Where Your Loyalties Lie

Prologue

It was becoming a habit of his, to visit the muggle pub whenever she would stroll across his mind. He could have gone to a wizard pub, such as the Leaky Cauldron or the Three Broomsticks, but those options ran the risk of running into fellow followers of the Dark Lord. He did not care to hear how many muggles they had killed within the last week or their constant complaints about filthy mudbloods. He had much rather preferred to take up a solitary position in a muggle pub where he could be left alone and drink away his sorrows. Tonight was another one of those nights.

A few weeks ago, he had received word that Lily and James were expecting their first child together. The woman he loved had married his enemy. James Potter had made his life Hell during their days at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And now, he had successfully taken the love of his life away from him. Not that he had ever had her love to begin with. He messed that up when he made the mistake of calling her a 'mudblood'. She hadn't spoken to him since that incident. That was three years ago.

He watched a group of women at a table across from the bar. The group had been there several times before when he was there. Needing something other than the alcohol to take his mind off Lily, he eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Has Penny talked to any of you since she moved across the pond?" a blonde-haired woman asked. The rest of the ladies shook their heads. The blonde leaned in and spilled, "she's pregnant!" The group gasped in shock.

"She got into a relationship that fast? She's only been living there for a couple of weeks!" Another woman exclaimed.

"The father isn't anyone in America. Penny told me she thinks it happened during her one-night stand the last night we went out together before she moved!" the Blonde explained.

"What was the name of that man again?" a curly-haired woman asked. "I remember it wasn't that common of a name."

"Severus, wasn't it?" a short-haired woman asked. The others agreed, recognizing the name after hearing someone say it out loud.

What he heard drained the color from his face. Severus remembered the girl now. She had approached him at the bar a couple of weeks ago when she was ordering more drinks for her friends. Instead of rejoining her companions at their table, she took a seat next to him and began a conversation with him. He had to admit that the girl was pretty attractive, but nothing like Lily. He never really had any female pay attention to him before the way that Penny was that night. When she leaned in to kiss him, he thought that perhaps this was his chance to get over Lily. After all, she was happy with Potter, given the fact that she was currently carrying his unborn child.

Severus had woken up the next morning with Penny laying beside him in his bed. He had a terrible headache from the amount of alcohol he had consumed the night before and quickly became aware of the fact that he had no clothes on and that the woman beside him had no clothes either. When she had woken up, she quickly gathered her clothing and got dressed. The two shared an awkward goodbye, and he assumed he would never hear from her again.

In a way, he had been right. It was from her friends that he had heard the news. Penny, a complete stranger, was pregnant with his child. Feeling that there was no easy way to do it, he took a deep breath and went over to the ladies' table. Whispers erupted as soon as they noticed him coming their way. He caught one saying, "That's him. That's Severus Snape."

He explained that he had overheard their conversation, apologized, and then asked if there was anyway they could help him find Penny. They explained that she had moved to South Dakota in the United States for a new job opportunity and that the night Severus and Penny spent together was her last night in London. He was able to get her new address though and left after a quick thank you to the group.

Severus hurried home and wrote a letter to Penny, offering her anything she needed to help out with the baby. He sent the letter by way of the muggle post so as not to alarm her. Unfortunately, Penny received the letter too late. By the time the letter had gotten to her, she had already met another man, John Richard. Penny and John were falling in love so rapidly that they were already engaged and would be married in a couple of months. John was aware of Penny's pregnancy and the pair decided to rush the wedding in order to get it in before her belly showed two much. She decided to not even reply to the letter.

Despite never getting a reply back from Penny when he had first found out about her pregnancy, Severus had managed to find out more about her and her life. Penny had given birth to a baby girl on July 16th of that following year. Her name was Katie Elizabeth Brown. Penny had decided on giving her daughter her last name instead of John's since she wasn't John's blood child.

~~~

Three years later, Severus Snape still had the thought of his daughter on his mind. It was coming up on the girl's third birthday and he wanted to see her. Making a trip to South Dakota, he showed up on Penny's doorstep unannounced. She recognized him immediately. "Severus? What are you doing here?" Penny yelled in surprise when she answered the door.

"I want to see her. I want to see my daughter," he explained to the woman.

"No, Severus. I won't allow it," she refused.

"Why not? I'm her real father! I deserve to get to see her too!"

"It's better for her this way. Meeting you will only confuse her. She's known John to be her father for her entire life and she's too young to understand that he's really her step-father!"

"But that's all he is! I'm her real father!" Severus argued.

"Stop acting childish, Severus. Think of what is best for your daughter."

"Mommy!" There was a cry from the top of stairs as young Katie ran around the corner. "Can you help me turn on the music?"

Penny sighed, "I'll come help you in a minute, sweetie. Please go wait in your room."

Katie stared at the stranger her mother was talking to in the doorway. Severus smiled at his daughter. The girl had blue eyes and long, brown hair just like her mother. She looked nothing like him, but she was his daughter nevertheless. "Hi," Severus spoke, giving a shy little wave to the toddler. Katie's eyes widened and she ran back down the hallway and out of sight.

"You see?" Penny yelled at him once her daughter had disappeared from view. "It's best if you just stay out of her life."

"But-" Severus tried to argue but she cut him off.

"Goodbye, Severus," Penny said, beginning to shut the door on him.

"Goodbye, Penny," Severus replied, defeated.

~~~~~~

It was official. They were moving to London. She was moving to London. Severus had heard that Penny's husband had received a job transfer to London. His daughter would be moving back to live in the same country as him now. Unable to resist, Severus found the address of their new home and went to go see his daughter.

When he arrived, Katie, who was now five years old, was exploring around her new backyard. There was a small, brick wall in the yard and Katie climbed onto it, pretending to be putting on a concert. Severus smiled as he watched his daughter. In just two years she had grown so much. Katie did a little spin and fell off of the wall. Severus gasped as he watched her fall towards the hard pavement of the patio. He blinked and she suddenly landed five feet away in the grass. His eyes widened in surprise. His daughter was showing signs of having magical abilities. She noticed him watching and ran inside to get her mother.

Deciding he wouldn't be welcomed by Penny, Severus quickly left. However he now had the knowledge that his daughter inherited his magic gene. She would grow up to be a witch and, now that she was living in London, would be accepted to Hogwarts when she turned eleven. They would one day meet at last.