Ebony's TiP - the real cause of the Ripple Effect

[Mabel]

No: HPFGUIDX 23228

I heard that in an opinion poll, many readers think Hermione is the 
cause of the Ripple Effect and some think that it is Ron, but I 
disagree with it because it takes two to make a relationship fall 
apart.  I do not mean it exactly the way Sirius did in Chapter 10.  
Even without their respective affairs in their early years, their 
marriage is doomed to fail and it is just a matter of time - when Ron 
meets another woman of his dream.

I am not saying that Ron and Hermione were not meant to be together.  
In fact, when looking around, they were the right person for each 
other and before getting married, they knew each other almost inside 
out.  However, they did not realise the importance of discussing 
their desired way of life and expectation of each other when it comes 
to marriage and it is very sad that things for which Ron admired 
Hermione before - her coolmindedness, love of knowledge, devotion to 
heal the sick and help the less fortunate, effort to train and 
inspire another generation of great wizards and determination to 
prevent another attempt by the dark forces to take over the world - 
have all turned into her flaws or even shortcomings in Ron's opinion 
after their marriage.

Ron cannot be blamed for wanting a personal life, a family with kids, 
for pursuing a career in Quidditch or for wanting to forget about the 
war and the age of terror because he, along with Harry and Hermione, 
has undergone a lot of hardship and suffered enough for the wellbeing 
of all wizarding folks (except dark wizards) during VW2.  Hermione 
cannot be blamed either.  In fact, she has never changed before or 
after the marriage and has always been the same Hermione who is 
diligent and logical, cares for the welfare of others and concerns 
about the future of the wizarding world.  It was just ridiculous of 
Ron to assume that Hermione would turn into a wife of his dream 
automatically after getting married, without him explicitly telling 
her what he wants from her.

In Chapter 10, we got snippets of Ron's feeble attempts on bringing 
to Hermione's attention what he wanted.  I agree with some readers 
that Hermione was not sensitive enough to her husband's needs but Ron 
did not make his messages - to have more of her attention and a more 
homely, secured and private life with only the two of them and 
perhaps some kids - plain enough either.  It was unwise for them to 
assume that once they had been best friends, the other would 
understand them with only a hint or a mere mention of a subject and 
vice versa.

The cause of their failing marriage is their lack of checkpoints 
where they should have evaluated their relationship regularly, 
communicated expectations of each other and set short-term and/or 
long-term goals in their life together.  No matter how busy they have 
been, they should have taken a holiday or a trip once in a while, 
e.g. yearly, to discuss these issues, so differences would have been 
identified at an early stage and they could have chosen to make 
adjustments in their own parts or separation which, if chosen, would 
have let them remain friends.  TiP proves that a couple trying to 
talk and make up only after a problem has surfaced would not work 
well because it is usually too late by that time.  In Ron and 
Hermione's case, that he has fallen in love with another woman and 
fathered a child is irreversible and harm has been done.

Ron, Hermione, Mo, Harry and Sirius have all got a part in this 
heartstorm.  I have no intention in discussing who to blame more or 
most here.  Now that the truth is uncovered, there is only one way 
out for Ron and Hermione - divorce.  It is when it comes to this part 
that I hate Ron.  Hermione demanded two-thirds of their assets if Ron 
wanted a divorce but he was unwilling.  This makes me wonder if Ron 
really loves Mo.

Let us not forget that he is extremely rich now and still has a 
bright prospect in his Quidditch career.  Even with only one-third of 
his and Hermione's assets, he can still provide a comfortable living 
for Mo, himself and their son.  Besides, Mo is a financially 
independent woman with her own successful business.  So, money should 
not be a problem.

Moreover, Ron has got everything he wants now - wealth, fame, career, 
a son and a woman he claims to be the best thing that has ever 
happened to him.  Compared with him, Hermione is a complete loser and 
will be very lonely especially when the Trio has broken up.  Then, 
why not give her the only thing she asks now?  Why not settle it 
quickly and let everyone start a new life as soon as possible?

Furthermore, Hermione has the right to ask for these because more 
than half of the money in their joint account is contributed by her 
and Ron is the one to have committed adultery and broken the marriage 
vows.  If Ron still holds onto their assets unyieldingly, this only 
shows that no matter how he claims he cannot live without Mo, to him, 
money still above everything, and that he has been a bastard to both 
Hermione and Mo.

Okay, enough rambling from me.  Anyway, I appreciate TiP very much 
and am looking forward to reading Chapter 12 tomorrow.  Ebony, thank 
you for writing such a great story.  Wishing you the best of health.

Mabel