Name:Danzella
Disclaimer:Nothing belongs to me. It all belongs to JK Rowling.
Summary:Danzella Panterra has had a lot of bad things happen in her life. Will a move to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry help her?
Notes:Danzella Marie McGonagall Panterra - 5'0",115 lbs.,Chestnut Brown Eyes,Curly Black hair that hit's her lower back. Some things have been moved around and are on different floors.
--
"Danzella, pack the things in your office and out of your room." Headmistress Maxine said once Danzella Panterra sat down at the dinner table.
Danzella,who had been a Defense Against The Dark Arts Professor at Beauxbatons since she got out of the teaching academy, was looking at her boss trying to figure out what she meant.
"Excuse me?" Danzella asked.
"You are being transferred to Hogwarts. You will need to pack your things." Maxine said.
"This is how you tell me? In the middle of a dinner? The students can hear you Maxine." Danzella said.
Her voice was starting to rise and all the students were looking at the two people.
"You went to Hogwarts. You were a good student and everyone loves you there. And you'll be near your mother, Michelle, or something close to that." Maxine said.
"Minerva." Danzella said. "And I know I went to Hogwarts. But I've worked here for over ten years."
"I don't care, you are being transferred. And I was sure your mother was Michelle." Maxine said.
"My mother is the Headmistress at Hogwarts and Head of Gryffindor." Danzella said.
"She was your head of house? You must have been happy.I 'm pretty sure your entire family consisted of Gryffindor, right?" Maxine asked.
"She's wasn't my head of house. I was in Slytherin. I was the only one in my family." Danzella said.
The entire room fell silent. They knew that the McGonagall family was where some of the best witches and wizards came from. And that they were all from Gryffindor. Every student had suspected that Danzella wouldn't have been different.
"Get out of this room, Danzella." Maxine said.
Danzella had had it. It was her last day and she was going to spill all of her feelings to her ex-boss.
"I have always been nothing but nice to you. I have bent over backwards to do anything and everything for you. I have helped these students get ready for Quidditch matches and the Tri-Wizard Tournament. I have taught them difficult spells. I have listened to you ramble on and on about your problems. I've listened to students talk about their problems. But, have you, Maxine, ever listened to my problems?
"No, you've just said to suck it up. I've come to you in the middle of the night because something significant had happened to me. I've come to you in tears because I couldn't handle whatever was going on in my life. I came to you when my dad died, when my marriage ended, when my brothers died in a Death Eaters attack because they were trying to protect half bloods. And what did you say to me? You said to go back to my room. THAT'S IT!You didn't help, you didn't listen to me. You just sent me back to my room because you didn't want to deal me.
"Well, Maxine, you are a bitch. You don't care about anything except for making money and making other people feel bad about themselves. So, you want to transfer me to Hogwarts? Good for me. I just wish the students could experience a school that is actually good at teaching them something."
The room erupted in applause but Maxine quickly silenced them. Danzella was almost out the door when Maxine announced:
"You were lost in a bet!"
Danzella quickly stopped. Her black robes twirled around her ankles. She quickly turned around and looked at Maxine.
"What?"
"Dumbledore and I were in a bet. He ten galleons and I bet you. He didn't want me to but I did. I lost and that means I lost you."
"You bet me? That's how much my working here means to you? Merlin, I was right. I was right to think all those things about you."
Danzella ran out of the dinner hall and into her room where she locked the door.
--
"You know how you always say that gambling is bad?" Albus Dumbledore asked.
"Yes." Minerva McGonagall said.
"Well...I sort of gambled with Maxine from Beauxbatons."
"What did you loose?"
"I lost nothing. But she bet a teacher."
Minerva dropped her cup which broke as it hit the stone floor. She quickly stood up and walked over to the Headmaster. She stood infront of his desk and stared him in the eye.
"Danzella? "she asked.
Dumbledore nodded. Minerva started pacing.
"How could you accept her? She can't work here!"
"She's your daughter. You should be happy to see her and proud of her for doing so much with her life. She is one of the best Defense teachers in the teaching business."
"But you know of our relationship's very strained."
"I know. And I believe you should try and mend your relationship. With this war, one of you may be lost."
"Don't talk about this war!"
"I'm sorry. I forgot."
"You forgot? You forgot?! Andrew and Carlton were killed and you forgot? My only sons? How dare you forget?!"
"I'm sorry. I will be will not speak of this war again. But, you and Danzella will try and mend your relationship. End of discussion."
--
The next day was filled with emotions for the estranged mother and daughter. When Danzella first saw her mother she was at dinner, sitting two seats down from Hagrid and Severus. Then she was introduced.
"Well, as you may have realized, students, we have a new teacher sitting here at the Head Table. This is Profesor Danzella Panterra." Dumbledore looked at Danzella with a questioning stare. He was sure he said her name wrong.
Danzella just smiled and Dumbledore went back to talking.
"She is the new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher."
The children groaned.
"Stop that. She has had over ten years experience and has been named one of the best professor's still working. And, she's not insane like the other professor's we had for the job And there is one thing that most of you already you know. How you figured it out is beyond me but I heard you all talking in the halls about Profesor's McGonagall and Panterra. Yes, Danzella is Profesor McGonagall's daughter. But, if you ever think that you can fool around in her class you are sadly mistaken. She got this job because she is good not because of her mother. I've been told by Professor Panterra that she is a veryfare teacher and will be nice to you as long as you listen, are respectful, and do your assignments. And, trust me,if you get on her bad side we'll probably never see you again" Dumbledore sat back down next to Minerva who slapped him on the arm.
"You had to tell them?"
"They were murmuring about it."
"That doesn't make up for it."
--
Danzella quickly got lost in the castle. It had been a long time since she had tried to navigate to the D.A.D.A. classroom. She finally decided to go to the nearest classroom and ask for directions. She opened the closest door and walked into a very familiar class.
"Oh great, Potions." she thought.
She had just walked into the one class she was never good at. Professor Snape looked at her.
"Yes professor?" he asked
"Do you know where the Defense class is?" Danzella asked.
"Miss Granger, would you show Professor Panterra to her classroom." Snape more demanded than asked.
Hermione Granger stood up and lead a very confused Danzella out of the room. Danzella memorized, she was very good at that, the way she got to her floor. Fourth floor, sixth class on the left side. She quickly thanked Hermione and walked into the classroom. It was filled with thirty children who looked very bored and confused. And, to top things off, her mom was standing at the front of the class.
"Hallway." Minerva instructed.
Danzella turned around and walked out into the deserted hallway. Minerva looked at her like she wanted to strangle her.
"It's not my fault. You never gave me the tour." Danzella said.
"You shouldn't need a tour." Minerva said.
"I haven't been here in a long. And you've moved the class! Last time I checked it was on the first floor. And now it's on the fourth. You shouldn't have expected me to know that."
"Stop being a little bitch, Danzella."
"Sorry if I take after you, Mom."
Minerva slapped Danzella across the face.
"You do not talk to me like that."
"Then you shouldn't fuckin' hate 's no big secret that you loved my brother's more than me. It's not my fault I wasn't a brave little Gryffindor."
Danzella was on the verge of tears. A clearly visible red mark was on her right cheek .
"I do not hate you. I love you just as much as your brothers. And I definitely don't care that you were a Slytherin. You're still my daughter."
"Then treat me like it. Try being a little closer to yet, go back and fix my childhood."
"What was wrong with your childhood?"
"Everything!You deducted points like crazy from Slytherin while I was a student. It's like were a fuckin' addict."
Danzella completely forgot about her class and stormed off down the hall. Minerva followed her. Danzella quickly got to Dumbledore's office, said the password, and knocked loudly.
"Enter." he said.
Danzella threw the door open and the first thing Dumbledore heard was the mixed talking of Danzella and Minerva pleading their cases.
"Stop it! What is going on?!" Dumbledore demanded.
Both teachers started talking quickly.
"Stop it! Danzella first." Dumbledore said.
"My mom is a bitch."
"Minerva?"
"My daughter is the devil."
Danzella turned to look at her mom and was quickly slapped.
"Minerva McGonagall!"
Minerva looked at Dumbledore.
"She deserved it."
"No she did not. She just looked at you. You were the one that called her the devil. And, from the looks of that mark on her cheek, that isn't the first smack she's received today."
There was another loud knock.
"What?" Dumbledore asked.
The door opened and Snape walked in.
"Professor Panterra's class has no teacher." he said.
"Damn it. Mom, you made me forget."
"How did I make you forget?"
"You distracted me!"
"You started it!"
"Enough!" Dumbledore yelled.
Danzella just pushed her way past her mother and went to her class.
--
That day lasted very long.. Dinner didn't help. Danzella got a biscuit thrown at her head after asking her mother to pass the potatoes. Danzella threw it back and then everything started flying between the teachers. The students just sat quietly and waited for the fight to end.
Danzella now had yet another red mark on her cheek. The first one still hadn't fully gone away. Three slaps and two red marks. And she couldn't believe that her bedroom and office were in the dungeons. For as long as she could remember she had always been freaked out by being in the little rooms by herself.
And that's why she laying in the hallway with a little muggle alarm clock next to her. The floor was painfully hard and it was better than being trapped in a little room by yourself. She was just dozing off when she heard someone walking down the hall. She sat up and silently cursed at the little pain in her back.
Then Snape turned around the corner.
"Awesome. We're neighbors." Danzella thought.
Truthfully, she didn't care that they lived next to each other. She wouldn't have to deal with him and he wouldn't have to deal with her. The only thing that made this living arrangement unbearable was the fact that she had had a crush on Severus since their school days.
"Why are you laying in the hallway?" Severus asked.
"I'm afraid of the dungeons." Danzella admitted.
She now felt stupid. Snape just sighed and went over to her. He sat down next to her and Danzella's heart started beating extremely fast.
"Do you want to stay with me?"
Danzella's eyes got wide.
"Is that a no?"
"No. I mean, YES! I mean...yeah sure."
She mentally slapped herself for acting like an idiot. Snape smiled and grabbed her pillow. Danzella didn't know it but he had the same crush as her.
--
Danzella had the best night sleep that she could remember. And, it didn't hurt that she woke up next to Snape. Danzella kept her eyes closed even after she was awake. She had been awake for a half an , if she was asleep she could accidentally snuggled closer to Severus. And, to her surprise, he pulled her closer. She soon fell back asleep.
She woke up about fifteen minutes later. She sat up and looked around the room. Then decided to look at the clock and realized he had gone to early breakfast. Danzella had never been a morning person. She always went to late breakfast, if she even went to breakfast at all. She could usually wait for lunch.
Danzella rolled out of bed and looked around. A robe was sitting on a chair next to the bed. She slipped into it and put on her slippers. She went into the small kitchen and looked for coffee. Danzella had always been more of a coffee person. She would drink tea but only if she had to. She decided to get dressed and go to the teachers lounge where she knew they had coffee.
When she reached the lounge she found one person. Her mother.
"Good morning, Danzella." Minerva said without looking at her.
"Good morning, Mom"Danzella said.
Minerva looked at her and gasped.
"Danzella Marie, you look horrible."
"Thanks."
"You couldn't have at least pulled your hair back?"
"It's six o'clock in the morning. Classes don't start until nine. And, it's not like early breakfast is usually crowded. And, why are you in the teachers lounge on the first floor. You're room, office, and classroom are on the fourth floor."
"Why are you here?"
"I sleep in the dungeons."
Minerva smiled.
"You know I told Dumbledore you hate the dungeons."
"No you didn't."
Both woman turned to see Dumbledore standing in the doorway.
"If I had known I wouldn't have put you somewhere you like me to change it?"
"No. I found a way to cope." Danzella said.
She poured herself a cup of coffee and went back down to the Dungeons.
--