September 1, 2026
The Snapes had gathered again on Platform 9 3/4 to see Karma off for her first year at Hogwarts. The Grangers were there as well, brought by their grandson Simon. They were nearing 80 now but still in reasonably good health. Karma was a very pretty girl with glossy black hair and sparkling eyes. She had been a handful while growing up, not a bad child but strong-willed and, it had to be admitted, naughtier than her older brother and sister. But her parents loved her dearly and her temperament gave Snape hopes for a Sorting into Slytherin. Hermione felt that Karma's fearlessness was a good bet for Gryffindor; she had decided to attend the Hogwarts welcome feast this year so she could see the Sorting for herself.
Karma's name was called, she sat on the stool, the hat was placed on her head ... and nothing happened. They waited. Another minute went by. Snape and Hermione exchanged glances without appearing to look at each other.
Finally the Hat said "Ravenclaw" with more of a gasp than its usual shout. Karma gave her parents a triumphant smile before joining the Ravenclaw table. They were pleased to have a Snape in their midst. The Slytherin and Gryffindor tables looked as if an expected prize had been snatched away.
Snape and Hermione discussed it later in the Headmaster's office.
"Is it wrong of me to be surprised?" Hermione asked. "I'm delighted, of course, and Karma is very intelligent, but if any of our children were going to be in Ravenclaw I thought it would be Eileen."
"Agreed," Snape said. "And I've never known the Hat to take so long. I wonder what happened."
"She threatened me!" The Sorting Hat's voice was shrill.
The Hat sat silently on its shelf from one year to the next so this outburst was startling.
"What do you mean?" Snape asked.
"Your daughter is a bully and she put a threat on me," the Hat replied sullenly.
"Explain," Snape said coldly.
"I could show you," the Hat offered.
"Can your memories be extracted?" Hermione asked with interest.
"There's no need for that nonsense. I am my own Pensieve. Turn me over and look inside."
Snape and Hermione bent over the upturned Hat.
They observed the Great Hall and Karma on the stool. The Hat was placed on her head and she said within her mind, politely but firmly: "I'll have Ravenclaw, if you please."
"I'm not sure that's appropriate." The Hat was taken aback by such a direct order.
"I'm smart enough and it's what I want. The student's wishes are supposed to count."
"To a degree." The Hat sounded a little sulky. "But it's my decision. Why not Slytherin or Gryffindor?"
"I don't want to follow my father and brother or my mother and sister. I want to go my own way."
"There's always Hufflepuff."
"No, thank you," Karma said tartly. "It may be unfair but the perception is that Hufflepuff is for those who don't belong anywhere else. I'll fit very well in Ravenclaw."
"What if I disagree?"
"If you put me anywhere else I'll challenge the Sorting."
"You wouldn't," the Hat spluttered. "You couldn't!"
"Why not?"
"A Sorting has never been challenged."
"Perhaps it's time, then."
"My decision would be upheld."
"By who?"
"The Headmaster ..." the Hat trailed off unhappily.
"My Daddy, you mean?" Karma asked innocently.
"Professor Snape is fair. Your relationship wouldn't affect him."
Karma sighed. "You're right. But you should ask yourself if it's worth the bother. Would other students decide to challenge?"
The Hat was silent for a moment before gasping, "Ravenclaw."
The scene faded. "You see?" the Hat said. "You have a lot to answer for as parents."
"Bully is a little strong," Hermione was dismayed by her daughter's methods but felt she should be defended. "She was determined, certainly, but she knew what she wanted. She will do well on the debate team."
"Exactly," Snape said. "And in overcoming your objections she proved her worthiness for Ravenclaw."
"By using a threat!" The Hat was still indignant.
"You have been Sorting students for centuries. Am I to understand that you are suddenly intimidated by an 11 year old girl?" Snape's tone was cutting. "Perhaps you are getting a bit past it. If you don't feel up to continuing, there is a Thinking Cap in Wales that could do the job. There may be an opening for you somewhere as a Dunce Hat."
The Sorting Hat drew a sharp breath. "There's no need to be offensive. After all my years of service."
Snape changed tactics. "Indeed. You have been invaluable to Hogwarts. You were caught off-guard but you should simply regard this incident as additional experience."
Snape and Hermione went to the private sitting room and Snape sent for Karma.
"You were rather harsh with the Sorting Hat," Hermione ventured.
"And for good reason. One of the things I learned when I became Headmaster is that the Sorting Hat gets in a snit every few decades. Dumbledore himself told me the Hat must be dealt with firmly at those times. Not really the Hat's fault. Having the magic of all four Founders' very different personalities must be disorienting."
"Do you mean the Hat has dissociative identity disorder?"
"Not according to the Healers at St. Mungo's. My opinion is that the Hat has four egos and only works one day a year so it has plenty of time to indulge a taste for drama."
Karma arrived.
"Congratulations," her father said affably. "You have achieved a new record for a student called to the Headmaster's office in the shortest amount of time."
"But I haven't done anything," Karma protested.
"A complaint has been made by the Sorting Hat."
"Oh, that." Karma was abashed.
"I have dealt with the Sorting Hat but your mother and I thought a word with you might be wise."
"Darling, we're so proud of you getting into Ravenclaw but you were just a little demanding with the Hat."
But it was important to me, Mummy."
"I understand. And Daddy and I blame ourselves for this silly competition between Slytherin and Gryffindor. We never meant it seriously."
"I know. I don't hate the idea of Slytherin or Gryffindor but I didn't want comparisons. It seemed best to start fresh. I'm going to study really hard."
"Daddy thinks you earned your place in Ravenclaw and I must say I agree." Hermione kissed her daughter goodbye.
"All right, then, back to bed," Snape said, kissing her goodnight. "I'll see you at breakfast."
"I'm still thinking of how forceful you were with the Sorting Hat," Hermione told Snape after Karma left. "Very much the Headmaster. It makes me want to be scolded."
"You are a repeat offender," Snape said severely. "I'm afraid corporal punishment would be necessary. I would be tempted to administer a spanking if you didn't have to go home."
"I forgot to tell you that I'm staying," Hermione said with her impish smile. "Toby is spending the night at the Dursleys. And if discipline is required, you've accumulated a number of infractions yourself."
The next morning Hermione Apparated to the Dursleys in time to see Toby before he and Bibi went to the village school. Toby wasn't the only who spent the night, his dog had also been a guest. Hermione walked home with Prince who had been a Snape for only three weeks but was already entrenched in the family.
Hermione and Snape thought Toby would be lonely after Karma left so they had asked if he would like a pet. Toby wanted a dog so they visited a local animal shelter where a small black dog, two months old, of indeterminate parentage caught Toby's eye. Toby named him Prince. Hermione suggested Duke or King or anything but Snape's mother's last name but Snape had just laughed.
"I fancied myself a prince at one time but I was a pretender to the throne," he said. "Toby's dog will be a more worthy successor to the name."
It might have been thought imprudent to take on a dog which would become Hermione's responsibility when Toby went away to school in two years but Toby wouldn't be going to Hogwarts. He was almost 10 and had never manifested magic. He was a small boy with brown hair and a buck-toothed smile and he looked very much like his mother. Toby was a dreamy child, easily distracted and often seeming to be in his own world. Hermione and Snape had wondered if he were autistic although he didn't have the usual symptoms. There had been tests for various possibilities but the results were negative. Toby simply heard the beat of a different drummer. Snape and Hermione had both worked with him to see if they could help bring out his magic but he seemed confused by what they asked him to do and they couldn't bear to make him feel inadequate. Because he wasn't, of course. He was Toby and they loved him all the more because of his sweet nature.
On a Saturday morning in late September Toby was playing outside with Prince. Spinners End was a quiet street and usually very safe. But that morning a car swept around the corner just as Prince wandered into the street. The dog froze, aware of danger but not knowing what to do. The car bore down without slowing; it was likely the driver did not even see the small dark shape against the tarmac. Toby was on the sidewalk paralyzed with fear, unable to move or shout. Then suddenly Prince was in Toby's arms and the car had shot past, disappearing around the next corner.
Toby sat on the front step holding a trembling Prince. A few minutes later there was a pop among the trees on the river path and Teddy Lupin strolled up the street.
"Hello, Toby. How is Prince?"
"He was almost run over," Toby said, still shaken. He told Teddy what had happened.
"If you're sure you're both all right, I'll go in and have a word with your mum."
Toby nodded.
Hermione was delighted to see Teddy and to take a tea break with him.
"I'm here in my official capacity," Teddy said.
Hermione was confused. Teddy worked in the office governing underage magic.
"A very strong Accio spell was recorded." Teddy told Hermione about the near accident. "Toby saved his dog with magic."
"But he'll be 10 next month," Hermione said, unbelieving. "He's never shown any sign before."
"Apparently Toby is a late bloomer. The urgency of the situation must have brought out his latent abilities."
"I must let Severus know." Hermione scrolled him immediately.
It was Snape's weekend at Hogwarts but this was an emergency. Snape left Longbottom in charge and Apparated home.
Toby understood that he had saved Prince but seemed uncertain how to duplicate the action. Hermione pointed to Prince's chew toy across the kitchen floor. "Just try with that," she suggested.
"But that's Prince's." Toby looked at Prince lying on the floor with his head on his front paws. Prince got up, fetched his toy and offered it to Toby. The three adults looked dumbfounded.
"Toby, did you tell Prince to bring it?" Snape asked gently.
"No, I asked him," Toby replied. And Snape had to smile. Hermione was just as literal when she was a young girl.
"Well, this is even more interesting." Teddy was obviously excited. "Toby may be an animal adept."
"That's very rare," Snape said.
"Hagrid is not a true adept but he is the closest there has been for a century," Teddy told them.
"We're bad parents," Hermione said, stricken. "We should have gotten him a pet sooner. If only he had been around animals before now."
"He hasn't been living in a bubble," Snape said. "We didn't have a family pet but he has been around animals. There was no indication of special affinity."
"I believe the magic must manifest first," Teddy explained. "Other abilities follow. In Toby's case, very quickly."
Toby agreed to visit the Ministry soon for tests and Teddy left, anxious to make his report.
"Will I go to Hogwarts after all?" Toby asked as his father was leaving.
"Yes," Snape smiled. "You will be getting an owl on your 11th birthday."
Toby grinned. "Tell Karma I'll be there in two years."
Harry and Ron were happy for her when Hermione told them the news but she felt there was something off in their reaction. After thinking about it for awhile she talked to Snape when he came home.
"Did you have anything to do with Prince's near-death experience, and did Harry and Ron know about it?"
"They helped," Snape replied calmly. "How did you know?"
"Harry and Ron aren't very good at dissembling," Hermione said. "And having lived with a Slytherin for 25 years, I've developed a suspicious mind. Just tell me: Was there any danger?"
"I swear there was not. I drove the car. Potter would have saved Prince if Toby did not, and Weasley would have kept Toby from running into the street."
"I'm awfully glad the way it turned out but I thought we had agreed that Toby would be just fine without magical abilities."
"Of course he would. I was never ashamed. But I was disappointed because it would inevitably have set him apart from his family. I wanted to make sure he really had no magic. It's not unheard of, you know. Longbottom's uncle pushed him off a pier and dropped him out of a window."
Hermione smiled as she remembered Neville telling that story. "I have sometimes felt there was something in Toby that was just out of reach but I decided it must be wishful thinking. I didn't like to press him."
"It has long been established that I'm more ruthless than you," Snape reminded his wife.
Two years later Toby joined his sister on the Hogwarts Express. Once again Hermione attended the welcome feast so that she could watch her youngest child's Sorting.
"Do you think I could be in Hufflepuff?" Toby asked within his mind when the Hat was placed on his head.
"Students don't often ask for Hufflepuff," the Hat replied. "And you're an animal adept. I've not Sorted many of them."
"I'm good with animals but my regular magic is pretty rubbish," Toby admitted. "I think Hufflepuff is the place for me."
"It shall be as you wish," the Hat said in Toby's head, then shouted aloud: "Hufflepuff!"
Snape and Hermione had expected this. They knew it was what Toby wanted and they were pleased for him. There was a certain distinction to having four children all in different houses. That had never happened before and the news caused a stir in the wizarding world.
Hermione had an empty nest now and she was glad of Prince's company. Toby had hated to leave him but Hogwarts was no place for a dog. Cats, owls, rats, toads – they adapted easily to the entirely magical environment but a dog was different. Hermione spent extra time with Prince and took him on long walks. She thought they were settling down together but a few days later Prince disappeared from the meadow where she let him run. Hermione immediately cast a search and capture spell but it yielded no result. She visited the neighbors and checked the school and river and any other of Toby's haunts that she could think of. Finally, frantic, she scrolled Snape. He joined the search but there was no Prince to be found. Toby was waiting for him when Snape returned to Hogwarts. He knew something was wrong and Snape could not lie to the boy. Toby was worried but Snape reassured him that they would keep looking and Prince was likely to return to Spinner's End.
A week dragged by and they were beginning to lose hope. It was after 11:00 and Snape was closing the window before retiring to bed. The nights were cooler and he didn't have Hermione to keep him warm. He heard a faint mournful howl from beyond the main gate and frowned. It sounded again. It couldn't be, could it? Hagrid's cabin was closer to the gate. It had been dark but a light came on. Snape stepped through the window and flew. He alighted beside Hagrid and they passed through the gate beyond the magical perimeter of Hogwarts. A bedraggled dog bounded forward, jumped up and licked Snape's face.
"It's your little lad's doggie," Hagrid said with amazement. "He followed Toby to school!"
Snape was just as amazed and very relieved. Prince was dirty and thinner but appeared unharmed until they saw him limping. Hagrid picked him up and Snape examined his paws.
"No blood and no visible cuts. I think his paw pads are sore."
"I'll carry him," Hagrid said tearfully. "Just think of him walking all this way to find his master."
"Don't cry," Snape said sternly. "Or I might myself."
Toby and the Head of Hufflepuff were in the entrance hall. Toby had sensed Prince's presence and insisted on coming to see for himself. Snape allowed a few minutes for their reunion and then sent Toby back to bed. "We'll deal with this in the morning. I'll take care of Prince."
Snape scrolled Hermione and then took Prince below stairs. Hagrid fetched dog food from his cabin. Snape gave Prince a bath. The dog was resentful of this particular attention but Hermione arrived in time to help. Prince was delighted to see her but appeared unapologetic about running off. When he was dry they all went to the Headmaster's tower. Snape levitated Prince a few inches off the floor to save his sore paws. Prince was bewildered as he floated along and he kept moving his legs as if he were still walking.
Snape treated Prince's paws with an ointment from his private store of potions. Hermione had brought Prince's bed; he curled up happily and was instantly asleep. The worry of the past week caught up with Hermione and Snape and they followed Prince's example.
Prince had slept quietly all night but early the next morning he barked once and then more insistently until Hermione said sleepily, "I let him out at home. You let him out here."
Snape was still thankful that Prince had come to no harm. With almost no reluctance and very few uncharitable thoughts he got up, pulled on a robe and boots and took Prince down the Headmaster's secret stairs.
Returning alone 20 minutes later, Snape reflected that in the spring a young man's fancy might turn to thoughts of love but it was equally true that on a crisp fall morning a middle-aged man's thoughts turned to his warm wife still in bed. His steps quickened. As he slipped in beside Hermione she murmured, "All right now?"
"I left Prince with the house elves. They'll feed him and take him out again and bring him back. We have an hour."
Hermione's eyes didn't open but she smiled. "Are you implying that you would like to pass the time in some romantic pursuit?"
"I'm implying nothing. I am stating clearly that I'd like to make love to my wife. I hope you're awake enough to enjoy it."
"And if I'm not?"
"It's not strictly necessary."
"As it happens I am awake enough to participate as well as enjoy."
"That's a bonus."
An hour later, their interlude concluded, Snape got up again to receive Prince. It was still early enough to return to bed for a few more minutes. But Prince jumped on the bed and insinuated himself between Snape and Hermione. Snape eyed him with disfavor. "When did this hound begin taking liberties?"
"We were a bit lonely when everyone went off to Hogwarts so I lifted the ban on sleeping on the bed. I thought he was settling down but I see now that he was lulling me until he could get away. Will he run off again?"
"I have a theory that Prince simply wants to know where Toby is and that he's all right here. I'll excuse Toby from his first class and we'll take Prince to see Toby's room. Then you can take him home again and we'll hope he stays."
The theory proved true. Prince was happy to stay at Spinner's End with Hermione now, waiting for Christmas and summer breaks.