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Another Side of the Story by Rose of the West [Reviews - 3]

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Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world in which they live are the creation and property of JK Rowling.

Headmaster Snape answered his office door one evening and was assailed by a wall of wailing. Moving past his sense of hearing, he observed his grandson being held in the hands of a frustrated and terrified father. Neville's face had the look Snape had last seen just before a cauldron exploded during a fifth year Potions class.

“Problems, Longbottom?” It was hard to keep a straight face or an even tone of voice with the child crying so.

“Is Emily here?”

“She was asked to attend a birth in the village.” The boy (as Snape still thought of Neville) had a look on his face that would have been enjoyable if it had come without such loud noise.

Neville shook his head. “I don't know what to do with him. He won't eat and won't sleep. His diaper is clean...”

Snape reached for his grandson and looked into his eyes, before holding him to his shoulder. The crying quieted to a fussy whimper. “Where is the child's mother?” The elder wizard led the way down the steps.

“She went back to work this week and tonight she's on patrol. They got a call about some suspicious activities in a small town, somewhere.” The Herbology professor was too distressed to remember.

“I see. Did she leave you his schedule?”

“It says that it's time for his bath, but Hope always does that.”

“Then this is your chance, Longbottom, to learn to do it yourself.”

The two men made their way to the small cottage behind the greenhouses where the Herbology professor's family lived. They continued to the bathroom, and Snape found all of the paraphernalia necessary to wash a baby was laid out. “Watch carefully, Longbottom. It's not that difficult.”

After warming the water to the proper temperature, the grandfather carefully washed the baby's face. He then stripped young Frank and placed him in the small bathtub, his forearm around the child's back and his hand grasping his arm. With his free hand he quickly washed the baby's arms, torso, legs, and diaper region. He finished by washing the child's hair, rinsing it with fresh water and finally placed the clean baby into the towel he directed Neville to hold.

Neville looked with new eyes upon the man who had been his teacher, father-in-law and boss. Snape was rolling his sleeves back down as they moved into the nursery. Frank was quickly diapered and dressed in a new gown. Relaxed after his bath, he happily took his bottle and went to sleep in his father's arms. The Headmaster summoned a house-elf and requested that a particular bottle of Old Ogden's be brought to the cottage.

As they waited for the Firewhisky, Neville held the child to his shoulder and quietly patted and rubbed his back. He found that he was almost dozing off himself, but came back to stark awareness when a large noise was made, and the diaper under his hand changed shape. Snape almost laughed aloud at the new look of terror on the young father's face.

“Steady on, Longbottom. You've faced Death Eaters with more fortitude.”

The young father looked up in consternation. “It didn't matter to me if I hurt the Death Eaters.”

They went back to the nursery where the grandfather gathered two fresh diapers and the other items necessary to change the baby. “What's the second diaper for?” asked Neville.

“You will see.”

The old diaper was unfastened and almost immediately a stream of liquid hit the young father in the face. The grandfather quickly stepped closer and dropped the extra diaper on top of the baby's nether regions to catch the flow. Snape waited while Neville cleaned himself off and then held the baby so that Neville could clean the baby and put on the new diaper. The used diapers were properly cleared away, and the men of the family returned to the sitting room. This time there were drinks all around as the elf had returned with the Firewhisky, and the baby took a new bottle.

“How do you know how to take care of babies so well?”

“I'm the father of six children, Neville. Emily liked to care for them as much as she could, herself, but sometimes it simply wasn't possible.”

“It doesn't fit the general impression of you,” Neville commented. Seeing the look on the Headmaster's face he quickly added, “Sir.”

Thinking for a moment, Severus finally answered, “Well, Neville, I have six children, but I'm not your father.”

Neville nodded at that. “You made it look so easy.”

“Again, I helped my wife care for six babies. The hardest part is having all of the materials at hand. If you gather everything before you start, it will go quickly. Just like Potions. Beyond that, you will find it gets easier the more you practice.”

A couple of hours later the Floo sprung to life and a tired Auror stepped out. Barely acknowledging her father or husband, she stepped over and took the baby and walked toward the bedrooms. “Here's my little man! Did you miss me? I hope you're hungry...” Soft syllables continued as she moved down the hallway.

The two wizards looked at each other and shared a grim smile. The Headmaster stood up. “That's probably my cue to leave. If she's like her mother, she will want to talk about what she did today while feeding the baby.”

Neville walked him to the door. “I can't thank you enough, Sir.”

“Consider it part of your education. And Neville,” he said, pausing at the door, “after all we did together tonight, you should probably start calling me Severus.”




“Here, now! Young man, we don't do that at Hogwarts.”

Headmaster Snape was speaking around a splatter of porridge that had been spit into his face by his grandson. The boy's mother had a meeting at the Ministry this morning, and his father was teaching a fourth year class. Meanwhile Emily was at St. Mungo's. That left Snape to take on grandfather duty while the Snape children were at lessons with a tutor.

He cleared the mess with a flick of his wand and picked the spoon back up. The women had entrusted the boy to him, expecting the child to be properly fed and cared for. He stared at the small face before him and changed his tactic. He lowered his voice.

“Mr. Longbottom, you are a member of two great Wizarding families. You come from a line of witches and wizards who have made their mark. They have lived through conflict and have triumphed.” The child, mesmerized by his grandfather's voice, opened his mouth as the spoon approached. “If you pay attention, we will teach you how to use your own powers. Wandwork, Potions, Healing and Defensive Arts... it can all be yours if you concentrate and learn.” Another spoonful of porridge reached its destination. “I will teach you to avoid being a dunderhead and to achieve greatness.” The cereal disappeared with little trouble as he continued to speak to the child.

Emily was the first adult to arrive back in the Headmaster's rooms. She found her husband lying on the couch with the small body cradled on his chest. She smiled to see the eldest and youngest men in her life both asleep. She reached down to pick up her grandson and her smile grew deeper as her husband's arms tightened protectively.

He woke up as he realized she was there. “What time is it?” He released his hold on the baby, and she put him into a portable crib.

“It's a couple of hours until dinner. I left work early this afternoon. How long has he been sleeping?”

“Let me think. I gave him his lunch, as directed, and we went for a walk on the grounds. Then we came back and settled down with a bottle...perhaps an hour or so.”

“At his age he might sleep another hour.” Emily left a thought hanging there as she sat on the edge of the couch.

Her husband sat up to give her space next to him. “Are you suggesting that we scandalize another generation of our family?”

“Why, Headmaster Snape, are you suggesting scandalous behavior?”

Faster than she expected, he pinned her on the couch beneath him. He leered down upon her until she lifted her arms around his neck and her lips to his. They kissed and compared their activities that day, passing a delightful hour until a knock on the door indicated the arrival of their daughter.

They were sitting primly at opposite ends of the couch when Hope entered, but something in their faces told her what they had been doing. “At it again?” she asked. “You realize you're the most embarrassing parents on record.”

Hearing his mother's voice, young Frank Longbottom started to fuss quietly. She picked him up and then asked her parents about his care during the time she was away. Hope didn't believe that he had eaten his cereal. “He hardly ever eats it for me,” she said.

Her father smirked at her. “Hm, well, Mrs. Longbottom, I would guess that your technique could use some work.”

“All of you children were much better behaved for him than for me,” said Emily.

Hope looked at her parents and smiled with her father. “How did you do it?” she asked him, wanting pointers.

Her father simply lifted an eyebrow and said, “I believe that's going to be my secret.”




March 2012

“Young man, that's not how we behave at Hogwarts.”

A mischievous five-year-old looked up from where he had crawled under some chairs and answered only somewhat impudently, “But we're not at Hogwarts. We're at St. Mungo's, Granddad.”

Headmaster Snape looked firmly down at the boy. “It doesn't matter where we are, young man. Everyone knows we live at Hogwarts, so they will expect us to behave ourselves wherever we are.”

Frank Longbottom crawled back out and sat next to his grandfather, glancing at the others in the room. He whispered up to his grandfather. “Are they all here because my mama is sick?”

Severus explained quietly. “You know your mama isn't exactly sick. She's getting you a baby brother or sister. These people are here because other mamas are getting babies today, too.”

“Do I have to share my broom with my brother?” asked the boy.

“You know that it could easily be a sister, and the answer is no. The baby will be far too little to worry about brooms for a long time.”

“What if it's a sister? What does someone do with sisters?”

“Pretty much the same thing as with brothers. You would play with her and help Mama and Dad take care of her.”

“Can I teach her spells?”

“I think we'll leave that for the staff at Hogwarts, young man. You will both learn your spells better if you wait to be taught by your teachers.”

The little face looked a bit annoyed at that, but brightened as Augusta Longbottom came in.

“Gran! Mama is getting us a baby brother or sister.”

“Yes, Frank, I know.”

Augusta looked fondly at the small boy as she made her way to a chair and sat down. She was walking a bit slower now than in years past, but she was still a force to reckon with. Not many people crossed her wishes. She spoke to Severus.

“I was up seeing Frank and Alice. I think Alice understands what's going on, and even Frank knows that something special is happening today.”

“I know something special is happening, Gran,” put in the child.”

“Yes, dear, but I was talking about your Grandfather Frank.”

“I like Grandfather Frank. He always smiles at me and shakes my hand.”

“Yes he does, dear.”

Hope and Neville had brought young Frank to see the Longbottoms on the day after he was born. Their reaction to him had been quite unexpected. Alice had spoken to the baby. She had not said much beyond the child's name, but she clearly understood who the baby was in relation to herself. Frank had simply looked at the child, although with more animation than had been seen in his eyes for some time. Now, when the child visited, they both reached to take his hand and Alice seemed to follow his childish conversations.

The day wore on and young Frank grew restless. His grandfather took him for a walk around the hallways, ending at the tea shop, where they had a snack. They took a long route back to the waiting room and when they arrived, the child yawned widely. His grandfather transfigured a chair into a cot and put the boy down for a nap.

The afternoon continued to pass and some families erupted in joy and left as their happy news came, while other families joined the throng in the waiting room. The boy woke and played for a while with his toy wand. Young Frank was a bit more successful than was safe, and his grandfather had to intervene, causing the elderly great-grandmother to reminisce fondly about her own little boy. Finally Margo Smith came into the waiting room with a smile upon her face and Snape looked at his mother-in-law expectantly. “Well?” he said.

“She looks exactly like my Emily did when she was born,” said the Healer. “It was much easier this go around, and the last time I saw a father so besotted with his daughter, Severus, was the day the twins were born.”

Headmaster Snape turned red and looked around the room with a serious look on his face. It wouldn't do for the other families to think he was soft. He had a reputation to uphold and school discipline to maintain, after all.

“Is my Mama ok?” piped up young Frank, who bounced on his chair.

Margo leaned down to the boy. “She's just fine except that she wants to see you.”

“Does she miss me?”

“Indeed she does, and she also wants you to meet your brand new baby sister.”

The boy looked up seriously. “A baby sister won't want to have my broom.”

The great-grandmother looked down. “No, I don't think she will, at least not until you are quite finished with it.”

“I guess she's ok, then.”

“She's more than ok, young man, she's wonderful. Come see for yourself.”




September 1, 2018

Frank Longbottom had looked forward to today as along as he could remember. Last week Mum and Dad had brought him to Diagon Alley and gotten all of his things together, and today he was riding the Hogwarts Express for the first time ever. As he sat in a compartment with second year student James Potter and Potter's Weasley cousins, he thought about which house he would be in.

James was Gryffindor, of course. His whole family, on both sides, had been Gryffindor for a very long time. There was a joke in their family that to not be Gryffindor would be a horrible thing. James said they weren't really serious about it, though. Gran wanted Frank to be Gryffindor, too. Since Gran wanted it, so did Dad. Great Grandma Margo said that Ravenclaw was a good house and Grandma Emily smiled and said whichever house he went to would be better because he was in it. Mum wouldn't say what she wanted, but would only tell him she expected him to be in the right place, and to be happy wherever he was. His uncles each wanted him in their houses. The aunties told him that whichever house he Sorted to, he needed to just stay out of their way. Since they would have too much studying and “other” things to do, they didn't have time to deal with a firstie.

Frank had a nervous fascination with Mum's and Granddad's house. Everyone knew that most of the bad wizards and witches were Slytherin. Still, Granddad was a hero for spying against Voldemort, and Mum fought against the Death Eaters at the Battle of Hogwarts. Whenever Frank had asked Granddad which house he should be in, Granddad would tell him that somehow the hat would know. Then Granddad would drill him on spell blocking. He rarely gave anything away, but Granddad could be counted on to teach a really cool block or hex most days.

He sighed and listened in on the conversation in the compartment. The other boys were talking about Quidditch. It seemed that you couldn't belong to that family and not be Quidditch-crazy. Frank liked to watch the game, but he didn't think he would play much, if at all. His parents had let him fly on a toy broom and he did pretty well with that, but when his Mum put him on a real one a year ago, it hadn't worked very well at all. Dad had ruffled his hair and told him that he wasn't very good at flying, either. Mum had laughed at that and then they had started talking about their first flying lesson at school, and how Harry Potter had saved Dad's Remembrall. Mum finally told Frank that it would get easier as he practiced. He was already better than he had been, but it still wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world.

Finally they arrived in Hogsmeade. Frank had been to the village and the school hundreds of times before, of course, but this was completely different. He knew that Mum and his sister, Amy, were probably having dinner in the cottage right now, unless they were up in the Headmaster's office with Grandma Emily. Mum had taken him to King's Cross this morning, and he knew that she was going to Floo home after working a part-day at the Ministry. He ignored the twinge of homesickness at the thought of being so close to his family and yet in a new and different world.

Professor Hagrid took all of the first years on the boats, just as Frank had always been told. The other first years on the boat with him hypothesized about Sorting and how it would work. They asked his name and when he told them, they asked about his dad and grandfather. It wasn't too bad being the son of a well known hero of the war and the grandson of another, but it could get a bit awkward. At least it wasn't as bad as being James, whose father had a bank holiday in his honor and whose picture was in the paper every few weeks. When they had gone to Diagon Alley to get their things together, the Potter family was recognizable by the small crowd of reporters that followed them around. The Longbottoms so far had avoided that sort of notoriety.

Tonight the other kids wanted to know about the snake and whether Dad and Granddad would really be wearing boots made from Nagini's skin. They only wore the boots for special occasions, like the Start of Term Feast, and Frank answered in the affirmative. Then the other kids wanted to know what he could tell them about the school. Frank had been around the halls and everything, but he couldn't tell much. Professors tended to keep their pre-Hogwarts-aged children out of sight during term.

When they were placed in the holding room, the kids from the boat whispered with the other kids until every first year knew who he was. That got a bit awkward and he wondered if he would have any friends in his class. Peeves came in, then, and scared some of the Muggle-born girls to death. The house ghosts followed Peeves and introduced themselves and their houses. That left Frank to wonder anew which house he would Sort to. His family affiliations were so varied.

Professor Chang came and lined them up, so there wasn't much more time to think about it. They walked into the Great Hall. Frank had been there many times, but had never seen it looking so grand. He stood in line and watched and listened as the other first years were sorted. Finally the Professor Chang read her scroll and summoned “Longbottom, Francis.” As he walked up to the Sorting Hat, Frank caught a glimpse of Nearly-Headless Nick giving him thumbs up.

“Ah, a new member of a great family,” said the Sorting Hat by way of introduction. The hat had a way of speaking in Frank's head so no one else heard. “There's so much here, already. With your heritage and your talents, you could be anywhere. One of these days I'm going to refuse to sort a student like you, but this Headmaster would reduce me to a pile of lint if I did. Let's see...you would rather not be Hufflepuff, and Helga's house is full enough right now. Everyone thinks that's the best way to get into the Ministry. Hm... smarts, loyalty, bravery... All things considered, there is one house that is a good fit, and I didn't need your meddlesome grandmother to tell me so.”

The Headmaster watched intently as the hat deliberated. He vaguely remembered the older Frank Longbottom being sorted, and the lad on the three-legged stool did look like his other grandfather. When Sorting, though, it was not looks, but the nature of one's character that mattered. Snape tried not to get too personal about watching where the students Sorted, but he was quite competitive about it. He was still Slytherin enough to care whether certain children came to his House.

The only person in the Headmaster's rooms after the feast was the Headmaster's wife. She sat on a couch, calmly reading a trade journal when her husband came up the stairs. She stood and looked expectantly at him as he came into the room. She then sighed in annoyance when neither his lips nor his face told how Frank's Sorting went. Severus enjoyed telling these stories in his own way and time. There was nothing for Emily to do but follow his lead.

He extinguished the lights and pulled her to their bedroom, where the noises that ensued were not the sort of ones that would describe the Feast at all. If Emily were asked, she would freely admit that at some point between helping her husband with his coat and having his lips pressed to her bare shoulder, she ceased to care. Her one conscious thought was that if such magic were possible between two people at their age, she was happy to be one of the two people.

“Be careful of those boots. They have someone to inherit them, now.” Emily was almost dozing off when his voice rumbled into her neck.

“Ah... the honeyed voice of my husband. You are breaking your vow of silence, then?”

“Perhaps you should take them off now, if you're not going to show me how you manage to get them onto your own feet...”

“That will remain my secret,” she responded smugly. “It's nice to have one thing you can't do better than I can, even if it's inconsequential.”

“It's of great consequence, especially if it leads to further wear on the boots themselves—“

“Which we need to protect because, I take it, young Frank will at some point receive them?”

“They should go to a Slytherin.” Even in the dark, Emily could recognize the smile on his face.

“You've been hoping for this since Severus Sorted.” There was laughter in her voice.

“I won't deny it.”

“You sound so smug. What if he receives his father's boots?”

“Those are Gryffindor boots, but as long as he gets a pair, I will be content.”

Emily removed the boots and put them in their box where they would await the next important event for which they would be worn. Severus pulled his wife into his arms and drifted to sleep, pleased with a world in which they could contentedly watch their grandchildren grow.

A/N: Many thanks to Trickie Woo, who beta read this in the midst of a computer's untimely death.

This is a quick two shot to explore a side of Severus Snape I've seen very rarely in fandom. There is a bit of an idea for a proper sequel to Two Sides buried in the first chapter. If it interests you, let me know. Thank you for reading and thank you in advance for reviewing!


Another Side of the Story by Rose of the West [Reviews - 3]

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