The blackened night sky twinkled with bright stars, visible through the expansive windows of an ethereal office in which two men sat. One blended in with the night's darkness, black hair curtaining his face and black clothes covering his body, while the other sharply contrasted it with his glowing silver beard and light, periwinkle robes.
Snape sat at the chair before Dumbledore, carefully brewing a delicate and difficult potion. He had come to the headmaster for advice on his latest endeavor, a rare action from such a prideful and talented man. But if he were to deign to seek anybody's opinion, the brilliant Dumbledore was a clear first choice.
The men sat in companionable silence, occasionally conversing when Snape asked a question. He sat in fierce concentration, slicing and pounding, stirring and measuring, as the headmaster casually read a magazine, The Quidditch Chronicles. Suddenly, the elder wizard erupted into booming chuckles.
Snape looked up in irritation, his focus momentarily lost. "Something funny?"
Dumbledore's laughs subsided into a smile. He picked up the magazine to show Snape the article; it featured a large picture of a stocky, dark-haired boy on a broomstick, his name flashing brightly above a lengthy paragraph.
"Oliver Wood." Snape said tonelessly as Dumbledore continued to smile, gazing at the article and picture fondly. "I fail to see what is so humorous." Snape said impatiently.
Dumbledore gave a playful look to his colleague, knowing full well that the man often failed to see the humor in anything. "It's the boy, Severus. You know he plays for Puddlemere United now?" He gestured at the article. "This brief expose outlines his revolutionary new strategies and ideas for the sport. New flying maneuvers, specific coordination-based exercises…"
Dumbledore rambled on and Snape raised his eyebrows expectantly.
The older man smiled. "I was laughing because it struck me how versatile the boy is; how he encompasses qualities from all the houses here at Hogwarts. Extremely bright, by the sound of these ingenious new plans – Ravenclaw. Manipulative and ruthless at times, on the Quidditch pitch – Slytherin. But also fair and kind – Hufflepuff. And then of course, from Gryffindor, his actual house, he is incredibly brave and stubborn. I find students like him truly fascinating. They would have done well in any of the four Houses. Makes me question the entire House system, quite honestly…"
Dumbledore stopped at Snape's look of confusion.
"You have never encountered this type of…multi-faceted…student before, Severus?"
"No." said Snape, bored. "Once in a while, a student appears to possess qualities from two houses. Such as…Miss Granger. But I have never seen more than that."
Dumbledore nodded, considering Snape thoughtfully as he turned his attention back to the potion, concentrated and calculating.
"You know, Severus, when I ruminate on it, I could consider you one of these students." Dumbledore mused. "A true Hogwarts student, you could say."
Snape looked up, vexed at being interrupted again, and bewildered at the headmaster's comment. "What?" he asked, bemused.
"You are a multi-faceted person if I ever met one, Severus." Dumbledore chuckled again. "Of course, you possess distinct skills for cunning and deception, which have served myself and the Order so well in your double-agent role. The true Slytherin in you." Snape raised his eyebrows in agreement.
"Then of course, there is your remarkable intelligence. You have brilliance and talents that men three times your age would envy." Snape's eyes gleamed momentarily with something like pleasure, but the visage quickly disappeared. "The Ravenclaw in you." Snape nodded.
"Then…" Snape's eyes narrowed, knowing where this conversation was headed. "there is your immense bravery. You have unbelievable courage, Severus, to do what you do every day. A true Gryffindor" – he smiled briefly at Snape's splutter and scowl – "if I ever saw one."
Though disliking any affiliation between him and Gryffindor, Snape nodded lightly in assent. He knew he was no coward. He raised his eyes to Dumbledore, smirking slightly. "And what qualities do I possess that would align me with…Hufflepuff?" The mockery and disdain in his voice were clear.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Perhaps that is the hardest to identify. I do not quite know if I would characterize you as a kind man, Severus" – Snape's eyes widened in disgust at the adjective – "but as I have said before, you are certainly a good man. No, your Hufflepuff quality is not kindness – it is loyalty. You are incredibly loyal, Severus, to the few that have somehow earned your dedication. I owe you a great debt for the loyalty you have exhibited to me over the years."
Snape stared at the man, his eyes hard and bitter. After a second, he sighed.
"However, I must admit…it is hard picture to imagine you as Head of Hufflepuff, wearing the yellow crest on your robes, rooming in the sunny dorms near the kitchens."
Snape allowed himself a brief laugh, a genuine smile alleviating the heaviness his face normally bore. He suddenly looked years younger.
"Severus! Did you just laugh at one of my jokes?" Dumbledore beamed. "You should laugh more, my boy. It is good for the soul."
Snape glared at him, his usual stony expression firmly back in place. But his eyes still held slight levity, the obsidian pools momentarily warmed.