Chapter 5
Two nights to go, Octavia still had Dreamless Sleep for two nights and Marjorie wasn't answering her letters. Not to any of the five that Octavia had sent her in the days since her arrival at Hogwarts. Instead, she had received a letter from her mother. Salome Lestrange had never been a loving mother, but this letter had surpassed everything in coldness. It was bitter and cold pressure to get pregnant. So she now had two problems, the expectation of her mother and the Dark Lord that she would give birth as soon as possible, which was not necessarily easier given the fact that her husband absolutely avoided her, and on the other hand her dependence on Dreamless Sleep.
Life in the dungeons was lonely and cold. In the meantime, Octavia had read every book she had brought with her, but had not yet had the courage to ask Severus Snape if she could read the books in the living room. In the meantime, she had knitted the second pair of socks by hand. Salome Lestrange would probably break one of her fingers. ‘A pureblood witch doesn't knit by hand, there's a spell for that!’ Octavia had been eleven when she had a house-elf show her how to knit by hand. Even then, the young witch had been extremely bored. And now, too, the boredom was slowly driving her mad. Severus didn't say a word to her and Octavia hadn't left the chambers for two days, not sure if she was even allowed to.
But tonight the students came back from their holidays. ‘You will accompany me to dinner in the Great Hall tonight! Dumbledore will probably introduce you to the students!’ Severus had told her that much this morning. By now, she had approximately another hour before she had to expose herself to the curious eyes of the students. The young woman examined her selection of clothes uncertainly. Which of them would be suitable for such an occasion? She immediately ruled out the bolder colours and turned her attention to her more muted formal dresses. At least it wasn't difficult to guess what her husband would be wearing. She had only ever seen Severus in black. Well, apart from the white shirt he wore under his robes. Her hand hovered uncertainly over a green dress. It was a dark, muted green and the high-necked cut of the dress gave it an air of sophistication. With a few sweeps of her wand, her dark curls were tamed and formed into a delicate updo, another three sweeps later and soft make-up lay on her skin. At least this was where her mother's training came in handy. But no matter how talented she was in the other parts of her routine, the zip of the dress remained a problem. The last time she tried to close a zip with magic, she had destroyed the dress. Awesome! It seemed absolutely inevitable for the young woman to ask Severus to help her. As if summoned, there was a knock on the bathroom door at that moment. ‘Octavia, are you ready? We have to get going!’ The young woman took a deep breath, there were about a hundred people she would rather have help her than Severus Snape, but her options were limited. She opened the door and stood directly in front of Snape, his gaze already annoyed before she could ask. Octavia swallowed: ‘Actually, I need help. Could you please zip me up?’ She didn't wait for an answer, but simply turned her back to him without looking him in the eye once. For a moment, nothing happened and Octavia felt absolutely stupid as she stood in the bathroom doorway waiting for him to respond. But then she felt his fingers on her back. His touch was gentle and his hands warm. He closed the zip and when his hands reached the back of her neck, a tingling sensation spread through Octavia. Then it was over and his fingers disappeared from her body. When the young woman turned round again, his gaze was just as expressionless as before. She looked him in the eye for a moment: ‘Thank you.’ She carefully pinned her earrings in place and then looked expectantly at Severus. ‘I'm ready,’ It was as if her words had snapped him out of his thoughts, he nodded and then led her out of the quarters and towards the Great Hall.
Before they entered the hall, he offered her arm and the young woman hooked onto it, a little grateful for the support, so at least she wouldn't fall on the way to the staff table. As soon as they entered the hall, she felt hundreds of pairs of eyes on her. The students' whispers grew louder and she could literally feel their irritation and questions. Looking straight ahead and raising her head, she walked beside Severus to her seat. Snape pulled the chair back for her and then sat down on the one to her left.
Octavia watched the Sorting Ceremony with fascination. When Professor Dumbledore finally stood up and began to speak, the young woman sensed that the moment she had been dreading for hours was about to arrive. ‘- and with that out of the way, I would like to introduce a new face to you all. Octavia Snape, the wife of our Potions Master. I know you will welcome her here and show her the same respect that all teachers deserve.’ Octavia felt the stares of everyone present on her skin like little pinpricks. Goose bumps spread. Suddenly, a large, warm hand enveloped her smaller, sweaty one. It was as if Severus had sensed her fear and his touch calmed her more than she had ever expected.