Ooo I’d love a headcanon or one shot about Severus’s NEWT classes—kids who have actually elected to take another 2 years of classes with our dumpster-fire boy! Why would they choose to do such a thing??
I might do a one shot of this later, but for now, here are headcanons!
-So most of the students in his NEWT classes are Slytherins (obviously) and Ravenclaws
-The Ravenclaws take these classes because, even though they don’t like him as a person, they admit that he is a great professor
-(They also want to continue to learn and grow in their skills)
-The Slytherins also take the classes because they respect him, but also because they know he favors them
-What none of his NEWT students expect going in is how different he is in these classes
-Severus is still strict, of course, but he comes off more relaxed
-It’s because he knows they are smart and isn’t under the stress of dealing with hopeless students
-When one of them is having an issue in their potion, he is not as berating. He is more calm with his explanations
-Because the world is more difficult, they have all seen him get frustrated with himself
-He has swore more than once in front of them
-He also treats them with respect because they are pretty much adults now
-To everyone’s surprise, he isn’t afraid to reprimand and take points away from the Slytherins when one of them is cruel to another student
-”In your future endeavors, if you even plan to do something with it, no one is going to be lenient with you when you act like a petulant child,” he tells them.
-All of the other students from different Houses start finding respect for him
-Because of his attitude, even the Slytherin students begin to cooperate with others and learn to make more acquaintances, sometimes even friends
-During lessons, he also gives some guidance on their futures. Because there are less students in NEWT classes, he develops a better understanding of each student’s personality and interests, so he knows what paths they need to start taking
-The work is painstaking, so Severus is less inclined to wear his cloak the whole time and has, at times, shown up in clothing that wasn’t his normal wear.
-He has also been known to talk about his issues with other professors
-”If Minerva does not get off my back, I swear to Merlin I will cover her office in catnip.”
-The students find themselves enjoying his class and try to tell younger students that he is not so bad.
-In his own way, he shows that he is proud of their growing skills and gives them all a reference once they graduate
-NEWT classes with Snape are thorough and teach students how to grow as people in the ways he still does not know how
