Potions To Pram, Part II – the Hogwarts Years.
A/N: We're skipping a few years. Don't worry, all of you who adore Wee!Severus; he'll appear from time to time in flashbacks.
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Hogwarts' History Professor scanned the platform. Although Voldemort had been dead for many years now and the Wizarding World was peaceful, as soon as he joined the staff he had insisted on providing better safety for the students, and that included the presence of at least two adult wizards on the Express.
Time had flown indeed, he smiled softly to himself. Today his godson would be making his first trip on the train, get Sorted, attend his first classes. Although Severus had lived at Hogwarts all his life this was just as exciting for him as for any other student.
In the seven years since he had recovered from the near-fatal curse, Severus had grown from adorable toddler to eleven-year-old boy. With many loving 'relatives' near him, the infant had become a confident, happy child, a devoted big 'brother' to Harry and Phoebe's three children. Harry smiled wryly. It was no surprise to anyone that Harry's third child and only girl so far would steal Severus' heart, with her close resemblance to the grandmother she never knew. Little Lily, nearly two years old, with her red hair and green eyes had wrapped Severus around her tiny fingers from the moment she opened her eyes and filled her diaper when the boy held her, mere hours after her birth. Severus loved Harry's two sons like he would annoying, cute little brothers, but Lily was his uncontested favourite.
"Uncle Harry?" the black-haired boy looked up at him, "Nick and Alex are here."
Nicolas and Alexander had been Severus' friends since playgroup – after Phoebe had convinced Albus that Severus needed children his own age around whether or not Albus liked playgroups – and the boys had planned to sit together on the train ride. Nicolas, like Severus, would be going for the first time. Alexander, a year older than the other two, would be starting his second year.
"Go on, then," Harry smiled, "have fun. Professor Lupin and I will be patrolling later, but we have developed an unfortunate illness this morning – I'm afraid we have become completely unable to see how many sweets certain young first years purchase from the trolley later on."
He dropped a few coins into the boy's hands, "Of course, certain parties should be wise enough not to let slip this information to my wife or Professor McGonagall…"
"I am sure the people involved are very aware discretion is the better part of valour," solemn dark eyes with just the tiniest hint of a twinkle in them regarded him warmly, "thank you, Uncle Harry. Can…can I still come visit you and Aunt Phoebe? Or do I have to wait until the holidays?"
Fear tinged the young voice and Harry pulled him to his side for a moment. "Of course not, silly boy. There will be plenty of downsides to being the Headmaster's grandson and a professor's godson, so enjoy the perks whenever you can."
"Will you be disappointed if I don't make Slytherin?" Severus asked with a worried frown.
"I will be proud of you regardless of your House," Harry proclaimed with so much certainty that the boy blushed, "you just be yourself and let the Hat do its job."
"My father was a Slytherin," the boy muttered, "Wouldn't he want me in his House?"
They had told the boy that his father had been Severus Snape, and that he died when Severus was three weeks old, after which he came to live with his grandfather. He had also been told that his father had been a spy and that was the reason no one, not even the Headmaster, knew who his mother was, but that she died as well. It was a rotten lie, Harry thought bitterly, but better than giving the child false hope that he could one day meet his mother when Eileen Prince had been resting in her grave for over three decades already.
"Your father was a Slytherin," Harry confirmed, "and the bravest man I knew. Regardless, you should not feel like you have to please someone. If you start doing that, it will become impossible all too soon, since your grandfather and I were both Gryffindors. So is Aunt Minerva and Professor Lovegood is of course a Ravenclaw. We want you to go where you'll be happiest, not where you think you should go to please the most of us."
The boy smiled, reassured.
"Granddad says Fiona will come and give workshops sometimes," he suddenly remembered, brightening, "that will be fun, won't it, Uncle Harry?"
"It certainly will be," Harry nodded happily. Fiona had left Hogwarts five years ago at age fifteen, one of the youngest to finish her NEWTS. After a four-year apprenticeship, she was now a highly valued researcher in the Department of Mysteries. She had always acted like an older cousin to Severus, and kept in contact after school. Severus was fond of her, especially since she took him to work with her and showed him the non-classified projects she and her colleagues were working on.
"Now get on the train, Sev, or you'll miss it," Harry squeezed the dark clad shoulder, robes not yet bearing a House insignia.
"We'll see you later," he waved to the three boys as they found a compartment and settled in.
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Severus and his friends chatted excitedly – Severus lived at Hogwarts and Nicolas had often visited him, but they were still excited to be going. Soon though, Alexander left to catch up with some of his year mates.
A small, pale boy entered, dragging a trunk. "Can I sit here?"
"Of course," Nicolas and Severus helped him hoist the trunk into the luggage racks.
"I'm Severus," Severus extended his hand.
"And I'm Nicolas, but everyone calls me Nick," his friend said, also shaking the boys hand.
"I'm Cedric," The smaller boy replied, "are you first years too?"
"Yes, aren't you excited to be going finally?"
Cedric nodded vigorously. "I've been waiting for my letter for YEARS! I really wanted to go. Mum and Dad almost didn't let me, but Professor McGonagall persuaded them. What about you?"
"Oh, I couldn't wait either, especially last year when my brother started," Nick said happily.
Severus grinned. "I've lived at Hogwarts all my life, so it's going to be strange being a student."
"You LIVED at Hogwarts?" Cedric gushed, "Oh, wait! You must be Professor Dumbledore's grandson."
"Yes, I am," Severus made a face, "so no rule-breaking for me. Anyone who catches me will first give me detention as a professor and then tell me off as relatives. But I get to see my family a lot more, too, of course."
Cedric shrugged. "I don't mind being away from my family for a while. It's not that Mum and Dad are mean to me, but they won't let me DO anything…and it's hard to live up to their expectations. Woe betide me if I'm not a Hufflepuff."
"What do you mean?" Severus asked.
Cedric sighed. "My older brother died years before I was born. I guess Mum and Dad finally decided to have another child when they were already quite old because they hoped for another Cedric…my brother's name was Cedric, too," he explained.
"That's sick," Nick commented, "They can't expect you to be just like your brother!"
"Well, they do. All I've ever heard in my life is 'Cedric didn't do that', or 'Cedric would have done this,' or 'Cedric did exactly that when he was your age'. I'm sure he was a great guy and all, but he's DEAD. I guess they expected him to reincarnate into me."
At that moment Harry stuck his head around the corner.
"Hey kids, don't worry, just making my rounds. I haven't met you, I think," he beamed at the unknown boy, "Another first year, eh? I am Professor Potter, your History of Magic teacher."
The boy gulped, but stuck out his hand. "Hello, Professor Potter. I've heard a lot about you. My name is Cedric Diggory."
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"But Albus!" Harry hissed, "they named him for his brother! That can't be healthy!"
"I'm sure it isn't, Harry, but what can we do?" Phoebe patted her husband's hand, "the boy is here now, away from all that pressure for a bit."
"Is he?" Harry asked sceptically, "there are plenty here who remember Cedric. Hell, I thought I'd faint when he told me his name."
"That's only logical, Harry," Phoebe soothed, "It took you a long time to get over Cedric's death, and you were unprepared. Just try to refrain from making the same mistake as the boy's parents."
The Headmaster nodded. "We will keep an eye on the boy. I apologise, Harry, for not informing you of the child's arrival this year. It was very inconsiderate of me, I should have realized the memories that name would bring back for you."
The sincere regret caused any anger Harry felt to melt, though he inwardly shook his head at the Diggorys.
"There's Severus," Phoebe whispered excitedly, and just barely refrained from waving, "oh, look Albus, he's so big already…a Hogwarts student…"
Dumbledore coughed and pretended to clean his glasses with his napkin. "Yes…yes he is."
Then he got up and smiled happily.
"Welcome, all. Professor Lovegood, if you would…"
Luna, in charge of the Sorting, wrestled her way through the throng of students and beamed at them.
"Hello munchkins," she nodded appreciatively, and it was testament to her powerful, if somewhat unorthodox aura that none of the children took offence, "See this stool and hat? You're to sit on the stool and put on the Hat…be sure to get it right, it would be ever so awkward if you did it the other way around, wouldn't it? Though it wouldn't really matter if you did. I'm sure a stool can Sort just as efficiently as a Hat. It's just that Godric Gryffindor never wore stools…"
A small cough from the staff table made her look around quizzically. "Lemon drop, Headmaster?" she offered, "that's a nasty cough. You should have it looked at."
"Now, where was I," she mused. "Oh yes. So you sit on the stool and put on the Hat when I call your name. Those of you whose names begin with P through Z, sit on the floor and relax, it'll be a while before it is your turn. Alright. Let's start. Alvin Branner."
A burly boy with brown curls came forward and was summarily Sorted into Gryffindor.
Severus and Cedric hadn't bothered sitting down, their names being at the very front of the alphabet, but Nicolas Yvantes started a game of Nine Men's Morris with Jarod Zabini using peas and beans from the tables.
Cedric was up fairly soon and sat under the Hat for a very long time. Severus didn't need a lot of imagination to understand what was going on there. Finally, the Hat seemed to have enough of the argument and snapped "SLYTHERIN, and that's final!"
White as chalk and nearly fainting, Cedric made his way to the Slytherin table, where a prefect immediately took him under his wing – Harry's efforts to build a strong and unified House had started paying off a long time ago.
Severus had just time for a sympathetic smile before he himself was called.
"Severus Dumbledore." None of the older students reacted with surprise – the seventh years had seen him run around the castle since he was five years old.
"Ah! Young Severus," the Hat seemed delighted, "Finally. I have been looking forward to this moment for a long, long time. Let me see…oooh! No preference? That's not something I see often! Makes my job all the more interesting. Your friend Cedric made a lot of effort to persuade me…"
"That's not his fault," Severus thought, "I'm not sure I'm angry that you put him in Slytherin because he will get in trouble with his parents, or glad that you didn't put him in Hufflepuff like his brother."
"Well, yes, it was tough," the Hat admitted, "it would be good if you could stay friends. He needs friends now. Anyway, we are Sorting YOU now. Let me see. Without doubt you could be a Slytherin though not as strongly as..."
"As?"
"As your father," the Hat said with finality, "he was the epitome of Slytherin. You, however, have been brought up very differently, and it shows. Ravenclaw wouldn't be a bad option – you have quite the agile mind. I wouldn't recommend Hufflepuff or Gryffindor. I know you value them, which is good, but to actually live with Hufflepuff and Gryffindor teens would drive you to insanity, my boy."
"I don't know," Severus thought, "Both Slytherin and Ravenclaw would suit me. I can be cunning and ambitious, I suppose, but I can be cunning and ambitious everywhere. At any rate, advertising that you are cunning sort of defeats the purpose, doesn't it? Besides, it may serve me well enough to get me out of trouble with anyone but Granddad, but it's not exactly my passion."
"No, that is true. You would only go to Slytherin to be with your friend Cedric, but that is not a good enough reason. With the efforts of the past decade, the Houses are finally united and the separation is only in name. You'll be able to spend all the time you wish with friends from all Houses. You are correct that the studious and intellectual environment of Ravenclaw suits you better. So, it's settled. RAVENCLAW!"
As Severus walked towards his House table, he was shocked at the many transactions in galleons being made at the Staff table. Even Professor Lovegood halted the Sorting for a few moments while she collected her winnings from some very chagrined looking colleagues.