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'almost dead yesterday,
maybe dead tomorrow,
but alive, gloriously alive, today.'
[robert jordan, lord of chaos]
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Addie had been sitting at the vanity in her room at Shell Cottage. Curtains drawn, the rhythmic crashes of waves just beyond the house were the only tell-tale signs of the ocean still existing at this time of the night. Hair pulled over one shoulder, Addie fiddled with the wavy ends as she studied the concentration on Harry's face in the mirror. He was coating the wounds on her ribs with mending ointment, holding the back of her T-shirt up with his other hand.
The warm glow from the lamps cast a softness onto his skin, despite the hints of stubble by his jaw. He glanced up, catching her gaze, and she meant to look away, but couldn't bring herself to. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly as heat rose to her cheeks.
Addie cleared her throat quietly. "You don't have to do this," she turned to look at him over her shoulder. His face was much closer than she realised, but to move back now would be wrong. And she didn't want to. "I can reach it myself."
"I know you can," he said softly, glancing down to apply more lotion, his hair brushing her cheek. The gentleness of his touch made her want to melt. She turned back, watching him in the mirror again.
"You're sure? Because--"
"Addie," he murmured to her back. "It's no bother. You're no bother."
She let her shoulders slack, and he scooted his chair closer. "Okay."
"I don't think you'll need any more of this stuff after tonight," he said thoughtfully, motioning to the open container of lotion after a moment. "It looks like they're healing quicker than before."
Something warm flickered in her chest, and it wasn't just from the way he was looking at her. "Do you think it's because of my magic coming back?"
"I think you're spot on," Harry eyed her in the mirror as a smile grew on her sleepy face. She yawned, then, and smooshed her face into her hands, closing her eyes. "You tired?" he said quietly, putting the ointment away, wiping his hands on a nearby towel. She hummed in response. He stood. "C'mon, bed."
"Soon," she grumbled. Elbows against the vanity table, she hid her face in her hands. "Gotta...gotta do my hair."
