Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters—everything belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing in her world for fun!
Own disclaimer: This is my first-ever fanfiction, and I'm not a native English speaker. My beta is ChatGPT, so I'm trying my best to make this story grammatically correct. I recently took my minor studies over the past half-year, which got me wondering what it would be like at Hogwarts.
Enjoy the story!
Minor course
Chapter 1
"This is absolutely preposterous, Albus! We don't have time for such nonsense!" Minerva McGonagall's voice rang sharply through the staffroom, her lips pressed into a thin line as she glared at the headmaster, who sat serenely at the head of the table. As usual, Albus Dumbledore appeared entirely unbothered by her outburst, eyes twinkling mischievously behind his half-moon spectacles.
"Quite right, Minerva," squeaked Professor Flitwick, standing on his chair to meet the table's height. "We've got enough on our plates with our lessons, Head of House duties—"
"Not to mention the responsibilities of Deputy Headmistress," Minerva cut in again, her voice thick with indignation.
Dumbledore, still smiling, merely waved a dismissive hand. "Ah, but surely two additional lessons a week wouldn't be too much of an imposition? Particularly when it's on a subject of your own choosing! Think of it as... broadening the students' horizons. A touch of creativity in the curriculum, if you will."
Severus Snape barely contained a sneer as he slouched in his chair, arms folded across his chest. He had been silently fuming since the meeting began, but now his patience had truly worn thin. The idea of spending more time with incompetent dunderheads—especially during the few peaceful moments of the school year—was unbearable. Especially when, after defeating the Dark Lord, he no longer had any spying duties to occupy his time. He could already hear Longbottom's cauldron exploding for the umpteenth time in his mind. Still, with Dumbledore's irritatingly persistent optimism, they all knew resistance was futile.
Snape straightened slightly, the glint of a plan forming in his mind. "Perhaps, Headmaster, you would be so kind as to offer these 'additional lessons' yourself? After all, you do seem inordinately fond of the idea. And given your vast wealth of knowledge that clearly surpasses the rest of us, I daresay the students would benefit from your instruction far more than ours." His voice was dripping with sarcasm as he locked eyes with Dumbledore, mentally daring him to wriggle out of that.
Around the table, the other professors murmured their agreement, even Minerva's lips curled into a rare, approving smirk. But Dumbledore, of course, was not so easily swayed. He raised a calming hand, eyes still twinkling maddeningly.
"Ah, Severus, my dear boy, an intriguing proposition, but I'm afraid my time is rather... preoccupied." Severus snorted at the same moment Minerva scoffed. Time preoccupied? The man had all the time in the world to meddle in everyone else's business, or so it seemed. "And besides, I have already secured the approval of the Board of Governors for this change. Each of you will design a minor course of study for the sixth years—one year in length, with complete creative freedom over the subject matter. A rather exciting opportunity, don't you think?"
Snape was not remotely excited.
Dumbledore waved a parchment in the air, Hogwarts' crest emblazoned at the top. "Simply draft your course outline and add it to this by the end of the month. We'll distribute it at breakfast alongside the usual timetables. Very simple, really."
The knot of frustration in Snape's chest tightened. A summer that should have been relatively quiet was rapidly dissolving before his eyes. Normally, he'd use this time for minor updates to his Potions syllabus, a bit of brewing for the Hospital Wing, and the blessed silence of the castle without students underfoot. But no—now Dumbledore was enthusiastically scheming, and Snape's fleeting sense of calm was vanishing with each passing second.
"—and on that note, I believe this meeting is adjourned," Dumbledore concluded, rising from his seat as the professors began to shuffle to their feet, muttering in various tones of disgruntlement.
Minerva stormed past Snape, her tartan robes billowing behind her. "Unbelievable!" she muttered, more to herself than anyone else. "The nerve of the man—scheming without so much as consulting us!" Her indignation was palpable, and for a brief moment, Snape actually sympathised. Then again, this was his life, dealing with Dumbledore's plots and manipulations on a near-daily basis.
"Welcome to my world, Minerva," he thought bitterly as he followed her out of the staffroom, his usual scowl deepening with every step.
He strode through the familiar stone corridors of the castle, his dark robes trailing like a shadow behind him. In the quiet of the summer holidays, Hogwarts felt different—emptier, the magic that pulsed through its ancient walls more pronounced in the absence of noisy students. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, but one he rarely had the time or space to appreciate.
The Dark Lord had been vanquished not long ago, and for the first time in years, Snape's Mark had completely faded. The constant, lurking pain of his former master's influence had disappeared, leaving him with a strange sense of both relief and... something like emptiness. Yet, with Voldemort gone, he found his magical abilities heightened. He could now sense the magic around him in a way he never had before—the hum of the castle's wards, the faint auras that lingered in each corridor. It was as if he were more attuned to the world around him.
After descending into the dungeons, he entered his private laboratory, where three cauldrons simmered quietly, filling the room with a pleasant, familiar warmth. He waved his hand, stirring one of the potions anti-clockwise as he mulled over his predicament.
"What on earth am I going to teach?" he mused aloud, eyeing the cauldron as it bubbled softly. "Advanced Potions... No, too dangerous. I'd have to pay far too much attention to avoid disaster with that lot..." He stirred the potion a few more times before extinguishing the flame beneath it with a flick of his hand.
He bottled the freshly brewed Pepper-up Potion, scrawling the labels with a quick flourish of his hand. He would have to think of something eventually, but that was a problem for another day.
He walked through the door at the side of his lab and entered his quarters. Casting aside his outer robes, he slumped into the worn armchair, picking up a book he'd abandoned earlier. Whatever Dumbledore had in store, Snape was sure of one thing—it was going to be an insufferable year.
oOo
A/N: Aaaahh, I can't believe I finally did it! Let me know what you think in the comments!
I already have a few chapters done, so I'll try to upload a new one every 1–2 weeks :)