Potions and Snitches

Prompts by atiaahmed

Summary: Hagrid wants to give Harry a photo album of him and his parents in first year (it was end of the year, when Harry was in hospital after the fight with Voldemort). So he asks everybody he knows for photos - even Professor Snape! And Snape obviously has a lot of pictures of Lily.

There must be a conversation between Hagrid and Snape about the pictures
Snape must struggle about the decision to give those pictures and do it on the condition that Hagrid won't say where he got them from
Harry learns at some point in the story - before the famous Shrieking Shack Death Scene - that those pictures came from Snape
Harry gives the Potions Master an anonymous present back

Bonus:

Harry confronts Snape about the pictures

Snape realizes who the anonymous gift giver is and does something about it
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My Brother Neville Snape by atiaahmed

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Summary: What if Snape took Neville as his ward/child sometime before Hogwarts age?

They go through the typical bonding stage that we usually see with Harry&Snape in Severitus.

Once Harry comes to Hogwarts he befriends Neville, who is bullied because he is a teacher's son/ward.

Neville and Harry get close to each other, Snape sees him often and gets to know him. Snape realizes that Harry is abused (emotional, physical, sexual - all of it? You choose - go down the dark path, if you want, but make it realistic) and offers to take him until his situation is resolved.

Harry wishes to stay with Snape and Neville - but will it happen?

Suggestions/Bonus:

Neville does not have to be in Gryffindor, maybe he is even sorted into Slytherin to please Snape? Personally I think Hufflepuff would suit him well.

You can make it so that Neville's gran dies and Snape was friends with the Longbottoms or Neville's godfather. Or find any other way to get her out of the picture. Don't make her abuse Neville in any way! Neglect (non-intentional) would be passable though

Snape must have been a small part of Neville's life before he takes him (maybe his tutor?) and must have been the one to realize his gran is unfit to care for him if you don't kill her

Neville's Great Uncle Algy is deemed unfit to care for Neville (alcoholic, poor, ill, unsettled? You choose)

Neville must have been of an age, when he was taken in, that he still remembers his gran and great uncle

Neville and Snape are not yet 100% comfortable with each other, even though they are a family

When Snape decides to take Harry in temporarily, Neville must be worrying about loosing Snape and if Harry stays permanently, he must show signs of jealousy

Snape must deal with two very different children with very different backgrounds, so make him struggle!

all pairings allowed, but please don't make this story revolve around romance - the main part should be Sev's relationship with the boys

you can make Harry Snape's biological son if you wish, it is not mandatory
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We sort too soon! by atiaahmed

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Summary: Remember in Snape's memories, when Dumbledore says "Sometimes I think we sort too soon."? What if Dumbledore had acted on this and decided that the sorting ceremony would be mandatory every year (for all classes)? The plan is to accommodate changes in character, lessen house rivalry and give heads of house the chance to bond with different children and possible aid them in a way a colleague could not.

Suggestions:

you could change your house every year if your personality changes enough and you could (theoretically) visit all houses during your school career.

even though this is now possible - please make it a seldom occurance! People are resorted but only if there was a major change in their character, maybe based on some trauma or if they were sorted into a house of their own wish (like harry) but don't really fit in there

even though house rivalry in general is lessened, another type of discrimination develops: people who stay in the same house for several years tend to feel that they represent their house and are superior to "house hoppers" (house hoppers tend to be seen as mentally unstable by them)

Harry changes his house after going to Gryffindor in his first year (preferably to Slytherin) - you decide the timing for this (year 2-6) and how long the new system is in place for

other characters that seemed to be "ill fit" in their house change house as well (e.g. hermione, neville etc.)

slytherins who change house are generally discriminated against in their new house

new entrys into slytherin house are generally isolated in the beginning and have to "prove" themselves first to their new house mates. They usually try to find another house hopper or associate with their old friends at first.

there are more inter house friendships

Snape struggles with new students from other houses in general and especially if Harry is one of them

through Harry's change of house, Snape has to reevaluate his opinion of him

Harry sees the house system and houses in a different, more balanced way. He realized Gryffindor's faults and is influenced to the better by his new house. He tries to reconcile his old friends and new acquaintances

Bonus:

heads of house can be resorted every year as well

one out of the group of people who have stayed in one house for a long time suddenly changes house and has changed a lot. Harry or Severus take an interest and try to find out what happened to that person (you can use Draco for this but I would prefer a new supporting character. Draco is a bit overused). Make the old house feel betrayed by him and bully him

Snape convinced the hat to put him in Slytherin, not Gryffindor, when he was a first year. he partly regrets that decision because it divided him from lily and was the first step towards becoming a death eater. on the other hand he now sees himself as a Slytherin and wouldn't change it for the world. Have this come up in conversation with Harry and compare it to his own story of convincing the hat.

Snape could decide that new entrys into Slytherin house may be an indicator of trauma (as mentioned above) and have them evaluated by Pomfrey for physical/sexual/emotional abuse.
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Show me Hogwarts by atiaahmed

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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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Blood is thicker... by atiaahmed

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Summary: Imagine Petunia had treated Harry well instead of being an evil b****. Imagine she would've hidden the Wizarding World from Harry in an attempt to protect him from Voldemort. Harry and Dudley grew up as brothers, not one spoilt and the other neglected but equal and normal. What would happen when the Hogwarts letter arrives, delivered by none other than our loved Potions Master?

Suggestions

Harry has a place at Dudley's school and is excited to go there with him but when he realizes the truth about his parents' death and the Wizarding World he'd rather go to Hogwarts. But he feels like it would be a betrayal of Petunia and he doesn't want to be separated from Dudley for a whole school year.

Vernon could still be resentful about Harry taking Dudley's limelight, even though his family doesn't see it like that. In small gestures he would try to show Harry that he does not in fact consider him part of his family. So Harry would never see him as his father the way he sees his aunt as a mother.

Snape convinces the Dursleys to let Harry go to Hogwarts and promises to protect him from any harm.

Petunia remembers Snape and even though she does not like him, she knows he loved Lily and trusts him to take care of Harry - I would like to see a serious conversation between them, where Petunia makes Snape see Harry as his own person and not his parents' (not just James!) son alone.

If you make this story long I'd really like to see how Snape becomes a mentor and someone to look up to. He should be the father figure that Vernon refused to be for Harry. But as the Dursleys accept Harry, he would not adopt him.

Bonus

If you don't vilify any of the Dursleys, including Vernon. It is entirely normal for some people to see a foster/adopted child as less deserving than their own flesh and blood, especially if you are only related to them through marriage. It makes Vernon ignorant, not evil.
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Slytherin Harry by atiaahmed

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Summary: Harry is a real Slytherin through and through. I want to see him manipulating, lying, cheating, maneouvering - everything to get his way! And all that ends up impressing Severus

Suggestions:
- The challenge is quite straight forward, so you can do anything with it. But I would like it too if Severus was the one being tricked, reluctantly impressed and then the person to explain to Harry how and when to use his Slytherin traits.
- You could base Harry's Slytherin side on either the Horkrux scar or the Dursley's treatment (having no one looking out for him etc.) or both
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Petunia has PPD by atiaahmed

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Summary: After giving birth to Dudley, Petunia suffers from severe Postpartum depression. When a year later she has finally overcome it, she is burdened with Harry.
How does she react to another child to care for?
What are the effects Harry suffers from this treatment?

Suggestions
- During her PPD she kept comparing herself to Lily through the letters they exchanged. She has always felt inferior to her sister and hates it that motherhood seems to be easy for Lily. She also compares Dudley's development to Harry's
- when she hears of her sister's death in that cold way (Dumbledore dumping her nephew at her doorstep and adding nothing more than a letter) she falls back into depression
- she decides that she will put all her energy to caring for her child first and because of her depression she just doesn't have the energy to care for Harry as well
- she reflects the hatred she had for Lily on Harry and wants to keep him inferior to herself and Dudley, to prove that she is better than her sister
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Burn! by atiaahmed

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Summary: The protection Lily gave her son before she died prevents anyone from harming him (with the intent to kill). But what if prolounged abuse by the Dursleys changes the protection until no one can touch him any more without burning up?
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Slave by atiaahmed

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Summary: Harry becomes a slave to Severus. How, why, when? You decide!

Suggestions:
- abuse by the dursleys and treating harry as a slave has conditioned his thinking to believe of himself as one. He cannot think in other ways than master-slave. When this comes to light, dumbledore wants to hush it up and gives harry to severus to hide him from the public, as he lives a reclusive lifestyle.
OR
- harry is cursed by someone
OR
- harry is rescued from a difficult situation and his magic bonds himself in gratitude and search for protection to his saviour – severus.
OR
- Severus saves Harry's life one time too often and as he does not want Harry to pay him back, a magical contract bonds them as master and slave – because the life debt has to be payed
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Wish upon a star by atiaahmed

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Summary: Harry gets to wish for one thing and as wishes go it comes true in the most unexpected ways

Suggestions:
- Harry wishes to have his parents back and wakes up to a world where he grew up with Severus as his father and another Canon character as the other parent
- Harry wishes for a home
- Harry wants to have a new pet
- Harry wishes the war never happened and sees himself as the person he would've become then (Draco Malfoy copy?)
- Harry wishes that every death eater gets the chance to walk away from voldemort and loose the dark mark
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