Today, she smiled at me.

Her face lit up, and her cheeks did that adorable thing where they dimple: two indentations of perfect happiness in her face. Her lips were a soft, inviting tinge of pink. Her eyes were sparkling, truly emerald-like. People are never sincere unless their smile reaches their eyes, and right then and there, I couldn't help but appreciate that she is the most sincere person that I know.

Lily is one of those addictive smilers. I see her smile, I see her face flushed with exhilaration or joy, and it makes me want to laugh in awe. She amazes me, every time she smiles. It is a smile that could brighten the darkest of hearts.

Lily hasn't smiled at me like that for a while, now. In fact, she hasn't smiled for a while. I miss seeing those smiles – those wonderful, addictive expressions of pure pleasure in life.

Although, granted, Lily hasn't had much pleasure with her life lately. I suppose that's what happens when Death smiles upon your family.

I wonder what Death's smile looks like. Is it cold, and cruel, and calculating? Is it welcome and understanding? Or, as I suspect, is Death's smile calm and indifferent – a mere introductory civility, without any real meaning?

One thing I know is that nothing will ever match the feeling of Lily's smiles. They feel like love, and smell of life. They are radiant, and I treasure each and every one that she offers my way.

When Lily smiles at me, I feel as though my heart is going to explode. Every time she smiles is surreal. I suppose this is because Lily refused to smile at me for so many years. But that's in the past now.

Lily's smiles feel like Christmas and my birthday, all rolled into one. They give me a fantastic surge of excitement and adrenaline, and a sensation that courses through my entire body. Her smiles are a reward in themselves.

Lily started smiling at me in seventh year, and I've been defenseless to them ever since. Good things are associated with those smiles: friendship, compassion, understanding.

Love.

Lily's smiles make me want to kiss her.

"James?"

Lily gazes at me, her eyes softly caressing mine.

"Hmmm?" I murmur by way of reply.

She continues to stare, and I feel lost, staring back into those deep, luminescent green eyes. They sparkle with hidden laughter: laughter that I want to share, but never can.

"What are you thinking about?"

"You," I reply almost immediately, unable to keep the affection from my voice.

She lowers her eyes and blushes, a delicate pink colour rising in those dimpled cheeks. Lily rests her head on my shoulder, and I tighten my hold around her waist, savoring the feel of her soft, warm skin as my hands stroke the small patch revealed by her risen jumper.

"What about me?" she murmurs, glancing up again.

Her left eyebrow lifts just a milimetre when she asks a question, and quivers, waiting for my response. I kiss it, and she smiles again. She snuggles even closer, and a curling tendril of wine-red hair assaults my cheek. I bite back a grin and gently tuck it safely away behind her delicate little ear.

"Where did you learn to smile like that, Miss Evans?"

Lily's eyebrow falls gently, which means she is pleased with my response. When she isn't, it jumps dangerously high, so high that sometimes I worry it will get lost in her hair. More often than not, her right eyebrow follows suit. Lily looks down again, and I watch her eyelashes flutter as she breathes.

Suddenly, her eyes dart back up to mine again, twinkling with that same hidden laughter, and her face lights up, smiling again. I delight in her smile, memorizing every laughter line, every crevasse of her softly curving lips. Finally, she opens her mouth, still smiling, to respond.

"You taught me."

Disclaimer: Lily and James are characters who belong to JKR. I will not even attempt to take credit for them.

A/N: I hope you like this, it's just a little one shot that I came up with on the spur of the moment. I will admit outright that this story is no where near my best. It's just a little piece of romantic fluff that i had fun writing. If you don't believe me, have a look at some of my other stuff! wink anywho - Reviews (appreciations, flames and or constructive criticism) are always welcome, of course xx