A/N: So I've been working on a bunch of little ficlets that focus on Ron and Hermione after the baby comes. The first few will be posted chronologically, but that might change as I come up with more ideas, but most of the chapters will be one-shots anyway. Hermione's pregnancy mostly featured in the last few chapters of my Bookworm and the King, and in Wobbly Weasley Christmas, but you don't have to read that first. Thank you for reading and please review.
PS. I do not own Harry Potter.
It was early January, and Hermione was nearly seven months pregnant. It was just another Friday afternoon when she decided that the nursery NEEDED to be sorted out. Sure, most of the furniture, toys and clothes were already in the room, the clothes neatly folded into drawers and the toys packed away in organised containers, but it was far from ready.
When Ron came home a few hours later, he found Hermione in the nursery, dragging the last toy crate into the centre of the room, where all the furniture now stood.
"Please tell me you used your wand to move the rest" he said weakly as she stood up.
She shrugged, but added: "I feel fine, Ron." This did little to calm him, seeing as she swayed a bit as she said this. He planted a kiss on her forehead as he held her steady.
"I take that it's time?" he asked with a smile.
"Of course not, I still have at least two months to go" she replied.
"I meant time to do the nursery. Mum warned me not to confuse it with the other infamous 'It's time', which usually comes out a lot more serious. So, is it time?"
"Maybe" she smiled.
"Tell you what, let your imagination go wild tonight and then just give me a list of what we need so I can go pick it up tomorrow" Ron said.
"Thanks, but you know you don't have to help. I can do it on my own"
"Nonsense. Of course I have to help, she's my daughter too. Plus, I can't have you doing all the heavy lifting"
"I have my wand, as you pointed out" Hermione grinned.
After dinner, Ron carried a chair from their room to the nursery. Hermione was staring at the wall next to the fireplace. "Is the wall good company?" Ron teased.
She rolled her eyes. "I was just thinking" she said.
"That much was obvious. So what do you have in mind for the place?" he asked, leading her over to the chair.
"You can change it if you don't like it, but I do have an idea"
"Of course you do" Ron grinned, earning him a glare.
Eventually she let out a laugh and started explaining. She wanted to paint the walls different shades of green, but they shouldn't be too busy. They could also add a few dragons if they wanted. They would have to varnish the floor, but otherwise it was fine. The bookcase and chest of drawers from her old room would have to be painted a darker brown to match the cot (which will be moved into the corner closest to the door, away from the window and fireplace), and she also wanted to get a chest with small containers for all the toys and a rocking chair. They would also need a cover for the top of the drawers, which would double as a changing table.
Hermione also suggested that they get a little rug for their daughter to play on, along with hanging a Hogwarts banner on the chimney and placing a few family pictures on the mantle. Then she proceeded to remind Ron to buy bins for the dirty nappies as well.
The next morning, Ron went to the shops with a very detailed list. He knew that Hermione wouldn't mind to go with him, but wanted her to have a lie in before the baby comes. Just before lunch, he dropped off the paint for the wall, saying that she can decide what goes where so long while he went to buy the rest of the stuff.
However, when he returned in the afternoon, he found that the walls have already been painted. He was really quite impressed with his wife's handiwork-not only had she painted the walls in the different shades, but they were painted to look like a forest. The forest was done very realistically, with shadows, broken branches and dragons. There were four beautiful dragons in total: a blue one, a yellow one, a red one and a purple one. They were painted to look friendly, but were still detailed.
Hermione was fast asleep in the chair, holding one of the books she had gotten at the baby shower a few weeks ago. Ron gently knelt down in front of her and started rubbing her shoulders to wake her up. He smiled when he saw that she had some paint on the side of her nose.
"Hey" he said softly. "The walls look amazing. I didn't know you could paint like that"
"I don't often have the time" she yawned.
Ron stood up and reached out his hand to help pull her upright. Slowly he guided her back to their bedroom. "You have paint on your nose by the way, did you know? Right there" he teased, rubbing it off with his thumb.
"Remind me why you didn't get more NEWTs. There's clearly nothing wrong with your memory" Hermione retorted.
"Because they didn't have anything to do with you" Ron grinned.
"You smooth bastard" she said as she lied down.
"Get some sleep. The lucky baby needs her rest" Ron said, pulling the covers up higher. "I'll go finish painting the furniture" Luckily, Hermione was asleep before she could argue.