A/N: Originally written for 2018 New Year's Countdown. Prompt: smiling. Not beta'd.
Disclaimer I own nothing recognisable from the Harry Potter world and I am not profiting from this story.
His Smile
She first realised she loved him one day by looking at his smile.
Harry's smile.
That was all it took for her to realise that she was head-over-heels in love with her best friend.
It wasn't a big moment of excitement - there was no battle, no war, no alcohol. It was Christmas Eve, but that was not in any correlation to the moment of clarity she had.
She had simply said something cheeky, and Harry had laughed. After laughing, he smiled at her.
"I love you." The words had tumbled from her mouth so unexpectedly. She remembered looking at him, eyes wide as she waited for his response.
Harry's smile had only deepened. She remembered how he took her hand and squeezed it tightly as he said the words back. "I love you too."
She had kissed him next, knowing that their relationship was forever changed.
"What are you thinking about?" Harry asked, disrupting her from her reverie.
"The moment I realised I loved you." She smiled at him.
"Best Christmas Eve ever," Harry said quietly, smiling at her as he scooted closer to her on the sofa. "What was it again?"
"Your smile," Hermione said, grinning at him. "I remember looking at you, seeing that smile on your face, and I realised there was nothing more I wanted in the world than to see you always smile."
Harry laughed. "You're adorable, you know that, right?" He kissed her tenderly. "Why don't we sneak into the bedroom and have some fun before James wakes up from his nap?"
Hermione giggled but pulled her husband towards their bedroom.
It had been five years since her declaration of love, and while they had grown together and started a family, one thing never changed, and that was her love of seeing Harry smile.