Again, thank you for all the reviews. I'm glad somebody likes it. And I would suggest taking a deep breath before reading this chapter.

The Father

She lay awake that night staring up at the ceiling. That day's conversation had brought back many questions Sarah had forgotten over the months. Who was her real family? That question went back and forth through her mind; it just wouldn't let her sleep. So she got up and got dressed. She left the dormitory and walked around the castle. She didn't really know where she was going; all she wanted to do was walk off some of the boiling questions. She only had to make sure she didn't run into a teacher or Filch. After a while she sat down on a stair and gazed into space thinking. Time passed away, and her guard failed her. "What are you doing here, my dear," came a most pleasant voice. She didn't look up, but simply answered, "Thinking."

Dumbledore said, "Isn't it a bit late to be thinking?"

He sat down next to her. She looked over to him and blurted out the burning question, "Who is my father?" He looked deep in her eyes; she could tell he did not want to say.

"Do you really want to know?" he asked.

"Yes," she said firmly.

"It was such a long time ago, a most sad story," he paused. "Your father is who you know as Severus Snape."

There was a long silence, one like she had never experienced. She simply did not know what to say, so she stared off past Dumbledore.

"He and Lily Evans were lovers long before she and James Potter," he continued. "They were engaged, and then he joined Lord Voldemort."

"Why?" she asked suddenly.

"I cannot say, for that is between him and me. But Lily thought he had left her for good. About eight months past and she had not heard from him. She met up with James again, and they fell in love. They got married two weeks after you were born. The night they died you happened to be over at Lily's friend's house with her daughter. As I sent Harry to the Dursley's, no one knew where you were; you simply disappeared after that night. We never could find you, so many assumed you dead. And some never knew you existed. Sirius, Lupin, Hagrid, Pettigrew, and me, of course, knew you to be who you were - Severus's daughter. When you disappeared, I knew you hadn't died, but others, like Sirius, easily accepted your death. And then, by chance, I found you. I still even after all these years watched for signs that you were still alive. And when your Quidditch team won the U.S. Minor League Quidditch Cup, I saw you; and I knew it was you. Sure enough, here you are alive and well. I brought you here to be with your brother; however, I did not expect you to be in Slytherin. But that could end up being a better scenario."

"Did Snape know about me?" she asked still trying to absorb the information.

"In a way, yes," he replied, "But he did not know you were his. No one told him when he came back to our side. They feared he might try something, like take you away or kill James. Of course he would not have done that, but after coming back from the dark side no one trusted him. He saw you but assumed you to be James'."

"What did he do when he found out Lily had married James?" Sarah asked.

"Nothing, really. I think he knew she had left him, but he still shunned them after that; sometimes I wonder why he came back, myself. He hated James terribly after that, though."

Dumbledore took a breath and continued, "That's all I have to say. I suggest you talk to Lupin sometime."

"Will you tell Snape about me?" She asked in a muttered tone.

"I suppose I will have to, won't I?" he replied. He got up and stretched. She followed suit, and he walked with her to her house entrance where they exchanged good nights. And then she made her way to her bed where she flopped down and fell fast asleep.

The next day, while Harry was heading to lunch, Sarah reached from behind a corner, and yanked him into an empty room. Harry opened his mouth, but she beat him to it.

"Harry, you're not going to believe this. Do you know who my father is?" she asked.

"Obviously not," he said irritated. She opened her mouth and tried to form the words, but they just couldn't come out.

"Harry... Snape," was all she said. At first Harry didn't get it. And then he realized that she meant Snape was her father. But, of course, this was impossible he thought.

"Where'd you hear that?" he asked not believing what she said.

"Don't be stubborn. My father is Severus Snape, which means that your mother was engaged to him."

"Impossible! Not even ... That's totally irrational," he defended.

"Well, go ask Dumbledore yourself," she replied. "But the scary thing is, what will happen when he finds out about me." Harry still thought she was crazy, but then he remembered the pensieve last year. Lily had stood up for him; perhaps that's how it started. He couldn't picture it, but he was forced to. His mum had been with Snape, the person Harry hated most besides Voldemort. Why? seemed to be very descriptive of his thoughts. It had to be Snape of all people. Why not some nice guy, or someone in Gryffindor? But it did explain one thing. Harry never understood how Sarah was a Slytherin. He didn't mean how did she get in Slytherin House? he meant how or from whom did she inherit her Slytherin attitude? He knew she didn't get it from her mum. But she got it from Snape. He remembered watching her, and sometimes she seemed to remind him of somebody, but he couldn't place it. It was the way she walked and talked mostly. Now, he knew that she had reminded him of Snape. Harry hoped this would not bother him over the holidays.

"Don't tell anyone, all right?" she begged.

"No way," he answered. She seemed a little relieved. "Uh, my friends are going to wonder where I am..."

"You can go," she said. And he left her to her thinking and headed to lunch again.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," said Dumbledore. The door was pushed open, and Snape walked in.

"You wanted to see me?" he said in a quiet, patient voice.

"Yes, I did," said Dumbledore as he summoned a chair next to his desk. "Please, Severus, have a seat," he finished. Snape walked over to the chair and reluctantly sat down.

"What's this about?" he said in a bored drawl.

"It's about your daughter," said Dumbledore. Snape looked up.

"I don't have a daughter," he said keeping his eye on Dumbledore.

"Oh, yes, I think you do." Snape simply had nothing to say to this, so he waited.

"Do you remember, Severus, when you first came to work for the Order? And there was Lily with a baby girl...?"

"Enough!" Snape interrupted, "I won't hear this nonsense!" He got up and began to leave.

"I think you should," Dumbledore said more firmly. Snape turned to stare at him.

"My past is gone. I left it behind," Snape said after a moment.

"She is your future, Severus!" said Dumbledore. "Lily had her before she married James."

"Don't ever say his name in front of me!" Snape spat. He turned towards the door.

"Oh, before you leave, you should know," said Dumbledore recovering the kindness in his voice, "that since you are her parent, you will be sent any notices, problems, etc. You will also have to pay her tuition and any other expenses. She is now officially in your custody, to take care of." Snape stared incredulously at Dumbledore with his mouth hanging open thinking that Dumbledore had finally cracked. And then a look was slowly dawning on Snape's face.

"You mean..." he started, still with a look of suspicion on his face.

"Yes, she is really your daughter."

"Who?" asked Snape. The look on his face darkened a bit. Considering she was Lily's, too, meant that she could be in Gryffindor. Dumbledore saw this look before he continued.

"Well, I do believe she is in your house..." he started, watching Snape. Snape began to get impatient; he wanted to run out the door and find her. He was neither happy nor mad; but he still couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Who?" he yelled.

"Why, Sarah in 6th year," he said proud to be the one to inform Snape of this news. Snape opened his mouth, closed it, and then stood there for a moment trying to soak up the information. Suddenly, he turned, with almost a hopeful look on his face. He hurried down the steps and out into the hall. Where would she be? He thought for a moment, and remembered the Slytherins had Quidditch practice that evening. He hurried down across the grounds and to the pitch.

And there she was...talking to the members of her team. He watched her for a while, thoughts screaming through his head. She was his daughter; she was Lily's daughter - their daughter. He remembered seeing her all those years ago. He had never thought, but wished, she were his. He now saw how close she resembled Lily, even though her hair was blonde. And he knew where she got her rebellious side. Now that he compared Sarah with himself, they were a lot alike. She had the same tone of voice at times, and she even walked with the same confidence as he did. But no one messed with her; even the Slytherins were wary of her. But he had been tortured by James and his gang. He tried not to think about it, but in every horrible memory he had, Lily was there defending him. And he still thought about Lily at times. But the thought of her reminded him too much of Harry. Until then, the thought hadn't hit him, but his daughter, he realized, was related to Harry Potter through Lily. This thought shook Snape's nerves a little.

"Professor, do you need something?" asked a boy. The Slytherins had noticed Snape watching them. It was an unusual thing, as Snape never came to their Quidditch practices. Snape woke up from his thoughts, and his eyes expressed the realization he had over Sarah. He was not happy but pressed by memories. He looked tired and without his usual air of pride. The Slytherin team was still standing around them; his eyes immediately traveled to Sarah. She realized by the way he looked at her that he knew. She looked down at her feet.

"No," he said, "I need nothing." And with that said, he turned on his heal, and left trying to get back some of the confidence he had lost in his walk.