A/N: Hey! Hope you enjoy this little bit of Harmony!
Hermione woke up to rays of sunlight dancing through the gaps in the curtains. For a moment, she was confused. She wasn't in her bed, or in Harry's, though it still smelled like him. For a quick moment, she panicked, trying to figure out where she was. Suddenly, everything came flooding back to her. She wiggled her fingers just to make sure it wasn't all just a huge dream, though every moment with him felt like one. She felt the slight weight on her ring finger and smiled to herself. She was officially, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, his. And she wouldn't want it any other way.
She lay there for a few moments longer, savoring the peace, the quiet, the unique smell of the Parisian air. As she felt his eyes on her, she slowly turned and opened her own to look at him.
"You're adorable when you sleep," Harry said. Her only reply was to tilt her head up to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to closer to him. Burying her face against his shoulder, she curled up into his warmth. He clasped her left hand in his and brought it up to his lips, kissing the ring he'd so gently, lovingly slipped on her finger.
Hermione glanced at it briefly and couldn't help but admire its uniqueness yet again. Not the typical diamond, he'd instead chosen a simple gold band with a blue sapphire catching the light peeking into the room. The ring, uniquely her, with the simple inscription inside, meant so much more than any diamond ever could have. Something special, he'd told her, for someone special, someone unique, someone interesting. She looked into his eyes, "I love it, you know."
"And I love you."
She couldn't help but roll her eyes slightly, fighting to hold back a smile, but failing miserably. The first time, the most recent, and every other time he'd said those words to her, she smiled, blushed internally, was the happiest person in the world. "I love you, too," she said, knowing no words could truly explain just how much.
He smiled, taking her hand and leading her out of bed. "Come on, babe. We can't just lie in bed all day. We've got a whole city to explore!" His excitement was contagious, not that Hermione wasn't exceedingly excited already. They were in France! She'd always dreamed of visiting, tasting the food, looking at all the architecture, and speaking her somewhat decent, but ever-improving French.
A quick shower later, they were out, heading to the little café outside the hotel. They sat in a booth, placing their breakfast orders. Well, Hermione placed the orders, chatting with the waitress, as Harry simply sat across from her, watching, content to be silent, staring at his gorgeous wife. He noticed her blushing slightly, and the waitress glancing over at him, while the two continued to speak in rapid French. He immediately straightened up, wondering what was being said about him, trying to not appear as confused as he felt. As the waitress left, Hermione turned back to him.
"She noticed the ring and was asking how long we've been together. She thought we seem perfect for each other. I told her there was no better way to phrase it." A hint of her earlier blush returned to her cheeks.
"We definitely are, love," Harry replied.
The waitress came by again as they were discussing plans for the day, placing a plate of strawberry and Nutella crepes in front of both of them. As they dug in, they had the chance to people watch, while sneaking not-so-secret glances at each other. She knew he was wearing blue for her, her favorite color on him. It always made him look so handsome, and she had many memories of him wearing that color. Likewise, he admired her choice of outfit. A simple white dress bordered with lace clung to her figure, flowing around her curves, showing off her body subtly.
Hermione chattered on excitedly, talking about all of the things she was excited to see, about the people she saw walking past the huge window in the café, about things she wanted to try. Harry sat back, once again content to mostly listen, adding in a couple opinions whenever she asked. He was too busy staring at her eyes, the way they sparkled when she was particularly excited or happy. A plan in mind of everywhere they had to visit that day, they hurried to finish the crepes. With a flirtatious smirk, Hermione licked a tiny bit of whipped cream off her lips. She grinned harder, seeing his eyes focus on her lips. She had wanted a reaction and she knew just how to get it. After they finished their breakfast, they walked out into the lively Parisian streets hand in hand.
From the café, the newlyweds visited the Notre Dame Cathedral. Hermione chimed in with information from all of the tourist books she had read, adding information about the architecture. She mentioned the story of the Hunchback, a story Harry only vaguely knew, having never read a storybook until he left the Dursleys. He found the story fascinating, paying rapt attention to her words, picturing all the details of the grand building as it had once stood. A short distance from there, they came across the Sainte-Chapelle. Before they entered, Hermione had already begun sharing all of her knowledge, something Harry had grown used to over the years, and even found endearing by now, looking forward to hearing her. He enjoyed the way her eyes lit up as she talked about everything she had read from her precious books. However, as they walked in through the entrance, her voice faded away, her jaw dropped in awe. "The ceiling… It's so much prettier than any pictures. I know they described it as breathtaking, but this is just something else," she gasped.
At the word "breathtaking", Harry glanced at his wife, seeing her eyes widen in delight. She really was breathtaking. "You're breathtaking," he blurted.
She stared at him incredulously. "All of this Gothic architecture and you're staring at me?"
"You're still the most beautiful thing here…" To this, Hermione blushed, a feeling she really should have been used to by now, but always took her by surprise. She mused on how he was the only one who could make her feel as happy as she was. She wrapped herself in his embrace, throwing her arms around his neck, smelling the scent that was uniquely him, kissing him lightly on the cheek. Completely without words, he understood just what she couldn't quite do justice to with words. It wasn't common, she, Hermione Granger, being at a loss for words. Unless her Harry was there.
They glanced back around the chapel, the enticing view, capturing their attention once again. Strolling through the building holding hands, they admired the lighting and the colors that seeped through the stained glass windows.
From there, they soon left and headed to Les Jardins du Luxembourg, stopping to pick up a picnic lunch to eat. They walked through the gardens just enjoying each other's company, reminding them both of walks in the park back home. They sat on a bench eating their sandwiches, enjoying such simple food that tasted so different just due to the different bread and cheese.
"I could just live here," Hermione said sincerely, "France is beautiful. I could live here and see everything and just watch people live their lives, every single day. This is perfect."
Harry nodded. "Anything for you, sweetheart. I'll follow you wherever."
Topping off their lunch with pain-au-chocolat, Hermione licked a spot of chocolate off her bottom lip. Harry tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and she turned her head to kiss the tips of his fingers. They sat there for a while, after finishing their meal, his arm around her, in a comfortable, almost sleepy silence.
Leaving the gardens, they back-tracked a little, walking through Rue de Rivoli. Harry asked Hermione if she wanted anything, to which she replied with, "Nope. I have everything I want right here," squeezing his hand slightly and smiling at him. He squeezed back, extremely happy for the millionth time that day. It was a high of happiness that began the moment she said "I do." After some time, they continued on to the Louvre, a name Harry enjoyed intentionally mispronouncing just to rile Hermione up. He thought she looked positively adorable when she was torn between laughing and hitting him for being so frustrating. She took to calling it the "Giant Pyramid Thing" just to keep him from messing with her precious French. "If the books are even close to accurate," she said, "You won't be making fun of it much longer." He simply grinned and followed her to their destination. She was right of course, as usual, and she knew it. He was awestricken. She nearly drank in all of the information, looking at all of the paintings and sculptures, reciting the histories of each off the top of her head. They both stood and stared at the Mona Lisa for a few minutes before Hermione voiced their thoughts. "I don't really get the big deal. It's interesting, but it's just been promoted too much. Oh well."
When they grew weary of the busy museum they wandered through the streets of Paris. Arriving towards the Eiffel Tower in time for their early dinner, Harry led his wife to the 58 Tour Eiffel, stopping along the way to take pictures of the view from the tower, a view that would never be forgotten. They were shown to their table where Harry, ever the perfect gentleman, pulled out Hermione's chair for her, making sure she was perfectly situated, before seating himself. They were recounting the highlights of the day until that point when the waiter brought by a bottle of fine wine. Sipping the deep red liquid and savoring the taste, the two opted to take a full five-course meal, a taste of some of Paris's finest.
Full and slightly lethargic from the wonderful, rich food, Harry and Hermione casually strolled back through Paris, adding their own lock to the Pont des Arts, symbolizing a sweet forever yet to come. Still blissfully wandering, they happened across a much smaller bridge, comparatively emptier, but with a brilliant view of the Eiffel Tower. They stood, looking over the edge at the sight. Her hands were resting on the hand rails, and he slid his closer to rest on top of hers, twining their fingers together. The sun began dipping below the horizon, turning the sky into gorgeous shades of orange, red, and pink, covered only by the occasional cloud. She turned to her husband, the love of her life, and looked deep into his eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she felt his find their way to her waist. There were so many people passing by, but the place could have been empty for all they cared or noticed. They were lost in each other. No one else mattered when they were together. Hermione briefly realized how much of a photograph moment they shared, but any and all thoughts quickly flitted right back out of her mind. The dusk light glinted off of her ring, highlighting her precious sapphire. Just as the sun was disappearing, he leaned in and kissed her, on that bridge to the perfect background of a Parisian sunset, and as their lips met, the sun disappeared with a flash of gold, marking that moment as the beginning of always.
A/N: So this is my longest story yet (Almost 2000 words), and I think it turned out really nicely. Please let me know what you think, as always! The next chapter will come out on Nov 15th.
A/N 2: This is if anyone wants to know why I wrote this. I'm just going to spill my personal life here, so beware XD. For those of you who read Two Minutes, you know that Her Eyes and Two Minutes were both written for/ because of the same person. We are back together, and I couldn't be happier! This story was written based on an idea of his.
A/N 3: Dearest Something,
Thanks for being my muse, my reason to write romance, the cause of so many smiles every single day. Here's to you, to us, and to Paris. I love you.
~EternalVeritie