A/N Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter! I really appreciate it. Let me know what you think of this one.
Alice woke with a start. Panting, she shot up and gripped the bed sheets to herself. Snape stood inside the doorway, his tall form casting a shadow over the bed. Her heart raced as she realised with a crushing sense of loss that her capture hadn't been a bad dream. The heavy curtains were drawn over the window and the room was in darkness.
Snape closed the door and lit the sconces on the wall.
"You're back," she said breathlessly.
"Astute as ever, Miss Duclos."
There was a knock and he opened it to the house elf from before, who was holding a tray of food.
"Trixie," Snape acknowledged as he took the tray and the house elf popped away. Alice smelt the buttery crust of a pie and her stomach squirmed eagerly. She hadn't eaten in a long time. She swallowed the sudden influx of saliva in her mouth as Snape placed the tray on the bedside table next to her. There was a large tart with a golden criss-cross lattice pastry and a side dish of creamy, cheesy gratin potatoes. There was also a rather large glass of red wine.
"Is this for me?" Alice tried to sound nonchalant but she knew he could hear the hunger in her voice.
"Obviously."
She wanted to dig in but felt too self conscious. Thankfully, Snape left through the other door, to what was presumably the dressing room, and she grabbed the tray and settled with it on her lap. There was a writing desk on the other side of the room, but she didn't want to leave the security of the thick duvet if she didn't have to.
Snape emerged in just his white shirt-sleeves and black trousers, his outer robes, jacket and boots gone. Alice paused with a spoonful of potatoes on the way to her mouth, unsure of what would happen next, but he ignored her and went to the bathroom. A minute later she heard the shower turn on. Alice resumed eating, even though her nerves had begun to make her queasy. She was thirsty, but didn't want to drink the wine. She had a very low tolerance for alcohol and didn't drink often, although red wine was what she generally chose to drink when the occasion called for it. She didn't have her wand to cast augamenti, so she swallowed the delicious but quite salty potatoes and promised herself she'd slip into the bathroom and drink from the tap when she got the chance.
She had finished most of the food and had replaced the tray on the bedside table when Snape emerged from the bathroom, steam billowing out the door after him. His hair was damp and he wore loose black bottoms and a white long-sleeved t-shirt. Alice, struck by the sight of the Death Eater in such casual attire, hesitated before she asked,
"May I use the bathroom?"
"Of course," he replied, bringing his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose as though her continued existence was exasperating him.
Alice scootched out of the bed. She felt her cotton top stick to her back, and realised she must've had nightmares because she only sweated at night when she had them. He stepped out of her way as she went to slip past him.
"Is it ok if I shower again?" she asked.
Snape gave her a bemused look.
"Of course."
In the privacy of the bathroom, Alice drank deeply from the sink tap.
When she emerged from the shower there was another folded long sleeved top and bottoms on a chair, this time in grey, so she threw the sweaty ones she had been wearing into the laundry basket and put them on. She faltered for a moment before returning to the room, nervous of what would happen next.
Snape was standing at the desk flicking through a large, dusty book. He'd gotten rid of the tray, but the wine glass was still on the bedside table. For a moment Alice wondered if it were likely he'd slipped a potion into it.
"You don't want the wine?" he commented as he leant and wrote a note in the margins of a page.
"Em, well I'm just not in the mood." You know, because I've been imprisoned by the violent extremists I'm fighting a war against.
He closed the book, walked over and took a large drink from the glass. He raised an eyebrow at her watching him and said,
"This could be the most expensive glass of wine in Wiltshire."
Confused, Alice asked,
"Why would they give it to a prisoner?"
Snape's lip twitched. "They didn't give it to you, they gave it to me. If you want to see what the Malfoy household is feeding the prisoners, you have my leave to reclaim your dungeon cell."
"Why are you treating me like this?"
She was still standing just outside the bathroom door.
His eyes flashed dangerously.
"Like. What?"
"So nicely," she replied, which sounded a little ironic, given how he'd just snarled at her.
Snape snorted and took another sip of wine.
"I wouldn't call imprisoning you in my chambers nice."
"I'm on the other side, don't you hate me?"
"I don't feel any way towards you," he replied coolly.
"Why didn't you leave me in the dungeons with Dolohov?"
"Because I want to win this war and I don't believe brutalising prisoners is effective towards that aim."
"But keeping them in your bed is?"
Alice regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth but Snape simply gave her a long look and took another large drink of wine. She watched the muscles in his neck move as he swallowed. Something about the way he drank the expensive wine made her regret not tasting it herself.
"I heard you talking with Madam Malfoy," she admitted just because she couldn't stand the silence.
"Did you?" Snape stated as though he found the information thoroughly uninteresting.
"Yes."
She almost asked, Why did you attack me and why did you stop? But instead she asked,
"Do you want Madam Lestrange to be afraid of you?"
His dark eyes bore into hers. Then he set the wine glass back on the writing desk and replied,
"Bellatrix is already afraid of me."
Avoiding his penetrating gaze, Alice watched a semicircle of red wine run down the inside of the glass. Snape handed it to towards her and said,
"Have some."
"No thanks." She stepped back. He watched her with narrowed eyes and then finished the wine in another long gulp.
"I'm going to sleep," he stated. "If you try anything in bed I'll hand you over to Dolohov."
Alice's eyebrows rose in confused surprise. Snape lips twitched before he replied,
"I'm not worried for my virtue, Miss Duclos. I meant if you attack me physically I will easily subdue you and no longer protect you. My wand is also exceptionally loyal."
Alice hadn't thought so far ahead as to whether she would steal his wand while he slept. In fact, she hadn't anticipated being with him at all while he slept. She realised now that she had expected him to bring her to his rooms, torture and interrogate her, and then deposit her back in the dungeons.
"So you're protecting me," she stated numbly.
He arched a black eyebrow, and asked,
"Do you not feel protected?"
Alice felt cold. The thin cotton pyjamas did little to keep her warm and she wanted to wrap her arms around herself so that her body wasn't as exposed. Her dinner was sitting in her stomach making her feel drowsy, and her chest was tired from the emotional weight of everything that had happened. Ignoring his question she asked,
"Erm, where should I sleep?"
His Adam's apple bobbed before he tilted his head towards the side of the bed she'd slept on earlier. When he spoke again, his voice was low and earnest,
"I'm not going to touch you. What I did earlier I have no intention or interest in repeating. Understood?"
Alice nodded and suddenly a tear was running down her cheek and her eyes pricked. For some reason, him acknowledging he'd attacked her made her recognise how terrified she'd been since then and that she was still afraid, despite whatever assurances he might give her. She sniffled and wrapped her arms tightly around her waist as if to stop the pain from leaking out.
Snape looked away, and brought his hand up as if to touch his face but halted. Then his eyes found hers again.
"I want you to say it."
"Sorry?"
"I want you to say I won't touch you."
Alice gave him a confused look and mumbled,
"You won't touch me."
"Good. Do you want another sleeping potion?"
"No, I'm already tired." Alice sniffled again and rubbed her eyes roughly, annoyed at her tears. Her chest felt tight. "Do you think they'll kill me, sir?"
Snape's eyebrows rose in mild surprise.
"I see no particular reason why you would be killed. Unless you attempt to escape. The Dark Lord has ordered his servants not to kill subdued half-bloods."
"Subdued?"
"Captured and under a Death Eater's control."
Alice wanted to say something defiant but just wrapped her arms around her waist tighter and tried to suppress a shiver.
Snape watched her for another moment before he walked towards her and reached his hand out. She took a small step back, her heart in her throat. He muttered under his breath and she felt a warmth and a lightness spreading over her head. He had wandlessly dried her hair. Then he walked around her and climbed into the bed.
Alice took a steadying breath and climbed in opposite him. The sheets were cool satin that forced a shudder through her but the duvet was thick and airy. The bed was bigger than any she had ever been in and she felt lost in it, in an almost comforting way, as if it were too vast for Snape to find her in it even if he wanted to. But she knew that was ridiculous.
The lights went out.