Heredity and Houses

All characters and settings you recognize belong to JK Rowling the Great. I just play with them a little, and make no money from doing so, although I enjoy it enormously.


Ch 3 First Week


Second Day- Professors' Lounge

"Professor Snape," Professor Stearns addressed Hermione. "I've been meaning to talk to you about your son. I would have thought, growing up here at Hogwarts with Professors for parents, that he would have more respect for school traditions..."

"What seems to be the problem, Professor Stearns?"

"Well, he wants to sit with that girl, that Slytherin, in class."

"Ginevra Potter, yes..."

"And he seems to be inspiring others to want to mix up the seating."

Severus leaned against the table, folded his arms, and prepared to be entertained. He knew Hermione didn't particularly care for the older Witch, but that she didn't want to antagonize her. Personally, he didn't care WHO he antagonized; especially if he knew they weren't going to like him no matter what he did.

Hermione sighed. "Professor Stearns, you have to understand. Our son has spent much time with Ginevra, as well as with Neville's daughter, Alice, and Ron Weasley's son, Fred, since they were all babies. Being close friends takes precedence for them over their houses. Tobias isn't being disrespectful, he probably didn't even think about what he was doing. He would never purposely cause trouble."

Severus was amused to notice her fingers crossed behind her back. She knew she was fibbing when she said that last part.

"Is it REALLY so important where they sit?" Hermione asked.

Professor Stearns looked disapprovingly at Hermione, and her gaze shifted to Severus. "Order must be maintained, surely. The Houses are an old tradition." She turned to Professor McGonagall. "Minerva, surely you agree with me."

Minerva rose to her feet and stood right in front of Professor Stearns with a frown on her face. "I refuse to tell Harry Potter's daughter and Hermione Granger's son that they can't sit together in my class. I've watched those children grow up together, and they ALL have traits from more than one House. Trying to force them into boxes, Catherine, would be a mistake. Let the past be past."

Obviously not convinced, but also obviously not winning the argument, Professor Stearns pursed her lips together and said "We'll see. I have to prepare for a class."

Severus met Hermione's eyes with a raised eyebrow. She looked troubled. When Professor Stearns was out of the room she turned to Professor McGonagall. "Minerva, WHY does she want to cling to the House rivalry so immovably?"

"I don't know, Hermione,"

"I do," said Severus.

Both women turned to him.

"Stearns was a year or two ahead of me in school," he said. "she had a younger brother, and I know her family a bit. Her sister took up with a Death Eater for a time, and it nearly killed her mother. She's been very cool with me, and very curt with my snakes in her classes."

"But the current students didn't have anything to do with it!" exclaimed Hermione.

"Neither did I," replied Snape. "But that doesn't stop her from disliking me on principle. Some people react to bad situations by becoming rigid. Slytherins are evil. Houses shouldn't mix. Gryffindors shouldn't marry Slytherins."

Hermione looked stricken.

"Yes, well, she'll just have to get over it," said Minerva firmly.

Third Day- late afternoon, Hallway near the Slytherin Common Room

Ginevra was in a hurry. She had dropped off her pack in her dorm room before supper so she wouldn't have to keep carrying it. Those books were heavy, but now she regretted her decision. She wouldn't have admitted it to anyone, but the dungeon corridors were a little spooky when one was alone. Almost to the steps, she heard a voice, and then a heavy thud.
She whipped around, wand out. A rather large body was crumpled on the floor not far behind her, and Cassie Malfoy stood behind the body, wand out. It was her voice Ginevra had heard. The girl looked down at the body with a smile.

"I've never tried that spell on an actual person, before. It works quite well."
She looked up at Ginevra. "He was hiding in the alcove, there. He jumped out as you passed and was about to hex you, but I got him first."

"Thank you."

"You're quite welcome. He deserved it. Those older boys are much too bossy. Should we do something more to him, do you think?" She looked hopeful.

Ginevra smiled as she cast toward the body. It wasn't a nice smile.

As the two girls hurried toward the Great Hall Cassie said "That's a neat hex. Where did you learn it?"

"Its my mother's specialty. Its called a Bat-Bogey hex. She taught it to me, she figured I would need some protection. Not that Professor Snape won't do what he can, but he can't be everywhere."

"What do your parents think of you in Slytherin? They were both Gryffindor, after all."

Ginevra grinned. "I think they were expecting it. Dad said the sorting hat nearly put him in Slytherin when he was a first year. And Mom has a definitely devious side. And I got the sneakiest part of both of them. One year, when I was about five, I remember Mom and Dad trying to explain to me why I shouldn't read my cousin Alice's diary, and I stamped my foot and said 'you are just SO Gryffindor sometimes!'"

Cassie's eyes grew large. "What did they do?"

"They just stared at me for a moment, and then they laughed so hard they could hardly breathe. My aunts and uncles and cousins all laughed too, except for Uncle Severus, who just said 'out of the mouths of babes'."

"My Goodness! If I had said something like that to my parents...well I would never have said it. My Dad wouldn't have laughed. If I hadn't been in Slytherin I think my Dad would have put me in Beauxbatons instead of Hogwarts. My French is awful."

Their voices trailed off into the distance as Severus stepped into the hall from a doorway with a thoughtful look on his face. With the same look he regarded the still comatose body on the floor, stepped over it, and followed the girls toward the Great Hall.

That evening- outside the Gryffindor Commom Room

"Well, are you coming in with me, or not?"

"Are you sure about this, Tobias? Is it allowed?" Fred never called him Tobias instead of T unless he was worried.

Alice looked frightened, but Ginevra gave her a push toward the door. "Go ahead. It'll be alright. I want to see the Gryffindor Common Room. T, you go first."

Tobias gave the Fat Lady the password. She was eyeing the other three first years doubtfully, but she DID open, and they all scrambled through.

Silence spread across the room as students noticed who had come in. Tobias and Ginevra both pasted innocent looks on their faces, and headed toward an unoccupied table in one corner.

"You wanted help on that Potions paper, didn't you, Alice?" asked Tobias. "I'll bet Fred can help us all."

"You're better at Potions than I am, T," said Fred as they all started taking out their books, paper, quills. Still silence from the rest of the room. Storm clouds were brewing on the faces of some of the older Gryffindor students, and several of them started toward the table where the first years sat.

"Hey- they don't belong in here!" a boy called out.

Ginevra turned to him with a smile. "My parents were both Gryffindors. They talk about this room. Its as nice as they told me."

"She's Harry Potter's daughter," someone muttered.

"Yeah, but she's a SLYTHERIN," someone else added.

"My Father was a Gryffindor, too," Fred spoke up.

"So was mine," said Alice. "He's the herbology Professor, you know. Professor Longbottom."

The other students looked a little confused, but the first one said, angrily, "I don't care WHO your parents are! You're not Gryffindors! Snape, you shouldn't have brought them in here. You don't really belong here yourself!" There were angry mutters of agreement from some of the other students, others protested.

No one noticed her until Professor McGonagall's voice rose above the noise, "Miss Potter, welcome to Gryffindor Common. Does it look as you imagined?"

"Yes, Professor. My Dad has described it to me many times."

"And Miss Longbottom, Mr. Weasley, welcome to you, also. I was disappointed not to have you all in my House, but Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw are fine houses, also. I'm sure you will do them proud. Homework, I see. Well, carry on."

After that endorsement the students were rather afraid to continue protesting their presence. Tobias and the other three worked on their potions homework for about an hour. A few other Gryffindors, hearing the discussion about Potions and figuring that Tobias, given his father, was probably good at the subject, came over and asked some questions. Tobias and Fred both ended up giving some help to a some older students who had a particularly tricky Potions assignment. A few of the older students, however, still muttered and shot angry looks their way.

"Oh, look at the time!" cried Alice. "Come on, we've got to get back to our houses." And the group broke up, leaving Tobias in the Common Room.

"Professor Snape is REALLY your father? But he's scary!" squealed a small first year girl.

Tobias laughed. "His bark is worse than his bite. Honestly. He's just strict, is all."

"How did you end up in Gryffindor?" asked a boy.

Just lucky I guess- the phrase went through Tobias' mind, but he was playing this nice and innocent, so he said "My Mum, she was in Gryffindor. All of my other cousins are in different houses. Mum would have been heartbroken if I hadn't been in Gryffindor."

"Those other first years- they're your cousins?"

"Well, not by blood. But our parents are so close that we've grown up calling each other cousins, and we call each other's parents aunt and uncle."

"Harry Potter is your UNCLE?"

"Yeah, more or less," answered Tobias. The conversations continued until bedtime.

Somewhere in the school hallways, near midnight


Snape and Hermione strolled through the halls, Hermione yawning hugely. "You know, you don't have to do hall duty along with me."

"I know," she said, "but I like to. It's so quiet at night. "Anyway," she shot him a grin, "someone has to stop you from scaring the students to death."

"Hmmrph," he snorted. "And who, pray tell, will stop me from scaring YOU?" He moved close, backing her against the wall, but she just laughed.

"Oh, I stopped being afraid of you some while back."

"Indeed." He moved close, and bent to trail his lips over her throat. "Then why is your heart speeding up? Hmmm?"

"It's not fear. Anticipation, maybe..."

"Of WHAT, exactly?" His hands moved over her body as he pushed her hard against the wall.

"Of...OHHHH..."

He chuckled. "I love it when you go all incoherent."

"Mmmmmm..."

A noise got their attention. A footstep in the silence.
Snape pushed Hermione further back into the shadows with a finger to his lips. He stepped out into the hallway.

"Professor Snape? Is that you? I thought I heard voices." It was the caretaker, Filch.

"Just some students snogging in a corner. I sent them off. This hall is clear."

Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris wound once around Snape's ankles, and turned to look toward the shadows where Hermione was trying desperately not to giggle. As the cat started toward her Snape picked the cat up and began petting her. Mrs. Norris looked up into his eyes, and accepted the caress, and Filch looked slightly shocked. Hermione crammed her fist in her mouth to stop any sound as she shook with suppressed laughter at the scene.

"She don't take up with nobody but me, most of the time," he nodded toward his cat.

"Mrs Norris and I have patrolled halls together before this night," said Snape, putting the cat down and nudging her firmly in Filch's direction.

"Mwreow," said Mrs. Norris with one last glance toward Hermione. The she walked off in the opposite direction with a confused Filch following.

Snape turned back to Hermione once Filch was safely around a corner. "Now, about those naughty students, snogging in corners, especially the one who isn't afraid of me anymore..."


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Thanks, Sureves Epans, I'm glad you like. Don't know how long I will make it. I have trouble with long stories, but I'd like to get the kids old enough to get some romance going with them. Right now its almost writing itself. AS far as the name, Tobias- I saw it more as Hermione's bid to lay to rest some old hurts.