#he'd be the most hands-on and almost stage mom mf ever

[sneverussape]

slytherin house dynamics under snape hc

this was inspired by this post by fuocogo that stated that slytherins probably know sign language because they need to communicate with the creatures living in the Black Lake and that tickled my imagination. 

this will also focus on slytherin house specifically with snape as the head of house, because i like to think that after his own experiences he would have reformed a lot of what goes on inside, especially with him aligning to the light.

disclaimer: i haven’t reread the books in over a decade. i also don’t play any of the games so everything is really just based on how i remember the material i read, with some bits from the movies, as well as other hcs people have 

snape does not tolerate bullying and any slytherin caught will answer to him personally. draco gets away with it a lot because i feel like it’s either he does it where the teachers don’t/can’t see, or snape makes a judgement call on the ones he does see (like the ones in potions where draco taunts the gryffindors). he definitely will not have tolerated draco calling hermione mudblood though. not even lucius’ son can get away with that

he keeps strict tabs on his little snakes - he interviews first years personally and at the start of the year assigns each one an older student to act as both a guide (like a mentor) and a guard. he does not encourage slytherins to walk alone, and each slytherin is assigned to and responsible for another.

he doesn’t openly encourage inter-house friendships but also doesn’t say no to them either. he turns a blind eye when he sees any of his snakes consorting with ravenclaws for homework help or hufflepuffs for trading sweets, but it does grate on his nerves a bit when he sees them interacting with gryffindors in a friendly manner. he doesn’t stop them however

slytherins do not lie to their head of house. the older students are quick to tell the first years that snape always knows when they lie and it’s just not worth it

snape advocates for his snakes’ continued and expanded learning - he’s well-informed of their background before they attend hogwarts and assigns them learning materials with homework as first years to fill in gaps that they may lack. this is especially useful to the half-bloods and muggleborns who may not have had any magical exposure prior to hogwarts (not unlike himself). as they grow older he also keeps an eye on their likely strengths in different fields and suggests to them possible materials for advanced learning

knowing that a lot of his snakes are from pureblood, bigoted families who would rat out any suspicious anti-dark lord dealings within the house, he encourages them to duel once or twice a month, but with very strict house rules: (1) he always has to be there; (2) hexes and curses only, no Unforgiveables; (3) to not tell the other houses that they are doing such and; (4) to not use any of the more harmful hexes on any of their fellow students or teachers. as a side effect, slytherins are actually quite good at DADA because snape also sneaks in a lesson or two and he knows it’s these students that will need them the most

they have a distress signal (maybe a small item?) that the students can use to contact their head of house directly if they’re in trouble. students have been known to trigger it even during the hols, and snape always assists in the best way he can

he never addresses problems nor gives praise in public. everything is discussed in his office and is always strictly confidential

his snakes are used to the rule that ‘whatever happens in hogwarts, stays in hogwarts’ so even if they see snape at any of their parents’ parties or meetings, they either ignore him or only acknowledge him subtly

he has a potions cabinet that’s for slytherin use only - these contain the basic first-aid potions and other solutions that the students may need and that he or they can use within the safety of the house, away from prying eyes

any student showing budding interest in the dark arts will be mentored by snape personally (he’ll give them a hell of a time to subtly discourage them from continuing)

slytherins are loyal to snape because they know they can trust him and are safe with him

discussions about the dark lord are not forbidden, in fact they’re encouraged, but only within the house. it gives snape a chance to gauge where his snakes stand and an opportunity to change their mind should they be in treacherous waters

he watches every game, every contest where a slytherin is represented and makes sure to sit in a spot where his student would see him

any internal issues are resolved by him mocking up a trial court that comprises the entire house. students are given a chance to plead, defend, allege, bargain, and stand as the jury. he stands as the judge