Author's Note: Shoutout to neonorne, Sithtar, Deby Magid, Tonks-is-cool, Padawan Jan-AQ, and Rue-the-Marauder for the reviews! Sorry this chapter took so long, but I've been busy and sleep-deprived lately, and I wanted it to be at least halfway decent. I'm not sure it is that, but at least I was awake when I wrote it.

Arc 1: Hogsmeade at Halloween

Chapter 1: Introducing Mr. Snape

Hogsmeade was everything Harry had imagined and more. As he walked along in the chill air, he listened to Ron and Hermione's bickering with half an ear, feeling for the first time this year that he really didn't mind their arguing. Normally it bothered him, but it was hard to be bothered by anything when a big chunk of Honeydukes chocolate was melting in his mouth.

He took another bite and took a moment to study their surroundings. They'd visited Honeydukes and Zonko's already, and they were probably going to head to the Three Broomsticks next to get their first taste of butterbeer, but before he could adjust his course accordingly, a dark little building at the end of the street caught his eye.

Curious, Harry broke away from Ron and Hermione – not that they noticed – and approached the small shop. There was no decoration on the door, but the plain sign that stood next to it read Unique Potions. With a thrill of anticipation, Harry pushed open the door and stepped inside, setting his bags and candy down beside the door.

The whole space was filled with shelves, most of which were approximately Harry's height. Vials of different sizes, shapes, and colors were everywhere. Harry approached the nearest shelf to study the vials, and was disappointed to find that he recognized all the potions there – they were all in his textbook. That wasn't very unique! There were many more shelves beyond, though, and soon he was browsing his way deeper into the shop, stopping at any potion he didn't recognize on sight for a closer examination.

He didn't notice the hook-nosed man sitting behind the counter in the back of the shop until he reached for a tiny vial of orange liquid and the man spoke.

"If you're looking for something specific, I can direct you."

Harry glanced up, startled, and shook his head. "Nothing specific, exactly. Just potions I don't know, like this one." He held the vial up in front of his face, turning it from side to side to examine its viscosity.

"I sincerely doubt you need a dose of Eye-Weakening Potion," said the man.

"Is that what this is?" Harry squinted at the vial more closely, pushing his glasses up his nose with his free hand. "I've never heard of it."

"I invented it." When Harry looked at him in surprise, the man added, "I was going for Eye-Strengthening, but sometimes one's mistakes can still be marketed as a viable potion, not that that one sells particularly well. The Eye-Strengthening Potion is the one next to it."

Harry put down the vial carefully and picked up one that was filled with bright green liquid. It was tempting, but he wasn't sure he trusted a potion made by a stranger. Besides, he was used to his glasses, and so was the rest of the world, he was sure. "I probably shouldn't."

The man gave him a shrewd look. "Take off your glasses."

Harry looked at him in surprise, and then, after carefully replacing the vial on the shelf, removed his glasses as the man requested.

"Come closer," was the next order, and Harry moved toward the counter, stopping at the edge of it. He was then treated to a close scrutiny of his face. "You look more like your mother than I expected," the man said after a moment of this.

"Sorry?"

"You are Harry Potter, yes?" said the man.

Harry nodded, flattening his fringe nervously. "What was that about my mother? Everyone always says I look like my dad, except with Mum's eyes."

The man shook his head. "Without the glasses, you look more like Lily than James."

"Did you know my parents?" Harry asked, his eyes widening.

"Your mother was a friend." The man held out a hand across the counter. "My name is Severus Snape."

Harry accepted the gesture happily. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Snape," he said, since one could never go wrong with politeness. He was rewarded with a small, approving smile.

Snape, who had risen for his study of Harry's face, sat down again, and Harry replaced his glasses so he could look at the man properly. He had straight, slightly greasy black hair that fell nearly to his shoulders, and there was a sallow tone to his skin. "Ugly" would probably be an accurate assessment of his looks, though rude. On the other hand, there was a sharp glint of intelligence in his black eyes, something that mattered far more to Harry, who probably also fell into the "ugly" category.

"Does my appearance meet with your approval?" said Snape dryly.

Harry shrugged. "I'm more interested in your shop. Did you invent a lot of the potions here? Why do you sell so many common ones?"

"Good business." When Harry blinked at him in confusion, Snape elaborated, "The average witch or wizard does not want to waste his or her time brewing potions when there are… better things to do. I've found that I can make a great deal of money by simply providing the potions myself, rather than the ingredients – although I sell many of those as well." He gestured in the direction of a door, which Harry guessed led to a back storeroom. "Are you interested in potions, Mr. Potter?"

"Yeah, I mean, yes, I am. Potions is my favorite class." Harry grinned. "It's the only class where my grade is higher than Hermione's. She's one of my best friends and she's the best student in the year, but she can't beat me at Potions."

The corners of Snape's lips twitched in the ghost of a smile, and Harry stood up a little straighter at this sign of approval. "As I recall, your mother was also very good at Potions. She and I were constantly in a battle for the top spot." He paused. "She usually got it, not because she was better than me – we were quite evenly matched – but because she was favored by the professor. You don't still have Slughorn, do you?"

Harry shook his head. "No, my Potions teacher is Professor Porpin."

"Porpin? Never heard of him."

"He's all right. We don't really learn much in his classes, though. He just has us read the instructions out of our books and then grades it. I have to do my own research if I want to really understand anything," Harry explained. "But it's worth it! I want to be able to invent potions someday." He gave Snape a tentative smile.

"An admirable goal," said Snape, and Harry's smile grew more confident. "Your mother would have been proud."

Harry hesitated. Snape had mentioned Harry's mother several times now – maybe he wouldn't mind a few questions. "Can you… can you tell me a little about my mother? All I really know is that I have her eyes and that she was good at Charms. And Potions," he added, remembering what Snape had said. "But I didn't even know about the potions until today."

Snape's face was unreadable for a long moment, but then his eyes softened and he smiled – a real smile this time, not a tiny, barely visible one. Harry relaxed. He hadn't offended the man. He'd hate to have to leave this lovely potion shop just because he'd wanted to know about his mum!

"I could probably tell you a great deal about Lily," said Snape. "What would you like to know?"

He pulled out his wand and waved it in Harry's direction. Startled, Harry jumped back. The backs of his knees collided with something hard, and the next thing he knew, he had fallen into a chair. He smiled sheepishly when Snape raised an eyebrow in question. "Sorry. I get a bit jumpy sometimes. What was she like? Did she have a lot of friends? Did she have any other favorite classes that she wasn't as good at? Did she want to be an inventor too?"

Snape's expression grew more amused at each question. He finally held up a hand before Harry could ask any more. "One question at a time, child." Harry nodded and clamped his lips shut. "Lily was one of the kindest, most generous people I knew. She was friendly with… nearly everyone she ever met, but she would not tolerate injustice or bullying. Her favorite class was always Charms; she wanted to invent spells more than potions, I believe. She was not terribly fond of any classes at which she could not excel."

"Hermione's like that," Harry observed. "She tries to be the best at everything, and she gets really upset if she can't figure something out."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Are you referring to your friend or your sister?"

Harry giggled. "She is a bit like a sister to me, sir."

"Is there a class you particularly like but are not proficient in?" Snape asked. "I must admit to curiosity, since you asked that question."

"Oh, well, sometimes I have trouble learning spells in Charms, but I still really like that class," said Harry with a shrug. "Professor Flitwick is nice and he understands if you take a little longer to get it. It takes me a while in Transfiguration too, but Professor McGonagall doesn't have a lot of patience all the time."

"Hmm." Snape looked like he wanted to say something else about this, but he seemed to decide against it. "Concerning friends, shouldn't you be with yours? I assume this is an official Hogsmeade weekend."

"Ron and Hermione aren't as interested in potions as I am," said Harry. "They're probably still arguing about their pets. Hermione's cat is always going after Ron's rat, who's sick anyway. I just snuck off when I saw this shop. They'll understand when I tell them where I went."

"I see."

"Do you know any stories, maybe, about my mum?" Harry asked. "Since you were friends with her, I mean."

"Stories?" Snape repeated.

Harry flushed. "Yeah. I always wanted to hear stories about her when I was little, but my Aunt Petunia wouldn't ever talk about her. She doesn't let me ask questions, ever. Maybe thirteen is too old for stories," he conceded, looking down at his hands, which he was twisting in his lap.

Long, thin fingers touched his chin gently, pulling it up so that he was facing Snape again. The man's expression was stoic, but there was softness in his eyes. "One is never too old for stories, Mr. Potter. I would be happy to tell you a story about Lily." He released Harry's chin and touched a finger to his own, pondering. "Ah. I think I have one you will like…"

AN: Arc 1 continues on the next update with Snape's story about Lily.