Severus sat in the front of his shop, casually taking stock of the potions he would need to stock up on. He still hadn't brewed more Hang-Over Potion since Miss Parkinson had cleaned out his stock. He was waiting for the first interview of the day, and was hoping that Miss Montgomery was having no trouble with his enchanted path. He'd found it amusing that his shop would be so hard to access when he was not in the mood for interaction, but today, he felt nearly cheerful.

That's what comes from being in control, Severus. Joy. If you can control your circumstances, you can control your own destiny, and thereby, your joy.


He looked up as a knock came on the door, and a young woman peered into his dimly lit, round shop.

"Come in, Miss Montgomery, you're right on time."

River stepped into the room, blinking bright brown eyes as she adjusted to the lighting of the building. It certainly was a bit darker in here than it was outside...Her gaze settled on the speaker a moment later and she gave a smile, nodding her head. "Thank you, Professor, I try to be punctual. I hope you're doing well?"

She certainly didn't want him to be in a bad mood, as that would only hurt her chances at getting this job. And working for her old Head of House was one of the better opportunities she'd come across the past few days; she didn't want anything to mess it up.

"Now, Miss Montgomery," Snape spoke softly, motioning for her to take the seat he'd set up in front of the counter, "I'm a Professor no longer. Especially since you have the opportunity of working for me, you may call me Severus."

He took the opportunity to lightly feel out her emotions. She was nervous, but confident at the same time. He smiled, trying to make her feel at ease. He himself had felt more and more at ease the longer he was away from teaching and spending time merely brewing his potions.

"Will you tell me what you are expecting from this job, Miss Montgomery?"

The young woman sat down carefully in the seat he offered to her, taking a deep breath to calm herself before answering his question. Really, she didn't know why she was so nervous, she hadn't been for the other jobs she had looked at. It had to be the fact that he was smiling at her...that was it, and that thought just had her calming down a bit, finding some new amusement in the scene.

"I expect what you wrote in your Help Wanted ad, Pro-Severus," she caught herself quickly, feeling a little strange at using his first name. "It would be interacting with customers, being able to tell them what each potion does so you wouldn't have to, yes?" A pause. "And if I may call you Severus, then please call me River."

Another smile crept onto Severus' face. He wondered if she knew how many people he had allowed to call him Severus only to be kept calling them by their last name. If she had any inkling, she had to know she had just improved her chances of succeeding even more than her references already had.

"Each potion is basically labeled so that one doesn't need to really know anything about it. It should make for quick study. Can you tell me of customer experience you have had in the past, please?"

River had to think on that one for a moment. "I worked at a small store in America for a few weeks about a year ago, but that is about all of it. I've interacted with many people , just never in the role as a salesperson. Will that be a problem?"

A bit of her nervousness came back at that thought. She really hoped it wasn't going to count too much against her.

Snape scowled. She was inexperienced, yet seemed at ease enough with him, perhaps that would mean she could do the job as well as anyone. He sighed, knowing he'd best not give the job on the spur of the moment as he had done with Daphne Greengrass.

"If I were to owl you within a week, advising you of whether I have hired you or not, would that be acceptable, or did you need to know immediately?"

There was an inward twinge of fear at the scowl, though she continued to smile at him, only widening it slightly at his next words. It wasn't a definite no, then, there was still a chance. A good one, she hoped.

"Within the week is fine, sir, I can wait for your decision. And thank you for even considering to hire me."

"You're more than welcome. You've done well, River. Now, I must start some Hang Over Potion before my next interview... Miss Parkinson cleaned the shop right out of it."

With that dismissal, he stood and swept into the back room, wondering how this was all going to work out. She was a pretty young woman, much more likely to put customers at their ease than Daphne... He would have to consider carefully how to arrange his little workplace so as to learn the most. All in all, this employee search was a very good idea.

River just sat there for a moment, grinning. She'd done well? Well, now she had high hopes for getting this job and she couldn't be much happier about it. Somewhere in her mind, she decided a celebratory drink was in order, and so she stood and headed out the door she came in, still beaming happily.

[Summary: River is interviewed by a cheerful Snape.]