Summary: Snape and Harry are both snake animagus.
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Summary: Usually the portraits of past Headmasters sleep in their frames. Snape's doesn't.
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Summary: The Ministry of Magic has started a new system for informing muggleborns and muggle-raised children to enter the Wizarding World. To make the transition easier for the child and family they inform them at their 10th birthday instead if the 11th. In the intermediate year the parents and children can learn about the Wizarding World, they get a special mentor to introduce them and answer their questions and they get to visit Hogwarts once before school starts and get a peek into every school department.

Your challenge: Have a field day with this :D

Suggestions:
If you need a little more of an idea, here a few starters
A) Harry is in his first year when this is started. Every teacher chooses one first year (best of class usually) to assist him/her with explaining to the ten-year-olds about their subject. Harry wants to assist with Defense and Quirrel wants to get him alone. Dumbledore intervenes and orders Snape, who is the only one, who hasn't chosen a student yet, to make Harry his assistant in potions. Unhappy, both of them need to work together to make a presentation for the kids and their parents.

B) Harry gets his letter a year earlier but in the same way. Hagrid accompanies him to Hogwarts instead of the Dursleys, who are happy to be rid of him, even if its only for a day/weekend. Harry is the only one there without a parent and feels bad for it, because Hagrid only brings him to Hogwarts and doesn't follow him around for the tour. Snape realizes that something must be wrong with Harry (his appearance, being alone etc.) and tells Dumbledore he will escort him back home. He keeps Harry longer than the other children and they have a conversation. extra bonus: the children are supposed to bring a gift from the muggle world (no electronics) and Harry brings Snape's favorite Ben&Jerrys ice cream flavor :D

C) Snape is required to be one of the mentors for the children and their familys. As he works full time and only has time during the holidays, he gets Harry and his family to mentor (because Harrys birthday is in the holidays). When he makes contact with them he realizes that something is wrong. He finds a way to secretly stay in contact with him and smuggles him into Hogwarts for presentation day/weekend and then back home. He then takes Harry shopping the next year for school as well.

Bonus: Include problems of other muggleborns such as

plans to go to other schools (prestige high class private schools or sending them to another magical school abroad)

children with special talents (ballerinas, pianists, athletes etc), who would usually go to a special school that trains them in that field as well

parents who struggle with their child being magical and don't want him/her to attend Hogwarts

parents who don't want to send their child to a boarding school

a parent who realizes that there is discrimination against muggleborns and doesn't want their child to deal with this (this would be especially interesting if that person knows about discrimination first hand, e.g. he/she is an immigrant, gay, from a minority etc.)

please let at least one person make the decision not to send their child to Hogwarts and make it plausible
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Summary: Harry has a problem, something that his mother had as well when she was younger. It can only be cured by a potion... that her best friend made up.
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Summary: Harry is under a lot of stress and pressure and he begins to crack. The prophecy is hanging over his head, and he knows he has to train to face Voldemort down sooner or later. Ron and Harry have recently been fighting. Harry is dating Ginny and he's finding their relationship to be growing a little demanding when he has so much else to do and worry about. Homework is piling up. Harry is losing sleep. His nerves are frayed and he's at the breaking point. The staff (or Snape) figures out that Harry is under too much strain and pressure, and for Harry's own good decide to temporarily switch Harry's house (to Slytherin much to Snape's displeasure). Once Harry's in Slytherin and the demands on him go back down, he finds that he quite likes being away from all of his responsibilities. What do his friends do? What does Snape think? What relationship do they develop?

I would like to see Harry and Ginny continue dating after the house switch. I would also like to see Harry not really making friends in Slytherin, just him being content to be ignored and having no demands on him for a while. The rest is really up to you. BONUS if it is at least a few decent sized chapters or a very long one shot. I dislike drabbles.

Other ideas: - Harry is put into Slytherin because the hat almost put him there before, so they know it would be a good fit. - Snape has to 'keep an eye' on Harry to see how his stress levels are and if he's still cracking under the pressure. This does not mean counseling sessions. I usually dislike the stories where Snape is an actual counselor instead of parent or mentor or listener.
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