AN: This chapter contains depictions of emotional abuse. Viewer discretion is advised.

If you want to skip this chapter, all you need to know is Ron and Hermione get into a fight about the engagement.

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Hermione took a deep breath as she stepped through her front door. Every potential scenario for how this conversation could go played in her head. Part of her wanted to remain silent. The proposal was done. She didn't have a time turner, so there was no way to undo it. Why bring anything up?

Because in the future, having a few conversations could change his behavior. If her words could make him change, or at least see her point of view, then a few tense conversations were worth it.

From the sitting room, she could hear Ron's laughter, as well as a familiar trill. Hermione's stomach sank. Molly was the last person she needed to hear from, or have involved with any of this.

"Thank you so much, Mum! A party at the Burrow will be perfect," Ron began, hunched over the fireplace.

Hermione remained in the doorway. Just because she didn't want to face Molly didn't mean she wasn't interested in what the red headed woman had to say.

"I'm glad you can do it so soon too. 'Mione has it in her head that she needs to work weekends. At least if we do this, she'll realize weekends are for fun, not for hanging out with greasy gits."

Hermione gritted her teeth. She'd told Ron to stop calling Professor Snape that. Was he bound and determined not to listen to a thing she had to say?

"I don't know why she wants that potions mastery so badly," Molly said. "She isn't going to open an apothecary, nor is she going to teach. It seems like a waste of time."

"I don't know why she wants it either, but you know 'Mione, always has to know more than anyone else. It's probably more about needing to be smart than anything else."

Hermione didn't know why that felt like a stab in her heart, but it did.

"Anyway, she's going to be home soon, so I'd better go," Ron began. "I'll tell her about the party though. She'll love it!"

"Do tell her. It's going to be amazing, just what she needs to relax."

"And good food! The food will be great too."

"Of course it will be." Molly chuckled.

"Okay, gotta go, bye."

"Goodbye." The flames in the fireplace died.

Ron stood upright and turned around. His face lit up upon seeing his fiancee. "'Mione!"

"Hello."

"How are you?"

"Fine, especially for finding out I was going to be busy this weekend," Hermione furrowed her eyebrow.

His smile was as boyish and bright as it had been when they'd gotten engaged. "Isn't it great! We are going to the Burrow on Saturday for a proper engagement party."

"What if I have to work that day?"

"Why would you work that day?" He approached her, arms outstretched..

"Because I asked Professor Snape for more hours." She folded her arms against her chest.

"Why would you do that?" The grin evaporated as he lowered his arms.

"We need the money to pay our rent on time."

"We can be a couple of weeks late again. The landlord was fine with it last time. If we have to, we can do it again."

"It isn't a good habit to get into, especially if she becomes impatient."

"Well she isn't impatient. Even if she was, could you imagine being the person who evicted the Golden Couple? Talk about a PR nightmare."

"Indeed, we are the golden couple," she growled.

"Why are we talking about this?" Ron clasped her hands into his. "We just got engaged. Let's celebrate that."

"By going to a party I never consented to attending?"

"By going to a party thrown by your future in-laws and being surrounded by all our friends and family."

"If it's our engagement party, shouldn't I have gotten some say in when it was thrown?"

"What's wrong with this weekend? Are you working that weekend?"

"Not that I know."

"Then what is your problem?" He kissed her on the cheek.

"I would like to be included in some of the decisions you make." Her frown deepened. "I would also like my wishes respected."

"Don't you wish to see your family?"

"They aren't my family yet."

"They're the closest thing you'll ever have to one."

Hermione jerked her hands away from his and took two steps back. "Don't ever say that to me again."

"Isn't it the truth?"

She focused on her breathing. Getting excited never did her any good. They'd fallen into bad relationship habits. Someone needed to break them of those habits, and it had to be her.

"What is your problem?" Ron asked. "Is Snape giving you too hard of a time or overworking you?"

"No, although he was less than enthused about needing him to buy me lunch from the deli down the street because I was afraid to go outside and face the reporters."

Ron blinked.

"He had to cast a spell to keep the reporters out too. I'm sure that cost him more than a few galleons," she continued.

"There you go with the money again," he grumbled.

She made a fist and bit her tongue. They weren't at Hogwarts anymore. At some point, they needed to have an adult conversation. It was possible, if she could keep her cool…

"Look, I'm sure Snape was pissed that he had to set up more wards, but he'll get over it. It didn't cost him that much to lose a couple of customers. The guy's loaded," Ron said.

"He shouldn't have had to put up wards in the first place."

"But he did, so that's his problem, not mine."

"If I'd had my way last night, he wouldn't have needed to put up wards at all."

Ron cocked his head.

"If I'd gotten the proposal I wanted, the reporters wouldn't have been there. We would have told them about your private proposal through a statement we wrote together. Better yet," her body temperature began to rise. "We wouldn't have told them anything at all except to mind their own business."

"Are you saying you didn't like how I proposed to you?" His face was as red as his hair.

"No, I despised how you did it!"

"You despise being engaged to me?"

"No, I said I despised how your proposal happened. Being engaged to you is fine."

"What's the difference?"

"The proposal is how you behaved. Our being engaged is a state of being, one I do not mind."

"How could you hate my actions? I reserved that restaurant weeks in advance because it was your favorite. We got the meal for free. What is your problem with that?"

"I wanted you proposal to me to be done in private, perhaps at a park or here over the holidays. I didn't want reporters there, and I certainly didn't want you to call any of them in advance."

"Why don't you want people to know we're engaged?" He raised his voice. "Are you ashamed of me?"

"Of course not."

"Then why are you making a fuss over all this? They were going to find out we were engaged. Why not let them in on the event?"

"Because I wanted to focus on you and our love alone when you proposed, not about whether or not I was smiling widely enough for the camera."

"Did you not feel our love?"

"At that moment, no," she argued. "I felt as if my wishes were being violated."

"Violated?" Ron shouted.

She glowered at him.

"What about my wishes? I wanted to show you off to the world! What is so awful about that?" He demanded.

"I'm not something you can show off!"

"Why not?"

"I'm a person, not an object!"

"You're my fiancee, and I want people to know that! What is so wrong about that, unless you're ashamed of me?"

"I'm not ashamed of you!" Her throat was starting to hurt.

"Then stop acting like it!"

"How?"

"Go out in public with me, and stop working all the time!"

"I go out in public with you all the time!"

"Then be happy you're in public with me and quit your job!"

"I'm not quitting my job! We need it!"

"No, we don't. You need to focus on your future!"

"What future?" She yelled.

"The future where we are happily married and you agree to have my children!"

"Children?" Not since the war had she screamed so loudly.

He winced.

"We are barely making ends meet now, and you want to have a child?"

"Would you stop with the money already?"

"We are unable to have a civil discussion, and you want to bring a child into this mess?"

Ron lowered his voice. "So that's what our life together is now, a mess."

"It certainly isn't the healthiest relationship I've been in." She exhaled.

"Are you upset about the proposal because you couldn't say no without embarrassing yourself?"

She stared at him.

"Did you want to say no?" Ron shouted.

"No, of course not."

"Then I ask again, what is your bloody problem with what happened?"

"I told you, my wishes weren't respected."

"Nothing's ever going to be good enough for you, is it?"

"Don't turn this around on me."

"No," Ron raised his arms. "I'm not good enough for you, this apartment isn't good enough for you, our engagement wasn't good enough for you either. What's next? Did the ring not meet your lofty expectations?"

She glanced at it. He knew damn well she had coveted a simple diamond instead of whatever this gaudy monstrosity was on her finger. This probably wasn't the best time to tell him that though.

"Fine 'Mione, everything sucks," Ron lowered his voice and pointed to the fireplace. "Tell Mum the engagement's off."

"What?" She asked in a softer voice.

"Go ahead 'Mione," Ron waved his arm at the fireplace. "Tell everyone at the Burrow the engagement is off. Tell Harry too while you're at it. Go ahead and move out. It's what you want, isn't it?"

She shook her head.

"Come on." He shook his hand. "Call them!"

"I don't want our engagement to end." Boiling tears were flooding her eyes. "I want you to listen to me."

"I've listened to you enough." Ron pushed her aside and and went to the kitchen. "I'll never be good enough for you."

"Would you stop saying that?" She said. "I have never said that."

"Then stop acting like a spoiled brat and be happy we're engaged!"

"Don't call me names."

"I'm not calling you names. I'm telling you the truth; you're acting like a spoiled brat."

"I'm not a spoiled brat."

"Then how can you want to be engaged to me, yet the proposal wasn't good enough?"

She hung her head.

"I'm going to make myself a sandwich," he continued. "Don't talk to me unless you can be a little appreciative of what I do for you."

She considered opening her mouth, but what could she say? Perhaps she was behaving like a spoiled brat. At the end of the day, being engaged was more important than the proposal. In a few weeks, she may even look back on the event and laugh. It wasn't worth ruining their relationship.

"I'm sorry," her voice was small. "I love you, and," she swallowed. "I'm glad we are engaged."

He huffed before opening the refrigerator.

A tear fell from her eye as she made her way to the bedroom, wondering why she couldn't stop being so perfectionistic and just accept that this was as good as things would ever be.