Hey guys this is my first Harry Potter fanfic so please be nice! Been writing this for a while and now that I've almost finished it I thought I'd put up the first chapter. I hope you like it.

Severus Snape survived Nagini's attack and he's been quite happily governing Hogwarts and all its staff and pupils, little does he know that his whole life is about to be shaken up by one person who he'd left in hiding seventeen years ago

Dinner in the Great Hall was going as normal. It was the first Sunday of the new school year, the fifteenth year that Severus Snape had been head master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and everything was much the same as when Albus Dumbledore had been in charge. In truth Severus was keeping everything the same in memory of the great man, the friend he had killed in the last Wizarding War. He'd even kept the password up to his study as 'sherbet lemon'. Everyone was eating the Sunday Roast of beef and red wine gravy when the screaming started.

It lasted only a few seconds before it was cut off but it was loud and shrill enough for all conversation in the Great Hall to turn to a silence of mild surprise (for strange things were always happening at Hogwarts due to Peeves) and intrigue.

Whatever it was that landed in the Hall landed between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables about half way down the room. The people closest to the bundle on the floor could see that it wasn't a bundle at all but a person. She lay there for a few moments cursing the floor for being so hard before rolling over to her back and looking at the ceiling which was a perfect reflection of the summer sunset. Her eyes slowly turned to her right where she looked into the eyes of a shocked Ravenclaw fourth year. She mouthed the word Hogwarts and then slowly scrambled up and turned to the table where all the teachers sat.

Most of the teachers were looking at her with curiosity written all over their faces.

Severus Snape however was looking at the curly brunette with shock. No one in the hall knew who she was but as soon as she had landed on the floor instinct told him it was her. The last time he saw her… he couldn't help but think about it even though he didn't want to. The memory had haunted him in his sleep often enough for the last seventeen years he didn't need it to haunt him now.

But she wasn't supposed to be here. She was supposed to be in France with her Aunt and Uncle. In their care where she had always been safe. Safe from the Dark Lord.

She was wearing muggle clothes – black jeans that showed the exact shape of her legs, a white t-shirt with a famous muggle land mark and a black cardigan. Her feet were clad in stripy socks that did not match and black shoes. One sock was purple and blue the other was and array of bright colours with black stripes. She had matching stripy gloves and her left hand was clasping her wand. It was made of what looked like rowan wood and was about eleven inches long. Somehow it didn't suit her.

He noticed her hesitate for a moment as she looked straight at him. Then she resolved herself and walked up to the table where he was sat, limping the whole way.

In the silence that was still filling the room he wondered how she'd managed to Apperate into the castle. He was the only person who was supposed to be able to do that. He would question her later he decided. First of all he had to find out what she was doing here.

A few moments later she was stood in front of him and he supposed her to be five foot four. He looked at her expectantly.

A smile, which he would have described as cheeky, lit her weary face for a moment and she said "Hello, Dad."

"Trixabelle." he said his heart beating faster every moment that passed. This really couldn't be happening. Not to him. Good things never happened to him.

"Ugh, who thought of that one?" she cringed.

"Your mother." He answered automatically just staring at the girl.

He hadn't seen her since the moment she was born. A part of him said that this girl couldn't be his daughter, could possibly be his. She was too beautiful. But then she had always been beautiful. Some other part of his heart recognised something within her. A spark of life of a kind that he'd seen in only one other person. A spark of life he hadn't seen in fourteen years. But here it was, a carbon copy of that essence stood before him scowling at her name sake and muttering something about being glad everyone in France had called her Belle.

Abruptly Severus stood from the table, the scraping of his chair being the only noise that had been heard in the last ten seconds. Minerva jumped in her seat and whispered 'Oh, Severus' in a very serious yet sincere way.

"Follow me." Severus said to the girl and turned to exit the hall by a small door in the back wall.

He could feel his heart pounding as he walked to the small room at the side of the Hall. He could hear his daughter's footsteps behind him, a light patter on the stone floor as she kept up with his brisk pace. What was she doing here? Everything had been going according to plan. He'd settled into his role as head master in memory of Dumbledore with ease, helped and directed by the portrait of his predecessor and was gaining ever more respect for the role with every passing day. Every day he felt more adequate and confident, now though… Now with the appearance of her… Now…

Of course he'd thought of going to see her. What father wouldn't? But he knew that she was safe there. The person who was thought to be the last Death Eater had only been caught a couple of days ago but the woman who had caught him was killed whilst doing so. When he had heard that the man was the last Severus had immediately thought of going to find his daughter but the woman being killed had made him stall wanting to be sure she'd be perfectly safe.

He opened the door and stood aside to let her pass. He slammed the door closed which he knew would set the whole Hall off talking, gossiping and throwing theories at each other how this could be so. When he had first been appointed as head master, before the Battle for Hogwarts, he had been hated and even after his true allegiance had been told people had still been sceptical of him, remembering what he was like as a teacher. He'd come to be respected by the teachers and students alike and he was satisfied with where he was in both his life and his career. He had everything he needed and didn't want anything else that he could think of.

Now he had to sort his daughter out. He'd occasionally thought about her over the years, especially on her birthday and the day that he gave her over to the care of his uncle and aunt, but he'd been contented to leave her where she was. She'd grown up there, never been anywhere else. She was settled. Happy he hoped. She didn't need him. She was… safe… there. So safe even Voldemort hadn't been able to find her. Recently though all that had changed. Her appearing though made him suddenly realise the responsibility in a way he never had before.

Of course he wanted her here. But now was not the time. Not until it was perfectly safe. Once again he had to close his heart to all emotion.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

She was sat on a table seemingly unconcerned by his less than pleased demeanour. Most people would be quaking in their boots by now.

"Just dropping in to say hello." She shrugged. "Mind if I stay?"

"You are going back to France… Immediately." he walked over to the fire where there was some Floo powder. He threw it into the fire and said "Beauxbatons." The flames went green.

Trixabelle stared at him for a few moments not sure whether to be disappointed or incredulous. In a voice somewhere between the two she asked, "Don't you even want to know how I got here?"

"Disapperition. Obviously." He said coldly and waited impatiently for her to move towards the fire. If she didn't soon he would make her levitate into it.

"Yeah. Got bored and had a go. Didn't mean to land here. Rains far too much."

"Then France will suit you better. I'm sure your Uncle and Aunt will worry about you."

"They'll be glad I've finally met you." She glowered with as much power as Severus could manage accusing him of not pulling his weight with her upbringing.

"And they'll be doubly glad to have you back."

"Don't you even want to know – "

"No!" Severus barked. He had a feeling that he was doing this to save himself pain but his thoughts weren't allowed to peruse this line of thinking because Trixabelle interrupted him.

"So you can watch over Harry Potter but not your own daughter?" she asked flatly, her voice void of emotion. Her eyes went black as slate and she went completely still like a statue. "They can't afford me you know. Can't afford uniforms or books." Here her voice faltered and became soft and compassionate. "They can barely keep themselves. I'm better off here. I didn't mean to come here but it doesn't mean…"

"Doesn't mean what?" Severus asked surprised how soft his voice had become. He wasn't supposed to be giving into her. He was supposed to be protecting her. Sending her back to France where she was safe.

"Doesn't mean I don't want to… stay." She said replacing the end of her sentence with one simple word instead of everything she wanted to stay. She doubted he had the emotional capability to understand it all. She looked up from the spot on the floor and looked at Severus.

"Stay here." he said and swiftly exited the room through another door.

He swept up to his office all the time thinking 'what are you doing, Severus?' wondering if he was capable of looking after her. He paced his office for a moment before looking to the portrait of Dumbledore.

"What do I do?" he asked.

"Listen to your heart, Severus." Came the wise reply.

Over the years Dumbledore had been full of advice but this was the least helpful he'd given so far. His heart was torn in two. His desire to protect her warring with… with wanting to know her, to show her that he loved her.

He picked up the Sorting Hat and walked back to where he'd left his daughter.

He beckoned once for Trixabelle to follow and he went back into the Great Hall. Trixabelle groaned already thinking of it as the Great Hell knowing the silence that was going to face her. She'd never been good in silences unless they were of the studious nature and was constantly seeking out places that were full of noise and hubbub to fill her mind. The empty silence that engulfed her pressed from all sides and threatened to make her turn insane.

She thought Severus would walk in front of the table where the other teachers were sat, but instead he walked behind it and motioned for her to sit in his chair. She reluctantly sat in it thinking it was far too much like a throne for its own good.

Everyone in the Hall watched expectantly. Severus briefly wondered at the silence because when something like this happened (not that anything remotely like this had happened) there was a quiet chatter filling the Hall.

Reverently Severus placed the Sorting Hat on Trixabelle's head. It softly began a poem.

Not often am I used,

Seldom am I seen on

Days that do not mark the

Start of something new.

Never has Severus Snape

Given into the whim of another.

Today I am to Sort his Daughter,

The only thing he calls his own.

So to Slytherin by all accounts

In you should go and follow the family line.

Loyalty and strength you have enough

To be a Gryffindor

Kindness to win over any Hufflepuff

And the brains of the very best

Ravenclaw

Sorting Hat's song dissipated into quiet, pensive murmurings; meanwhile Trixabelle muttered under her breath.

"Couldn't have done this somewhere quiet could we?" she moaned aiming the words at her father who she was imagining as constantly vindictive.

"Hum…" Sorting Hat began. "A curious case… Eligible for all four houses in ample amounts… Slytherin by blood –"

"Thanks, Talking Hat." She mumbled.

"Ambitious, but fair minded. Cleverest in her class I suspect. Hum… Yes Ravenclaw will suit you well."

The Ravenclaws cheered and began talking animatedly amongst themselves. The Slytherins groaned and spoke accusingly of the Hat and demanded that she be re-sorted into their house for they wanted someone who was no doubt a powerful witch in theirs. The other side of the Great Hall the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors shouted over to the Ravenclaws and to each other, conversations getting confused and drowned out in their excitement.

"Can I take this Hat off now?" she asked looking at the food that was before her, her mouth almost watering.

"We will go to Diagon Ally immediately."

"But it's Sunday night. Roast dinner." Trixabelle argued.

"A day off tomorrow won't hurt her, Severus." Sorting Hat said lethargically as it tried to stay awake a while longer. "Best in her class you know. Magic without a wand too I think."

"She may want to settle in before she goes anywhere, Severus." Professor Flitwick said softly but there was a definite 'leave her be' packed behind the words.

"Very well." Severus said in a flat tone. "Go and eat with Miss Brown. You'll share a dorm with her."

"Okay." Trixabelle said standing up from her chair and taking one of Severus's Yorkshire puddings.

After she'd taken a bite out of it Severus realised what she'd done and levitated it out of her hands and back to his plate. Trixabelle didn't mind so much and smiled a little as she made her way over to the Ravenclaw table. Many people asked her to sit with them but she asked where Miss Brown was. She was half way down the table near a bunch of prefects.

She ended up sitting opposite Miss Brown and next to a girl who was somehow shorter than her and had brown eyes and long brown hair. Miss Brown quickly introduced herself as Sophia Brown (a tall red head who could have been related to a Veela for her beauty) and the three other people she was taking too were Laura Vayne (who Trixabelle was sat next to), a guy called Steven (bookish, blonde, lanky and scruffily dressed) and another guy called Archie who was currently suffering the effects of some sort of potion that had turned his skin green, otherwise with brown hair and eyes he looked pretty normal.

"Is he actually really nice when he's not here?" Laura asked as she watched Trixabelle pile her plate high with food.

"Never met the man before." Trixabelle said putting a chunk of beef in her mouth. Either the Hogwarts elves were the best in the world or the Apperition experiment had made her hungrier than normal. "God this is good!" she said whilst melting into the food.

"Never met him?" Laura asked shocked whist everyone else in ear shot hung onto Trixabelle's every word like she was a celebrity.

She briefly wondered at their logic and her fathers glorified past came to mind. She knew more about her father through lessons at school than she did from her aunt and uncle. He'd managed to Occulate his mind against Voldemort, was a double agent for years, saved Harry Potter on numerous occasions. Now his daughter, someone no one knew about, had turned up.

"Well I know about his past and stuff from school. I was born at an inconvenient time I guess. He kept my identity, hell, existence a secret so Voldemort couldn't harm me." she reasoned more bothered about filling her stomach than talking even though she knew she had to be polite.

"Didn't he ever send and owl or anything?"

"Laura," Trixabelle said looking her in the eye, "you probably know him better than I do."

"But that's –"

"How it is. End of. I'm here now aren't I? I'm fine with it." but secretly she wondered it she was fine with it at all. The wizarding world had been at peace since the downfall of Voldemort, and even if Severus had feared for her safety for a few years whilst all the Death Eaters were captured and put in Azkaban or given the Dementor's Kiss, he could still have written earlier. Then it occurred to her that perhaps the great Severus Snape had been scared. Scared of being a father and so had kept his distance.

Suddenly she wasn't quite so hungry. Not that anyone noticed because she made conversation with everyone and eating became less of a priority.

Let me know what you think. I especially want to know how the characterisation of Severus is - I'll take your criticisms good or bad. Hoped you liked. Please review ~ Fury.

J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, not me