Alice

Alice got up from the table, took the parchment from the plate, and followed Remus and Snape out of the Hall. She found them standing by the stairs that led down to the dungeons in deep discussion. Alice walked over to them.

"So what are you two discussing?" She looked at both of them, but received no response. "...I'm waiting!" Alice tapped her foot angrily and glared at the two of them.

Remus took a deep breath. "You!" He looked at Snape, who shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes.

"We are both concerned about Lucius's behavior toward you, and this invitation arriving so soon after London...well, we've been discussing what we should do."

Alice looked at the two of them. She couldn't believe they had been discussing her safety and well being behind her back. At least Remus looked slightly sheepish about it, but as for Snape -- who knew? Alice definitely didn't. Yet it did go some way toward explaining his uncharacteristic behavior in the staff room on Wednesday afternoon.

"So what's the plan?"

"Severus is going with you."

"Guys, I appreciate this dual `knight in shining armor´ thing that you have going on, it´s very sweet. But Dad's going to be there. You..." Alice stopped as a stampede of students came barging out of the Great Hall. Snape's features darkened as he watched, hawklike, those who were heading down to the dungeons.

"Potter, Weasley... I'm watching you, " he growled, and his voice sent a shiver through Alice that wasn't entirely unpleasant. He turned back to her and Lupin. "I'll see you at lunch." He then stalked after the students heading to the potions dungeon.

Alice and Remus turned to go upstairs to the Dark Arts classrooms.

"Can you watch my first years for five minutes? I've got an owl to send."

"Who are you sending an owl to?" Remus stopped and blocked Alice's way.

"My father!"

"Did you just hear what Severus and I said?"

"Yes, and if Dad and Sir Lancelot are going to be at Malfoy Manor, I'll be fine. Now are you going to let me pass or not?"

Remus stood aside. "I'll see you in five minutes."

"Thank you."

Alice charged up the stairs to the owlery, completely unaware that she was being followed.

*** *** ***

After her last class of the day, Alice debated whether to go down to lunch or not. The thought of Snape and Remus fussing over her was beginning to annoy her. The more she thought about it, the angrier she grew. Did they honestly think she was some fourteenth century damsel in distress? No. Besides, she knew a few curses that would stop Lucius Malfoy in his tracks if he so much as laid a finger on her. And just because her father had done nothing to help her in the Leaky Cauldron didn't mean he wouldn't in a less public place like Malfoy Manor. No, Alice decided, she didn't need Snape adding to what she felt sure would be the doom and gloom of Malfoy Manor. Alice packed her things up and looked around the empty classroom. She was about to leave when Draco Malfoy walked in.

"Draco!"

"Hi Professor. Do you have a minute?" Draco asked, fidgeting slightly.

"Sure, what's up?"

"I understand from Father that you are going to the Manor this weekend?"

"Yes." Alice groaned inwardly. She wasn't about to be lectured by a teenage boy about the evils of his father, was she?

"Could you give this to him?" Draco held out a thick envelope.

"What, spying on your class mates for your dad?" Alice asked lightheartedly as she accepted the envelope. Draco laughed slightly but didn't reply, instead looking around the room with an uncomfortable expression. Alice studied him for a minute and decided that she didn't want to know what Lucius had his son doing at Hogwarts. Whatever it was, she hoped Draco wasn't doing it willingly. She tucked Draco's reaction into the back of her mind, something to be considered at a later date.

Alice decided to try and lighten the mood a bit and find out something of Malfoy Manor before she went there. Forewarned is forearmed, she thought.

"So tell me about your house. How old it is, its history, that sort of thing."

Draco took a deep breath and decided to give Alice the visitor-friendly version.

"Um, okay. Father had the Manor built out of the remains of an old castle that was believed to have been Salazar Slytherin's. The land has been in the family for years. Father loves its isolation and he had the Manor built there because of it. While it was being built, the builders discovered the remains of some dungeons. Father had them excavated and restored, apparently to full working condition, but I have to wait until my 18^th birthday before I can see them."

"Do you know how to get into the dungeons?"

"Sort of. The main entrance is in Father's study, but it is pretty well guarded with charms and, rumor has it, some pretty nasty creatures. The grounds keeper once told me Father had a manticore, but I'm not sure he wasn't just trying to scare me. However, it is my Father we´re talking about, so anything is possible."

"Mmm. So where is the other entrance?"

"Don't know for sure. I've gone hunting during school holidays but I´ve had no real luck. The most promising site is at the rear of the house near the Quidditch pitch, but I haven't gotten far in my explorations. I'm always being called away. Why all the questions, Professor? You're not planning on breaking in, are you?"

Alice laughed. "No Draco. I can guarantee you that I am not planning on going anywhere near your father's dungeons. Well, I'm going downstairs to lunch now. Coming?"

"Yeah."

As they walked down to the Great Hall, Draco spoke again.

"So what happened with the Ministry the other day?"

"Not much. As you know Louise has been suspended, but the Ministry decided that she is just a rebellious teenager, nothing more."

"The Ministry is full of fools."

Alice looked at Draco. He sounded a lot like Snape just then.

"Yes, well... They are still the Ministry, however."

"S'ppose."

They arrived in the Great Hall and Alice left Draco to go sit at the teacher's table. Much to her annoyance, Snape and Remus had saved her a chair in between the two of them. She sat down and helped herself to sandwiches. None of them spoke, which Alice found exceptionally strange. She looked sideways, first at Remus and then at Snape. Nothing. Alice couldn't stand the silence any longer.

"What is it?"

"Severus will be at the Manor brewing potions all weekend. He has arranged a portkey so you can travel together. End of story." Remus addressed the entire statement to his lunch.

"Listen, I'm not some fourteenth century damsel in distress...."

"I never said you were. But just don't forget what Sirius told you the other day."

"Fucking Sirius, he isn't Yoda you know."

Snape made a choking sound and Alice saw that he was trying very hard not to laugh.

"Still, he has a point. You should learn to think before you act."

"I can take care of myself..."

"Not where Lucius is concerned." Snape finally spoke up, his voice [was] measured and controlled and eerily quiet, as if he had spent a lifetime whispering in the shadows. "I was at the Leaky Cauldron, I saw what happened. You need someone to watch your back."

"I'll be fine."

Remus sighed. "Think whatever you want to. But you're just going to have to get used to having a shadow."

"I've already got one, I don't need two."

"God you can be stubborn, not to mention stupid."

Alice glared at Remus. "I thought you were my friend?"

"I am." Remus pushed his chair back from the table and got up. "I'll see you when you get back."

He stalked from the Hall, slamming the door to the anteroom behind him.

Snape stood up and looked down at Alice, his eyes piercing hers.

"Never upset a werewolf."

He turned with a sweep of his robes and also stalked from the Hall, leaving Alice to stew on her own.

At five o´clock, Alice was standing on the steps of the school, waiting for Snape and lost in her thoughts of Remus. She'd gone to see him, but he had obviously still been upset with her. When she'd asked to borrow a book on manticores, he'd practically thrown it at her. A noise behind her disturbed Alice´s thoughts. She turned slowly to see Snape coming down the stairs with an eggbeater in his hands. The portkey, she presumed.

"Come on, we can use the portkey behind Hagrid's cabin."

Snape swept past Alice, purposefully striding in the direction of the groundkeeper's cabin. Alice had to run to keep up with him. When they got behind the cabin, Alice noticed the pallor of Snape's face and the tension in his shoulders, and she realized the hell he would be going through over the course of the weekend. She felt a twinge of guilt, knowing that he was doing it for her.

"When you are ready."

Snape's icy voice brought Alice back to Earth. He held out the eggbeater and Alice tentatively put her hand upon it. All of a sudden the ground beneath her gave way and a rushing sound filled her ears. She had to struggle to keep hold of the beater and her bag. Alice shut her eyes against the technicolor shapes blurring around her. She would have preferred travelling by broom, and that said a lot. No sooner had she thought that, however, than she felt the ground back under her feet. She slowly opened her eyes and noticed Snape staring disdainfully at her.

"For a pureblood you spend an awful lot of time behaving like a Muggle."

"Yeah, well I don't like portkeying. It always makes me sick," Alice replied testily.

Looking around her then, she took an involuntary step backwards. She was standing on stone steps leading up to the formidable Malfoy Manor. The facade of the manor was imposing, even in the semi-darkness. Alice couldn't see where the building ended, either in height or length. It appeared to be a gothic style mansion and she found herself rather looking forward to seeing it in the daylight.

Alice was starting to make her way up the steps behind Snape when the front door opened and Lucius Malfoy emerged to welcome his guests. He walked down the stairs exuding evil. In his hand he held a wrought iron candelabra, the candles in it throwing off a dull purple light. In their glow, Lucius's face seemed composed entirely of shadows that flickered and leapt about at odd angles. He nodded briefly to Snape, who returned the greeting, and then advanced on Alice and took her hand in his. His touch felt even colder than it had in the Leaky Cauldron. Alice had to fight down the bile that was rising in her throat.

"Welcome Alice, to my humble abode."

"Thanks." The word caught in her throat as Lucius brought her hand to his lips and brushed them over her skin. Alice stepped back, her stomach starting to heave in revoltion, and she ripped her hand out of Lucius's. He looked at her and laughed, a cold, manic laugh that left Alice in no doubt as to his state of mind. She looked over at Snape, but his face bore no emotion. "Great lot of good you'll be if you just stand there like a statue", Alice felt like screaming at him.

"Come into the house. Severus, you'll be in your usual room. Alice, you'll be in the Dante Room, my personal favorite."

An evil gleam came into Lucius's eye as he said this, leaving Alice to wonder how far away Snape would be. She was beginning to wish she'd brought Madox with her rather than leaving him to Hagrid's care for another weekend. At least then she'd have had something to protect her.

Lucius came over and took Alice's bag. He started up the stairs and Alice slowly followed, with Snape bringing up the rear. They walked through the front doors and across the empty entrance hall. Alice had to keep close to Lucius as the candelabra was the only source of light in the black marble hall. They made their way up a grand, curving stairway, which Alice could just see was also made of black marble.

At the landing, Snape disappeared into a room on the right, leaving Alice to follow Lucius along the corridor. "Well there goes my shadow," Alice thought. Two doors down, Lucius stopped and threw open a pair of double doors. Turning to Alice he asked her to wait, which she did, standing nervously on the landing. A minute later he was back to escort her into the room.

"The Dante Room always looks most impressive at night, by candlelight."

He took Alice´s hand and led her into his favourite room. Alice looked around. The walls were painted a deep red, but the ceiling was enchanted to reflect the night sky like the one in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. The furniture was all made of a dark, heavy wood and the king-sized bed had a deep red cover on it and half a dozen inviting cushions. Above the bed was a Rubenesque painting of an orgy. It was obviously a Muggle painting, because the figures weren't moving. Opposite the bed was a fireplace and above it, a large gold-edged mirror. Candles flickered on every ledge and tabletop. It would all have been very seductive if it weren't in Malfoy Manor, Alice thought.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Lucius looked around in rapt wonder. Alice murmured in agreement, albeit very unenthusiastically.

"Well, I'll leave you to dress for dinner. There are some things in the wardrobe which should fit you."

"Before you go, I have this for you from Draco." Alice took the envelope Draco had given her earlier out of a pocket of her robe. "And, if I may ask, when is my father arriving?"

Lucius took the envelope out of Alice's hand and tucked it into his robes without looking at it. "Your father will be here later. He's not scheduled to arrive until well after dinner. I'll send Severus to bring you down for dinner."

And with that, Lucius turned and walked out of the room closing the doors behind him, an evil, expectant grin on his face. He was looking forward to tonight; he'd been looking forward to it all week.

Back in the Dante Room, Alice sunk down upon the bed and tried to calm herself by breathing deeply. She looked up at her reflection in the mirror on the opposite wall. She looked tired, not to mention terrified. She wriggled up the bed trying to get away from her reflection, but it was no use. She turned around and studied the painting instead. It was revolting, yet strangely appealing at the same time.

Getting up from the bed, Alice walked around the room, thinking. Bloody Remus had been so insistent that she should have Snape shadowing her, but what had happened? First chance he'd had he'd disappeared. And her father wasn't here. Perhaps she shouldn't go down for dinner. Perhaps she should lock herself into the room, at least until morning when she could be sure Declan was in the house. She reached the wardrobe and her curiosity to see the dresses inside got the better of her. Alice giggled nervously to herself - it had been a while since she had dressed up for anything.

Opening the wardrobe door, Alice was amazed to find clothes of taffeta, satin and silk in a variety of colors and styles. She flicked through the gowns and found a long black satin skirt, which she pulled out and held up against her. Not bad. She continued to hunt for a top, not having to look much further until she found a cream-colored silk camisole top, with some kind of bird painted on it. Now if only she had a wrap to cover herself up from Lucius's prying eyes. Deciding to try the outfit on, Alice stripped all her robes off and stepped into the skirt. It was a perfect fit. She was smoothing the skirt over her hips when Snape walked in. Alice jumped in surprise and quickly held the top up to cover her black lace bra.

"Don't you knock?"

"I did, but I got no reply..."

Snape's eyes quickly flickered over the half-dressed Alice. God, this was going to give him enough ideas to fuel his fantasies for months.

"Well you could turn around so I can finish dressing."

Snape feigned a bored look, which he secretly prayed was working, and turned around to watch her finish dressing in the reflection of the mirror.

Alice quickly put the top on, buttoned it up and ran her hands over her chest, smoothing out a few creases at the top. "Bastard," she thought, "trying to feign indifference." Mind you, what Snape was wearing -- a black open- necked shirt and black trousers - gave Alice plenty of fuel for thought. She decided that Snape looked almost edible in Muggle clothes.

"Okay, you can turn around now."

Snape did so.

"What do you think?" Alice did a little twirl.

"Interesting."

"Interesting? That's all you have to say?" Alice slumped, feeling completely deflated.

"You are wearing a top with a bat painted on it. As I said, interesting."

Alice looked down. "I thought it was a bird." She walked back over to the wardrobe to find something different.

"We don't have time. Grab some shoes and let's go."

Alice looked at Snape, suddenly remembering where she was.

"Dad's not here. According to Lucius he won't be here until well after dinner."

Snape took a deep breath and put his hands on his hips. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Alice, a suspicion turning over in his mind.

"Very well."

"That's it?" Alice screeched, beginning to hyperventilate.

"We can't not go down for dinner, if that´s what you were thinking," Snape replied. He thought for a bit. He was certain that he knew what Lucius had in mind for Alice and he doubted that Declan had sent her the invitation for the weekend. Snape wondered if this was the beginning of Declan's induction. It seemed a little odd, but not wholly out of character for any of the Death Eaters he knew. He also knew that Lucius would expect him to be stay and participate. He knew that Alice was about to be drugged with a potion he had invented. God he was a sick bastard. He should have kidnapped her and locked her in the dungeon and thrown away the key, but he hadn´t, so now he needed to stay with Alice all night.

"Severus?"

Alice's voice brought him back to reality.

"We need to make sure you aren't alone with Lucius."

"Like when we arrived, you mean?" Alice felt herself getting angry again, and her voice rose an octave. "My shadow, who at the first opportunity disappeared into the shadows of this fucking house."

"I know, I'm sorry," Snape said, advancing toward Alice in order to placate her. "I will shadow you for the rest of the weekend, I promise." He put his hands on her shoulders and tried to look her in the eye.

Alice sighed, too tired to argue. "Fine. Whatever. Let's get this dinner over with and then I'm going to bed." She looked up at Snape, a cheeky gleam appearing in her eyes. "And will my shadow be joining me there?"

Snape looked at Alice, dumbstruck. She giggled and grabbed a pair of black, strappy stilettos out of the wardrobe. She grabbed her wand and stuffed it down her top. Snape picked up a candelabrum and followed Alice out of the room. He offered her his arm and she took it, grateful for something to hold onto. The shoes were a little high and Alice felt a little unsure on her feet.

*** *** ***

Lucius Malfoy stood in his dining room silently cursing Severus Snape. Why did he have to come creeping around like a bad smell? He´d be helpful with Alice later, but until then... A polite cough from the ghoul butler Jeeves told him Alice and Snape were on their way down the stairs. Lucius quickly poured red wine for the three of them from a crystal decanter, then pulling a small potion flask from his robes, poured the contents into the goblet with Alice's wine. Lucius slipped the flask back into his robes and turned just as Alice and Snape walked into the room. For a second Snape looked like the cat that got the canary and Lucius couldn't really blame him.

"Alice, you look stunning!"

Lucius walked over to Alice and handed her a goblet of wine. She smiled slightly, anxious not to give Lucius any signs that could be misconstrued as encouragement.

Alice then took a look around her. The Malfoy's decorating scheme seemed to revolve around a different color for every room. The dinning room was painted a deep purple and again the furniture was made of a dark wood. The dinning room table looked as if it could seat an army if it needed too. Alice looked around for Narcissa Malfoy.

"Is your wife not here?"

"No, she's in London for the weekend."

Alice took a large sip of wine and edged closer to Snape.

"Well, shall we sit?" Lucius waved his hand toward the end of the lavishly set table. Alice sat down and examined the dinner setting. She was twisting her head trying to work out the pattern along the edge of the dishes when Lucius sat down next to her.

"It's the rape of Hercules," he said simply.

"Oh." Alice felt sick. She took another large sip of wine and looked across the table to where Snape sat, trying to catch his eye, but found that she couldn´t quite focus properly. Strange.

"Well, let's eat." Lucius clapped his hands and a sumptuous feast of various meats, salads, roast vegetables and pies appeared before Alice. She took some of everything out of politeness rather than an overwhelming hunger.

"So Severus, how are Draco's private tutoring sessions going?"

Snape looked up from his plate. "Fine, " he replied coldly.

"Good. If he'd been sent to Durmstrang as I wanted he wouldn't have needed the tutoring. However... we need to toughen him up, Severus. I am concerned that he may not have what it takes to become..." Lucius paused before continuing, "my proper heir." He smiled malevolently across at Snape who raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think you need to be too concerned, Lucius."

"Excellent."

The table fell into silence. Alice couldn't think of anything to say so she had some more wine. It tasted strange; not that Alice knew anything about red wine. "Oh well," she thought, "better to drink than make small talk with the Prince of Darkness." She was beginning to feel slightly lightheaded however. Half a goblet of wine and she was history, she mused wryly. Yet perhaps this would give her the perfect excuse to disappear back upstairs and lock herself into the Dante room, at least until her father turned up. Alice took another sip of wine and looked across the table to see two Severus Snapes staring back at her. Suddenly she began to get concerned. One goblet of wine should not have this effect; [,] she had been drunker at her farewell feast, and she had only saw one of everything that night. Alice went to lean an elbow on the table, misjudged it, and slipped.

"Everything okay Alice?" Lucius put a hand over hers.

"Mmm, fine." Alice lied. In truth, she was beginning to feel less and less fine. In fact, she was starting to suspect that the wine wasn't normal, at least her goblet wasn't. Hesitating, and with her head starting to spin, she took another sip but rather than swallow it, Alice surreptitiously washed it around her mouth. Something was definitely wrong with it, but Alice couldn't work out what it was. Lucius was looking at her with concern so Alice had to swallow. She was feeling more light headed and was finding it hard to concentrate on the plate in front of her. Everything was swimming before her eyes. "Oh God," realization dawned upon her, "he's drugged me!" She struggled to sit up straight and not panic. This wasn't what she'd expected, but then again if she'd thought about it..."Damned Sirius, why did he have to be right?" Alice was beginning to feel sick. She looked over at Snape and mouthed the words help me across the table. She had no idea if he'd seen her silent plea, because now he was just a fuzzy blur. Alice's limbs were beginning to grow heavy; if she didn't make a move upstairs soon and lock herself in her room, she would be stuck with Lucius in the dining room and she didn't want that.

"I'm not feeling well, if you'll excuse me." Alice struggled to stand up but found it hard.

"Severus, perhaps you could escort Alice upstairs, " Lucius said, enunciating the word upstairs. Snape got up, walked around the table, and helped Alice to her feet. He slid his hand around her waist and slowly steered her out of the dining room. Once outside, Alice slumped against Snape, unable to go any further.

"Alice?"

Alice tried to turn her head and say something, but she couldn't move.

"Damn." Snape scooped Alice up in his arms and, rather than take her up to her room, walked across the hall, through the library, and into Lucius Malfoy's study.

Alice started to panic. She struggled to say something or to wriggle out of Snape's arms but she couldn't. She felt like a rag doll - a rag doll that was completely aware of itself but unable to do anything physically.

Snape laid Alice down on the couch and walked over to Lucius's desk. He pushed the chair back and rolled up the rug to expose a trap door, which he stood staring at for several moments. He knew this was what Lucius expected of him, to take Alice down to the dungeons and to get her ready for him - but could he do it? He looked across at Alice and her terrified expression. Damn it all. He and Remus should have put up more of a fight with her, but they had both taken Declan's presence for granted. Snape knew he should have known Lucius better. He was a fool, his feelings for Alice had clouded his judgement. Looking at her now, he realized he would have to make a quick decision. He could take her and run. It would mean writing his own death warrant, but it would be done safe in the knowledge that he was saving Alice's life - the last unselfish act of his own.

Snape pulled the trap door open to let Lucius think they had gone down to the dungeons. That would give them five minutes, or rather, it would give him five minutes to make a break for it. Alice wouldn't be able to move enough to run for at least an hour. Snape moved quickly over to her and scooped her up off the couch. He was just about to head across the study to the heavily curtained window when Lucius walked in. He was a little surprised to see Snape and Alice still in his study.

"Problem Severus?"

"No."

"Good. I took all the charms off earlier so you shouldn't have any trouble entering the dungeons."

Faced with no other option, Snape walked around the desk and carefully started to descend the stairs. Torches flared to life as he passed them. Slumped in his arms, Alice struggled to remember what direction they were travelling in. They were heading toward the back of the house, at least she thought so. She looked up at Snape's grim, determined face. Had he known about this? Had he fooled Remus into thinking he cared, enough to let Alice disappear into this lair for a weekend of god only knows what? If he had, she was going to kill him - slowly. Alice was beginning to suspect that it was Dumbledore, not Voldemort, who was having the wool pulled over his eyes. Snape was still a committed Death Eater, more than happy to go along with Lucius Malfoy's sick plans. Alice wanted to scream but she still couldn't move.

They finally reached what Snape had always referred to as "The Room". He walked in and lay Alice down on a slab bench. Alice wished she could move her head so she could get a good look around. All she had seen on the way in were some chains hanging from the wall. Apart from those, it seemed like your typical dungeon, dark and dingy. Not something that had bothered her in the past, but now...

Meanwhile, Snape bent his head over Alice and whispered in her ear.

"I know you can't talk..."

Whatever he was going to say, he didn´t get the chance to finish. Lucius walked in.

"Are you chaining her up?"

"Yes Lucius," Snape muttered, his head still close to Alice's, his eyes locked upon her terrified ones.

"Good." Lucius smiled, an evil, anticipatory smile. Alice could hear his footsteps as he walked across the flagstone floor towards her. She felt Snape lifting her limp right arm and wrapping something around her wrist; moving around the slab, he did the same thing to her left wrist. He then moved down to her ankles and secured them. Alice struggled to move her head or say something, and amazingly she managed a small squeal. "Oh thank God," she thought. She managed to turn her head a little to the left.

"Severus, I think we'll need some more potion. Alice seems to be fighting her last dose."

Snape grunted in reply and walked over to a workbench that contained potions and various medical instruments. He scanned the potions on the shelves, saw the bottle he wanted and took it down. Picking up a dropper, Snape then drew up a measure of the liquid and went over to Alice. He gently opened her mouth and dripped the potion in. As he gazed down into Alice's eyes, Snape absent-mindedly traced his thumb along her bottom lip. Lucius Malfoy watched the encounter with interest.

"Why are you doing this to her?" Snape asked. Lucius looked down at Alice with an air of clinical detachment.

"Because she's Declan's daughter and this is his first test before induction. He gives Alice to me for a weekend."

Lucius leaned over and started to unbutton Alice's top. He found her wand and threw it onto the workbench, then re-focussed his attention on the body before him.

"Such a nice present too."

"Does Declan know about it?"

Lucius laughed. "Of course not, that's half the fun. Seeing what he'll do when he finds out. Seeing if he values becoming a Death Eater over his only child."

Lucius began to walk around the slab. "So Severus, does this tempt you?" He picked up some strands of Alice's hair and let them fall though his fingers. Snape shifted uncomfortably on his feet. Lucius came and stood behind him and whispered in his ear.

"Would you like to do more than just watch this time? Prove to me that you're a man? I can tell that you want her." Lucius looked at Alice, then back to Snape. Walking over to the slab, he bent his head down and sniffed Alice´s crotch. A smile played about his mouth. "And I can tell she wants you, or did. Have a moment before dinner did you Severus? Kiss her like this?"

Lucius bent his head over Alice's and pried her lips open with his fingers. Then he kissed her, letting his tongue lazily explore her mouth. His hand traced Alice's shoulder bone and then slipped under her bra, feeling for her breast.

"You bastard," Snape hissed. "Do you have any idea what Declan and Dumbledore will do to you when they find out?"

Lucius stopped what he was doing and spun around on his heel. "I'm not too concerned about Declan. As for Dumbledore, the man is a weak, blind fool and I intend to be the one that exposes him as such. I'm not frightened of him."

Lucius returned to taunting Snape. "Are you sure you don't want to have a go? Look at her Severus, she's delicious. "

Alice was lying on the slab, hearing every word of what they were talking about with a growing sense of fear. She was beginning to become aware of her body again, but she wasn't sure if it was a lapse between the effects of the potion or due to her intense fear. She wriggled a toe, happy that she had control back, at least of one of her digits. Now she needed to get out of the chains that bound her to the slab. Lucius and Snape were standing over to her left; her hope lay in loosening her right fingers. She wriggled them and ...the chain around her wrist went slack, loose enough for Alice to get a hand free. It was a start.

"So Severus, do you want to show me what you've got?"

"Why the interest Lucius? Would you like me to do you after I've done Alice?"

Snape turned to face Lucius, blocking his view of Alice. Seizing the opportunity, she kicked her chains free whilst calling for her wand at the same time. Foolish Snape, he had forgotten to fasten the chains properly -- probably in his excitement to get at her, Alice thought. Sick fucking bastard. She grabbed her wand out of the air, pointed it at the astonished men and fired.

"Stupefy!"

Both men looked at her dumbly. Then an idea came to Alice´s mind that she could not resist. Lucius deserved it, planning as he obviously had been to spend the weekend having his sick way with her. She had yet to make up her mind about Severus; at the moment, however, he was the least of her concerns.

"Crucio!" A jet of light came out of Alice's wand and struck Lucius in the chest. He went down on his knees, screaming in pain. Alice felt sick using the curse and it quickly began to drain her energy. She looked around for a more permanent way to incapacitate him. She didn't want to kill him if she could avoid it. She would rather he suffered away the rest of his life in Azkaban, sharing a cell with Snape. She ended the Cruciatus and immediately froze them both.

"Petrificus Totalus."

They both became immobile, looks of horror and pain etched on both their faces. Alice leaned against the bench to get her breath back. She didn't know how long she had before the second batch of potion began to kick in so, she needed to be quick. She grabbed the chains that had bound her and shackled Snape and Lucius together.

"Try and get out of this one boys," she muttered under her breath before kicking Snape in the groin. She slapped Lucius across the face with all the force she could manage and was happy to see that his nose was bleeding. Then she ran to the dungeon door where she stopped just long enough to look back at the two of them and sneer.

"Pathetic! Sick, pathetic bastards! Just wait until I tell Dumbledore, Professor!" Alice spat the last word out. She pointed her wand at them, yelled "finite incanteum", and turned and ran. She could hear Lucius yelling after her, but she didn't stop to listen. She was far too intent on getting the hell out of Malfoy Manor.

Rather than risk trying to find the back way out, Alice tried to retrace Snape's steps. It had taken him what felt like five minutes to go from the study to the dungeons, and Alice estimated that if she wasn't out of there in eight, she would be lost. Running, she only stopped when she thought she heard footsteps. She flattened herself against a wall and hoped whoever it was couldn't hear her breathing. The footsteps passed along a passage up ahead. "Probably going to help Snape and Lucius." Alice decided to chance it and started to run again, only to stumble and twist her ankle.

"Damn shoes." Alice stopped and took them off. Picking herself up, she started to run again and reaching the passageway, she looked right. There lay nothing but blackness, but to the left were the stairs, illuminated by a shaft of light.

Alice bolted up them, tripping on her skirt and ripping it. She looked down and realized that her top was unbuttoned, so she quickly fastened it stumbling into the study. She looked around quickly, but she couldn't see or hear anyone. "Good." Continuing on through the study and the library, Alice finally found herself in the entrance hall. She stopped for a second and tried to get her breath back; then taking off again, Alice burst through the front doors and scampered down the stairs. She couldn't see anything except for a thick fog.

"Lumos!" The light from the end of Alice´s wand didn't make much difference. She took a couple of steps forward onto frozen gravel, shivering as she suddenly realized how cold it was. "Damn!" She needed to put a great deal of distance between the Manor and herself, but how? She could Apparate off the grounds and back to Hogsmeade, then bolt for Hogwarts. But it was an obvious plan, one that Snape would work out in seconds -- would it work? She'd splice herself if she couldn't Apparate Alice heard voices behind her.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck."

If she couldn't Apparate... She couldn't at Hogwarts, so she probably couldn't at Malfoy Manor either. She took off running again and was pleased to hit grass underfoot; it would muffle the sound of her running and cushion her feet slightly. The problem that remained, however, was she didn't know where she was going. In the darkness and fog, Alice couldn´t tell up from down.

"Okay, Draco said the Quidditch pitch was at the back of the house. Fine, all I need to do is modify the Four-Point Spell to find the Quidditch pitch...and steal Draco's broom. God, he better have a good one."

Alice put her wand in her palm and asked it to point to the Quidditch pitch. The wand spun slightly to the left and Alice took off running. After a couple of minutes, Alice came up against the side of the house and started to carefully creep around the Manor. She stopped every now and then to listen for other signs of life, but she heard nothing. And this scared her. Draco had mentioned a manticore and Alice didn't doubt for one second that there would be one, or an equally dangerous beast, somewhere upon the grounds. The fact that she hadn't seen anything yet was unsettling. She kept walking, however, her senses heightened. She felt as if her ears were stretched like elastic.

Alice stopped and looked around her, the blood in her veins freezing suddenly and the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. Up ahead of her a pair of red eyes were staring through the fog.

"Shit, fuck, damn! And here's the monster......" Alice thought quickly, but there was a problem. She didn't know what she was up against. She took a tentative step forward.

Out of the darkness and fog stepped a manticore. Alice took a step backward. She'd seen one in a book before, but had never come face to face with one. So far as she knew they were very rare, with no reported sightings in England for fifty years. That, however, was a moot point at the moment. She noticed the creature´s tail was down, not up, and poised to attack, which meant it wanted to play...

"So human, think you can escape us do you?" the beast taunted Alice in a lilting, playful voice.

Alice stood and considered what she should do. Unfortunately she didn't have time to think. The manticore lowered its head and charged, hitting her in the chest. The impact forced the wind out of her. Turning, the beast charged again, hitting Alice in the groin and tossing her into the air. She landed with a thud on the ground, completely breathless. The manticore walked up to her and pinned her to the ground. Raising a paw, it unsheathed its claws and took a swipe at Alice, scratching her chest.

"You don't put up much fight, human." The manticore tipped its head to one side, as if it were reading Alice's mind.

Alice acted before she thought. She took her wand and thrust it into the underside of the manticore repeatedly, tearing the skin to allow a spell to impact and have a chance at working. Blood gushed out from the stab wounds, soaking Alice, and the beast screamed out in pain when it realized what she had done. Before it could raise its tail to attack, Alice cursed it.

"Petrificus Totalus!" The manticore froze and Alice wriggled out from under it. She pointed her wand at it again and yelled curses as she thought of them.

"Engorgio...Impedimenta...Jelly-Legs." Alice hesitated as she watched the still frozen manticore increase in size. Good, the curses had gotten through. She could finish the creature off without being at risk of the final curse backfiring and hitting her. Alice pointed her wand at the beast and fired.

"Avada Kedavra!"

A jet of green light shot out of the end of her wand and hit the manticore, who toppled over dead. At the same moment, Alice heard voices again and took off running in the direction of what she prayed was the Quidditch pitch. Glancing to her right, she realized she could no longer see the house, so she stopped and looked down at her wand in her palm. "Point me." The wand spun to the left and Alice took off again, looking around her as she went, finding it hard to believe that Lucius would only have one manticore guarding his property.

She kept running, wondering if she would ever reach the pitch when, suddenly looming out of the dark fog, she saw the goal posts. Here Alice stopped to look around. She couldn't see a sign of any broom shed, but that wasn't saying much -- she couldn't see much sign of anything. "Shadows and fucking fog." She decided to run around the pitch, keeping the sand to her right.

Alice had run about five hundred meters when she found what she was looking for: a small, padlocked shed. Alice ran up to the door and kissed it. She waved her wand to unlock it, and grabbing the first broomstick she could lay her hands on, ran back out. She turned and waved her wand in the direction of the shed and it burst into flames; then jumping on the broom, took off and flew over the pitch away from the Manor. She kept flying low so she wasn't detected, and also so that, if she fell she didn't have far to fall. She didn't dare look around; she was feeling sick enough as it was.

Alice skimmed over treetops, willing the broom to go faster. She wondered how far she had been flying and how much further she had to fly to make absolutely certain that she was off the Malfoy property. Without realizing it, she had started flying over the ocean. When she did look down, she nearly fell off in shock. Slowing down and looking around her, she couldn't see any shadows that looked like land, nor any lights. On the positive front, however, the fog appeared to be thinning. Alice sped up again and flew toward the coast - or what she hoped was the vague direction of the coast.

Eventually Alice saw a large group of lights off in the distance, and she began to fly toward them. Looking down, she saw that she was over land again. She dropped down and landed, thankful to be on terra firma once more. With barely a thought of splinching or being seen by Muggles, she apparated to the Hogwarts school gates, which she pushed open. From there, she ran toward the school in hysterics. All the determination and adrenaline that had carried her that far was starting to dissipate. As Alice ran she started to shiver from the cold, and she began to find it difficult to breathe. Her ankle was throbbing with pain, and if she hadn't looked up at that moment and seen the school, she would have collapsed on the ground and let death take her.

Some of her determination came back and she hobbled on as fast as she could. Reaching the school, Alice blindly stumbled into the entrance hall. Crying, she dragged herself down to Remus's quarters. She thumped on his door, then leaned against it for support. Exhaustion engulfed Alice, and when Remus opened the door, she crumpled like a rag doll into his arms.