I'm Happy Just To Be With You

I'm Happy Just to Be With You

Hermione looked at her reflection in the mirror. Since becoming pregnant with she and Ron's baby she had gained considerable weight. She felt like she was carrying a watermelon. Although she would let Ron lay his head on her stomach to listen and feel their child; she became increasingly uncomfortable letting him see her starkers. Ron did try and be heroic by offering to eat more to gain weight so she wouldn't feel alone, however it only put a strain on their food budget and not on his back.

She began to entertain the blues and began to feel unattractive. She also started to feel that Ron was finding her unattractive to. The more depressed she became the more withdrawn she became. The only thing that even seemed normal in her life was her love of books. Because she didn't want to be seen in public with her bulge she began to make excuses to Ron that she didn't feel well enough to go to the library. She would ask Ron to go in her place. Going to the library was not a highlight of his life, but the love of his life needed her books so he took her list of titles and went on his merry way to get her fifty books for light reading. Nevertheless there were two jollies about the quest, one was that he loved his bride and wanted to make her happy and two there was a donut shop en route. He would stop and say I came, I saw, and I conquered. He justified eating three or four donuts to provide him the strength he needed to carry Mione's books back to her. He would at times make the supreme sacrifice and bring a donut to Hermione, but she would wave it off and tell him she wasn't hungry. She would give him a light snog and thank him for thinking of her. He would then sit down, often next to her and inhale it. Meanwhile Hermione would be screaming inside about how much she wanted to devour it.

As time went by Hermione began to stay in their bedroom more and more. She didn't want to see anyone. As she gained more and more she wore more clothing to try and hide her protrusion. She would angrily say to herself that she was taller laying down. At night when Ron wanted to cuddle with her in bed, she would turn over and tell him she wasn't feeling well. Inside, the opposite was there. She longed to have him hold her, but she would not give in to her desire. When she looked at the wall instead of him she would say to herself that it was logical that if she thought herself ugly than Ron must see her that way to. She rolled over and seeing him snoring away in perfect peace, and whacked him one for his insensitivity. Ron bolted straight up. He looked at Hermione who by now had turned over and pretended she was asleep. He wondered if Harry was about in his invisibility cloak. He nervously closed his eyes.

As time moved on Ron, almost always being two pickles shy of a full picnic began to notice this change in her. One day while being in his favorite place in the house, the kitchen, he became timid when Hermione came in. She was going to pour herself a glass of juice. Ron decided that it was time to express his concern in a tactful way. He looked at her with great intensity. She noticed his focus on her and became very uncomfortable. She did an about face and gave him one of her stern faces. She then asked him what he was looking at. Ron with a heart of a Lion shrugged his shoulders and said nothing. She turned around and continued to pour her juice taking a mental note that he was still staring at her. She became furious and turned around and asked again what he was looking at. Ron then blurted out that even though the bun in her oven was getting bigger, he still loved her. Hermione was stunned at his declaration. She then shook with rage. She screamed at him that he was calling her fat. She took the glass of juice, took a quick sip and then walked up to him and proceeded to pour it on his head. She slammed the glass down on the counter, went back to their bedroom and slammed the door with force. Ron was in mild shock. He didn't know what he had said to upset her in such a way. However, he did know one thing, he would probably be snoring on the couch tonight

Hermione lay down on their bed and hugged a pillow. Tears formed in her eyes. Thoughts ran their course. Even though what Ron said in the kitchen was hurtful, she knew in her heart that he didn't mean to hurt her. She felt like she was losing it. The only thing that kept her somewhat together was her reading. She knew however, that that escape would soon end. What she wanted was Ron to hold her. Nevertheless, she kept pushing him away. She realized she was being hard on him, but it was like she couldn't help it.

Ron somewhat bewildered by Hermione's actions decided it was time to appeal to a higher authority. So after cleaning up he contacted mum Weasley. As he conveyed to her all that was happening, Mum Weasley, although willing to help, thought it would better for him to contact Mrs. Granger instead. After some deep thought Ron decided to take his mother's advice and contact Mrs. Granger. When this was done he decided to try and approach Hermione. With fear and very short steps Ron made it to the bedroom door. He took a deep breath and lightly tapped on the door. . There was no response. He tapped again, but still no response. His courage was beginning to fade. He kept thinking that he should let it be, but love prevailed and he decided to open the door and enter.

When he was inside he saw Hermione lying on the bed curled up like a ball. He slowly approached her. He looked at her. He lowered himself and placed his hand on hers. His touch awakened her. She looked up and saw her Ron looking at her. She instantly noted the concern on his face and also saw his gentleness. She rose up and put her arms around him and began to cry. Ron just held her and lightly caressed her hair. She moved her head back and they both smiled at each other. She started to tell him how sorry she was for all of her actions and words. He tried to stop her and tell her there was no need for apologies, but she begged him to listen to what she had to tell him. Although it was hard for her to explain, because she didn't understand it herself, she did her best.

When she was finished she looked into his eyes to see if he understood what she was telling him. He had a blank look on his face, but that was normal for Ron. Although he didn't quite understand it all, he did hear loud and clear that she thought he wasn't attracted to her anymore because of her pregnancy. He took his hands and cupped her face. He kissed her then told her that she was the girl of his dreams. There was nowhere unless she was there and she was the love of his life. He then told her that he would be happy watching paint dry as long as she was with him. She again began to cry. He lay next to her and cuddled her. It was then that he told her that her mother was on the way to guide her through her struggles. At first Hermione felt some anger at the news of her mum coming, but let it go because she knew Ron meant well by involving her mother. She lay her head down on his chest and soon was asleep.

After some time a bloody brilliant idea came to Ron's head. No it wasn't spraying Hermione's knickers with starch again. He got into huge trouble with that prank. Ooh! He shuddered at the memory. He gently lay Hermione's head on the pillow. He then quietly slipped out of the bedroom. He went into the living room and looked about. Their small couch became his focus. He went over to the door that opened to the garage. He allowed his wonderful plan to dance across his mind. He looked at the couch and then the entryway. He smiled, pointed his finger up and declared in his mind that it would work.

He went to the couch and with crabbian/goyle effort moved the couch into the garage. After this task was completed, he went into the kitchen to gather supplies for this great vision. When all was in place he went for the jewel of the plan. He found a board in a corner of the garage. He found a block and propped it up. He went to a shelf, which held various colors of paint. After a quick search he selected Hermione's favorite color. He twirled his eyes at the color of lilac. He then broke wind in honor of Gilderoy Lockhart. He took the container and opened it. He took a brush and walked over to the propped up board and then painted it. When this was done, he made the supreme effort of cleaning up his mess. When he finished that he went to fetch Hermione.

He quietly opened the bedroom door and gently woke her up. She gave him a sleepy smile. He then asked her to come with him. He took her by the hand and led her out to the garage. Being comfortably warm, she only needed her pajamas and nightgown. He brought her to the small couch and sat her down. She looked about and was very confused at her surroundings. There were juices, sodas and snacks placed within reaching. He then sat down next her, gathered her into his arms and then whispered into her ear, "I told you that as long as I am with you, I would be happy watching paint dry." She looked at him and then giggled at his creativity. They cuddled and enjoyed their snacks. They gave each other light snogs and watched the paint dry on the board. It was the best show on the Tele.

When Mrs. Granger arrived, she saw her daughter and son-in-law looking at a board with some color on it. They appeared to be cozy and happy. She gave them greetings and told them she was going into the house to put some tea to boil and wait for them to come in and tell her about the board they were so very focused on. The sun is up, the sky is blue. It's beautiful and so are you.

Dedicated to Emma Watson.