AU! Muggle.

WRITTEN FOR QLFC, Season 9

Round 10

Position: Captain (Reserve): one half of your OTP is constantly flaky and unreliable.

WC: 1482

Hermione sighed as she glanced at her wristwatch. Two hours had passed since she had arrived at the restaurant, but her boyfriend still hadn't shown up. She knew he was busy—like they all were—but that didn't mean he could keep her waiting.

The waiter's shadow fell upon her again, and Hermione cringed at the thought of having to tell him she still wasn't ready to order, that she was still waiting for someone. The brown-haired man had come to her table thrice in the span of the last hour, and every time Hermione had told him she would wait, the young man had stared at her like he was questioning her life choices.

It made her deeply uncomfortable.

She should have been enjoying this anniversary with Ron, but no. Instead, she was sitting in an expensive restaurant all by herself, dressed in the green dress Ron had bought for her a few weeks ago after an argument they'd had.

Glancing at the door, Hermione drummed her fingers against her thigh, barely keeping herself from trembling with anger.

Ron was always late.

It was a fact Hermione had assumed she would just have to get used to while dating him. Most of the time, Ron's late arrival could be easily explained by problems at work or the heavy traffic on the roads, but sometimes, he would arrive later than usual with no other excuse other than 'I forgot.'

Working as a lawyer, Hermione had always been a punctual woman; she believed everyone should at least make an attempt to be reliable; it was common courtesy. Ron, on the other hand, was more spontaneous and laid-back, bordering on irresponsible. His job in law enforcement meant that he didn't bother making tight schedules like Hermione did because every time they tried, something would always come up.

At first, Hermione thought it was cute. Ron would ask her for forgiveness by getting on his knees and holding his ears, but she would cross her arms and turn away. Ron would end up wrapping his arms around her waist, murmuring sweet words in her ear, and nuzzling the nape of her neck, which would tickle her and she would start laughing.

But now? Ron couldn't sweet-talk her out of her anger. As the rose-tinted glasses came off, they had started arguing more often about Ron's behaviour; their fights always led to Hermione sobbing in her pillow and Ron storming out. They were too different and apologies could not cover those differences for much longer.

Hermione was still stewing in anger at Ron's constant lack of punctuality when the doors of the restaurant opened and Ron hurried in, panting and wheezing for breath. He sprinted over to the table Hermione sat at, his tie undone and his hair a complete mess.

"Sorry, the car broke down," Ron choked out as he fell onto the chair opposite her. He leaned back, rubbed his temples, and began pouring water into his glass. He chugged it down, not noticing Hermione's deadly silence as the cool water dripped down his chin. His eyes suddenly widened as he realised something. "Shit! I forgot your gift! I'll buy you something later, okay?"

She didn't want to make a scene in front of so many people, but she'd had enough of Ron's offhanded excuses and irresponsible behaviour. She didn't want Ron to buy her expensive gifts, but he hadn't even bought her anything.

The waiter arrived again, but before Ron could order something, Hermione stood up and walked out the door without a word.

"Mione, where are you going?" Ron cried, running up to her outside.

Hermione remained silent, trying to compose her emotions, an attempt to stop herself from shrieking and hitting him in her anger. She fisted her hands by her sides and kept walking. Ron suddenly grabbed her arm and swung her around. "Hermione, what's wrong? Why did you leave?"

Hermione's dam finally burst. "I left because I am tired of waiting for you, Ron! You couldn't even bother texting me you were going to be late. I had to sit there and try my best to ignore the pitiful looks!"

"I said I was sorry! What more do you want?" Ron cried, still holding onto her arm.

Hermione pulled her arm away and shook her head. "I don't care about your apology. It's our anniversary, Ron, and you didn't even have the decency to show up on time—you didn't even bother to let me know. Do I even mean anything to you?"

"Of course, you do! You're my girlfriend, and—"

"I may be your girlfriend, but you never treat me like an equal. All you think about is your work and your friends, but you never have enough time for me," Hermione hissed, stepping away from him. She wrapped her arms around herself and began walking away, tired of having the same argument over and over again.

"Just because you've got a stick up your arse about being on time doesn't mean everyone does," Ron snapped, and Hermione froze.

"What did you just say?" she demanded, not turning to face Ron. She knew he was sometimes too rash, too reckless, but did he really just say she had a stick up her arse? Did he deliberately want to piss her off?

"Hermione, you know what I mean," Ron said, lowering his tone. Thankfully, he did seem to realise he was just poking the already furious bear.

"Do I, Ron? I seem to have a stick up my arse, so maybe I don't know what you mean."

"You're just twisting my words now," he cried, stepping closer to her. "Can't you just relax for once? It's our anniversary, and I'd like to spend time—"

"That's the thing, Ron. It's our anniversary and I wanted to spend some quality time with you two hours ago, when this day meant something, but you're the one who didn't want to show up on time. Would it kill you to be a little less tardy—never mind that. What about just telling me that you couldn't show up?"

Ron bristled with obvious indignation and gritted his teeth. "Would it kill you to be a little less uncompromising?"

Hermione stared at Ron, realising she had no idea who this man was anymore. Where was the man who had tried to cheer her up by telling her terrible jokes after she'd lost a case in court? Where was the man who had stayed up all night with her to watch Disney movies when she was missing her dad? Where was the man who had impulsively bought her ice cream and the mini doughnuts she loved so much when she had been on her period?

This man in front of her was nothing like the one she had fallen in love with. This man couldn't bother to appreciate her efforts of getting ready for him by doing something as decent as arriving on time.

A lump formed in Hermione's throat as the realisation hit her full throttle.

"This isn't working, Ron," she whispered, her voice steady and calm even though her heart was breaking.

"What?" Ron's eyes widened, and his shoulders stiffened. "What do you mean?"

Hermione knew what to do, and she steeled herself for Ron's imminent outburst. "I'm breaking up with you."

"Why? Because I was late? That's ridiculous, Hermione! I didn't know you were so shallow," Ron snapped, glaring at her like she was the problem.

"No, Ron. I'm not breaking up with you because you were late. You're always late. It's just that… I don't think you understand what being on time means to me. I'm always on time for our dates because I've made you a priority. You're never on time because clearly I'm not one of yours," Hermione stated, her heart hardening with every word that left her mouth.

"I don't—"

"Yes, you do. If I was your priority, you'd make an attempt to be on time. You would make time for me, and—"

"My job needs me more than you—"

"I care about my job, too, Ron! I just make sure I'm on time for our dates because I love you—"

"You've got a great way of showing that! All you care about is you, you, you!"

"I was sitting in that restaurant for two hours, Ronald! Waiting for you, waiting for you to find the time to fit me into your life. I care about us, but if you're not mature enough to handle an adult relationship, then—"

"I guess that's it, then! We're—"

"—through!" Hermione's chest heaved as her emotions overwhelmed her. She swallowed the lump in her throat and pivoted on her heels. "You're free to go back to your precious work."

"And you're free to go back to being a bitch!" Ron yelled after her, shaking his fists.

Hermione shoved back the tears and stormed away, not looking back.