Romione❤️ one-shots

Hey Little Bump

Their room is colder when he's away. Dark shadows and shapes seem to cover everything, giving the impression of a distinct emptiness. The silence is almost paralysing, the only sound being the steady rate of her breathing as she struggles to ease her apprehensive mind into rest.

Hermione's never been an easy sleeper. Even when she was little, she'd be woken up by the sound of gentle footsteps coming up the stairs, or the light pattering of rain on her window. It used to be something that had concerned her parents, how light she slept.

Of course, the war did nothing to help. Being in a tent for months and running for your lives kind of demanded you to be alert every second. Even Ron, who used to be able to sleep through anything would've woken at the slightest shift in the wind, wand out and ready.

It's sad really, when she thinks about it- how young they were deprived of their innocence.

She tries not to think about it.

Hermione is used to sleepless nights, and she's used to lying for hours trying to fade into slumber. She knows that sleep doesn't come easy- even more so on nights like tonight.

Turning on her side to stare at Ron's empty side of the bed, she tries once more to find a comfortable position. The ache in her chest seems to intensify at the absence of her husband's sleeping form, the worry building up until she can hardly bear it. She sighs and rests one hand on her abdomen, stroking the small bump that rests there. If anything is going to soothe her nerves it will definitely be the thought of the tiny life growing inside of her. Life that her and Ron created.

The slight smile that begins to form on her lips is interrupted by a grimace as another wave of discomfort causes her arm to cramp up beneath her weight. Grumbling, Hermione turns on her back and resigns herself to staring at the ceiling until sleep falls upon her.

She's counting the roof tiles when the sound of a door opening makes her freeze, the number forty one already drifting away in her brain.

It must be Ron back early. It must be because no one else knows how to break the enchantments- save for Harry and Ginny, of course. Her thoughts are confirmed when she hears a voice, unmistakably belonging to Ron, whisper the spell to re-set the wards protecting their small flat.

There's a tiny 'thud' as Ron's boots hit the floor, followed by the sound of his soft footprints towards their bedroom. When she hears the door squeak open, she closes her eyes again and pretends to be asleep.

It worries him- that she can't sleep when he's away. If there's one thing Hermione definitely wants to avoid, it's worrying him (especially after a long mission.) Besides, she's perfectly fine, just a little uncomfortable- and that's hardly anything to make a fuss over.

She can sense more than hear his presence as he changes out of his work clothes; the room somehow seems warmer, embracing. Ever so slightly, she feels the covers of the bed lift, and the cold that rushes in is immediately replaced by the heat of Ron's body. She smiles.

One of the things that makes her heart melt above all else is Ron's thoughtfulness and consideration. Even now, at a time when it doesn't really matter, she knows he takes extra care not to wake her. Tears start to well up behind her closed eyelids when she feels a gentle pressure on her forehead, Ron's lips kissing her in the same spot they always do before the two of them settle into slumber.

Trying to lay still and fighting to maintain a neutral expression, Hermione feels the lightness of his touch as he brushes a stray strand of hair from her face. He moves away and it takes all of her willpower not to pull him back to her. Instead, she finds the tender weight of his hand just below her stomach, resting on the small bump that's been causing her so much grief up until now.