Chapter Text
Hermione felt stupid there, for a multitude of reasons, Logically she knew there was nothing to be ashamed, sometimes people, or couples need help, support, healing, hell she had been pushing Harry a bit too much about taking his mental health a lot more seriously, as time went on,clearly all the “The Boy Who Lived” and “Voldemort Vanquisher” took a heavier toll on him that he tried to let out.
So she knew logically there was not reason to be ashamed, yet emotionally this was draining, exhausting even.
So much had gone awfully awry from how she pictured life after war, or at least she felt like it, but in reality it was one thing only.
Yeah she got together with Ron.
Yeah Voldemort was defeated, Harry was alive, no longer an horrocrux, on his way to becoming DADA´s teacher at Hogwarts after a brief career as an auror. At some point the idea of Harry surviving was almost a fantasy, not helped by his “savior-like” tendencies.
Of Course Magical Britain was improving in leaps, Kingsley was a lot more open about changes and ideas, especially coming from Harry, Ron and Hermione.
Between NEWTs and her reputation as War Heroine from the “Golden Trio” she was on a rocket trajectory to be a high ranking member in the ministry, some even proposed her as potential minister of magic, obviously at the very least in twenty years.
So she was at twenty five and in so many places her expectations had been exceeded. She had at her grasp the ability to bring magical Britain to the present.
So what was issue.
Well she was twenty five and was on her scheduled couples therapy with Ron and by the third time she was alone.
Catherine looked at her, both stared at the clock, three seconds slowly advanced.
-Well, we have been here twenty minutes Ms. Weasley, if you allow me to imagine, i dont think Mr Weasly it's going to come given the results of our previous appointments- Catherine remarked, Hermione felt awful, she had wasted so much time finding a muggleborn wizard or witch couples therapist with actual degree in psychology from an actual muggle university.
Hermione left a little gasp.
-No, i don't think he will come- Hermione allowed herself to declare.
Her relationship with Ron was the issue, she loved him obviously, and she knew he loved her, but issues came after years of fighting, bantering, disagreements. Hell even her parents did not exactly approve of Ron, of his treatment of their “Precious daughter” yet she knew she was as guilty as him of their own issues, but obviously family tends to see the better of their children.
Hermione did not know what to do, this had become awkward, just as the last time, and the one prior to that. The first time she just left. The second time she stayed and they talked in Catherine words “Well you already paid an appointment”
-¿Do you wanna continue where we left it?-
-¿Well..the clock is ticking and I am already here, right?- said Hermione in the quiet room Catherine used as an office.
-So…last time we went onboard a bit Ron´s personality, passions, interest, and as well as yours obviously, how you meet, Mr Potter clearly, you years growing up, the “Yule Dance” incident, the “Lavender Brown” incident, the “Tent” incident, Your first years together post war, the….”Honeymoon” incident- Catherine recalled all of this topics of the prior appointment.
Hermione being the always overachiever she was, asked something that even she would have seen as a stupid question in another question, but her desire for approval as well as her mental anguish clouded her judgment a bit.
-So…do you think my marriage is salvageable Dr. Wilson?- Catherine looked at her a bit puzzled before replying to this question.
-Ms Weasley, Hermione if you allow me- Hermione nodded- Hermione it is, I think someone with your qualifications, background and parents who work in the medical department surely know couples therapy or therapy overall does not work like that- Catherine had her own opinion on the “Heroine” relationship, but she had to be professional.
-I know it's…just has been so exhausting lately- Hermione let out.
Catherine looked at the young woman, she knew this was going to a tough one, Hermione as much of heroine, promising woman in the politics world, and one brightful woman and witch, lacked a lot of emotional development, the worst thing was that unlike her husband she proud herself of believing otherwise, but after her description of Mr Potter and Mr Weasley she could see she came to the conclusion she was a lot more emotional mature that she was, both men were, by very different reasons, awfully immatures in the emotional department.
-Hermione, i am going to ask you something, perhaps the most important question, are you happy in your marriage? why do you came to me?-
-Dr Wilson,Should it not be the most important question if I love Ron?- Hermione asked puzzlingly.
-Oh no darling, i mean to me it's clear you love, or at very least loved at some point very much, but i am a couples therapist, and i can tell you, i have seen marriage with people full of love for each other who…well did not make it out in the end. Love while the most important thing in a relationship, it's far from the only factor, if only life was so simple dear- Catherine said- And please if your okay with it,Catherine or even Cat is fine-
Hermione was puzzled by the answer and by a few seconds seriously considered her answer.
-I'm not sure…i mean when things are fine, they are really great, but- she paused as if she was afraid of putting her feelings or situation in words.
-But…- Catherine guided the conversation.
-But when things get bad, they get really bad- Hermione said defeated.
-Could you define, “Bad”?- asked Catherine.
-Well you have seen we tend to argue a lot- Hermione made a big emphasis on the “A lot” part.
-Well yeah I have seen this has been a common component in your relationship- Said Catherine looking at her notes about Hermione Weasley neé Granger.
-For a long time, more than I would like was our main way to interact, that or Harry- said the young woman, while Dr Wilson added a big line under one of the big topics on the sheet of paper “HARRY”. -And must amidst have always tended to go awry on our arguments, sometime he, and i, we take it too far-
-Like the Troll incident?- Catherine,
-Or the Lavender brown thing on sixth year- added hermione
-Or the Honeymoon incident, right?- Dr Wilson kept adding lines and notes to Hermione's dismay who just wanted to know what the hell the woman wrote.
-I admit a lot of them were my fault as much as Ron, or some even my entire fault- said Hermione.
-and of course some are Ron´s entire responsibility as well, or at least that what you desire to imply?- Hermione nodded with Catherine Wilson inquisition.
-What is different between now and this dynamic growing up Hermione? What has made it become “Bad”, in my opinion they always tended to go a bit awry- Catherine continued.
-Well yeah the first years Ron was a bit of a prat without emotional maturity- said Hermione as Cat added to her notes a connection between the need of Hermione to be better than Ron and her own emotional maturity.
-But after our Sixth year at Hogwarts everything became a lot better!- said happily the Young Woman.
-Until the “Tent” fight, right?- Catherine admitted probably that incident and the fact he refused to come to even a single session, even at the behest of her wife painted a poor image of her image of one of the heroes of the war, but she knew people were more than what was allowed to see in this office.
-Yeah…- said Hermione, as if Cat had sullied her prior excitement- But after he came back things were better than ever!-
-For a while I must guess given we are here- Catherine, added.
Hermione breathed before continuing.
-After the War, the banter came back, the…fights, it started small and very infrequent, either he did something or i did it, and without realizing we start to scream, to thrown stuff around, to hex us sometimes- Hermione confessed looking at Catherine scribbling on her notes.
-Hermione i am going to be very blunt, but i am only asking this because the conduct already border this issue, has there been physical domestic violence in this relationship?-
-NO, NO, NO! Of course not! Ron would never, nor would i- Hermione clearly found the accusation almost insulting.
-Well let's continue- Catherine Wilson knew this reaction, people sometimes got offended by this type of questions as if it was an attack to their partners or themselves, “I would never do something like that!” but they forget, other people do not know them as they know themselves -You said it started to get “Worse” and i must ask, is the fight worse or its the frequency that its worsening?-
-A bit of both, Fight have been more visceral than ever, but it's because we fight constantly we are barely getting over fight and we already starting another- Hermione said, Cat knew that look, that was not the look of a victim, but a person stuck in a marriage with a toxic dynamic that lead her to do conducts that embarrassed, but Catherine knew breaking this types of habits was hard.
-Its feels awful Catherine, i feel myself walking on eggshells around him, the worst thing i can feel him doing the same, this has been building up by years since the end of the war, specially since we got married, i love Ron, but i hate feeling like this around him, i hate making him feel like this- Hermione continued, but she was not over.
-I don't get it, we…yeah of course sometimes our banter sometimes we're too far, but it was far from the regular, and now we got from normal directly to fighting without the banter- Cat kept doodling at her notes “Unhealthy dynamic Bantering”
-I just…feel so much pression, the situation has gotten so bad that even our friends avoid us together, my parents, are asking me if i am happy, Harry is even worried for me and Ron, as well as of Luna, Neville and Ginny- said Hermione aguishly letting a few sobs of crying down her cheeks, as Catherine add Mrs Longbottom, as well as his and Harry Spouses to her notes.
-Hermione, i am going to ask you, why do you banter with Mr Weasley?-
-Uh?- said Hermione a bit distracted after crying for bit -Oh well this our dynamic, always has been-
-Yeah, but it does not have to be- said Catherine.
-I mean of course i know it, but it's what we tend to do, it's just our thing, bantering comes natural to us, you know, “Opposite Attracts”- said Hermione smiling sheepishly while she cleaned her tears.
-We will put that “Opposite Attracts” bit a side for now, but we will revise it later ok?- Hermione nodded- but my point with the bantering questions it's more like, if since the beginning it tends to end in fighting, and in your particular case, heavily distress and crying, why not search other ways to interact with your husband, not saying bantering itself its bad, but an alternative could be an useful way to enjoy yourselves as couple- asked Cat.
-Well…-Hermione did not have exact words to explain how simple and how it was just like that when she and Ron were together, of course she had thought about it, but whenever she tried to avoid bantering or fighting Ron, without even realizing it happened naturally. At some point she had stopped trying to change their dynamic, it just was how it was.She did not think the banter itself was a problem, just how they escalated until now.
-Are you implying bantering, it's not a valid couple dynamic?- asked Hermione with both genius curiosity and a desire to avoid answering Cat's previous question.
-Not of course not, Bantering to some couple its deeply funny and interesting as well as dynamic way to interact with your couple- Catherine took a second to clear her throw- What i find, well not necessarily concerning, but curious, that besides, intimacy, you and Ron only common activity as couple its…bantering- Hermione trembled a bit with the mention of intimacy, an aspect of her relationship that was withering as their fight keeps increasing.
Hermione knew this critique about her relationship with Ron Weasley, more than once her parents and friends asked her what they did together when “not fighting”.
-Well i think that both Ron and I, are very different people, with very different subjects of interest, there nothing wrong with that, he has his hobbies and passion, and so do i-replied the young woman, thinking of how her and Ron were Opposite attracted to each other, to her it made perfect sense.
-I mean of course not, but usually even in couple with very different people, there is a bit of compromise, either find hobbies and interest in common together, or try give it a shot to the ones of our partners, or at very least if completely not interested, being fully supportive of that person interest- said the short haired doctor.
-To put an example, when you were at Hogwart, you said you hated Quidditch, yet you were in every match Harry was, years prior Ron joined the team- remarked the doctor.
-Well of course he is…my friend- said Hermione, realizing the inconsistency.
-So why give your friend a treatment you are not willing to give to your partner?-
Hermione paused, almost frozen before answering.
-I think…it's because he would not do the same for me- said Hermione as puzzle pieces fell into place in her head.
-And Ron would not do that, because…?- Catherine.
-Because he believes…-Hermione stopped herself- Because i would not- Hermione realized.
Catherine could see progress in hermione in incredible leaps, but the issue it was she came for the entire wrong issue, she had came here expecting Catherine to teach her and her absent husband how to fix her toxic dynamic of hermione so called “bantering”, but by just what she heard of their bantering, it was nothing like it. And in reality Hermione needed to look at all the issues in her relationship and decide if it was worth maintaining a relationship with Ron Weasley, a person who decided coming to couples therapy was “a Waste of time” as Catherine heard faintly from Hermione's call to the man.
The Doctor already had a lot of issues both person had in this relationship:
Unhealthy Toxic Dynamic=Bartering, Bordering on emotional abuse.
Lack of Respect for each other.
Jealousy
Insecurity.
Harry Potter
End of Part 1
