Quick thing before we begin: The parts of the story that are italicized are flashbacks. Ok, thanks!

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"The post's arrived!" Hermione called.

She gave the Evening Prophet owl his payment. She flipped through the envelopes. There was a deep plum envelope addressed to her.

Setting down the rest of the stack, Hermione peeled open the letter.

Hermione,
I have been Minister for almost a decade now. I have to admit that I'm incredibly tired. I wish to see a quiet life of retirement. But before I can step down I must nominate who I think should be my predecessor. I wish to nominate you. I've seen you fight and I've seen you lead. I have no doubt that the Ministry would be in very capable hands if left with you. If you accept please send a return own, as soon as you can.

Sincerely,
Kingsly Shackelbolt
Minister of Magic

"Anything for me?" Ron asked walking in with Rose waddling behind him.

"No," Hermione answered, distantly as she re-read the letter.

"What's that?" Ron asked, pointing to the letter in her hand.

"Nothing," Hermione said, quickly breaking her gaze away from the parchment. She folded the letter and clutched it in her hand.

"No, seriously, 'Mione," Ron said making a grab for it. "What is it?"

"It's just a letter from work," Hermione said moving so Ron couldn't take it. "It's not important. Drop it."

Ron looked at her strangely before changing the subject. "When's your next appointment?"

He rubbed his eyes and sat down at the table.

"A few days from now," Hermione answered, filling a glass of water. "How was work?"

"Fine," Ron answered gruffly.

"What kept you? You said you were going to pick up Rosie so I came home. What took you so long to get here?"

"I stopped by the shop. George asked me to come by. We talked for a bit." Ron said scratching the wood table.

Twilight fell on the sky. "What'd he want?"

Ron cleared his throat uncomfortably. He kept his eyes averted from Hermione's gaze.

"Ron?" Hermione asked again.

"George is hiring a new partner."

"Really who? Are they going to change the name, Because it was Weasley, I expect that a new partner would want their name in the shop." Hermione said puzzled.

"No, uh, the new partner is actually Weasley," Ron said slowly.

Realization dawned on Hermione's face. "Oh."

"Yeah," said Ron.

"When were you planning on telling me about this?" Hermione said taking a rattling breath.

"Tonight actually," Ron said.

"And what about your job?" Hermione asked. "You already have a job."

"Mama!" Rose called from the floor. Hermione bowed her head and took Rose onto the limited space of her lap.

"Yeah, I have a job. But I hate Hermione! I hate it." Ron said angrily.

"And so you were just going to go off and find a new one without telling anyone?" Hermione demanded.

"Harry knows!" Ron defended. His face reddened seconds later with instant regret.

"Oh," Hermione laughed. But nothing that had just been saying was remotely funny. "So you just weren't going to tell me."

"I'm telling you now!"

"When you have already done everything! Did you even think to consult me! No! You didn't!" Hermione raised her voice shrilly.

"I didn't want to cause you unnecessary stress!" Ron defended.

"So I'm fragile now?" Hermione demanded.

"Don't put words in my mouth!" Twitched angrily.

Hermione stood and walked out of the kitchen, carrying Rose with her.

"You can't just walk away!" Ron shouted jumping to his feet.

"You would know a thing or two about running away from your problems!" Hermione snapped whirling around.

"I get it." Ron snarled. "You choose him."

Then he ripped open the tent flap and stomped out into the night. Hermione beat against her own shield charm.

"Ron, no! Please! Come back. Come back!" She cried while fumbling with her wand. By the time she had it removed and chased after Ron into the pounding rain, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Ron!" She sobbed shrilly.

Running out past the protective charms Hermione felt the rain soak her within seconds.

"RON!" She screamed desperately. "Come back!"

She ran through the trees searching for his tall figure.

"Ron!" She sobbed. "Where are you!"

She sank to the ground. Pounding the wet earth with her fist she wailed. She screamed his name again. Tears were streaming from her face.

"Ron," Hermione called once more weakly. "Come back. Please."

A clap of thunder brought Hermione to her senses. She stumbled back to the tent. Not bothering to dry herself or move the sopping mess of her hair that was plastered to her face.

She saw Harry standing in the same place she left him. he looked angry, yet deflated.

"He's g-g-gone!" Hermione wailed in explanation. "Disapparated!"

Hermione then flung herself down into the nearest chair, sobbing harder than before. She was vaguely aware of Harry stomping around the tent. Her head felt heavy as Harry threw a stack of blankets over her.

They smelt like Ron. She shook with agony until she either fell asleep or lost conciseness.

Hermione stormed into Rose's bedroom. She felt as if steam was coming from her ears. She then pulled on the babies' sleep clothes. Once in her crib, Hermione went back down the stairs to find Ron who was leaning over the counter angrily.

"I don't think you're fragile," Ron said, lowly, but his voice was quaking with rage.

"Really?" Hermione asked crossing her arms.

"Never!" Ron said turning to her. "No Mistress of Magic could ever be fragile!"

Clenched tightly in his fist Ron held a plum-colored envelope.

"That was not yours to read!" Hermione said, seething.

"We're both learning new things about each other tonight aren't we!" Ron shouted.

"I haven't written back yet." Hermione snapped.

"You don't want me getting a new job because you're about to abandon your own to run to be the head of office!" Ron shouted throwing the crumpled piece of paper to the ground.

"Well, we're not exactly rich, Ron!" Hermione shouted back.

She knew she had hit a sensitive spot. Ron's fists flexed as his knuckles turned white.

"We're not the Potter's." She pushed further.

Ron's face flushed so red it could have been crimson colored.

"When have I never been there for you?" Ron demanded.

"I can count I few times!" Hermione shot back. "Would you like me too?"

"I can't even understand why you would want to be Mistress of Magic. That's the most stressful job there is. Do you really think you can handle that? After Kennedy?"

"You do not get to throw our dead child in my face!" Hermione screamed. "There is nothing I could have done about that!"

"Are you sure about that!" Ron huffed. "Because ever since Kennedy you haven't been the same!"

"I was grieving!" Hermione roared at him in disbelief.

"An I wasn't?" Ron exploded. "Do you think any of that was easy for me? I had to watch you waste away in bed. What could I do? Nothing! You wouldn't let me near you! It was as if I was dancing on cracked ice."

It had been days now. Hermione hadn't gone into work at all that week. Ron felt helpless.

He walked into their bedroom to find Hermione staring blankly at a wall.

"Did you eat today?" Ron asked walking over to her.

Hermione nodded.

"What did you eat."

Hermione pointed towards the half-eaten bowl of soup sitting on the nightstand.

"Okay," Ron whispered kissing her forehead.

Grabbing the bowl he walked down to the kitchen where Ginny and Harry were waiting.

"I swear," Ronn shook his head. "It's like talking to a brick wall."

"Let me talk to her," Ginny said. "I can be mean."

"Ginny," Ron said. "You really don't have too."

"You want your wife back don't you?" Ginny asked fiercely.

"Of course!" Ron said quickly.

"She's just so delicate right now. I don't know what could happen."

"She'll be fine. I would never hurt her. Everything I say is for her own good."

"I- uh... okay." Ron caved.

Banging into the room Ginny wrenched the sheets from Hermione's grey body.

"Get up." She said sharply.

Hermione turned her head to look at Ginny. Ginny felt like her soul was being scanned.

Biting back her lip she spoke again. "You haven't showered in days."

Hermione turned her head back towards the wall. "Those are hybrid tea roses."

Ginny scoffed and looked towards the direction Hermione was staring at.

"There was a president, from the United States. His name was John F. Kennedy. Apparently he was this great President. He planted these roses. The weather almost killed them. But he loved them, so he did his best to keep them alive. Someone shot him. He's dead now. Just like my baby." Hermione continued in a monotone.

"Get up," Ginny repeated, weaker.

When Hermione didn't move Ginny grabbed her and half dragged, half carried her to the bathroom. She turned on the tap to the shower.

"I'm not afraid to see you naked," Ginny said to Hermione who was standing like a ghost. "If you want to remain decent, I will close my eyes."

Ginny turned and closed her eyes. There was the sound of dropping clothes. And the opening and closing of the shower door. The glass of the shower was fogged so Ginny could only see the top half of Hermione's head.

They sat in silence for a while before Hermione began to cry. She was trying to keep her sobs quiet. She took shallow breaths. Ginny looked up to see Hermione leaning her head against the side of the shower.

"It's my fault." She cried silently.

"It's not your fault," Ginny replied calmly. "We called the muggle doctor remember? She said that if it wasn't genetic, you had an incompetent cervix. There is nothing you could have done."

"I've never been called incompetent in anything before." Hermione cried. "I can't even keep my own child alive."

Ginny sighed before speaking again. "Listen to me." She rapping on the glass."It is not your fault! You couldn't have done anything."

"This is stupid!" Ron cried throwing his hands up in the air as he paced the kitchen. "We love each other. Why are we-"

"Fighting?" Hermione finished. "Do you love me? Right now. Who I am right at this very moment? Not some dream Hermione you've conjured up in your mind over the years. Right now. Me standing in front of you!"

Ron opened his mouth to speak. The closed it.

"Exactly." Hermione spat. "Next time you tell me that you love me, make sure you mean it. Make sure you're not just saying it out of habit."

"You really want to fight, huh?" Ron asked, with fire in his eyes.

"Yes!" Hermione cried exasperated. "We are not the people we used to be! We are not the young people who fell in love in the middle of a war anymore! Can't you see that?"

"Then who are we then?" Ron roared. "Because you're not the Hermione I fell in love with! The Hermione who told me everything. Every little thing that popped into her head. No matter how mundane!"

"You used to care!" Hermione screamed. "What happened to that Ron! Where is he!"

"Don't you ever accuse me of not caring," Ron growled pointing a finger at her. "All I have ever done is care for you!"

"Really Ron? REALLY? Because if this is you caring, then I don't want to be there when you stop!"

"You, are completely mental," Ron said turning away from her. "You're having our baby for the love of Merlin!"

"NO!" Hermione shrieked. "I'm having this baby! Not you! I am eight months pregnant. I don't you to be there when I give birth to and raise this boy!"

"That boy is as much my son as he is yours!" Ron shouted pointing to Hermione's bulging belly.

"I'm the pregnant one!" Hermione stated. "And with the way you're acting right now, I'd rather him never know his father at all."

"You have no right!" Ron forced out. "You don't just get to take him from me!"

"Don't I? Really Ron, don't I?"

"Think about Rose, Hermione!" Ron shouted, desperately.

"Believe me, she's the only one I'm thinking about!" Hermione shouted. "She is the only thing on my mind! Right now I'm thinking it'd be better for both of my kids to grow up away from you!"

"You wouldn't dare."

"Watch me!" Hermione taunted. "Listen to yourself. Hashing all this out because I have an opportunity to work at a job I could love!"

"YOU THINK I STARTED THIS?" Ron bellowed. "I finally get to the chance to do something fun. Something that I like. I don't tell you one little thing and you're threatening to take the kids away!"

"Don't blame me for the fact that you have failed to communicate with your wife!"

"All I've ever tried to do is what is best for the family." Ron hissed.

"Well, you're best isn't good enough! Is it?" Hermione muttered.

"What was that?" Ron asked slowly.

"You're. Not. Good. Enough."

Ron stood dazed for a moment. "Fine!" He finally shouted.

Grabbing his cloak he stormed out the door.

"Yeah, run away!" Hermione screeched after him. "Nothing ever changes does it!"

Ron slammed the front door in reply.

Rain pound down on the roof of the Potter household. It was a quarter past eight. Ginny and Harry were lazily watching the television while they dozed on the couch. There was a rushed knocking on the front door.

"Who the?" Harry asked standing and pulling his wand out. Ginny followed closely behind him.

Hermione stood on their front porch with two suitcases, a stroller and a bulging backpack. Nearly in tears she asked. "Can we stay here for a while?"

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I know you guys don't care but my sister just snuck up on me to scare me while I was writing this and this is the keyboard smash that resulted.

wpeofugiu[

It's a work of art.

Now I am here to formally apologize. Because I have wrecked Romione. And I am terribly sorry. I feel awful.

And the cliffhanger is butthole move too.

But I hope you find this chapter well written. I don't want to say I hope you enjoyed this married couple fighting... so.

Anyway,(insert awkward segway) thank you all so much for 11k reads! Almost that is. We are currently at 10.9 k and I totally kept forgetting to thank you all for that. So here a belated thanks!

I love you all, and I am once again terribly sorry for there emotional trauma this may have caused.

See you next time Loves!

💔💔💥💥