You'll cheat and lie
And you won't stop until
You've stole the glimmer from my eye
But not tonight
-Out of Reach, Voltaire
When Tempest arrived back at Spinner's End, she assumed Severus had left out of boredom or some form of meeting. It wasn't until she heard a clinking from down the hallway that she realised he was in the potions cupboard. Strange, she thought, as he had never quite taken very much delight in making potions, even if it was a speciality.
"Severus?" she called down the hallway, and immediately the sound stopped. After a brief moment's pause, his footsteps could be heard and in moments he appeared at the doorway.
"You're back then?"
"Obviously." He paused again, then continued.
"I have to leave for an hour, maybe more, I'm not sure."
"Then why are you looking through the potions cupboard?"
"Why do you think?" Tempest paused, then continued.
"I don't see why you bother with that. Weren't you given Pettigrew for a reason?" Severus paused and looked at her bitterly.
"You think that I am foolish enough to allow him amongst my possessions?"
"Fair enough." Tempest continued to watch Severus bustling about for the next few minutes and waited until he finally had packed a small satchel to speak out again. "I'm coming with you."
"Is that a question or a statement?"
"Statement, of course."
"A false one at that. You're not coming."
It took Tempest a moment to register the fact before finally allowing herself to become dreadfully annoyed.
"And why not? It can't be that important."
"If it isn't that important then why do you wish to come along?"
"Because I'm so dreadfully bored that I advise you bring me for your own health."
"A good enough threat, but I'm not listening. Just go an find something else to do while I'm out."
"I want to go with you." She wasn't quite sure why she wanted to go, but Tempest was definitely sure that whatever Severus wanted to keep a secret was of interest to her in some way or another.
"Well, I want you to stay here. So you are going to stay here."
Tempest quickly took hold of the vial Severus had taken from the closet and held it behind her back.
"Well, now you can't leave, can you? So either take me or stay." Severus paused, watching Tempest as if to dare her to continue with her silly little games.
"You really are bored, aren't you?" Tempest smiled in return. "Fine. But you're going to stay put where I tell you to."
"No I'm not."
"And you're going to behave well."
"No I won't."
"Will you ever just do as I tell you?"
"I don't think so." Severus sighed irritably, and snatched the vial that was now offered to him by the now grinning young girl.
"I really don't know why I bother asking you anymore," he said while placing the vial carefully in his satchel. Tempest quickly took hold of his arm before he could change his mind. He gave the smallest of smiles out of acknowledgement rather than any form of happiness.
The room disappeared quicker than Tempest had thought it would, and they then found themselves on the outskirts of a small village. It was dark outside- almost too dark to see anything were it not for the distant lights.
"You could have given me a little more warning," Tempest muttered irritably, blinking rapidly. "I've never liked Apparation that much."
"It's no worse than a portkey."
"For you, maybe." She paused to look around, and it suddenly dawned upon Tempest that she hadn't the slightest clue where they were. "Where did you say you had to go?"
"I didn't."
"Well, where are we then?" Severus didn't reply, but instead moved forward down the dimly lit path. Tempest followed hastily, more curious than before by this point. It was quite difficult for some time; more often than not those she was with would walk slightly slower to allow her to match their speed, but Severus wasted no time in walking briskly down the path.
"Severus!" she finally called irritably, and though he would not slow his pace he turned his head slightly to show that he was listening. "I don't understand what can be so important that you have to practically run to this place."
"A man's life," he replied simply. Tempest almost stopped in surprise, but thought better of it.
"Who's life?"
Again, she received no answer.
Tempest rarely looked up from the floor as they walked, careful not to trip on anything while surrounded by the dark. It wasn't until about two minutes on that she noticed the previously dim lights were brighter now. Not much brighter, but definitely brighter. Then it dawned on her.
"I thought no one was here during the summer," she said, slightly breathless.
"Usually there aren't."
"Usually? Severus, what's going on?"
The usual silence. Tempest didn't expect any longer to be given any information until they reached Hogwarts. The journey all of a sudden became a lot shorter, and before she could gather her wits, they were charging up an unfamiliar staircase. She looked up to see a few portraits looking at them curiously, while others were fast asleep and completely unaware of them.
"Cockroach clusters," Severus muttered to the stone gargoyle they suddenly found themselves faced with. Tempest arched an eyebrow, and seeing it, Severus couldn't help but laugh somewhat nervously. "I never did understand his choice in passwords."
Nodding in understanding, Tempest followed Severus up the staircase that the gargoyle revealed. A slight excitement began to build in her chest, but Tempest did not allow herself to become overexcited in any other way. When someone's life was at risk, no good could come from the visit.
She was right.
Tempest knew immediately who the man was when she entered the room.
She stood frozen at the doorway as Severus took hold of his potions and mixed them in a manner she hadn't seen before, but did not question. She didn't know what to question, really. Here was the man it was evident the Dark Lord had wanted dead for so long. Tempest had rarely seen a man killed in front of her, and never by Severus, so wished desperately to close her eyes. For some reason or another, she couldn't.
That was when she finally heard the sharp intake of breath.
Upon hearing the sound, Tempest jumped slightly and looked forward clearly again. She didn't know what to expect upon looking up, and so hadn't really a clue how to react when she saw Albus Dumbledore stirring, as if awakened from a particularly deep sleep. Severus took a step back, then cleared his throat.
"You shouldn't have been so foolish," he said he said lowly, looking down at the man's hand, which Tempest now realised was black and withered. Dumbledore looked at it with a certain curiosity.
"I was far too tempted, Severus," he replied, his tone much lighter than anyone had expected. His eyes flickered across his arm to the ring on his finger. For a moment, a single moment, they flickered upwards. It was enough to catch his attention. Tempest could not help but freeze again. To her surprise, the man merely smiled at her. "Ah, so you decided to bring her with you?"
"Not in those words exactly." The annoyance in his voice was not towards her, Tempest thought, but rather a still maintained annoyance with Dumbledore, who he still stared at. Dumbledore in turn ignored this, and continued to watch Tempest. She quickly regained her power of speech for a moment, long enough to blurt out:
"I thought you were going to kill him." She looked at Severus as she said it, and he in turn arched an eyebrow.
"And why would he do a thing like that?" Dumbledore asked, tilting his head slightly. It took a second or so for Tempest to summon an answer.
"That's what Voldemort wants! He wants you dead, and you were just- you were just sitting there!"
"That is true, my dear, that is true." With a somewhat playful smile, Dumbledore turned his head to Severus. "That is a very good question, isn't it? Why didn't you kill me, Severus?"
Though it was impossible to believe, Tempest was sure she saw an embarrassed expression upon Severus's features. His fists clenched ever so slightly and he bowed his head.
"You've made your point."
"I have no idea what you mean," Dumbledore said, chuckling. "You must at least trust her enough to allow her to come here."
"Trust me with what?" Her voice was quiet, but Tempest had no problem in catching each of their attentions with the simple question. There was a pause before Dumbledore leaned forward in his chair and rested his hands on the desk, his bright, blue eyes staring into hers. It was a surprise to hear that his tone become considerably more serious as he spoke again in comparison to his previously light hearted speech.
"Severus tells me that you have been Marked."
"Yes," she answered briskly.
"Unwillingly."
"Yes," she said, though paused out of a form of embarrassment before replying.
"You were raised by the Malfoys, were you not? I would have thought you would have been happy with your position as a Death Eater?"
"What you really want to know is whether I believe what they believe."
"You're certainly sharper than I had first thought," he said, his smile coming back slightly. "Perhaps I would like to know whether you believe what they believe."
"Is it not enough that I do not wish to be a Death Eater? I never needed an opinion before and don't have one now."
"What a strange way of thinking," he mused before looking towards Severus again. "And I expect you haven't taught her anything about the Order?"
"He didn't need to teach me anything," Tempest interrupted before Severus could begin to speak. "Anything I needed to know about the Order was learnt from the other Death Eaters."
"Apart from Severus's position?"
Tempest nodded.
"Then I shouldn't think he is any danger." As if the matter was sorted, he finally leant back in his chair and his smile returned brightly, his eyes sparkling slightly. Shocked, Tempest froze again.
"Is that it?"
"I can't think of anything else to discuss on the matter."
"How about whether or not I'd tell?" she asked, stunned. "Whether the information would be found out now that I know, whether or not I'd even attempt to protect the Order, whether-"
"You are your father's daughter," Dumbledore interrupted calmly. "You wouldn't betray us."
"I have nothing to betray if I am not part of it," she retorted sharply. "How can I even understand the idea of being my father's daughter? If you remember correctly, he's dead."
"And if he were alive today he would wish for you to fight with us rather than against us."
"If you wanted me to fight with you then you would have not allowed me to live with the Malfoys." It was the first time any other emotion other than simple annoyance had been shown, and it left both Severus and Dumbledore quite taken aback. Tempest stopped for a moment, regaining her control. "What I want to know is-"
"Why you were left behind?" Shakily, she nodded.
"I had hoped that the late Sirius Black would have come for you, really. I should think that he would have taken you in if it weren't for the fact that he was overbearingly...frustrated, shall we say."
"You make it seem so simple," she spat petulantly. "Why didn't anyone come for me then? Why didn't I know until I practically guessed it?" A hand was laid gently upon her shoulder, and though Tempest knew it to be Severus's, she still shivered as if it were a stranger's.
"You were perfectly safe with the Malfoys," Dumbledore replied after a moment's thought. "While you were in no danger I saw no reason to remove you from where you were comfortable."
"And how were you to know I was comfortable?"
"I have my ways of knowing," he said, his eyes flickering towards Severus. "Severus had updated me on your studies and such, as well as your personal well being."
"He wouldn't have had to if my brother was not favoured above me," she whispered, bowing her head slightly.
To this, Dumbledore had no reply.
The room went silent, and to Tempest's mild surprise Severus's hand did not remove itself from her shoulder. As the silence grew, Tempest could not halt the few tears that betrayed her.
"You're not even denying it."
"Perhaps you would like to wait outside," Dumbledore said, gesturing towards the door. "Severus and I have some matters to discuss."
But before Tempest could gather herself enough to move towards the door, she felt her knees buckle under her own weight and she fell to the floor. She was only vaguely aware of Severus catching her before everything went black.