Severus Snape had a secret. It gnawed at him. It ate at him. He'd never told a soul. Until Harry came to Hogwarts. This is the canon story we all know, but with a twist and a different final battle ending. This is a, 'what we could have been seeing all this time and not realized' story (in a very Potions and Snitches sort of way).

Takes Place: 1st Year, 2nd summer, 2nd Year, 5th Year, 7th Year - Snape flavour: Canon Snape, Snape Comforts, Snape is Kind, Snape is Loving, Snape is Secretive, Snape is Stern
Tags: Spying on Harry! Snape
Categories: Parental Snape > Biological Father Snape, Teacher Snape > Professor Snape

When Hagrid takes Harry to his vault for the first time, he finds a letter from his mum in his vault, which contains secrets which shape all his future years at Hogwarts (and potentially cause major problems). Warning: severe James Potter bashing.

Takes Place: 1st Year - Snape flavour: Canon Snape, Snape is Loving, Snape is Stern
Tags: Hufflepuff!Harry, Slytherin!Harry
Categories: Parental Snape > Biological Father Snape

Harry doesn’t think living in the orphanage is that bad, but he’s tired of being picked on for having no one that wants him. When someone sends word they want to adopt a young wizard, Harry leaves the orphanage to go to his new home. The problem is, there’s been a mistake. Severus Snape would never have requested to adopt Harry Potter, and now that he’s there, he doesn’t want to keep him.

Takes Place: 3rd summer - Snape flavour: Snape is Angry, Canon Snape, Snape Comforts, Snape is Controlling, Snape is Cruel, Snape is Kind, Snape is Loving, Snape is Mean, Snape is Stern
Tags: Adoption, Injured!Harry, Injured!Snape, Royalty!Snape, Runaway
Categories: Teacher Snape > Professor Snape, Teacher Snape > Unofficially teaching Snape

But the Slytherins didn't treat him like a freak. They didn’t make him do their cooking or cleaning because the house-elves did all that. They didn’t smack him around if he didn’t do their homework for them because they didn’t ask him to do their homework. Harry wondered if maybe he was settling into the Slytherins too fast, but he dismissed the thought with a smile. For the first time in a really long time, Harry realized, he was happy.

- - - - -

No one had been shocked when Harry Potter- boy-who-lived, savior of the wizarding world - was sorted into Slytherin house more than Severus Snape. And no one, bar maybe the boy himself, had been more enraged when Harry Potter was taken out of the dungeons and placed high in Gryffindor tower than Severus Snape, either. Which meant that it would be up to one Severus Snape to bring his snake back to where he belonged, Dumbledore's plan be damned.

Takes Place: 1st Year - Snape flavour: None
Tags: Evil!Albus, Resorting, Slytherin!Harry
Categories: Teacher Snape > Trusted Mentor Snape, Parental Snape > Guardian Snape