Hello everyone! Some changes happened to Potions and Snitches lately, and this news item should explain them all.

The changes are good! I promise! Please comment on them and whether they will work for you!

The classifications on the site have been updated to better reflect what they mean. Please edit your stories and make sure that all classifications on your stories are correct!

The Takes Place classification has been expanded to have both summers and seperate years, as well as a time period before Harry's birth, and other time periods after Hogwarts of Harry's young and middle adulthood. The years and time periods are based off of Harry's age and what year of schooling at Hogwarts those years correspond to. You can see the complete list of times here: Takes Place.

Warnings have been split into warnings and tags. Some mentionable tags that  have been added include Sibling Addition (where Harry gets a sibling other than Snape, or Snape gets a sibling other than Harry), and Crossover. Other classifications were added. The complete lists can be seen by browsing Warnings and Tags. If you have suggestions for tags, please list them here in the comments.

Snape Flavour is a new classification to show what each story's Snape is like towards Harry. It includes Cruel Snape, Mean Snape, Nice Snape, Canon Snape, Nice OOC Snape, ect.

New characters added include Teddy.

Categories have been reorganized and renamed to better explain what stories should be found in each. Please go through your stories and try to match each story with the category that it best matches! The categories are as follows:

Big Brother Snape - Stories where Snape and Harry have the same parents, or one parent in common with each other. May be biological or adopted, officially or not.

Master Snape - Stories where Snape has absolute authority over Harry; consists of Apprentice Harry, Headmaster Snape, and Slave Harry.

Subcategories:  

Apprentice Harry - Stories where Harry is Snape's apprentice.

Headmaster Snape - Stories where Harry is in school as a student or professor, and Snape is the Headmaster.

Slave Harry - Stories where Harry is Snape's slave.

Teacher Snape - Snape teaches or instructs Harry, esp. In a profession or as an instructor. Contains Trusted Advisor Snape, Professor Snape, and Unofficially teaching Snape.

Subcategories: 

Trusted Advisor Snape - A nicer Snape than canon. Serving as a trusted counselor or teacher to another person, especially in occupational settings. Used to be Mentor category.

Professor Snape - Stern, canon version of Severus Snape as Harry's teacher. Used to be Teacher category.

Unofficially teaching Snape - Snape is not Harry's teacher in an official way, but still teaches him something.

Snape Equal Status to Harry - Snape and Harry have the same status and are equals in social power. Subcategories are Colleagues Snape and Harry, Foes Snape and Harry, and Comrades Snape and Harry.

Subcategories:

Colleague Snape and Harry - Snape and Harry are both Professors, or workers at the same institution, with the same status and power of social position. 

Foes Snape and Harry - Snape and Harry are adversaries or opponents on equal footing and status; Examples: both players on opposite sides in a Quidditch match, fighters on opposite sides of a war battling each other,, both duelests at a dueling competition outside of school.

Comrades Snape and Harry - Stories where Snape and Harry work together for a common cause, and are equal in social position and power. Examples: Both prisoners, both patients, both retired persons, both activists in a war. Comrade: A person who shares one's interests or activities; a friend or companion. 

Parental Snape - Snape exercises paternal care over Harry; to perform the tasks or duties of a parent or father. Subcategories include Biological Father Snape (Sevitis and Severitus stories), Stepfather Snape, and Guardian Snape.

Subcatgeories:

Biological Father Snape - (Sevitus) Biological father and son. Father: a man who exercises paternal care over other persons; To perform the tasks or duties of a male parent.

Severitus Challenge - Stories that answer all of the rules of the Severitus Challenge. The "Severitus Challenge" was first started in the early 2000's by the author Severitus (yes, that's a penname) in which: Severus Snape must be revealed to be Harry's father, Remus Lupin must have returned to Hogwarts for some reason or another, Harry must undergo some progressive physical change starting on his birthday, the story must be based mostly around Harry and Snape, and more rules...

Godfather Snape - Stories where Snape is Harry's godfather.  

Guardian Snape - One who is responsible for the care and management of the person or property of an incompetent or a minor. Not biological.

Stepfather Snape - Where Snape is married to Harry's biological mother, whether or not that is Lily. Snape is not Harry's biological father.  

Healer Snape - Stories where Snape heals Harry in some way. Healer - one that heals or attempts to heal. Healing: the process of recovery, repair, and restoration.

Reverse Roles - Harry Potter takes care of Severus Snape. Roles are opposite or contrary in position, direction, order, or character. Includes Big Brother Harry, Healer Harry, Master Harry, Parental Harry, Teacher Harry.

Subcategories:

Big Brother Harry - Stories where, as brothers, Harry is older or larger than Severus.

Healer Harry - Stories where Harry heals Snape is some way.

Master Harry - Stories where Snape is Harry's slave or apprentice.

Parental Harry - Stories where Harry is Severus' guardian or parent, biological or not.

Teacher Harry - Stories where Harry is Snape's teacher or professor. 

Misc - Stories that don't fall into any other categories, but still feature no slash interaction between Snape and Harry. 

Subcategories:

No category on the site fits - the story does not fit any of the categories on the site that organize the relationship between Harry and Snape.

All written in Snape's POV - Stories told all from Snape's point of view. 

Keepers of the Snitch - Someone other than the Durley's or Snape is a guardian to Harry (Snape must still have regular interaction with Harry).

Strictly Canon Universe - Stories that obey the canon universe and storyline. Does not contradict events in the books at all and could fit in with JK Rowling's published writings.  

Fic Fests - Stories as responses to certain Fests are archived here! Usually some sort of challenge or prompt response stories.

I hope that these explanations have cleared up confusion, and that everyone will be able to use the classifications and categories better by understanding what they mean. Please go to your stories and make sure all of the classifications and categories are applied correctly.

Not all of the skins have been updated to show the new classifications of Tags and Snape Flavour. I will work on updating them all next week. 

Comment with any improvements or things that should be added. 

Thank you and enjoy the new additions!

Chocolate frogs,

Jan