Well don't be shy
I've got an open heart and hand
And I just might have to confess just where I stand
-I Won't Disagree, Katy Voegele
There was little Severus could do after that other than watch Tempest with a curious concern. She hadn't spoken much since she returned to Spinner's End- strange, really, as little to nothing could render her to such an attitude nowadays. Severus had certainly never seen her in such a way before. She simply sat there, her knees drawn under her chin, her eyes staring somewhere utterly unknown. There was no use in even speaking aloud to her.
It carried on for some time. Not an extended period, really, perhaps only a few days. But it was long enough. Those few days were long enough for the Dark Lord to have made his plans for Draco certain, and it would not be long before they were summoned again.
Severus sat at the parlour, absent-mindedly staring at The Daily Prophet, when Tempest appeared quite out of the blue at the doorway. He looked up and tilted his head inquisitively. She still didn't look at all healthier compared to when she first came back. Bruises were still left bold against her skin, and a few scars were still visible. She hadn't been able to eat for some time and her clothes already began to sag slightly.
"It's quite late, you know," Severus said, looking towards the clock. Tempest looked briefly, then simply shrugged limply, and then quickly collapsed into the armchair where she had spent most of her time.
"Wormtail," he called, and in only a few moments Pettigrew appeared in the room, his beady eyes slightly wide, though more irritable than fearful. "Fetch us some tea. Now."
Pettigrew clenched his jaw, as if about to argue, but thought better of it and scurried away quickly.
"I'm quite sure Draco will have begun his training now," Severus said, attempting to fill the silence. Even if Tempest would not reply, he was quite sure that she could hear him. "We are sure the training is minimal. Bellatrix has already begun teaching him Occlumency. He is practising his wand work alone, I'm sure."
No reply. There was a pause of silence before Severus continued.
"There may be a meeting any day soon, you know," he continued, placing The Daily Prophet on the nearby table. "I understand you may not be in a position to speak now, but he will expect you to speak if needed when the time comes. It would only be worse for you if you didn't."
Slowly, she nodded in reply. Her head lowered slightly in thought, and with what seemed to be a large amount of effort she looked up again and swallowed.
"How do you do it?" she asked. Her voice was hoarse and quiet, but Severus was definitely sure that she had spoken.
"Pardon?"
"How do you do it? Just…any of it." Seeing the still confused expression Severus held, Tempest bit her lip before continuing again. "How do you…torture people- how do you handle torture itself? I'll never be able to do it, Severus, I won't!" The sudden desperation in her tone came as quite a surprise, though Severus managed to keep himself composed as Tempest brought herself to the brink of tears.
"It is not something you can simply 'handle'."
"Then tell me how to do it because I shan't put myself through that again!" The tears were clearly visible now. Severus sighed; she could not help being foolish, he supposed, but it brought him no pleasure being the one to have to tell her she was.
"There is nothing I can do to help you torture even if I wanted to."
"You would prefer I was punished again?" she asked shakily.
"I do not believe the Dark Lord would ask you to torture on demand again. And as for any raids, it won't exactly matter."
"How can you be so sure of that?"
"I simply am."
"You cannot simply be sure, Severus!" Tempest said shrilly, wiping away a tear. "You cannot be sure unless there is evidence- I won't let you be sure unless you give me a good enough reason to be sure!"
Severus couldn't quite find it in himself to answer for some time, and instead the two were left in a silence. Tempest sniffed irritably and quickly left her seat to retrieve the cloak that lay strewn across a chair carelessly.
"And what do you think you're doing?"
"If you refuse to help me, I'm sure Draco will be more than happy to." Severus shook his head, and could not help but laugh slightly.
"You think he is any more likely to be able to help you? He hasn't even seen torture yet, I should think, how would he be able to teach you anything about killing?"
"He would at least try, which is more than I can say for you!"
And so, with no inclination to do otherwise, Severus watched Tempest as she stormed from the room, and only a moment later he heard a faint pop from a portkey. He had never bothered to teach her Apparation, and assumed she was pleased enough with portkeys. Severus did not bother to follow after her; he knew that she would not be silly enough to go anywhere except the Malfoy Manor and if she so chose to leave Spinners End, he would not complain. Though what nonsense was it to think she would leave so easily?
"Haven't I always said never to trust Severus?" Bellatrix exclaimed triumphantly. "I've never approved of him!"
"You'd very rarely trust a man closer to the Dark Lord than yourself," Narcissa said thoughtfully, turning the page of her book absent-mindedly, as though she were not reading the book at all.
"I don't care if he is favoured," she replied, with a slightly false tone. "Isn't it obvious, though? While he's working for us, he's comfortable under Dumbledore's thumb, and you can never be too sure of someone who's too comfortable in his place. There's just something about it that seems too unnatural."
"It isn't at all his work with Dumbledore that makes him a nuisance," Tempest said quietly, still far too angered to speak. "It is his lack of enthusiasm to assistance."
"Perhaps it's just you he doesn't like?" Draco offered. "He's only ever been helpful to Slytherins really, never many other people."
"What exactly have I done? It's not exactly like we're at Hogwarts."
"You see? An old coot who can't be trusted to judge character!"
"You're three years his senior, Trixie." Tempest could not help but laugh at Narcissa's comment, though Bellatrix pulled a face of disgust.
"Physical youth doesn't make a man any less of a coot."
Tempest and Narcissa laughed raucously while Draco smiled and shook his head. It was strange, Tempest thought to herself, how much she had missed such conversations. They had been few and sparse when she had lived in the Malfoy Manor, though she did not realise until this moment how much she had enjoyed them. Light conversation was a pleasure that she could not often indulge in with Severus. For a brief moment, she wondered why she had left. She ran her fingers quickly through the still rather short amount of hair left on her head, and saw the disapproving glance from Narcissa.
Then she remembered.
"Isn't he going to be expecting you back at some point soon?" Draco asked all of a sudden, lazily turning his wand in his fingers. Bellatrix gently slapped at his hand.
"A wand isn't a play-thing, Draco." Then she paused. "He's right, though, Tempest."
"You honestly want me crawling back to him? Not until he will teach me more." Bellatrix sighed, shaking her head.
"You know I'd teach you if I could, but it's not like I can teach you to want to hurt someone. It's not something you learn, it's something you do."
"I refuse to believe that there isn't some way he can help."
"You've always been far too stubborn for your own good, you know," Narcissa said quietly. Bellatrix heard, however, and laughed again loudly.
"Cissy, if it were up to you the world would be dressed in lace and we'd only ever drink tea."
"I'm sure we'd be a lot happier as well," she replied, nodding proudly.
"Speak for yourself," Bellatrix said, still sniggering slightly. "Lace was made for the fancy and tea was made for the silly."
"Thank you, Trixie," Narcissa said with great offence, but quickly passing by it with a slight smile. Tempest and Draco's eyes caught each other once, which was enough to set them into peals of laughter at the scene in front of them.
"Don't you two start laughing," said Bellatrix, shaking her head at the two. "One day you'll like each other well enough to insult without threat."
"And yet it's still so much fun not bothering to insult at all," Tempest replied.
"Or threatening."
"But we wouldn't expect you to wish to exercise that sort of attitude." Bellatrix smiled broadly.
"Then you know me far too well." She looked up briefly again at the grandfather clock and sighed. "I never like to have to send you off, Tempest, but it's probably time you left."
"You're probably right," Tempest admitted with a sigh. "He has all my things, anyway. I wouldn't be able to hide out that long."
"And I'm sure he's wondering what's happened to you," Narcissa pointed out lightly. Tempest could not help but snort in disbelief.
"I'm sure he's not. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't care whether or not I came back at all."