Rabidity

Adrienne lay in her bed that night, well it wasn’t her bed, it was really just a guest bedroom of the Malfoy residence.

A plate of food had arrived but Adrienne had told the house elf to have it herself; Adrienne had no appetite. After some time, she had been brought a nightgown and cleaning fizzes for her teeth.

She had put the gown over her skin, and it felt quite itchy – it even burned her skin a it… and she tore it off almost immediately. Now so wore nothing but her knickers, She didn’t very well have much of her old clothes to put back on… and nothing could be found in the dresser. She thought about the few cloth charms she knew, none of which seemed to work for her. She then wanted to ask the house elf to bring her something to wear, but she never learned it’s name, she had no way to summon it.

So that’s know Adrienne ended up in bed nearly naked. She didn’t feel as though she could sleep anyway. So she sat and waited for the house elf to bring her breakfast. And sometime in the middle of the night she drifted off to sleep. Whether it was the moonlight, or the soft rustle of trees that lulled her to sleep she didn’t know.

It was only natural that her dreams would be filled with nightmares… all the occulemency and ligimency wired your brain up tight, and when you could finally sleep it would all unwind, and Adrienne found it painful. She didn’t know how her professor was such a master at it.

Most images of snakes and werewolves seemed to find her in an inhibited state, but mostly she dreamt of Dumbledore and Snape, who seemed so dark in her dreams. She could see her professor raising his wand, his eyes were cloaked… she reached out her hand in an attempt to pull away the arm that held the wand. But instead she saw Dumbledore die, and found only blood in his place. She ended up covered in it, wet, warm and red, so very red. She felt like her neck was going to snap when she woke up.

And that’s because Professor Snape was shaking her awake.

Her eyes finally met hers when she awoke from the dead of her sleep. She had been crying, screaming and flailing her arms about, and her professor had leaned over her and shook her awake. His knee was placed between her legs and his chest was now just above her, and she was still quite naked.

“You’ve been flailing about and screaming!” he said also noticing the intimate position they were in. He had noticed her nakedness sometime ago, but he had to wake her, she had seemed to be in pain. The frightened girl seemed to latch onto him completely, some sort of terrifying death grip now surrounded him as this lonely girl cried into his chest. Broken sobs and choked words were muffled by his black tweed fabric.

Professor Snape eased away from her so as not to hurt her, and not to pull and sheets away from her body.

“Did I wake everyone?” she choked.

“No… there is a silencing charm around your room. They assumed you were going to kick and scream for someone to let you out.”

“Then how… how did you hear me professor?”

“Well I found myself a way in.”

Adrienne just raised her eyebrow, she expected an explanation. Severus wanted to laugh. He’d never seen such a demanding look from such a tear stained face.

“Don’t expect an explanation from me, you owe me one.”

“Excuse me!” she exclaimed.

“Your little wolf parlor trick back there, not what I expected.”

“You knew my father was a werewolf!”

“Didn’t think you were. But it makes more… sense I suppose, with the subsission problem and all…”

“Ya think?” she said throwing her arms before her body, the sheet dropped only slightly before Severus again realized her lack of clothing.

“And a wolf – and by god you are actually naked. Why are you naked? Good heavens!”

“I’m sorry, I ripped all my clothes protecting someone I care about and then there was a silencing charm placed over my room so I couldn’t ASK for any new ones!!”

“Well don’t just sit there complaining, hold still.” He said raising his wand, she waited for the spell to be muttered, but none came, she finally felt smooth silk wrapping around her petite figure. The softest nightgown she’d ever felt now was enclosed around her body. Small straps held it on her shoulders while the green silk flew freely across her skin. She was smiling and the transformation and couldn’t help but look up at him in appreciation, but then she saw his eyes. She hadn’t noticed before, but they were sunken, and strained.

Then she remembered the blood.

“You killed him. Didn’t you?” she asked while tears refilled her eyes. Now Severus once more returned to her side, this was why he had come. He tried to keep the sullen look from his face and seem warm to her... but every inch of him was hating himself. He also didn’t want to just vomit over a student – the way his stomach was twisted made it all possible.

“I knew she’d tell you.” He said softly.

“You didn’t want me to know?” she asked.

“No, you need to know. But I can’t tell you.”

“What, why not, that’s not fair, I need to know why he’s gone, he cared about me – how can I trust that you do if you killed him!” she said, now tears streaming down her face.

“I came to tell you it had to happen, if… Draco had done it… I don’t think he could’ve lived with himself.”

“So you just saved that brat! You killed that man to save that brat!?”

“I heard you thought he was bright?”

“You were listening?”

“I heard all of that, I couldn’t quite listen to them whip him.”

She remembered the lashings. “Is… he okay…?”

“After twelve lashings, he’ll live.” He said.

“That poor boy.”

“See now you show sympathy again, make up your mind!”

“You KILLED him though… he’d dead… he’s gone. You said I could trust you!!” she threw her arms against his chest, she no longer needed to hold the sheet to her skin, in human form she was quite weak, and it did little damage.

I can’t explain it all..

“I… I put this fear into your head. It is all my fault you are here.”

“But – but we talked about this… and you said-“

“To trust me. I know it’s the last thing in the world you want to do, but it’s all you can, and it’s the right thing to do.”

“Then… then prove it.”

The look on Severus’ face showed bewilderment. How on earth do I do that?

“Please… stay here, watch… keep - keep me safe?”

“You know I can’t, I can’t just sit around watching a student sleep.”

“I… I’d just feel safer I guess. And I have a feeling ‘student’ isn’t what I qualify as anymore.”

After a long while he said: “Who knew a girl like you could even be frightened.”

“Anything’s possible.”

Snape muttered a sleep spell underneath his breath; he also cast a small charm to keep dreams from entering her mind. He didn’t want her to know it… but he did stay there that night, he slept in a tall Victorian leather chair beside the fire. So one would so much as enter the hallway without him knowing first. And after one of the most painful nights of his life… he fell asleep, and all he found within that short bit of time, there were more nightmares.