Summary: Instead of being sorted into Gryffindor or Slytherin, Harry Potter is sorted into the lesser-known, lesser-appreciated Hufflepuff. This automatically makes Snape less averse to the boy because James Potter wouldn't be caught dead in any house other than Gryffindor. But why isn't Harry as brave as he was in canon? Why does the loyalty overpower that? Snape gets to know Harry and Harry begins to see the Slytherin as a father.
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Summary: In which before Hedwig had Harry, she had Snape. When Harry is in trouble and he sends her to get help, she goes to Snape. Must feature magical/intelligent/motherly Hedwig.
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Summary: Dumbledore comes up with the idea of a temporary house exchange program (the reason why is up to you. Snape is probably opposed (but it would be interesting if you could somehow come up with a reason why he would be in support of it).

Rules/Ideas for the exchange:
- The exchange is open to fourth years and above (the reason why it needs to be 4th year and up is younger students are still getting established in their own houses and may not be mature enough to do the exchange). You decide what year Harry and his friends are in.
- Students who participate in the exchange will change places with a student in another house for 2 weeks (therefore taking their bed for those two weeks). Students get help organizing it with staff but if a spot isn't open in the house they want to exchange with, they can convince another student in that house to exchange with them).
- Harry and Hermione want to do this (reasons up to you) but Ron thinks they're crazy. Or maybe Harry doesn't participate but still ends up involved somehow?
- Draco also participates.
- Students can exchange until they've seen all four houses but once they've stayed in all four houses they have to spend the rest of the year in their own house (unless you can come up with a very good reason for the rules to be bent or broken for one of them).
- If Harry ever ends up in Slytherin during the exchange is up to you.
- Details of Harry's experience in this exchange are up to you. It could be positive or negative. I couldn't see this taking place in Harry's 5th year because of Umbridge (but who knows, maybe you could make that work and be really intruiguing).
- Another idea... Snape and Harry may have some sort of pre-exisiting positive relationship. That may be a direction you might want to explore.
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Summary: I want to see a longer multi-chapter story where Harry is aware of Snape being his father, but Snape isn't aware. Harry isn't sure if he wants Snape to know or not. It's up to you if Snape finds out or not and how he re-acts but it should be most of the way through the school year (or school years) before he finds out if he does. Harry has come to terms with Snape being his father and doesn't necessarily hate him.
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Summary: Lily survives. Severus and Lily meet up and pursue a relationship sometime after James is killed and Harry is still young (too young to accurately remember Snape). Their relationship ends after a certain time and they go their separate ways. When it's time for Hogwarts Lily can be dead and Harry lives with the Durlseys, she has found herself a new boyfriend who is not nice to Harry, or Lily herself is not very nice to Harry (personality disorder, mental illness or just plain mean) and Severus notices that the boy does not have a good home life. He is still his snarky old self but somehow a relationship develops between the two. Harry somehow discovers that the man knew him as a young child and feels hurt that he could have been there to take care of him when he needed it the most.
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