A/n: I wrote this quite quickly for SAM - Day Two: Potions Master! It is not beta read, so if there any mistakes, feel free to point them out.

Shimmering Fumes

October 1972

Severus felt his back collide against the wall as James Potter and his friends ran past, nearly knocking him down. It was a rather common occurrence over the past year, and he doubted that this would stop anytime soon. Potter and his friends seemed to have it out for him. They disliked the fact that he was friends with Lily, that he had known her longer. It was all irrelevant, because it was really none of their business. He would have retaliated in some way but the group of four was down the hall before he could do anything. The dark-haired young man clenched his fists before making his way down the Potions Dungeon.

It was hard to stay mad for long when it was Potions. It was by far his best subject. While he didn't hate the other subjects, there was something particularly gripping about this subject. Most people didn't get it, the imbeciles. It wasn't that complicated, but he saw more and more that it required precision. He enjoyed that, knowing that everything had to be precise, and when it wasn't, he would fix it - or try to. The other branches of magic taught here at Hogwarts - it was only the beginning of his second year, and he knew that he had not seen all the classes had to offer, not even close. However, Potions was singularly different, and he saw that even now.

The other branches required strength and skill, and if you lacked - or had to work harder for it - the magic didn't always work the way it was supposed to. Sometimes, there was nothing you could, or at least that's how it seemed to Severus right now. Potions was different, though. Yes, when he got a spell right, when it was good, it felt wonderful. There was nothing like magic, and Severus would not deny the fact that he was intrigued and fascinated by all magic had to offer- the good and the bad. There was something about the shimmering cauldrons and the subtlety of the art, and the lack of a wand, that made potions unlike any other branch of magic.

He pitied those who didn't see how useful it could be.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

July 1974

Severus was sitting on his bed. He wanted to go out and meet with Lily, but father was in a tirade at the moment. He worried that if he tried to leave, the man would get furious and end up taking it out on him - or his mother. HIs mother took the brunt of Tobias Snape's anger. He seemed to be angry all the the time, and when drunk, that could get even worse. He was drunk most of the time nowadays. Things had only gotten worse since he'd gotten older. There was yelling all the time now, and while his mother took the brunt of it, it didn't mean that Severus was immune. He either had to stay quiet in his room and hope that his father didn't want to come looking for him, or be out of the house so he couldn't.

At some point, though, he always had to come home.

Currently, Severus was working on his potions homework. He had two books spread out across his bed, his legs curled up underneath him as she made scratches on the parchment. The essay was on a series of plants, their uses in potions, and how they coincide with one another. He had written it twice to make sure he had the right balance, and detail. Potion was his best subject by far, and damn it, he would make sure that this was fucking perfect. Besides, it gave him more of an excuse to hide in his room and not have to try to sneak out, risking his father catching him.

Suddenly, the door to his room slammed open. Severus looked up to see his father standing in the doorway. "What are you doing?" the older man asked, his words slurring a bit from the drinking he had undoubtedly been doing. Then again, when wasn't he drinking? "Not more of that rubbish…" He stumbled into the room, walking over to the bed that Severus had been sitting on. He pushed the pieces of parchment and the books over on the floor before grabbing Severus's arm in a tight death grip.

"No," Severus said, keeping his voice as even as possible - something he had learned to do rather well when his father was involved. "No magic, I promise." The grip on his arm tightened a bit, and Tobias Snape loomed closer. Severus turned his face away from his father's alcohol-laden breath. "Just plants. That's it."

"Plants," Tobias repeated, and the grip on his arm lessened a bit. This happened quite often, actually, and since Potions was his favorite subject, more often than not, Severus could honestly say that he wasn't practicing magic. It was a technicality of course, but he was grateful for anything to distract the bastard long enough to get his attention elsewhere so he could get back to work. That seemed to have done the trick, and Tobias wandered out of the room.

Yes, Potions were quite useful indeed.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

February 1975

Severus knocked on the door to the Potions Master's office. "Come in, come in!" said the jovial voice from the other side, and Severus walked in to see Horace Slughorn sitting behind in his desk. "Ah, yes, Severus, do sit down." Severus did ais instructed, sitting carefully in the chair opposite Slughorn. "So, my boy, what are your thoughts for the future?"

Severus was quiet, keeping his eyes firmly on the desk. Plans for the future? He wasn't sure he had any. The only thing he was really any good at was Potions, but when he thought about his future it was hard to see much of anything. It wasn't as if he could his parents for advice. His mother cared, sure, but she was too busy dealing with his abusive, alcoholic father to be of much assistance to him. That left him pretty much on his own, which was fine with him. He had no idea what he was going to do for a future thought. He supposed that he'd need a job at some point, but he had no idea what that was going to be.

After a moment of silence when it was clear that Severus was not going to say anything, Slughorn spoke once more. "Well, your grades in Potions are top notch." His Head of House flicked through some papers that were on his desk. "Your grades in your other classes are decent, as well, so pull a few of those up a bit and you could do pretty much anything you wanted. Potions is your best subject, though. Have you ever thought about being a potioneer?" Severus looked up from his spot on the desk. "Maybe even a Potions Master yourself one day?"

"Potions Master?" The words sounded odd on Severus's lips, and he had to admit that he'd never considered the idea before. He was surprised to hear Slughorn say that. The old man never encouraged him outside of his potions-making abilities, not like Lily. He was not one of his favorites, not by any stretch of the imagination.

"Yes, you could do it, you have the talent," Slughorn said in a matter-of-fact way. "There are certifications and stuff to take to become an official Potions Master, but it's easy enough as getting a job in the field to get a leg in, so to speak. There aren't as many of those as you would think unless you want to move out of the country, but there are still enough. I can say with certainty that you'll be in my class next year."

"I - I'm honestly not sure, sir," Severus told him.

"Well, that's what this meeting is for, son," he said, "to discuss your future. As your Head of House, it is my job to give you advice as you go into your OWL's." Severus nodded, but he said nothing. His future hadn't ever been something he wanted to think about before. "Do you have any questions for me? Anything you wish to talk about?"

Severus shook his head. "No, sir," he said. "This meeting has been very enlightening. Thank you." Slughorn gave him a slight nod of his head, and then Severus got up to leave after that. So, the old man thought he had what it took to be a Potions Master one day. Wasn't that interesting?