoyed her. He didn't listen to her, didn't know her at all. She couldn't understand he couldn't know her after seven years. Not counting the seven years before when they were only students.
Forcing herself to stay calm she tried again. "Ron I don't want to give it a chance. I want a real vacation. So we'll just wait a few more years and then you can do what you want and so can I. Okay?"
Ron's smile started to fade. "No Mione. We won't wait. We can't wait. We're doing this."
Hermione sighed. "Why wont we wait? Why can't we wait? We've waited on the vacation for years already what's another year or two?"
Ron grinned again. "I already set it all up. You're going to love it Mione."
Hermione felt the blood drain from her face. "What do you mean you already set it up?"
Ron's grin went even wider, making her itch to slap him. "I mean that I went today and set it up. I paid for it and everything. All we have to do now is take the time off work. I know you have tons of vacation days stored up and so do I. It won't be a problem to get the time off."
Hermione stared at him dumbfounded for several minutes. Suddenly she jumped up and ran to their bedroom. Grabbing up the tin from where she had it hidden. Fear coursing through her with how light it felt.
She opened it and gasped. There was nothing left but a few sickles and a knut or two. All ten thousand galleons were gone. She heard Ron following her into the bedroom. Her hands were shaking when she finally turned to him.
"Ron, tell me you didn't spend all that money." Hermione said, her voice dull because she knew he had.
Ron sighed. "Mione, I got us great seats to the World Cup. It wasn't cheap. Then the camp wasn't cheap either, especially for two weeks and for two people. In fact I had to borrow a bit from Harry to cover the difference. I told him we'd pay him part of it today and rest over the next few months. He was happy to hear we were taking a vacation."
Hermione looked at him blankly. "Harry was happy that I was going to a quidditch game and camp?" She asked softly, her voice belying the storm raging inside her.
Ron smirked. "I didn't tell him what it was for. Just that I felt you needed a great vacation and didn't want to wait until we had enough saved up. He happily loaned me the rest when he heard it was for you."
Hermione continued to stare at him dully. "So Harry doesn't know what its for exactly, and now we owe him...how much did you borrow?"
Ron shrugged. "About another ten thousand galleons. Those tickets for the match weren't cheap as I said."
Hermione felt the air back up into her lungs. Another ten thousand? Ron blew twenty thousand galleons on this...this horrible idea?
The rage was building more and more inside her. That was her money. Money she had slaved away to earn, money that he hadn't added a single knut to and he just blew it in a single night. On quidditch.
She knew the tickets were non-refundable. She wondered silently if they could sell them and make some of the loss money back. She doubted it. Knowing Ron he had gotten ripped off and the seats were not that good. He was an idiot. She was an even bigger idiot to not charm the tin so he couldn't get into it.
All those years of saving up wasted. All those years doing without wasted. All those dreams of a wonderful relaxing vacation spent being catered to were gone. Flushed down the loo like garbage.
The rage was building so much that she thought her head might actually explode. Her eyes were shooting flames as she looked at the man that she knew she didn't love, and in fact she thought she might just hate him.
Her body was quaking with the anger inside her. Anger at him, anger at herself. She had wasted seven years of her life. Seven years where the only happy person in the relationship was the daft prick that just blew all her money and indebted her for more that would take her years to pay back.
Ron was staring at her still with a smile at his own cleverness. Not noticing the odd silence coming from her. Not noticing the tremor shaking her body. Not noticing her face slowly turning red, or her anger shooting from her eyes as she glared at him.
Hermione didn't know how long she stood there. But suddenly something inside her snapped. She couldn't do this anymore. She wouldn't do this anymore.
She walked up to Ron, her steps even. Then she reared back and punched him. Punched him just like she had Draco so many years ago while still a student. Punched him right in the nose with every ounce of anger, strength, and frustration she had in her. Punched him so hard she felt something in her hand crack.
The pain didn't even register in her hand. All she felt was relief. Relief and happiness for getting it all out of her system.
All she saw was Ron fall off his feet and on his arse. Saw his hands quickly come up to cover his nose as blood spurted out all over him. It made her feel much better to see the blood leaking over his fingers.
"Mione, what the hell!" He shouted at her.
Hermione smiled for the first time that night. "Ron, you're are a stupid prick and I'm leaving you. I'm done."
She grabbed out a fresh and nicer shirt and quickly pulled it on while he gaped at her, still bleeding. She reached for a bag to pack when a thought hit her. This was her house. Why was she leaving?
She turned to Ron. "I'm leaving and getting a hotel for tonight. I expect you to be gone tomorrow. You can get the bulk of your crap when I'm not here."
She walked to the door, intending to leave, but Ron grabbed her leg. "Mione, what the hell has gotten into you?"
She glanced at his hand like a person might look at mud upon their boots. "I'm sick of you. You don't obviously care about me and I'm tired of pretending that I still love you. I don't love you. In fact, I think I might actually hate you. I'm not spending another second of my life waiting for you to grow up. I'm done waiting. I want more out of life. I want more than you could ever give me. I'm done. Goodbye Ron."
She jerked her leg out of his grip and stalked out of the room. Oh yes, she had waited for so many things, but she wasn't waiting anymore. She wanted more. Wanted so much and she refused to settle for not getting everything she wanted. She might have to figure out exactly what she wanted. But she had an idea what it might be. And it wasn't the prick probably still lying there bleeding on the floor.
With a genuine smile on her face, she apparated out of there. It was time to get what she wanted.
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A/N: So this turned out a bit differently than I anticipated. Instead of just two parts, it looks like three or four. Hope you all don't mind. I just wanted to explain why Mione dumped Ron, though for myself I don't like him and don't need a reason.
But this should explain what she has gone through for the past several years and what state of mind she is in for later chapters. I should have more ready soon. Take Care and as always Read and Review.
