The second story written for smilelaughread's Inspiration Challenge on the Harry Potter Challenges Forum. The challenge was "Use the prompt in three or more stores, each one a different genre. No restrictions after that." My prompt was close(r)(ed).

Author's notes: I'm not sure in which part of my messed-up head this is right, but it's still my headcanon of some sort. Since Helena's father was never mentioned, and Salazar/Rowena is one of my favorite pairings, I decided that Helena must be his daughter.

The night had fallen over Hogwarts hours ago; all the students were finally asleep and silence reigned all around the castle – there was not even a single room that was still lit. In the early days of the school, when Hogwarts was the most impressive building all around the country, nobody dared to get close to it without permission. Even the Slytherins deep in the dungeons had fallen asleep in their dormitories with the dark waters of the lake guarding them.

And yet, in same dungeons, there were signs of life – only in one room, far away from the students, behind a door hidden with magic, voices could be heard.

"Salazar…" It was a delicate, soft feminine voice.

"Be quiet…" was the immediate response the woman got.

"No, listen to me…"

He had wrapped his arms around her and it was nearly impossible for Rowena to stop him – mostly because she didn't really want to, not when she was so used to the sweet bliss he drowned her into every time she was near him. But she had to stop him. There was something important she needed to talk about with him.

"Whatever you have to tell me…" Salazar murmured; his lips buried in her hair and roaming down her neck. "….it can surely wait until tomorrow." She felt his long white fingers untying the laces of the corset of her dress and she shivered.

"Salazar." Rowena repeated; her voice more determined this time. She sat up, out of his embrace, and left his bed – one with thick dark green blankets and large enough for them both to be comfortable in. and yet, she couldn't breathe properly when she was near him – not right now. Rowena approached the window of his room and stopped there, looking down at the school yard. She heard him standing up too with a small sigh and felt his arms taking her in his embrace once again.

"What is it?" he purred in her ear; there was a hint of real concernment in his voice. "There is something that bothers you for quite a few days. I can tell."

She didn't break her silence nor did she look at him at all. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to tell him. Her dark brown eyes – so similar to the colour of his black ones and yet wearing so different expression – were still locked somewhere in the distance; she wasn't focusing on anything particular, but just wanted to divert herself from his voice, his questions, from him at all.

"He knows." Salazar said. It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

"Who knows what?" Rowena asked; she could feel how tired she was now after the long day of teaching she had today. She closed her eyes and only half-absently leaned back at his chest, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Godric." The man didn't spit the word as he did in the last few days when he mentioned the name of someone who was not so long ago his best friend, but it still sounded like if he was saying a curse. "You have told him. About… about us."

"I haven't." she said quietly. "Nobody knows; how many times I have to repeat that to you? And don't tell me you are jealous of him. He's the last person that had crossed my mind to…" Rowena laughed delicately. "I don't see him the way I see you. It's different. And you know it perfectly well."

"What is it, then?" Salazar asked and kissed her cheek; she could feel his long wavy black hair tickle her skin. She almost never fell for his attempts to seduce her; however, she never resisted anything he wanted from her. She knew that he was the one that would ever be able to truly understand her; even Helga – her best friend, the one Rowena had revealed her soul to – couldn't always get her way of thinking.

Salazar always did.

"Why do you think there's something at all?" she asked; a poor effort to distract him. She already regretted her decision to tell him anything at all. Maybe he didn't need to know. It would be better for everybody.

"You are worried." He reasoned. "All the time. I can see it. There's something that troubles you. You can trust me, you know." He whispered. "No matter what is it, you can tell me and we'll be able to go through it together…"

"I can work it out myself." Rowena didn't snap at him, but her voice was trembling now. She didn't want him to help her; they were spending together too much time anyway. She knew she was being dishonest to Helga and Godric, not telling them what she was doing and why exactly she defended Salazar, no matter what he did. She had never told them how much she loved him; she had never mentioned to anyone the way they were talking to one another even before Hogwarts was created… Back in the times when all they shared was a dream for a magic school…

"Rowena?" his voice interrupted her thoughts again. She sighed.

"I… I'm… I'm carrying a child." She whispered finally and regretted it in the same second. He could never know. He should never know. She knew that he wouldn't be around in the next months; he was telling her every day that he is going to leave. He could have quite happily lived without the thought of what she had just told him.

There was silence behind her and Rowena didn't dare to look back and at his face; she didn't want to see his expression even though she could guess what it would be – horror, disappointment, anger.

"I-is it…" his voice was unsure. "Is it m-mine or…"

She nodded slowly. This was maybe the only thing she was certain for in the moment. Her fingers trailed the frame of the window distractedly, just so she could find something to do and mostly find an excuse not to look at him.

"There is nobody else." She answered laconically after another few moments of silence. "It must be yours."

"For how long did you know?" Salazar asked and now there was a hint of anger in his voice.

"Two months."

"And you never said a word?" he sneered. Her eyes snapped open; she was surprised from his reaction. What did he expect her to do? "Nothing at all? Don't you think that I would care? Don't you think that it was at least appropriate to tell me…"

"No, I did not." Rowena said; her voice was icy – or at least, that was what she was trying to sound like. "I did not see any reason to tell you a word about it. You're going to leave soon. The fact that I'm pregnant changes nothing."

"It changes everything!" he was almost shouting now.

"Yes, it does." Rowena agreed calmly. "For me, not for you. You don't need to worry." She said a bit mockingly. "I know you want your heirs to be pure-blood, and she will be, so you can live in peace."

"She? A girl?" Salazar asked; there was some strange excitement in his voice now that she couldn't quite understand – he was even ignoring her comment about the pure-bloods, and that was something she didn't expect from him.

"Yes." She nodded. "A girl."

"How did you know?"

Rowena turned back and stared at him pointedly – there was a bit of real amusement in the look she gave him now. "You do remember who you are talking with, do you not?"

Salazar laughed. "The most brilliant witch ever born, of course. I'm sure you have your ways of knowing even that." His arms tightened around her and he brought her closer to his body. "How are you going to name her?" he asked quietly.

"Helena." She murmured. She had thought of it since the first day she realized that she was pregnant – and was sure it would be that one since she already knew it would be a girl.

"Beautiful." Salazar said. What does it mean?"

"Light."

"Light." He repeated and laughed again – a rare, warm sound that Rowena loved. "It fits for a daughter of yours. But not for my daughter, I suppose." She had to admit that he had a point here. There was nothing very lightful in him.

"She would never know, though. That she is your child." She said as off-handedly as she could. "She will have my name, not yours."

"You mean… you will never tell her that she's my daughter?" Salazar asked quietly and his black eyes found hers. The look he gave her was one of disbelief, even offense. Rowena shook her head.

"Why would I? She doesn't need to know. Or, at least, I'll tell her when she's old enough to understand why I didn't tell it to her earlier. And old enough to keep a secret."

"Are you ashamed of me, then?" there was badly hidden anger in his voice; the words were bitter and almost harsh. "So ashamed that you want no one to know that I'm the father of your daughter?"

"No." Rowena breathed, quite tired. "I'm not ashamed of you, Salazar. But I'm not sure that it matters. To you." She added when he tried to interrupt her. "Why does it matter to you? You have never wanted a child. She can grow up without being in touch with her father."

"But what if I stay with you?" Salazar asked heatedly. "I can stay for you, Rowena. And she would be…. She would have a family."

"How do you expect me to live with you? And, most of all, make a family with you?" Rowena exclaimed; her eyes filling with tears of both anger and helplessness. "You destroyed me! Ever since I met you, everything you do, everything you say to me is so beautiful, but it is all slowly ruining me! It would be better for her… and for us both… to be separate."

There was silence again. She knew that her words were hurtful, but they were also the only truth she could lay upon now. She couldn't allow her little daughter to grow up with Salazar; that would, of course, include him staying in Hogwarts. And Rowena was certain that this would be a bad decision. She wanted him to stay, but she didn't want her daughter to grow up with both Salazar and Godric around, fighting over everything all the time. It would indeed be better for everyone – even for Salazar himself – if he was to leave.

"One day I will tell her." Rowena promised. "I swear. She will meet you, when I think she is ready. I can keep a secret, Salazar. I will make sure to raise her without any sort of… particular treatment from certain people just because she is your daughter."

"And no one else will know?" Salazar asked.

"No one. No one would ever guess…."