That weekend, Hermione got a sense of how cruel Ron could really be. She and Rose had spent the day doing some shopping in the centre of the city, as Rose was growing quickly and needed new clothes and Hermione was sick of wearing the same thing she wore to work before she left.
She had invited Ron to come, but he kissed her on the forehead, told her it wasn't his thing and went to spend the day with Harry.
Hermione missed spending time with the boys and often longed for the days where they used to sit around on a Saturday night with a few drinks and a few friends and play cards. But now… Now she was part of the 'women's group' who would sit around with their children and talk about nappies and sleeping patterns and see whose partner helped out the most. The answer to that, obviously was Harry. Always Harry. Ron, who detested having anything to do with caring for Rose, sat at the bottom of the list, with Percy above him, who didn't actively seek out spending time with his daughter Poppy, but didn't reject it when she approached him and didn't actually reject her the way Ron did. Above Percy sat Bill, who would come home, immediately take Victoire by the hand and lead her outside where he would push her on the swings, help her ride her bike and play with her, for at least an hour before declaring himself done and collapse on the lounge. He elected to read her stories and would occasionally put her to bed, but he was outshining all but one. Harry. Harry was what anybody would call father of the year. When James was born, he was so attentive, he doted on Ginny and spend nights awake just watching his newborn son. He was the one who suggested that Ginny return to professional quidditch playing when he noticed the looks she gave to the closet where her gear had been stowed away half way when she found out she was pregnant. Harry wanted the absolute best for his wife and son and he absolutely gave it to them. Which was why Hermione was so bloody confused about how Ron could be so opposite. Surely, as men, they discussed their lives and how they care for their children. Surely, Harry would tell Ron about how he would come home from work and take a fussy James out of an exhausted Ginny's arms and demand she go to bed. Ron would only declare that Hermione could sleep at any time of the day and Ron, who went to work, had to be the one to sleep, if anything.
So when Hermione and Rose returned home later than usual with a pram full loaded with shrunken bags of shopping, Hermione was surprised to see that Ron had invited some friends over.
She had ended up taking the floo home, as she had so many things, plus the pram, there was no way she could apparate the lot home. This caused a major upset to Rose, who was already cranky at having missed her crucial nap through the day. Normally she would have slept in the pram, but this time, there was so much to see, so much happening, little Rose was awake all day.
Hermione almost fell out of the fireplace with a screaming Rose strapped into the pram and almost collapsed onto the lounge with Rose in her arms after dumping the pram in the middle of the room. At the commotion, Ron entered from where he had been entertaining in the back yard.
"What took you so long?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" she asked, shooshing Rose.
"I mean, you've been gone all day. I have people over and was expecting you home to make a salad and potatoes" he said.
"Well, sorry Ron, but I told you I'd be gone for a while" she said, sweeping the red curls from Rose's forehead as she hiccuped her last few sobs out. She was almost asleep.
"We don't just run to your schedule Hermione, there's things I need to have done around here and I expect you to be home to do them. You're the housewife. Don't forget that" he said, his voice raising, causing Rose's eyes to fly open.
"Ron, keep it down" she whispered, stroking her thumb in a downwards motion from Rose's eyebrows to the tip of her nose.
"No, I won't. This is my house and if I want to speak at a loud volume, I will" he said, the childishness oozing off him in waves. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and bit her tongue, curses and anger bubbling in her throat.
"You have no regard for Rose at all, do you?" she asked in a whisper.
"You know what? I fucking don't. She hates me. Why should I bother with her?" he asked
"She's your daughter Ron" Hermione said, placing the now sleeping child into the pram and wheeling her to her room before returning back to the living room to put the now, unshrunken bags of shopping away.
"She likes George more, she's probably his daughter" he spat.
"Not this again. Why don't you go and say something to him about it then? Huh? Go tell him how you think he and I are messing around behind your back. Go on. GO!" she said, pushing on his chest with the last word. Ron would never confront George about it because he knew it wasn't true. He was just using it as a reason to be angry with her.
"Don't fucking push me Hermione. I mean it" he said.
"Or what, Ron? You'll call me fucking bitch? Treat me like dirt? Make me feel worthless? Too bad, I'm used to it by now" she said, not backing away.
"Don't" he said, his face red.
"Oh don't you worry, Ron, I wont" she said, turning to go up the hall.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"Away from you" she spat.
He grabbed her by the arm to stop her and she yanked it free.
"Don't touch me Ron, I mean it" she said, courage building from deep within as she drew her wand from her sleeve.
"Just go and make a salad and some potatoes, will you?" he said.
She stood looking at him for a moment, knowing this could end in several ways. She could just do as he asked and end this argument, she could refuse flat out, or there was a third option.
She pushed past him, going back through the living room and heading into the kitchen. She saw out the window the group of Ron's mates standing around the bonfire and hesitated.
Ron entered the kitchen shortly after her and stood watching as she collected the ingredients to put together a salad and potato bake. She placed them in a bowl and turned to face Ron, bowl in hand.
"Here…" she said, and she picked a tomato out of the bowl and lobbed it at his head. "Make your own fucking salad, Ron" she yelled, as she threw lettuce and assorted salad ingredients at him, as well as whole potatoes, that bounced off him and smashed a window. "I'm not your fucking slave. If you want to have people over, fine, but don't expect me to give in to your fucking demands, Ron Weasley" she said, emptying the bowl onto the floor.
Ron's face was a mixture between stunned and furious. She took the moment to gather Rose's breakfast food, shrinking it down and placing it in a bag as she made her way to her bedroom. She pulled her trunk out from the closet, throwing all kinds of clothes inside before shrinking it and putting it in the bag with the food. She hurried into Rose's room, with Ron storming up the hall and shut the door, locking it and putting up a silencing ward. He was never really good at breaking them so she knew she had time. She heard the faint thunder of him banging on the door through the stable wards, which must mean that he was trying pretty hard. She collected as many of Rose's things into Rose's trunk as she could, before shrinking that too and placing it in the bag with her trunk and Rose's breakfast food.
Carefully, as not to wake sleeping Rose, she picked her up and bundled her in a blanket, casting a warming, silenced, protego around the sleeping child, before holding her wand out in front of her and unwarding the door.
"…THIS DOOR NOW HERMIONE OR SO HELP ME, MERLIN WILL NOT FUCKING SAVE YOU. HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO ME? YOU'RE EMBARRASSING YOURSELF YOU STUPID BITCH…" Came Ron's ranting voice.
He must have known the wards were down as the door flew open immediately.
"Don't" Hermione hissed at him, pointing her wand directly in the centre of his chest.
"What the fuck is your problem?" Ron yelled.
"You. Ron. You are my problem. You are completely messed up" she said, moving forward so her wand was now touching him. Heat radiated off it, forcing Ron to step back into the hallway. "I'm going. Rose and I won't put up with this anymore" she said, pushing past him and making her way towards the back yard, which was the only place she could apparate from.
"You're leaving?" he asked, his voice small.
"Yes, Ron, I'm done with this shit. Call me when you've figured out how to be a father and a partner" she hissed as she got to the back door.
With a wave of her wand, the glass window repaired itself and the salad ingredients and potatoes collected themselves up off the floor and assembled on the bench. Outside, the tension was thick. She looked around the group of men, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Neville, George and Percy. They all gave her an apologetic look which she returned.
"Sorry to ruin your party. I guess you'll have to go without a salad" she said, arriving at the designated apparition point in their yard, securing Rose tightly in her arms, hoisting the bag over her shoulder and turned on the spot. The last thing she saw as she left, was Ron's face, burning with rage.