The following Saturday, Harry appeared at the door to Snape's office feeling good about how the day had gone so far. Rogers had been much more approachable than he had been previously, showing an exceeding amount of pride in Harry's easy mastery over Defense. He had been warm with Harry and his friends, and as excited about the new techniques as they were, even going so far as to having gotten his own copy of the text. They had had a great first lesson, even if it had been down to mostly theory before they got to try those first few tricks. Harry had picked them up immediately, as if he'd known them all along, Hermione had been a bit slower, Ron had tried but remained a step behind, and Rogers had been complimentary the entire time. A perfect day, so far.

The Gryffindor knocked on the door he'd been standing in front of, and when the command came for him to enter he did so with a touch of trepidation. He had done the "homework", but he was no longer so sure about the list of interests he'd gathered. Some of them, even if they were his true interests, seemed silly now that he was really about to talk with someone about them.

Harry paused halfway into the dimly lit office when he realized that Snape wasn't at his desk.

"Over here, Potter."

He turned to see the man in question sitting in a corner behind the door, the only one clear of shelves filled with questionable ingredients. He was sat in a comfortable burgundy armchair, somewhat facing a matching seat, a low table between the two. Harry smiled nervously and moved to the empty chair.

"You went to an awful lot of trouble," He said carefully, unsure of the man's attitude.

Snape smirked. "I thought this might be more comfortable for our purposes," He answered in a soft tone.

Harry sat down on the edge of the seat, lowering his bag onto the floor. "I appreciate that, sir…it does help to relieve some of my anxiety, though I still feel unsure about the list you had me make."

The trademarked raised eyebrow. "Let me see."

With a small blush, Harry reached down and dug the scroll out of his bag. He handed it over and chewed nervously on his bottom lip as Snape unfurled the surprisingly long slip of paper. The other eyebrow joined the first the further down the man read.

"You have surprising aspirations, Mister Potter." The man said after reading the entire list.

Harry's blush deepened. "Well…I didn't really go into detail at all." He sat even further forward, scooting around in the seat to look at the list as Snape held it slightly out to him. "Like, with Transfiguration, I don't mean every aspect, or even hardly any at all, though I'm a fair hand at a lot of it. The thing I'm interested in most is the creation of art from everyday objects. When I was a third year, some of the older years taught us how to create Christmas ornaments, however we wanted. I wasn't sure if that could even tie into a profession, but you said to list my interests, so…"

"I understand," Snape said, giving Harry a soft smile. "I did say that, and you were right to include it; artist, whilst not a typical career, is still one considered as viable in both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds. As is being a chef, as I see cooking is also listed."

"Really, art is okay?" Harry inquired uncertainly. "I thought, with spells being so readily available in our world, people would simply make their own."

Snape leaned forward and caught Harry's gaze. "Beauty," He began softly. "Is appreciated everywhere, Potter."

The blush returned to Harry's cheeks, but he didn't respond as Snape returned to looking at the list.

That black gaze turned to him, stunned curiosity visible in the shining orbs. "Potions?"

"Yeah." Harry bit his lip, leaning away from the man and staring at his hands in his lap. "I know, with my skill it seems stupid, but I really find Potions fascinating. I'm not good enough to become a Master, I'm not even confident enough to try, but…there's just something peaceful about creating a potion. Not like you do, not actually create a potion, but the simple act of following a set of guidelines and having something impossible come out of it is amazing."

"Thank you, Potter." Harry looked up sharply. "I think you just substantiated my entire career."

Harry gave a small smile at that. "Well, at least my interest in Potions isn't entirely useless."

"Why are you so sure it is useless at all?" Snape inquired. "There are plenty of Potions Masters and apothecaries that hire on assistants to create basic potions for sale. And, while your grades have never been to my standards, the few times you have truly concentrated on your work you have achieved a level acceptable to most others."

"You really think so?"

The edges of Snape's mouth curled up in that small smile Harry was quickly growing attached to.

"You are a very capable wizard, Mister Potter, don't doubt that, and you would be an asset in any number of careers."

Harry grinned at the astounding commendation he had never expected to receive from the normally stoic Potions Master. He was quickly coming to like who Snape was when they were alone, especially if the man continued to hand out underhanded compliments. They continued to go through the list for the next hour or more, and by the time Harry headed back to his dorm to get ready for Dinner he felt like he was walking on air.