Title: Not So Happily Ever After
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
Warnings: N/A
Prompts:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments) : Divination (Assignment 1) : BABY: Signifies something new in life, or more commonly: upcoming pregnancy or current pregnancy. FLY: Signifies domestic annoyance - perhaps a partner or spouse is causing irritation in the household. SUN: Signifies happiness, success or power. (Task 1)
Word Count: 745
Notes: An unhappy Romione, but it isn't Ron's fault this time...
Summary: Problems in paradise for the golden couple as Ron and Hermione disagree about what they want for their family.

Hermione sighed, looking around her office one last time. Outside, the building was dark, the only sound that of the house elves wandering around, happily tidying away the day's mess. Everyone else had left long ago, with cheery waves of farewell, leaving only her.

Her work wasn't finished - the large piles of parchment still spilling across her desk were proof of that - but she had delayed going home for too long already. A quick glance at her watch showed that it was far later than she had thought, and with that she grabbed her cloak and headed for the fireplace.

The floo journey was short, but the room in which she arrived couldn't have been more different than the one she had left. The living room was a mess, and as she made her way to the kitchen the state of the house did not improve.

The fridge was filled with food, but Hermione found that she wasn't particularly hungry. She had just turned to make a sandwich when the door opened and Ron crept in.

Hermione looked up, moving to briefly peck his cheek before returning to her snack.

"How was your day?" he asked, draping an arm around her waist.

"Well... it might have been better if I hadn't come home to find the house such a dump-" She broke off at Ron's scowl. It wasn't the first time in the last couple of days that she'd mentioned the state of the house, and it was becoming a sore point for both of them.

Hermione hurried to change the topic, before Ron could start another argument. "Anyway, I've got some news."

"Hmm?" Ron looked up, mildly interested, before returning his attention to the slice of cake that he had found and was subsequently demolishing.

Hermione refused to be put off by his uninterested response. She put on a smile, cheerfully delivering her news. "I've been offered the promotion! A new job, in a new department, I would be working with the Office for House-Elf Relocation, it would be a much more important position."

"And longer hours, I suppose?"

She slammed a hand down on the table, glaring at her husband. "Merlin, can't you just be happy for me? This is a huge success, and it would make us all happier!"

"Happy? No. This won't make us happier. Happiness can't be bought with a promotion. All this means is that you'll spend hardly any time at home, even less than you do now. Do you want Rose to grow up without her mother? A child needs her parents."

"Ron that's not fair. You know I love my daughter-"

"And yet you never see her. You don't need this promotion Hermione, neither of us do. We defeated bloody Voldemort! I think that entitles us to take a break."

"Well I'm sorry Ronald, but we can't all be content to simply loaf around all day. Some of us need to work, to actually contribute to society."

"I contribute! Who wakes up when Rose cries in the night? Who takes her to nursery, and picks her up, and walks her home, and reads to her? Who has to deal with the messy dinner times and the tantrums? Who puts her to bed every night, only to repeat the whole thing again the next day?"

"I get it!" Hermione cut off his pointless rant. "Congratulations Ron, you can feed a baby. Well done you."

Ron grabbed his cloak from the back of a chair and stomped towards the door, leaving Hermione wincing at the mud forced into the carpet. Magic could fix that of course, but it was the principle of the thing.

"I'm going out." He said shortly. Hermione looked up at him angrily. Perhaps if they could talk about it they could work something out, but of course Ron was never willing to listen.

"I think that's a good idea."

"Fine." He stared at her, waiting for her to say something - to stop being so damn stubborn. He was supposed to be the hot headed one after all.

"Fine." She refused to even look at him.

When the door slammed behind him she finally looked up, waiting for him to come back. Rose started crying from upstairs and Hermione Granger simply sat in the half lit kitchen, wondering when exactly her life had fallen apart.