'What a marvellous feeling it would be,

If we could say exactly how we felt.

What a monumental victory, what a terrifying thought.'

[Akif Kichloo]

><><

That night, her fingers felt like ice. The cold of the night stung her skin as though the sheets and blankets that lay over her meant nothing. She was wearing Harry's woollen Quidditch sweater over her usual pyjamas, but even that made no difference to her shivering as she tossed and turned, unable to gain any sort of warmth.

It was 1'o clock in the morning, and even after hours of lying in bed, her eyes stinging with fatigue, sleep had never arrived. Beyond the dorm she shared with Hermione and Ginny, who were sound asleep, wind loudly intercepted the castle, creating a scary, ghostly whisper as it creeped through a gap of their window frame.

Her breath grew faster and felt shallow. She squeezed her eyes shut and lifted the blanket over her head to try and drown out the violence of the wind and the loud, inconsistent bullets of rain hitting their window.

With goosebumps trailing her pale skin, she sat up, rubbing her eyes. Not knowing what else to do, or who else she could go to, Addie pulled back the covers, and her legs wobbled as she planted her feet on the thick carpet and stood, feeling hollow and heavy all at once.

Although their dorm was cloaked in darkness to the point where she wasn't really sure if her eyes were open, the sounds of Adeline's tentative steps and the creak of the door were masked beneath the thundering of the weather as a storm brewed.

Shaking fingers grazing the smooth wooden handrail, Addie climbed the spiral carpeted staircase that led to the boy's dorms as quickly as she could muster, only stopping once she reached the sixth level. Given the lack of light, she ran the pads of her fingers over the wall to her left, and counted one, two, three, and finally the fourth door; twisting its knob and slipping inside.

He was the cove she'd steer toward in any storm.

Tiptoeing across the floor, Addie reached what she knew was the head of Harry's bed at the far end of the dorm.

The window was right by his bed, and a very faint glow allowed her to spy his figure enough to reach out and touch his shoulder lightly. She whispered "Harry!", and, given the noise from the storm, she didn't think he'd wake, but he did.

His sheets rustled as he sat up slowly, getting a small sense of déjà vu as he recognised Addie's voice in the dark. The sky through the window behind her flashed a with lightning for a moment, igniting her silhouette, and she flinched at the crash it made a second later. "Addie? What's wrong?" He asked quietly, reaching out, unsure if he was dreaming until his hand found her forearm in the dark. "You're freezing!"

"I—I don't know," her voice trembled a little like she was about to cry, kneeling beside his bed. He kept hold of her, like an anchor. "I can't get warm, and I don't know if—if it's part of my sickness, if I'm getting weaker, and I didn't—I don't know what to do, and the storm is so loud, and I got scared and I just..." she trailed off.

"Just what?"

"...need you near me," she breathed.

A moment passed. His thumb caressed her arm, and her skin warmed beneath his touch.

"C'mere," he finally whispered, shifting away from her to make room: withdrawing his hand to pull back the covers a little. Addie stood and slid onto the mattress beside him.

He pulled the blankets and sheets over her figure, and her skin almost stung with relief at the familiar warmth and scent of vanilla encasing her. It wasn't a small bed, exactly, but their faces were barely inches away as they laid on their sides, sharing his pillow.

She couldn't see him in the dark, though with his breath faintly brushing over her lips, Addie knew he was looking at her the way he always did. His green eyes would be soft and mesmerised in her own, like he was lost somewhere wonderful; like he could see the embodiment of forever.

The storm was rising to a crescendo, though, and thunder rumbled dangerously in the distance. Her breath hitched suddenly; her body growing tense and trembling like before again. Tears were falling down her cheeks before she could stop them.

"Hey," he whispered, concern lacing itself through his words. He wrapped his arm around her back from beneath the covers, bringing her closer to him. "It's okay, Addie. You're okay."

She relaxed a little at his touch as he held her the way she needed to be held; her body pressed against his. Adeline could feel his steady heartbeat from where her hands met the slow rise and fall of his chest: a gentle rhythm, a lullaby that could only be felt.

She brought one of her hands to rest over his face; her shaking fingers just grazing his jawline, breath just touching his lips. He leaned into her touch. An ache grew in her chest.

"Harry, I—" her voice cracked, eyes watering. The storm was loud enough to mask her voice from the other sleeping boys in the dormitory. "I don't wanna die."

"Addie..." he breathed, a lump growing in his throat.

"I just wanna stay here, with you," her chest wracked as she held down a sob. He pressed his forehead against hers. "I never wanna leave."

"Don't think about it," he whispered, his own voice starting to break like hers. She brought her hand down to her mouth, muffling another sob. "You're here right now. That's all that matters." He ran his fingers through her hair, brushing against her scalp.

"You'll stay with me?" she whispered, leaning into his touch.

"Forever."

She moved her hand to his chest; her breath steadying as she grew quiet for a moment. He almost thought she'd fallen asleep, her body no longer shaking, until she whispered, "I can't sleep without you."

"You don't have to," he replied, wrapping his arm around her waist. He slipped his hand beneath the sweater she wore to rest on the skin of her back, drawing her closer—if that was even possible.

Addie's eyes finally closed, because suddenly the rain and wind didn't seem so scary now. Not when she was with him, in his embrace, falling asleep to the slow cadence of his heartbeat and the safe weight of his arm around her.

><><

"Tell me how I broke up with Lavender, again?" Ron asked as Harry sat down opposite him and Hermione in the Great Hall for breakfast. Harry traded looks with Hermione as he added toast to his plate, recalling the hospital visit the previous night.

"Um...well, she came to visit you in the hospital, and you...talked," she stammered. "I don't believe it was a particularly long conversation."

Ron nodded, and leaned in closer to the other two. "Don't get me wrong, but I'm bloody thrilled to be shot of her, she just seems a bit..." he spoke, looking over Harry's shoulder, who turned around to see Lavender already looking at them, clenching a spoon in her fist, "...put out."

"You say you don't remember anything from last night?" Hermione asked as they turned back around, intently eyeing Ron's face as he added cereal to his bowl. "Anything at all?"

"There is something," he said, scrunching his brows a bit as he poured milk into the bowl, "but...it can't be," he shook his head, laughing lightly, "I was completely boggled, wasn't I?"

"Right. Boggled." Hermione shifted in her seat. Clearing her throat, she looked up to Harry. "So, Harry," she started as he bit into his toast, a teasing smile developing across her lips. "You're up late. Where's Addie?"

"Her dorm; she'll be down in a bit."

"How was sleeping with her last night?"

"WHAT—"A loud CLANG brought their attention to Ron, who'd dropped his spoon into his bowl, splashing milk cross his sweater and the table, earning looks from across the Gryffindor table. His mouth was half-full as he spoke; eyes bulging out of his head. "YOU AND ADDIE HAD SE—OW!" Ron was cut off as Harry kicked him under the table.

"What the bloody hell was that for?!" he cried, a drop of milk dribbling from the corner of his mouth.

"We didn't do anything!" Harry whisper shouted, and Hermione stifled a laugh as Ron leaned down to rub his leg. "God, get your head out of the gutter, mate."

"It was the way Hermione phrased it!" He expressed, sitting straighter, trying to fish out his spoon from the bowl. "How else was I supposed to take 'how was sleeping with Addie last night'?"

"I dunno, maybe that we actually just fell asleep together?" Harry replied, noticing as Hermione's smile fell a little.

"Addie hasn't been sleeping well lately," she said.

"She hasn't told me that," he sat straighter. "So last night wasn't the only night?"

Hermione shook her head, finding it hard to meet his gaze. "Addie told me after I noticed her falling asleep in Charms the other day...I wouldn't have thought anything of it, but it's her favourite class, so I suggested she ask Madame Pomfrey about sleeping potions, but—."

"I can't believe I didn't notice," Harry cut her off. "How didn't I notice? I'm around her, like, all the time."

"You can't blame yourself," Hermione said softly. "Addie's good at hiding things when she wants to. She probably just didn't want anyone worrying about her."

"Yeah..." he thought for a moment. "She was sound asleep when I got up, though, and I woke her up so she wouldn't miss breakfast, but when I got out of the shower, she was asleep again—and I take, like, less than ten minutes to get ready."

"Clearly," Ron snickered, earning a light kick to the shin.

"Coming from you!"

"I got poisoned last night! at least I have an excuse."

"Huh. Maybe it's a comfort thing, then," Hermione ignored them, watching in amusement as Ron gave up trying to achieve the spoon from the bottom of his bowl and grabbed an unused one instead. As Harry sent her a bemused expression, she continued. "As in, we could just be overthinking it. Maybe she doesn't need potions or medicinal remedies; she might not have been sleeping because she just needs comfort. You."

"Hi, Addie!" Ron said a bit too loud to alert Hermione, waving at the girl approaching where they sat, who waved in response. Her dark hair fell lightly over her shoulders, and her top button was undone the way Harry's always was.

"Hi guys," Addie smiled, slipping into the seat beside Harry. "What're we talking about?"

"How horrendous Harry looks," Ron didn't miss a beat, not even looking up from his bowl as he shovelled food into his mouth.

"What does 'horrendous' mean?" Addie's brow furrowed a bit as she added toast to her plate. "I can't remember."

"Incredibly good-looking," Harry said casually, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice.

"Then I agree," Addie kissed his cheek, nudging his shoulder and smiling up at him. "You do look very horrendous!"

Harry smiled at her despite her words, and opened his book as Ron started laughing, leaving Hermione to pat his back as he began coughing, meanwhile Addie ate her toast cluelessly.

Her eyes following a group of girls walking by, Hermione lowered her voice, and leaned across the table. "Harry, it's Katie Bell."

Looking up, taking a moment to register the name, he turned around and followed her gaze upon realising, before abruptly standing up and taking the book with him.

"Why does he take that book with him everywhere?" Addie asked the other two, watching Harry's receding figure. "I didn't think he liked potions class. Or reading, for that."

"Dunno," Ron shrugged. "Maybe he's having an affair with it, he sure spends a lot of time..." his voice trailed off as the three watched Harry suddenly turn around from his conversation with Katie Bell, following his gaze to see a flustered Draco at the end of the hall.

As the blond backed up slowly and turned on his heel to leave, Addie's eyes widened as Harry made for his direction swiftly, sparing the three no glance as he passed their seats. "Oh no," she muttered, standing immediately and following him despite Ron and Hermione's calls for her to come back.

Picking up her pace as Harry did, Addie brushed shoulders and nudged her way past students, eyes trained to the back of his head, though losing sight of him as he broke free of the crowd that she remained in. Pushing her way through, Addie just spotted him rounding a corner quickly, and although she ran to catch up with him, he was already at the other end of the corridor as she came around the corner.

Watching him slip through a door, his wand out, Addie walked through the hallway, trying to catch her breath, biting back a coughing fit. As she made it halfway across the corridor, Addie noticed that the door she was nearing was the door to the boy's bathroom.

She hesitated, unsure whether to go in, but as a small explosion resounded from the bathroom, she sprinted towards it.

Pulling open the door, the first thing Adeline noticed as she stepped inside was the water gathering on the floor—and then the blue spell that flew past her, barely missing the tip of her nose.

"ADDIE?" she turned to see the wide eyes of Harry who'd sent the spell.

The soles of her shoes splashed against the water as she ran to his side despite him motioning for her to leave.

As a mirror behind Addie smashed from a spell sent by Draco, leaving small glass shards to fall onto her, Harry quickly pulled her behind one of the toilet stalls, her back against it, and brushed the glass off her shoulders, quickly looking over her face for any cuts before sending "Expelliarmus!" back to Draco.

"Addie—why're you in here?" he came back to her side, taking cover. "Cover your eyes if he hits another mirror, okay?"

She nodded. "I wanted to make sure you're okay and that—" "Stupefy!" "—you didn't do anything stupid."

"Stay here then, okay?" he peeked around the side of the stall, ducking as another spell flew toward him. "He hasn't exactly been sending the nicest spells—" Harry was interrupted as Draco yelled "CONFRINGO!" from the other side of the bathroom, missing once more, exploding against another mirror.

Addie put a hand over her eyes as it burst into tiny shards, and Harry stepped in front of her, his back facing the once-mirror to shield her.

"CUT IT OUT, MALFOY!" He yelled over the noise, sending Expelliarmus his way. "ADDIE'S HERE!"

Draco ignored him, and recklessly sent more spells, making pipes burst, sending water spraying at them from seemingly every direction, creating a sort of dense, foggy mist in the bathroom making it difficult to see.

Another bolt of light hit what connected a large, metal hanging light to the ceiling that hovered exactly over where Harry and Addie had been taking cover, leaving the two exposed and stumbling out of the way as it crashed to the ground heavily.

In the fog, Draco spotted the faint outline of a silhouette, and pointed his wand blindly into the mist.

"CRUCIO!"

Adeline collapsed on the wet floor, screaming as excruciating pain stabbed at every corner of her body.

Draco's face became pale.

"Addie!" Harry kneeled beside her, gripping his wand tightly as Draco rushed into view. His voice shook.

"I didn't mean to hit her—!"

"SECTUMSEMPRA!"

Although the pain had subsided, her body was still shaking, and tears continued to fall down Addie's cheeks as she wavered in consciousness, barely able to comprehend the water seeping into her uniform or the new voices that resounded from the bathroom's entrance.

Her eyes closed.

><><

a/n:

HELLO

i'm obsessed with harry using chill spells like stupefy and expelliarmus and then as soon as addie gets hurt he whips out the sectumsempra

let me know what u thought of the chapter! <3

-g