A Flashback in which there is:
A Surprise Encounter with Pansy Parkinson,
While Ms. Parkinson had her tongue in the mouth
Of one Ms. Ginevra Weasley
In Diagon Alley
Of all places.
Ronald was put out.
"I don't know, 'Mione," Ron complained, using the nickname that he knew that she did not like, but used anyway. She bit back her resentment.
"What don't you know, Ronald?" Hermione knew that she shouldn't let her exasperation show in her voice.
"Whether I can ever forgive Ginny for divorcing Harry. She didn't even have a real reason!" Ron was annoyed and his face was flushed.
"She was unhappy, Ron. That's reason enough to get a divorce."
"Well it's a good thing that they didn't have children. A mother can't just up and leave her family like that, like marriage means nothing," Ronald scoffed. Hermione tried to count to ten and reminded herself that he had been raised with Victorian morals by people with no sense of the modern world. Arthur thought the rubber duck was some spiritual mystery for Merlin's sake. There was no point in having a fight with him on the street in Diagon Alley about his chauvinism. He would pretend he didn't understand her points anyway.
She didn't know when their interactions had become so fraught, since Harry and Ginny divorced she supposed. They no longer did everything as a foursome. Hermione didn't have Harry and Ginny to dominate Ron's attention the way that had been normal for the better part of a decade. Now it was just Harry who went places with them, but the dynamic was no longer the same. And the times they had tried to spend time with only Ginny it had resulted in the two Weasleys in a screaming argument about the divorce.
Hermione was slowly discovering that she didn't enjoy spending time with Ron - her husband! - when it was just the two of them. It just really wasn't boding well for their relationship nor was the newfound pressure that he was putting on her to start a family. If he kept talking about children he was sure to start attempting to convince her that she needed to quit working and start having babies next week. She just wanted to have a nice day with him and not fight. She wanted to believe they could still spend the day together and not fight.
"So, we have to stop by where today?" Hermione asked to change the subject.
"Quidditch supplies and then I thought you needed to go by Flourish and Blotts for something for work?"
"Yes," Hermione replied, pleased that he had been listening to her earlier. "I have a couple special orders to pick up."
Ron just nodded. Hermione looked at his hand for a second while they walked. There used to be a time when he would never have walked next to her without taking her hand. Maybe they were just growing apart. That was normal, Hermione guessed. Ginny had told her that nothing major had happened between her and Harry. They had just grown up and not wanted the same things anymore. Ginny had been a little disturbed that Harry had wanted to name a son Albus Severus though, that was the one thing that she could point to.
It sounds silly now, but at the time it was an epiphany moment, Ginny had said. He didn't care that I thought it was awful to name a son after two people who used and mistreated him either. I don't hate Harry, I just think he's allowed other people to decide who he is supposed to be. I think I did too. I don't know if marrying Harry Potter was my dream or my mum's. And I don't know if Harry married me for myself or because I look like his mother.
Hermione had attempted to be supportive of both her friends, but she understood where Ginny was coming from. Harry seemed so unhappy as an Auror. She worked as a public defender in magical law in another part of the DMLE and Harry never seemed to be happy with what he was doing. Hermione was honestly surprised that he hadn't gone to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts or something. He seemed to be doing what was expected of him rather than what he wanted. It was well within Ginny's rights as a human to not want to live her life doing what her parents and the public expected her to do. Hermione also suspected that the pressure that Ginny had been getting to start a family and quit playing professional Quidditch from both Harry and her mother also played a role.
There were few women in their generation that had children yet. They'd survived a war after all. Padma and Pavarti were married, but had no children yet. Luna hadn't had any children, but had been asking Hermione some questions about surrogacy that had Hermione curious. All of the Slytherins were married. Daphne Greengrass married Adrian Pucey right out of Hogwarts and had three sons already. Pucey worked in the office as well and was constantly showing off pics of his children. Theo Nott, Harry's Auror partner, was married to Blaise Zabini and they had no children but Hermione wasn't even sure what gay couples in the wizarding world did about having kids. Nott and Zabini had literally been the first out gay couple that she'd ever known in the Wizarding world, she'd had suspicions about Remus and Sirius of course, who hadn't. In the wake of the Zabini-Nott wedding though, Dean and Seamus had gotten married and put an announcement in the Prophet. Goyle had married Millicent Bulstrode and they had two children. Malfoy had married and had a baby. She didn't think Pansy Parkinson had gotten married, or if she had she hadn't heard.
Moments later, Hermione realised why she hadn't heard anything about Pansy Parkinson's marital status. Outside Quality Quidditch Supplies, there stood Pansy Parkinson with her back against the wall being furiously snogged by Ginny Weasley (formerly Potter). To say that Ron had a complete conniption might have undersold the matter.
Ron lost his temper utterly. Hermione watched it all happen as though it was a train accident in slow motion. She tried to stop it, but it seemed completely out of her control.
Ginny was called names that resulted in her hexing her brother.
"She's my girlfriend, you intolerant wanker!" Ginny screamed back. "And I love her! And if you don't like it you can shove off!"
Hermione stood in stunned silence as Ginny angrily flounced away, dragging a concerned Pansy with her. Ron made no move to go inside the shop or to walk after Ginny and Pansy.
Ron was still angrily ranting, but Hermione didn't hear a word. Her brain was short-circuiting as she registered why Ginny hadn't been happy with Harry. She was a lesbian. So many things from their childhoods now made sense. When Hermione finally started paying attention to Ronald again, he was still ranting.
"-Bloody Slytherin. Shaming the family by slumming with Death Eater whores. That's what Gin is now - just another Death Eater whore."
Hermione looked at her husband in horror. "You can't call your sister a whore Ron!"
"Why the bloody hell not?" Ron roared. "That's what she is. And we won't be seeing and speaking to her anymore until she stops fornicating with vipers."
"Ron, Ginny is my best friend. I'm not just going to stop speaking to her just because you don't like her girlfriend. I didn't either back in school, but she has to have changed if Ginny is dating her."
Ron looked at Hermione as though she had sprouted two heads. "You will do as I say Hermione because I am your husband and if I say that we aren't speaking to my traitor sister that is the way that it will be!" His face was so serious as though he couldn't conceive that she would disobey him in this. And something in Hermione broke into a thousand pieces. She thought it was the piece of her that was still holding onto their failing marriage.
"Like hell, Ron." Hermione turned around and started to walk away.
"Where do you think that you are going?" Ron yelled after her.
"Away from you!" She responded just as angrily. This was it! She couldn't do this anymore. He didn't get to tell her that she had to shun his sister because Ginny had fallen in love with someone he didn't like. Ronald was behaving no better than the Blacks about Andromeda's marriage.
She didn't need him, didn't need this.
This witch had received an education and been introduced properly into the world, and Hermione had the means of settling well, without further expense to anybody. She didn't want to be just Ron Weasley's wife anymore that he felt that he could order about as though she was chattel.
She was the brightest witch of their age and she deserved better than this.