Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of its counterparts. They all belong to J.K. Rowling. All that belongs to me is my characters.
A/N: I forgot to mention; this doesn't really have any correlation with the Half-Blood Prince, so just imagine and go along with it, OK? I'm not the best author in the world, but I do try.
Minerva McGonagall was an unhappy parent. Since she had raised her daughter Rowena, by herself, she had been solely responsible for the care of her; or so she thought. But she was wrong; however rarely that happened, she was. Because she had made one vital mistake. She hadn't told her daughter who her father was.
So, Rowena took it upon herself to find out. She, somehow, with the help of several spells, and without the help of her mother, did a magical paternity test. The result shocked her more than anything ever had in her entire life, and likely ever would. Who was her father? Dumbledore; the one and only.
Flashback
"So, you are telling me that I am your father? And your mother is Minerva McGonagall? Rowena, are you sure that this is true? Minerva and I - well, we never did that. I don't thi-oh, in the name of Merlin, we did! Once, and we were very drunk. Surely, she didn't get pregnant? But then, she did invent that spell that shields all physical signs of pregnancy from unknowing eyes, so she might very well have. Hmm. Well, if you are my daughter, then you really ought to know some things about me, and your mother.
"Does she know that I am the father? She must know...does she?" inquired a very curious Dumbledore. I never would have thought that I would have a child! And, in the name of Merlin's baggy pants, with Minerva! My goodness, and then there is the issue of my well, sexuality. I am homosexual, but surely that isn't appropriate for my ten-year-old daughter to know! he thought.
" 'Course not, daddy. She doesn't know that I even came to talk to you. OK; I have to come to Hogwarts next year, but if my mom is my Head of House, then will she be extra-mean to me? I hope not. But, at least then if I am in a different house, I can come see you any time I want. Right?" Rowena looked at her father with such hopeful eyes, he couldn't turn her down.
"Of course, daughter. Now, I don't think that will be a problem. The Sorting Hat will put you where it thinks best, and my guess would be in Ravenclaw. You were named after her, you know. Your mother never mentioned to me that she had a child until after she had you. I wish that I had known, that I had been able to help raise you. I am a failure as a father, but I shall strive to make it up to you." Dumbledore promised his newfound daughter, wholeheartedly. And she believed that he would keep his word, which he most certainly did.
End of Flashback
"Come, Rowena. We must pay a visit to your dear fiancee. Right now." Minerva stated with her final air. When she spoke like that, no one dared to mess with her.
"I'm coming, mother. I just can't see why my Severus would do such a thing! It seems so unlike him, and he did not ever seem to be doing anything of the sort. He's always been one to encourage practice and hard work, but never through such underhanded behavior! I am very disappointed in him; I don't even know if I can look at him the same way anymore!" Rowena cried almost hysterically.
"Darling, let's go. It's late enough now that the students should be gone and in their dorms; the only students out would be Prefects and Heads Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy. So we can talk. Just calm down, and let's go. Or we'll never get down to those wretched dungeons of his." McGonagall smiled, rose, and locked her door with a series of spells.
Rowena and her mother walked down to the other end of the castle and down all the steps to the dungeons where the Slytherins resided. Minerva was about to go to the Slytherin portrait, but was stopped by her daughter. "Wait; let's go this way." she said, and searched along the stones for something. She pressed a certain intersection between stones, and they separated, to reveal a doorway. "Dear, I didn't know about this entrance to the Slytherin common room. Did Hogwarts make it for you?" McGonagall inquired. "No. Severus asked Dumbledore to custom it, but Hogwarts herself complied. She's quite accomodating. Now, we'll have a chat with my dear fiancee, shall we?" and with a wave of her wand, the door opened and they entered the cold room, mother and daughter.
They were greeted by a robed Severus Snape, with his hair combed back and damp from an apparently recent shower, with his slippers on and a copy of The Golden Compass in his hand with a finger marking his place in the book. "Rowena, Minerva. What a pleasant surprise. Would either of you care for some tea?" he asked with genuine concern. "Sev, darling, this isn't an ordinary visit. We're out after-hours to come see you, and we'd much rather be in bed. So let's cut to the chase, shall we darling?" Rowena said with a smirk worthy of Severus' godson, Draco Malfoy.
"Well, what is it?" Severus said, expectantly. "Severus, I have just heard through Rowena who was told by Mr. Potter that you have been giving notes to your Quidditch captains excusing other House teams from the pitch so that Slytherin can practice during their rightful practice time. Not that it makes much difference, of course, since Gryffindor has been winning of late, but still. It's dishonest and underhanded. Really, Severus; threatening students with detentions for not removing themselves from the Quidditch pitch so that your House can have extra practice time? That's unfair, and you know it. I must ask that you cease such behavior at once." declared a very decided Minerva McGonagall.
"Fine. Trust Potter to go blabbing off to his Head of House after the slightest thing gone wrong in his oh-so-perfect life." muttered Snape.
"Darling, is this true? I would hardly expect Harry to lie, but it seems so unlike you to threaten students with detention simply for practicing on the Quidditch pitch during their rightful practice times, don't you think? That is certainly not the Severus Snape that I know, and that I fell in love with. In addition, if this is who you truly are, I don't know if I can marry you, even though I have just accepted your proposal." Rowena continued.
"It's late. You two should get back to bed. Rowena, are you going to return with your mother to her quarters and your room there, or would you like to remain with me? The spare bedroom is prepared for you, as always. I shall meet with the two of you tomorrow evening in the Room of Requirement at 8 o'clock sharp. Please do not be late, as this is important and I cannot afford to damadge my reputation or waste my time with this ridiculous meeting again, am I clear? Forgive me for being so brusque, but this is not something I can deal with at the moment. I must finish this book and give it back to Ms. Granger tomorrow during double Potions tomorrow morning. I took it from her because she dropped it in my class, and Blaise Zabini almost was sent to Madame Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing for sliding on it. I must say though, she does have excellent taste in Muggle science fiction. This is the best one I have read so far, and you both know I despise reading. Good evening, the both of you. Goodbye." and with that, Severus Snape shooed his fiancee and future-mother-in-law out of his quarters. Needless to say, they were quite confused.
A/N: I know this is full of 'fluff', but I can't write long chapters yet! I am swamped with finals. After the 18th, when school is out, I will be able to write all about these inter-House pairings that may or may not work. But still, it's no excuse for being lazy.
