Thanks a lot to my beta-reader,Duchess_Of_Arcadia , for correcting my mistakes. And thanks for helping me with the title!

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.

I'm not a native speaker of English!

Dear readers,

that is my entry for the February challenge of Healer Pomfrey. Severus and Minerva react out of character because of an illness. The Grindylow Pox. It takes place in Harry's third year! These were the rules for the challenge and came from Healer Pomfrey.

To know more about it please visit her yahoogroup HealerPOmfrey. (--I had to add this sentence because someone already accused me of stealing this plot from sevissick)

I hope you like the story!

Sunny

Two Professors, Two Delinquents

His fingers were stoking over the words while he read the text in "Magical Illnesses & Maladies" by Joshua Hurt. "Grindylow Pox is an extremely rare magical illness which causes small green pox marks to appear all over your mouth (inside and outside) and your throat. They may even spread to your ears if it is a bad case. It also causes a fever and makes people behave very childishly while they have the illness."

His fingers started to tremble when he reached the end of the text. Damn, why does it always have to be me, who catches things like this? Sirius Black on the on the run, and I have to catch the Grindylow Pox.

He threw the book in the corner and went to the bathroom. One look in the mirror, and he knew that he couldn't leave his quarters without a Glamour Charm. His whole mouth was covered with those damn green pox marks. I look as if I have thrown woodruff sherbet on my face. Sherbet? Damn what am I thinking? Oh god these childish symptoms have started to affect me already. It was dinner time, and he hoped he won't make a fool of himself while attending dinner in the Great Hall.

He opened his mouth to see the back of his throat and wasn't surprised to see that there were even more of the pox marks since he had last checked them this morning. And it is itching like hell, Severus thought desperately and tried to scratch from the outside of his throat, with no effect. He groaned in frustration and cast the Glamour Charm.

Wow, it's crazy to feel sick like hell, but look so healthy now. I have to find a way to solve this pox problem without letting anyone know. Especially not Poppy. She will imprison me in her damn hospital wing and mollycoddle me until I feel sicker and sicker. And this was something Severus wasn't looking forward to.

On his way to the Great Hall he realized that he felt hot. He grabbed for his collar and tried to loosen it to let more air under his thick robes. His head was also killing him. The pain was hammering in his head with every step he took. When he arrived all, the other teachers were already seated at the high table. Severus realized that the sound of the students chatting was muffled, and he had the odd feeling as if he had cotton wool in his ears. Okay old man, you just have to act very healthy so that Poppy doesn't find out what is wrong. I will find my own way around this damn illness.

He sat down on his chair between Minerva and Albus and was glad that all were busied with their meals. He glanced sideways to Minerva and saw that she was pushing her food around on the table. Damn if she draws Poppy's attention than she will realize my problem as well. Why can't Minerva be a little more mature. Oh, or wait, maybe she is ill as well.

He wasn't even realizing that he was staring at her before she addressed him through gritted teeth, "Damn, Severus, look somewhere else. I don't want to have Poppy on my back."

Severus was thrown out of his stupor by this aggressive comment from Minerva. Normally, she wouldn't speak like this. So something must be wrong with her, Severus thought. He looked down at his plate and addressed Minerva in a low voice so that only she could hear him. "Why Minerva, are we a little annoyed today? Or is it possible that you are ill?"

Minerva turned her face to look at him. Her eyes were boring into his, and when he couldn't stand her glaze any longer, she snorted in triumph. "You are ill as well. Am I right, Severus?"

"Lower your voice, Minerva." Severus was leaning over to her. "Small, green pox marks?"

Minerva's eyes widened. "Yes, so you have it as well? Do you know what it is?"

"Yes, I know what it is, and I also have a plan as to how we can solve our problem without,"– he looked past Minerva and saw that Poppy was watching them– "the damn Mediwitch, who by the way is already watching us, meddling."

Minerva almost jumped in surprise by this statement and turned to look at Poppy.

"Merlin, Minerva, are you crazy? Now she will be more suspicious than she was before." Severus rolled his eyes.

"Me crazy? Who looked at her first, stupid?" Minerva spat.

"Stupid?" Severus eyed her curiously. Maybe the illness was a little further increased in her case.

"Oh damn, I don't even know what is coming over me, Severus. It's all so confusing," Minerva said desperately.

"Yeah, I know, it's part of the illness."

"Oh, how very calming," Minerva said sarcastically. "So what is your plan?" She leaned even closer.

" Meet me at four in my quarters, and I will tell you. Be on time!"

"Oh, I feel as if we are planning a crime." Seeing Severus' guilty face, she drew in a sharp breath, "We are?"

"You could say that, but we won't be hurting anyone, okay?"

"No, but what other choice do I have. I want to visit my sister in two days and so I don't want to be imprisoned in the infirmary by Poppy. I will be punctual." With that she stood up and left.

Damn, couldn't she at least have vanished her food for Poppy not to see it? Stupid Gryffindor!

Severus forced himself to ignore the gaze of Poppy, which he could feel on him. He finished his meal and tried to leave without crossing Poppy. As usual, it didn't work like he had planned.

"A word please, Severus," Poppy addressed him, and she stood up when he passed her chair.

"Poppy, I'm sorry, but I have no time." He tried to push himself past her, but she was blocking his way.

"It won't take long. I just realized that Minerva wasn't eating at all. Has she said anything to you? Is she feeling unwell?"

"Why are you asking me? You're the Mediwitch here."

"I ask you because you two were hanging on each others lips throughout dinner," Poppy said, still blocking Severus from slipping past her.

Severus was shocked by this comment and started to feel heat creep up in his face from the image of he and Minerva kissing in his mind. "I was not hanging on her lips."

Poppy now watched him more carefully. Severus, blushing? Why? What have I said? He's behaving odd.

Severus didn't realize that the illness had effected his hormones and nerves as well now and that what he just said and how he reacted, was very much out of character for him.

"You two were whispering something and your heads were almost touching each others. Maybe it is something contagious, and I should check you through." Poppy tried her luck to force Severus to react and give away if he was hiding something as well, and it worked!

Severus drew back immediately and looked shocked and caught out. "I'm not ill."

"Oh, but I didn't say you are ill. I just said I was worried you could have caught something from Minerva. You wouldn't even realize it yet. But seeing your reaction it makes me wonder if there wasn't something you tried to hide from me the moment you came into the Great Hall."

Severus had the mental image of a vulture eying his upcoming meal, just waiting for his pray to be tired enough to pounce it. He shook his head to get the image out of his mind. "I'm not hiding anything. If you are so worried about Minerva why don't you go and check on her and stop pestering me?" Okay that was unfair, but hey I'm a Slytherin!

"Oh, I will, Severus. And then I will come back to you as well, be warned." With that she turned and left the Great Hall.

Severus let out the breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding. That was a close call. I better leave now before someone else tries to talk to me.

________

It's four; where is Minerva? Severus was wondering and paced up and down his living room. Suddenly he stood stock still. Damn, maybe Poppy has already captured her in the hospital wing, and now she will come to get me. He almost started to panic and planned how to barricade his front door and the floo network, when a soft knock was heard.

"Merlin, come in." He pulled Minerva forcefully into the room before gazing nervously up and down the hall. When he was sure nobody had followed Minerva, he closed the door and warded it twice.

"God, Severus, maybe we should just go to Poppy. I'm sure she will have something to help us. My throat is itching like hell and my ears are hurting."

"I will definitely not go to Poppy. She already tried to corner me after your leave of the Great Hall. There is a potion for this illness. It will ease all the symptoms, but can't cure the illness very quickly. But drinking this potion will make it bearable and we can hide in our quarters until it is over.

"What are you waiting for, Severus? You are a Potions Master. Brew this damn potion for us or shouldn't you have the potion in stock?"

"No, I don't have it in stock because all of my medical potions go to the hospital the moment they are finished. And I can't brew us the potion because it needs 3 days to finish it." Severus said angrily and started pacing again. His head was hammering and not even his headache potion had helped. This illness was really grating on his nerves.

"So why did you tell me about the potion. Just out of cruelty? Telling me there could be a solution for my problems and then grinning at me because we can not have this potion?" Minerva was angry and couldn't suppress her fear that the symptoms would become even worse than they already were.

"Do you see me grinning, Minerva?" Severus had stopped directly in front of Minerva and stared in her face.

Minerva sighed in resignation. "So what is your plan?"

"You will go and see Poppy–"

"What? Are you crazy? Why don't you go and see her?" Minerva almost shouted, and now their noses were almost touching.

"Let me finish, woman. You have to find something not so dangerous that you could ask Poppy to give you in private and when you two are in her office, I will steal the potion.

"What on earth shall I ask her for which won't cause her to cast a damn diagnostic spell on me?"

"I don't know maybe you could ask her something about your menstruation or something. Isn't that something what you women would discuss. Maybe you don't feel well with it and she could give you a pain killer or so."

"If this wasn't so serious that would be really funny, Severus. I'm far beyond my menstruation already and if I asked Poppy anything like that she would call for the mental emergency team of St. Mungo's."

"Oh," Severus started to blush. He hadn't counted that Minerva was a little old for having her menstruation, witch or not. "Then something about menopause?"

"That won't work. It must be something else," Minerva said and sat heavily down on Severus' sofa. "Maybe we should just sneak in and steal it when Poppy is in her office."

"And what if she has a spell on the door, which will inform her when it is opened? She is always so damn fast out of her office when you open the door, don't you think?" He let himself plop down beside her on the couch.

"Yeah, we have to test it before we open it. Maybe we should make a test run now and look how long we need to the infirmary and then try to see if the door is warded," Minerva said.

"That would be good." He tiredly leaned against Minerva's shoulder. "But maybe we can wait a little longer."

"Yes, I would appreciate that as well," Minerva said and also leaned on Severus' shoulder and now their heads were touching. She tiredly closed her eyes.

"We could also force her to give us the potion, you holding her in check with your wand and I go & get the potion." Severus also closed his eyes in exhaustion. Planning a crime is a very tiring thing.

"Too Slytherin for me," Minerva murmured while already drifting over to sleep.

Shortly after, Severus' breath also was calm and steady.

In this position Poppy found them half and hour later when she entered Severus' office with Albus in tow. She had tried to contact Minerva several times this afternoon, but she had warded her rooms and when Poppy finally had convinced Albus to help her, Minerva wasn't in her quarters. Then Poppy had remembered Severus' strange behavior in the Great Hall and that he had whispered with Minerva the whole time. That was the reason why Poppy and Albus now were standing in front of the two teachers, who's heads were leaning against each other on the couch. The Glamour Charm had been lifted when they had fallen asleep. Their faces were covered with little green pox and their cheeks were flushed by fever. "Grindylow Pox, fantastic. And they have already worked themselves so far in it that they will need double the time to recover that they would have needed by coming to me the moment they had realized it," Poppy muttered and shook her head in disapproval. She went over to her two patients and started to cast diagnostic spells on them.

That made Minerva and Severus wake up. While Poppy was busy with Minerva, Severus said hoarsely, "Oh, look Minerva, Poppy is occupied. We should go and steal the potion now." He looked at her bewildered when she didn't react, but then realized his mistake and looked up at Poppy, who now was eying him closely. "Oh, she is occupied with you, Minerva. I think our plan has blown up." He leaned his aching head against the couch.

Minerva was too tired to react at all and just waited for what would happen.

Poppy was laying her hand on Severus forehead and then addressed Albus, "He is already delirious. Minerva isn't any better. Let's get them into the hospital wing."

Trying hard to suppress an amused grin, Albus conjured two stretchers and helped Poppy to get the two stubborn professors into the infirmary.

Please let me know what you think about it!