"Miss Rose, my potion's got this weird orange scum in it..."

Alex sighed heavily. "Did you peel your shrivelfigs first, Miss Wallace ?" Like I specifically told you to ? she thought resentfully.

"Um, did I peel them ?" The girl shifted nervously, scanning the recipe. "It doesn't say to peel them."

Alex rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to make a sarcastic remark. She shut her grade book with a snap and pushed aside the pile of tests she had been trying to correct. She crossed the room to take a look at the offending potion. I'm homesick, overwhelmed with work, and I can't seem to go forty-eight hours without arguing with my boss. But I will not take it out on my students. Even if they do deserve it. One glance into the cauldron destroyed her resolve. "Oh, for cryin' out loud ! Where did you get...what the heck are those ?"

Winifred Wallace blinked, looking down at her innocently. It didn't help Alex's mood that the fourteen-year-old girl towered over her. "Those ? They're salamander eyes, Miss Rose. I...I got them from the storage closet."

"Salamander eyes ? Salamander eyes ?" Alex's voice rose. "Eye of newt, Miss Wallace. The recipe clearly calls for eye of newt." She jabbed the scroll with her finger. "Sheesh, can't you read ? Salamander eyes," she muttered disgustedly. The girl's own eyes filled with tears. Alex immediately felt ashamed. This was remedial potions, after all. She turned to the rest of the class. They watched her warily. "Anyone else having a problem ? No ? Good. Class dismissed." There was a babble of conversation as the students hastily cleaned up their work tables and exited the dungeon with forty-five minutes of class still to go. Alex turned back to the tall fourth-year. "I'm sorry I snapped at you, Miss Wallace. If you would like to have another go at brewing this potion correctly and getting a passing grade, I will allow you to try again during detention on Thursday evening."

"Thank you, Miss Rose. I'm sorry, Miss Rose," the girl stammered, rushing to dump the botched potion down the drain.

Alex tried to smile reassuringly, then gave it up. She just felt so tired. "Read through the recipe carefully next time. You can't just substitute ingredients..." Oh, to hell with it, she thought hopelessly. The last thing the kid wants is another lecture. She's not listening anyway. Alex threw up her hands in defeat and returned to her desk. Listlessly, she picked up a quill and began to mark another test. Will this pile of papers never get any smaller ?

Footsteps sounded, echoing hollowly on the flagstone floor. They came from the direction of the storage closet. "Hello, Prof. Fancy meeting you here," Alex said sarcastically, not bothering to look around. She had given up trying to figure out how the potions master appeared in the laboratory without warning. There had to be a secret passage of some sort, but she hadn't been able to find it. And I'll be damned if I ask him.

"I expect you have a good reason for dismissing the remedial potions class early ?" He loomed over the desk.

"No. I don't have a good reason." That is not the right way to handle this, she chided herself. Snap out of it and try to act like a professional. Her mind felt dull, numb. Despairing. Why bother ? Alex raised her head and met Snape's eyes sullenly. "They aren't learning anything anyway, no matter what I try. Look, I'm tired. I've got a ton of work to catch up on, and there's no way I can get it done." Her voice was toneless, as dull as her brain seemed to be lately. "I sat up half the night trying to finish these grades. Fell asleep at my desk again-" She stopped abruptly and pushed the grade book aside impatiently. "This is pointless. You were right, back in September. I can't do this. Just fire me and get it over with."

"I have no intention of firing you."

"Fine, then." Alex jumped up and blundered past him, knocking over her chair, and headed for the door. "I quit !" Her vision blurred with tears. Drawing his wand, Severus quickly recited the words of a spell. The door slammed shut in front of her with a resounding bang. Alex whirled and glared at him. "I said, I quit."

"Stop it," he snapped. "You're being completely irrational."

"I'm not-"

"You are," Severus interrupted her. "In just one week you've changed completely. Fallen apart. Listen to me, Alex," he commanded. "The reasonable explanation is that the potion you've been using to control your depression is failing to..." Snape's lecture trailed off as he realized Alex wasn't listening to him. She was tugging on the door handle and crying.

Fumbling in her robes, she managed to pull her wand out of her pocket. "Ala...oh, damn ! Alohomora !" She got the spell right on the second try, yanked the door open and fled the lab.

Snape watched her leave. "Completely irrational," he repeated as her footsteps faded. "How in Merlin's name does one reason with her when she's like that ?" He picked up Alex's chair and pushed it neatly into place at her desk. A moment later his sallow features twisted in anger and frustration. Picking up the wooden chair again, he threw it against the stone wall with enough force to shatter it. "Stubborn, irrational, annoying little bitch," he fumed. The potions master turned in an angry swirl of black robes and strode out of the room.

-----

Minerva McGonagall and Poppy Pomfrey were enjoying a well-deserved break and a cup of tea in the staff room. "Just look at these headlines," the nurse remarked, shaking out her copy of the Daily Prophet. She let out a small tsk of disapproval. McGonagall was about to reply when the door slammed open. The two witches looked up in surprise as a disheveled Professor Snape appeared.

"There you are, Pomfrey. Finally. Why aren't you in the infirmary ?"

"Do you require medical attention, Severus ?" she queried mildly.

"No," he said. "Not for myself. There's a problem with my teaching assistant."

"Alex ?" asked McGonagall, concerned.

"No, Hagrid's dog Fang," Severus sneered. His voice rose. "Of course, Alex." He shook a finger at Madame Pomfrey. "Her behavior is totally unacceptable, Poppy. She's being completely uncooperative."

"Really ? Can't say as I blame her," Madame Pomfrey murmured.

"For goodness sakes, Severus," snapped Professor McGonagall, "you're ranting. Calm yourself." She indicated a chair. "Why don't you sit down ? Try and explain the situation rationally."

"I am not the one who needs to be told to behave rationally !" he snapped.

The women exchanged bemused glances, then turned as one and frowned at Snape. "Severus, sit down !" Faced with two formidable witches glaring at him from two pair of steely eyes, he reluctantly complied.

-----

Back in her rooms, Alex flung another bundle of scrolls into her trunk. As they fell in an untidy heap, she recognized one. Oh wait, I borrowed that from Pomona Sprout. Damn. I'm too stupid to even pack. Angrily she wiped away tears, taking the herbalism scroll and throwing it on the table. I cannot wait to get out of this dump. A knock at the door interrupted her. Oh, shit. Just what I need. "Just stepped out of the shower," she lied automatically, making her voice sound cheerful. "Not dressed, can't receive visitors," she called out. "Talk to you at dinner -"

The door opened and Professor McGonagall stepped into the apartment. "The door was unlocked," she observed tartly. "I am impressed with your ability to get dried off and dressed so quickly, Alex. You must teach me that spell sometime." Before Alex could reply, McGonagall strode briskly into the room, wand poised, and uttered the words of a Cheering Charm. The effect was immediate and overwhelming. Alex slumped into the nearest chair, face split in a wide grin. Then she caught sight of the wreckage of her room.

"Great gods, what was I thinking ?" she murmured. Alex glanced around the room; scattered clothes and papers, the hastily packed trunk, a pile of graded essay scrolls tossed against the wall. "Oh, for cryin' out loud. Professor McGonagall, I'm so sorry. Professor Snape called you, didn't he ? I'm totally losing it." She giggled, a slightly hysterical sound.

McGonagall sat down in the chair next to Alex and took her hand. "You just haven't been quite yourself, lately, dear. Poppy and I had both noticed, but thought it best not to say anything." The older woman shook her head. "Severus just informed us - with his usual tact - that we were mistaken."

"Oopsie," Alex giggled. Oopsie ? What the hell ? Great, I'm losing my mind. "Bit late to do anything now," she told McGonagall. "I just quit, you know." The little witch couldn't stop giggling, partly from embarrassment, but mostly from the effects of the Cheering Charm, which had replaced the depression and anger so abruptly, she now felt giddy.

"Resignation not accepted," McGonagall said dryly. "If you will accompany me to the infirmary, Poppy has set up a conference with Dr. Salubria via the floo network so you two can sort this out. Apparently he thinks there's some problem with the strength of the potions you've been taking lately." Shakily, Alex allowed the deputy headmistress to lead her to the door. "I'm sure you'll be feeling better and back to work in no time," McGonagall said bracingly.

An hour later Alex knelt on the hearth rug next to Madame Pomfrey as the bearded healer spoke to them out of greenish flames kindled in the grate. "Quite distressing, really, and I assure you, Miss Rose, a full inquiry shall be made." Salubria shook his head. "Stale ingredients; it's inexcusable. I've arranged for a fresh batch of the potion to be delivered to Hogwarts immediately. Just take two doses daily of the Pepper-up Potion along with the regular dosage of the Felicitas for the next few days, as we discussed," Salubria added, turning toward Madame Pomfrey to make sure she'd heard his instructions.

"Thank you, Doctor Salubria," Alex said, carefully keeping her voice steady. "I'll see you next week, then." It was a relief to know that she wasn't actually losing her mind, but she still felt shaken and upset. At least I'm not still giggling like an idiot. McGonagall's Cheering Charm had worn off.

"My apologies again, Miss Rose," he replied, his voice fading as the flames died away.

"Madame Pomfry, Professor McGonagall, I'm so sorry," Alex said. "My behavior was totally unprofessional." Unprofessional. Yeah...I've been a real bitch, is more like it. She grimaced as her eyes filled with the hated tears once again. "I'm really sorry," she repeated. Dammit. This is so humiliating.

"Nonsense," snapped McGonagall. She patted Alex's shoulder awkwardly. "Think nothing of it, dear. Just get well."