Severus loved Potions.

He stirred the concoction in the cauldron and carefully added three dried daisy leaves. He stirred again, and added pre-prepared rose petals with gentle care, watching them float on the surface of the potion, and smiled. The 'Moment of Peace' was nearly finished.

On his way out of the lab, Severus checked the clock. It was four in the morning. He smiled again. He had another three hours before he had to be in the Headmaster's office to discuss some new strategy or other.

Severus seated himself in his favourite chair, renewed the dying fire in the hearth, and opened the newest Potions Monthly. With a content sigh, he lost himself in reading. This was bliss.

Before Severus invented the Moment of Peace, he had nearly turned crazy. He was a solitary person, an introvert, if you fancied Muggle words. And yet, Dumbledore forced him not only to teach children, but also to take every meal in the Great Hall. Then there were the staff meetings, detentions, Quidditch matches, briefings with Poppy, career advice meetings; plus this year – Severus grimaced with distaste – Occlumency lessons with the Potter brat.

To sum it up, Severus was surrounded by people almost every waking moment. It was driving him insane. He needed some time for himself, by himself.

As usual, it was his hobby and passion – Potions – what saved him. His new invention that allowed him to go without sleep for days (and nights), which gave him time to relax, calm his nerves, and laze. He gave it an embarrassingly sentimental name - The Moment of Peace.

Severus decided it didn’t matter. He didn’t have the slightest inclination to share the name or the potion with anyone. If the Headmaster found out about his free hours, he would undoubtedly find countless matters to waste Severus's time.

Severus finished the magazine, and summoned his quill and parchment to write a comment on an article. The author reached the wrong understanding of the published research data, and Severus decided to correct him, instead of letting him stew (and possibly explode) when working on practical research.

Around six, Severus was finished, and called an elf to get an early breakfast. One hour later, rested, well fed, and content, he was on his way to Albus's office.

So content that it was actually difficult to adopt his trademark scowl.