Chapter: What Has to be Done to be Right

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The Valentine's Day Dance was an event where Octavia prayed to Merlin that Dumbledore would not uphold anymore for the future years to come.

The Great Hall was decorated in even more pink and red than it had been during the daytime. Most of the population of students were having a good time and were happy to attend an event where they could enjoy a stress free time without schoolwork, but instead, have a fun time.

Octavia watched many students make puppy love eyes over each other or there were a few students who had jealousy in their eyes when they saw their crush with someone else. She could only imagine later on tonight when she would need to monitor the hallways, how many students will be out and about.

Offering to be a chaperone for tonight was becoming annoying to Octavia. It was not the fact that the students would sometimes get a bit hands on with each other or try to sneak off to the hallways or outside, but rather a certain idiot known as Lockhart constantly bugged her.

The amount of times Lockhart came toward her for a dance, offering her chocolates or actually trying to grab her hand, she lost count. She found herself hiding away in the mass of students or she sometimes hid behind the tables piled up with food.

Dressed in a red dress, she thought she could be able to blend in with the students, but she stuck out. She stuck out due to being taller than most of the students and obviously being a grown woman.

But the night wasn't a total dreadful moment for Octavia.

A small smile would come onto Octavia's glossy lips at the sight of either Cato or Isaac being asked to dance with a few different girls. To Octavia, it was cute to see Cato blushing and not knowing what to do, but found himself tensely dancing before loosing up. Isaac was the same way.

The thought of Cato and Isaac got Octavia to search for them, soon finding them by a chocolate fountain with a few of the Gryffindor quidditch team members. With Isaac being Cato's best friend, Octavia noted many Gryffindor had started to lighten up to Isaac, even if Isaac was a part of the Slytherin House.

As Octavia looked away from the two teenage boys, her eyes came to make connection with Lockhart. He got his usual stupid wide smile on his lips and he began to make his way toward her, cutting through students on the dance floor and not caring he was shoving them aside.

With quick steps, Octavia dashed away, and bent down to hide her height behind students. In this type of situation, she really wished she had an invisibility cloak to hide away.

A hand clamped around her left wrist and a small screech escaped her as she was ripped out of the Great Hall. She did not realize she had been closely near staff door, which was behind the stage where the faculty and staff sat.

The door shut behind her unknown captor and her. It was dark through the stone hallways that led out toward another door that entered into the hallways.

"Let me go."

Octavia gone to claw their hand, but stopped when they open the door to allow the light outside the hallways to light up around her. The candlelights showed it was Severus as her captor.

"What are you doing? Where are you taking me?"

"Shush."

"Did you just shush me?" Octavia mouth dropped as Severus continued to lead her down the hallway.

They gone around twist and turns of the hallways until they came to a part of the castle where they were away from everything where students would go—classrooms, dorm rooms and faculty and staff rooms. They were on the other side of the castle.

There was an old looking thick wood door where Severus stepped up to stand in front of it. With a wave of his hand, the door unlatched and slowly creaked open.

"I never saw this room before." Octavia whispered.

The room was small, but what made it unique was the roundness of the ceiling and a section of a wall which was all windows. It reminded her of a greenhouse, but there were no flowers around. Instead, there was a love seat against the wall by the old wooden door they walked through. A small round table on the left side of the love seat with a round burgundy red rug in the center of the room. Then an old record player in the corner, and out of the way.

"I came across it a few years ago. It is good to come here to have privacy." Severus told her in a low tone.

Octavia stepped away from Severus to stand in the center of the room, turning in a circle to take in the simpleness of the room. Although Octavia found this room as a good spot to hide away and to get away from everything outside of the room. Her eyes flicker up toward the windows to stare at the night sky, seeing it was a half moon tonight.

Slowly, Octavia lowered her head as she turned to stare directly Severus with curious eyes, wondering why he brought her to this location.

With a wave of his right hand, the record player began to play. Octavia eyes glanced over at the record player then her eyes settle back on him with raised eyebrows. Severus lowered his hand before he held his left hand out to her.

"May I have this dance?"

The question thrown Octavia off as she did not expect Severus to do this. To her, this was unlike him, but seeing how he seem to be uncomfortable doing so, she knew that he was trying.

Her suspense made Severus to start lowering his hand, thinking how this was not a good idea, but when Octavia took a step forward, laying her hand in his, Severus felt himself stand a bit taller.

Pulling her toward him, one hand rested against her hip and the other held her hand. Slowly, they began to move in a small circle around the room, enjoying this private moment.

Octavia felt herself being pulled a bit closer to the point that she made herself to take another step closer to Severus, feeling their chest brushing against each other whenever they make a certain move. Severus head bent down, his hair brushing against the side of her face as his mouth came by her ear.

"You look...beautiful tonight." Severus had paused in the sentence to swallow hard, not used to be pleasant.

Yet this was Octavia.

No response came from Octavia, but Severus did catch a small hint of a grin on her lips before it faded away.

Octavia knew that Severus was trying to be polite and to be better to her. She was shocked that he would do such a thing such as this, but maybe the sight of Cato and her again, it might had made him realize the family he could have.

"I don't want us to be mad at each other forever, Octavia." Severus admitted lowly, wanting the tension between them to clear up.

One of her hands were resting on his chest seem to tighten up against his chest. His eyes stayed on her face.

"It's hard to let it go."

Severus bowed his head, knowing that it was true. What happened in the past brought nothing but pain.

"How about we try to ease it up, not overcome it?" Severus asked, lifting his head slightly up to gaze into her eyes that were staring up at him now.

"This particular pain is strong. When you want something, but it's not returned to you in the manner you want…You know that feeling, Severus, it's just not aimed toward me." Octavia whispered.

The dancing came to a stop after the comment Octavia made. She slowly pulled away from him to step over to the windows to stare out at the Forbidden Forest and the night sky. She could feel the familiar emotions start to well up in her.

Severus stared down at the ground, realizing what she was pointing out. The topic that destroyed their relationship in the first place. His eyes flicker up to stare at her back, but also, he realized she gave him a clue that she was still in love with him.

"Octavia...all these years and you still…" He couldn't find himself to finish the sentence as his throat felt as if it was closing up with emotions that he was not used to feeling.

"Yes, and trust me, I tried getting over you. Yet I couldn't do it. I hated that I couldn't do it. I believe those hurtful memories left some sort of scars to always remember you."

Swallowing hard, Severus moved closer to her, but she turned on the heels of her feet to swiftly walk toward the door. She opened the door, but stopped in the doorway when Severus whispered her name.

"As I told you before, Octavia, our relationship was not a fluke." Severus told her lowly.

For a few seconds, Octavia stood there with her back turned to him. Her hands were clenching on her sides before unclenching. She took in a deep inhale then exhale out of her mouth to keep herself strong, and to not let emotions take over her.

"I do not like being second, Severus. When the day comes where I am not second to you, come find me." Octavia said before she left the room.

Severus stared at the spot where Octavia once stood. Every comment she said was burned into his mind. It also felt as if he was stabbed with a hot poker every time they brought up their past together. How much he truly hurt her, or rather, how he was still hurting her.

A flick of the wrist the music stopped and Severus stormed off to head back to the dungeons to get himself a glass of Firewhiskey.

When Severus walked through his classroom to head toward the office, he paused as he sensed a presence. One that stood behind him. Turning around, Severus stared to see Cato in the middle of the classroom, staring right back at him.

"Yes?" Severus turned away, resuming in heading into his office with Cato following.

"It didn't go well, did it?"

"How would you know?"

"You are back early." Cato pointed out as he stared around the office before his eyes settle on Severus opening up a cabinet to pull out Firewhiskey.

"Do you expect me to tell you about this?"

"Don't you think I should know? I mean, I have been with her in the years you weren't." Cato said as he walked over to stand before Severus desk as Severus sat down behind it.

Severus eyed Cato across from him. He turned his eyes away to stare down at the Firewhiskey in the glass bottle. Tilts of the wrist, Severus watched the amber gold liquid swirl around. Bringing his eyes off the drink, Severus stared at Cato again. He knew that Cato was right and Cato most likely got answers out of his mother growing up, especially wanting to know about Severus.

"She stills loves me."

"Yeah, she does." Cato nodded, knowing that.

Severus brought the drink to his lips, taking a big gulp to feel the burning effect go down.

"Did you ever love my mother?"

"Of course." Severus slammed the glass down.

"Then what happened?" Cato spread his arms out, staring at Severus with a questionable look.

"She pointed out how I continue to put her second."

A snort came from Cato and he dropped his arms to his sides. Severus narrowed his eyes on Cato, wondering why the sudden dry snort from the teenager. Severus almost cringed at how much Cato acted and sometimes looked like him whenever Cato made a certain expression.

"What?" Severus hissed.

"It's funny, you know. You pin after someone you can't have and mom pins after you, which she feels like she will never have. In a way, you two are in the same boat, just you are pining after a dead woman, who was married, while you have a woman giving you love and even a son. This would be a very good heartbreaking romance novel." Cato explained, being blunt and honest, not holding anything about.

As Cato entered his teens, he began to become observant. He was beginning to understand more about emotions and what was right or wrong. Seeing his mother's emotions throughout the years, Cato was beginning to understand them.

Having Octavia and his son express such an honest explanation, Severus felt himself slowly sit back in his seat. He stared at Cato, seeing how the boy definitely knew what was going on. That Cato knew about the whole story.

"How do you know this much?"

"Gossip with her friends back in America, plus, her diary." Cato answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Seriously, if you love my mother, why not put her first. She's actually here before you and wants you back. Though you got a lot to make up." Cato said.

"It's not that easy."

"Why the bloody hell not?"

"Language!" Severus snapped, scowling his son.

Once again, Cato made a face that reminded Severus of himself. Cato turned his back to Severus to walk out of the office, but turn back around to stare straight at Severus with a glare.

"You wouldn't understand." Severus shook his head, staring down at his drink.

"No, I think you just don't want to try. You rather give up. Give her up. Give me up."

Severus eyes snapped up from his drink to stare at Cato, hearing the emotions building up in his voice. Severus felt himself standing up as he saw Cato eyes glistening. Eyes like his mother's, Severus felt as if he was staring into her tear filled eyes too.

"Why don't you want us?" Cato whispered, bowing his head.

"Cato…" Severus swallowed hard, feeling a dagger stabbing straight through his heart at the pain filled in the teenager's voice.

Cato whirled around and ran out of the office.

"Cato!" Severus yelled, running after him.

The classroom door slammed shut causing Severus to wave his hand to open it up as he ran out. He looked up and down the hallway, seeing not a sign of Cato. Breathing heavily, Severus turn back to his classroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

Instead of going back to his office, Severus found himself dropping down on a bench in the classroom, staring at the stone floors. His hands coming up to run through his hair, clenching his hair as he thought about the family he could have, but he was being held back by one thing.

"Why can't I let go?" Severus croaked out, tears pricking his dark eyes.

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Hi Everyone,

Here was a new chapter.

Please Review, Favorite, and/or Follow!

I feel a bit bad for Severus, but I wanted to show the pain Octavia had been going through throughout the years, and also Cato, who wants a father and to see his mother happy. She is someone who can hold a grudge for a while, and does not easily forgive those who immensely hurt her.

Thank You!