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Blooming Flowers

First Day Of Class

Harry woke up before his roommates. Quietly, he dressed and then with school bag in hand, he left his dorm room and headed down to the Common Room. There were a few students up and about, mostly First Years like himself and the only Prefect was Percy Weasley who was talking to a First Year.

Harry turned left and stopped at the foot of the stairs that led to the girls dormitory. Hermione had told him about the spell that prevented boys from going up, which was a bit of a problem for him considering how much of a non-morning person his sibling was. With a thoughtful expression, he placed one foot on the first step. Instantly he felt the tingle of what he associated with magic. It tickled a bit, to be honest, and felt a bit like a warning.

"Right," he said to the stairs and getting looks from the passing students. "I need to get up there, my sister is not a morning person, and I don't think the other girls will help. At least not at this time, so if you could let me up and do my brotherly duty, I'd appreciate it."

The tingle was still there, but after a moment, the warning feeling stopped. Harry smiled when he felt a quick warmth and then nothing else. Reassured, he placed his other foot on the step, and when nothing happened, he continued on his journey. Once in the hall, he walked on until he found his sister's name on the door, along with the names of three other girls. He knocked on the door and when he heard a low meow, opened the door and poked his head through. He was just in time to see Crookshanks run back and jump between the curtains of the bed that he knew to be his sister's. Smiling, he quietly went and pulled them back.

"Mione," he whispered as not to wake the other girls.

There was a groan and a bit of shuffling, Harry shook the body underneath the covers and whispered her name again. Finally his sister sat up, her hair a mess as usual.

"Gah," she grunted,

Smiling, Harry pulled her out of bed. Crookshanks was already sitting beside a door, a paw pointed at it as if to say 'In here'. Harry pushed Hermione inside the bathroom, closed the door and waited for her to finish up her morning routine. It was then that one of her roommates woke up.

"You're not supposed to be in here," said the girl after rubbing her eyes and staring at him.

"Helping my sister," Harry said, smiling down at Crookshanks when the cat rubbed against his leg.

"Did something happen?" the girl asked.

"She's not much of a morning person," Harry said with a shrug.

The girl, Fay Dunbar, looked confused, but shook her head and got out of bed. Hermione came out of the bathroom just as another girl woke up.

"What are you doing in here!?" she all but shrieked.

"Making sure my sister makes it to her first day of class... and breakfast," Harry answered before turning his attention to Hermione, ignoring the surprised girl whom he will later learn was named Lavender Brown. "Mione, think you can get dressed?"

From beneath the messy hair, Hermione blinked and grunted. Harry smiled and left the room, though not before grabbing her comb, brush and school bag that was pre-packed. He waited out in the hall while his sister got dressed. Some of the girls in the other rooms came out as he waited, but he ignored their odd looks.

"How did you get up here?" asked a Sixth year. "Boys are supposed to be able to do so."

"I asked the stairs," Harry shrugged.

The door opened and Hermione stumbled out, fully dressed even if her robes were a little rumpled and lop-sided, and her hair was still a mess. He took her hand and led her down to the Common Room, sat her down on an ottoman and worked on getting her hair looking neater with a practiced ease that probably wasn't normal for a boy his age. Once done with the task, he shoved his tools in Hermione's bag and hung the strap on her shoulder. Picking up his own, he took her hand and they left for breakfast.

~.~

Upon entering the Great Hall, Harry paused to look around. The room was still filling up with students; however the teachers table was full, and he spotted his father eating. He then looked over at the Slytherin table, and smiled when he spotted a familiar blond head. He went over, and all but shoved his sister next to Draco before taking the empty space next to her.

"Good morning, Ray," Harry said.

"Good morning, Harry," Draco said.

Neither boys said anything when Hermione face-planted onto the table, startling some students.

"She's not a morning person," Draco informed the staring Slytherins.

"...Right," said one.

"Sure she's not dead?" asked another.

"Nope," Harry said popping the 'p'. He smiled when he saw his father descending from the table and heading over to them with a mug in hand. "Watch."

"Good morning," Severus said to the students who greeted him respectfully.

"Morning, Dad," Harry chirped.

"When you are attending school, you will address me as Professor Snape, Sir, or merely Professor."

"Yes, Professor."

Severus's eyes narrowed at his son, that tone sounded a lot like "Dad", his son's cheeky grin just made his eyes narrow further. Finally with an inward sigh, he turned his attention to his daughter. He waved the mug as close as possible to her head.

"Coffee!"

Severus held back a chuckle at the startled looks of his Snakes.

"Morning, Daddy," Hermione yawned.

"It's Professor."

"Yes, Professor"

... There was that tone again.

~.~

When Professor McGonagall came over to give Hermione and Harry their schedules, she said nothing about the sitting arrangement, which was more than could be said for some of the older Slytherin students who had arrived later on. Draco, Hermione and Harry noticed the whispering and staring starting up as the room became fuller, but ignored it.

"What are you doing here, Lions?" sneered what looked to be a Fourth Year after McGonagall left.

It looked like that they couldn't ignore it now.

"Eating," all three answered in such perfect sync that it startled the boy.

"What does it matter anyway?" Hermione asked.

"Lions and Snake aren't exactly friendly with each other," said a Third Year girl not unkindly, "even if you are the Head of House kids."

"Oh, that," Harry said, looking a bit dejected which made a few of the Slytherin feel somewhat guilty.

It wasn't as though he and the girl were doing anything bad, just sitting talking with their friend. And they were the Head of House kids, the Professor confirming it last night, ensuring that his Snakes knew the truth as well an giving an unspoken warning if they did anything to them. Not mention, as the Head of House kids, who had also been a Slytherin; they couldn't be all bad.

The Fourth Year, who had sneered at them, opened his mouth, no doubt to say something not nice when a Prefect interrupted him.

"Leave them alone, Mathew," he said, "they aren't doing anything, and it's not like it's against the rules for them to sit here."

Mathew closed his mouth, but didn't look at all happy about it.

~.~

Hermione and Harry had Transfiguration for their first class while Draco had History Of Magic, so they went their separate ways.

"We're lost," Harry said, leaning against the door that refused to open.

"Looks like it," Hermione mumbled, "maybe we can go back the way we came and try a different route?"

"We tried that last time and ended up here."

"Point there, hmmm, maybe you can do your trick and asked the cas—"

"What do we have here, students breaking the rules?"

Both children jumped and stared as Argus Filch, the caretaker, slipped out the shadows like the many ghosts that roamed the halls. At his feet was his scrawny cat, Mrs. Norris.

"Breaking the rules?" Harry said after getting over being startled, "we haven't broken any rules."

"You were trying to break into the third floor corridor" Filch sneered, "that's grounds enough for being locked up in the dungeons."

"We were doing no such thing," Hermione insisted, "we're just lost."

"Likely story," Filch sniffed.

Both children looked at each then back at the man, as one they opened their mouths.

"How is it a likely story?"

"We're First Years."

"Never been here."

"Don't have a map."

"Not to mention that there are a hundred and forty-two stairs that have a tendency to change and or or vanish."

"Also doors that won't open unless asked politely or tickled, which does not guarantee the room behind it will be the room you want or if there is even a room at all."

"Which makes things hard to remember, because apparently things in this castle likes to move."

"B-But you're Professor Snape's kids!" Filch stuttered.

"So you're basing your accusation on the fact that our father is a Professor here and may or may not have told us where every classroom is?"

"And did you just threaten to lock two students in the dungeons a few minutes ago? Because that's illegal."

Filch stuttered, not used to students arguing so... calmly and logically with him. Especially the First Years, who had a tendency to scurry when they saw him. He was saved from having to answer by Professor Quirrell's appearance.

"W-W-What i-s-is this?" the Professor asked.

Harry winced at the sudden burning in his forehead, rubbing at his scar as he stared at the Professor while Filch talked... well, complained. Something about Quirrell was not... right. Biting his bottom lip, he glanced at his sister and saw her giving the man a very thoughtful look.

"I-I-I d-don't t-t-think t-they w-were t-t-t-trying t-o d-d-do s-uch a-a-a t-thing," the Professor said when Filch was finally done, apparently ignoring the part where the man said the children had insulted him. Most likely, the Professor knew it not be true, or had experienced something similar in the past to make him doubt the caretaker.

Either way, the Professor ushered them away and helped them find their right classroom. Thankfully; they were right on time.

"Thank you," Harry said polity.

Quirrell smiled and continued on his way. Harry watched him, tilting his head as he took note that the Professor's stride looked very familiar.

~.~

When he first started teaching, Severus had made it his goal to strike fear early on when it came to any student who wasn't one of his Snakes. That quickly went out the window when it became apparent that he was a sucker for big teary eyes. Having come across more than one student who was homesick or just plain scared, he inevitably ended up having them in his office offering hot chocolate and a listening ear. He didn't stand for bullying either, within his own House or otherwise. And Gryffindors were no exception, which unfortunately was how he ended up being occasionally visited by a pair of red haired twins.

Perhaps it's because those incidents were rare that he still had the reputation of being the most feared Professor in the school, that, and his harsh grading method.

"Potion Making," he said when he entered the classroom of First Year Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, the classroom instantly going silent upon his entrance, "is a dangerous art. One wrong ingredient, too high or low a temperature, forgetting to add an ingredient, wrongly diced, ground or otherwise, can result in serious injury, or worse. My job, is make sure you understand this, as well as imparting the theories and reasoning behind each method, all the while teaching how to brew a potion. Now then, can anyone tell me, why the lighting in this room is so dim?"

Hermione raised her hand at once while Harry merely sat there with quill and parchment at the ready. His son, while inheriting a many great things from his late mother and himself, sadly had not inherited the talent for Potion Making. When Severus told Albus that his children would be attending Hogwarts, the man was ecstatic, and had gone about making the arrangements that usually came with students who attended the same school their Parents worked at. One of them was that while he could teach his children, all assignments and test were to be graded by another qualified member of the staff. In this case Poppy or Sprout as both women had knowledge about Potions. Test taking would be done in another room under the supervision of another staff member. And had Hermione and Harry been sorted into Slytherin, Poppy would have acted as their Head of House.

"Ms. Granger," he said when there was no other hand up.

"Because some potions require low lighting," Hermione answered.

"Very good. Some ingredients also require low lighting."

Severus's lips twitched when he saw his son scribble down the information. "Can anyone tell me the proper handling of Nightshade?"

This time there was two more hands added with Hermione's. Naturally there were from Ravenclaw, he picked a dark haired girl.

"With gloves and mask," she answered.

"And the reason why?"

"Because not just the petals are dangerous, the spores can be harmful to skin and if breathed in."

"That is correct. Now can someone explain to me the importance of a clean cauldron?"

And that was how it went for most of the class, Severus asking questions and then demonstrating how to make a Calming Potion in the last thirty minutes of class.

"Your homework tonight is to list every safety procedure discussed. Dismissed."

"See you at lunch Dad!" Harry said once he was packed and nearly out the door.

"I told you to call me Professor!" Severus called after him.

"Bye, Daddy!"

"Professor!"

Some of the lingering students giggled.

~.~

Ron was startled when Hermione and Harry slid in on either side of him at lunch.

"You look surprised," Hermione said as she helped herself to a turkey sandwich. "Pass the mayo please," she then said to Neville who was sitting across from them and near the object.

"Well, after this morning, I figured that you had... well, you know," Ron said after a moment.

"No, I don't know," Hermione responded as she spread mayo on her bread.

"I think what our darling brother is trying to say is that he figured you guys had gone rogue," Fred and George settled next to Neville, both wearing matching grins.

"We went rogue?" Harry asked his sister.

"Apparently," Hermione asked before taking a bite out of her sandwich.

"People are whispering about it," Neville spoke up softly, blushing when the Snape siblings looked his way, "erm, I mean—"

They had noticed the whispering and the staring, both which were currently going on a bit further down the table.

"It's not everyday a Gryffindor, let alone two, sit at the table of Snakes, and on their first day too," George spoke up.

"We'll most likely be doing it tomorrow, care to join us?" Harry asked as he finally decided on a salad for lunch.

"And give your Dad a heart attack?" chuckled Fred, "he's only okay with you two because you're his kids, but if me or George sat down at that table, he'd keel over for sure! Especially if it's us."

"Oh, I don't know, I heard he finds you guys a bit funny."

Fred and George paused, then with a knowing gleam in his eyes, George spoke, "Well it's more us invading his office, time and time again. And him more or less just giving up."

"That sounds like Dad," Harry giggled.

~.~

"….How did you even get in here?" Carol the Slytherin Prefect asked as she stared down at the two Gryffindors who had just stumbled into her House's Common Room.

"I asked," answered Harry.

"Professor Snape?"

"No, the wall."

The fact that he was serious was the thing that surprised her, who would actually think to ask the wall to be let in instead of giving a password? And what was the point of having a password if that was the case?

"Do you know if Draco is here?" Harry then asked while his sister looked around.

"I think I saw him head up to his room, but—"

"Thanks!"

"Erm, you're welcome?" Carol said as she watched the two head up the boys' side, though she wondered how exactly did they know which way to go.

"Ray!"

"Wah!"

Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, and Blaise Zabini watched as their roommate was tackled back onto his mattress by two Gryffindors.

"Oh Draco, it's been so long!"

"We saw each other in Charms!"

"But that was ages ago Ray, ages since we've seen held you in our arms!"

"Ack, don't touch me there, you know I'm ticklish!"

"Does this count as an attack against Slytherin?" Gregory asked the other two as they watched a squirming and giggling Draco get tickled.

Blaise shrugged.

After he admitted defeat, Draco lay sprawled on his bed, panting while his friend introduced themselves.

"I'm Harry, and that's my sister, Hermione."

"We've heard," Blaise smiled. "I'm Blaise Zabini, that's Vincent Crabbe, and he's Gregory Goyle."

"Nice to meet you."

After that, the six of them started chatting about their first day classes, the Ghosts, the Professors and their family... which naturally lead to the Snape siblings' father.

"I guess your Dad was pretty mad about you not being sorted into Slytherin?"

"He was more upset that he lost the bet then us not getting into his desired House," Harry laughed, laughing harder at the three confused looks.

"Daddy doesn't care which House we are in," Hermione told them.

"Lucky you" Blaise said after a moment.

Although he smiled, Draco, Hermione, and Harry could tell it was fake.

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