Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling. I do not own Harry Potter.

Note: This near-drabble posits an alternate universe in which Tobias Snape served in the British Army. The second and third scenes in this short piece take place on board the Hogwarts Express. This story is rated 'T'.

Further Note: The Gloucester regiment cap badge features a sphinx (and the word 'Egypt').

The 1950's & 1960's:

When Tobias Snape had nightmares, he was back on 'hill 235' in Korea, as the sun beat down and the Chinese massed for yet another attack. They just kept on coming.

And the forces supposed to relieve them were taking their bloody time.

September, 1971:

Severus Snape made a derisory noise when James Potter went on about Gryffindor 'where dwell the brave at heart'.

"Come along, Lily, let's find another compartment." he said, getting up.

"Going already, Snape?" Potter jeered. "But we were only just getting to know each other."

"Potter. I don't know and don't care what your recent forebears have done, because my father – my muggle father – was in the first battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment, in Korea. At Imjin River."

Potter looked confused.

"So?"

"Look it up in a muggle library some time." Severus Snape snapped.

September, 1972:

"Well?" Sirius Black said.

"I think we need to give Snape some respect." Remus Lupin said. "I did some research work over the summer holidays. I'm pretty sure his father's a bigger hero than any of our relatives have been for half a dozen generations."

"Come off it, Remus, what could he have done?" Sirius demanded.

"Helped hold off an enemy that perhaps outnumbered he and his comrades in arms maybe twenty to one, for several days, whilst others regrouped and prepared a fall-back line of defence to halt the enemy onslaught."

James Potter stared.

"That's not possible. You do not beat those odds."

"I didn't say they beat them, James. I said they held them off. They eventually retreated with somewhat over two thirds casualties injured, killed, or taken prisoner."

"Crap." James Potter said, setting his face in something that was as much disappointed pout as scowl. "How in Morgana's name did a fellow with a father like that end up in Hufflepuff? He ought to be a lion, like us, not one of those bloody stupid badgers."

"Does this mean he's off-limits for pranking this year?" Peter Pettigrew asked.

Author Notes:

I apologise for any military inaccuracies in this short piece. To the best of my knowledge at the time of these notes in December, 2014, 'Sphinx' is not amongst the official nicknames for members of the Gloucester Regiment, but the cap badge is nonetheless distinctive and it seemed appropriate imagery to conjure with in naming a piece relating to a son of a regiment member in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter universe.

In this universe Tobias Snape served in the Gloucester Regiment and deployed to Korea, where he took part in the Battle of Imjin River. He was amongst those members of 1st battalion fortunate enough to make it back to British lines once the order came to withdraw.

I'm not informed of what the weather was like at Imjin River in April 1951, but in Tobias Snape's nightmares – for whatever reasons – the sun beats down mercilessly.

In consequence of his father's military experiences, in this universe the household which Severus Snape grew up in was somewhat different to that of canon, and Severus Snape, upon arrival at Hogwarts, sorted into Hufflepuff.

This piece is a one-shot.