­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­A/N: Thank you so much for all your support, your reviews make me very happy!

I feel VERY guilty, because I kept you waiting for so long. I'm awfully busy at university currently and I had to cut down everything concerning fanfiction to the absolute minimum. Please forgive me as I'm currently not reading any stories and also cannot continue with my new fic. I will try to at least finish the translation of this story as soon as possible (there are only two chapters left anyway ;-)), and I hope to get back to my ff-activities soon too. For now, my apologies :-(

Something I forgot to mention with the last chapter (if you can even remember it ;-)) – the idea that potions ingredients have to be cut manually because otherwise they would lose their magical capacity came from the wonderful fic "Grasping at Normality" by Kaz814. It's a HG/SS-fic and as such the only one of its kind I ever truly and fully enjoyed. It's in my favourite stories and I recommend it, certainly ;-).

Betaed by the most wonderful Persephone Lupin and Ermione for the original story, and lovely lucidity for the translation. Thank you very much!

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Mishap

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"This is going to burn a bit, Severus," said Madam Pomfrey, while tilting a small bottle and dribbling a couple of drops onto a piece of gauze. Snape frowned at her as he tried not to flinch when the cooling substance made contact with the back of his hand.

The Potions Master was annoyed with himself and his clumsiness. Just like the most oafish first-year, he thought fuming – another action like this and he could queue up right beside Longbottom on the spot. He emitted a soft snort while the mediwitch took care of the deeply red wound on his hand.

"How did it happen?" Madam Pomfrey asked, looking up.

"I got scalded," Snape snapped.

"Indeed…" There was a hint of sarcasm in the healer's voice. "And I reckoned you made a mistake with your morning hand lotion."

"Poppy, please…" the Slytherin growled warningly.

"I'm sorry, Severus," answered Madam Pomfrey pacifyingly. "I just want to find out if this is your only injury. It's always a bit suspicious if you are so short-spoken when it comes to your health."

"There's nothing else, I just burned my hand," Snape said, pointing at a small, innocent looking cauldron which was standing on the table, "when this cauldron canted over and I was trying to save the potion within."

"Canted over?" The healer raised an eyebrow. "Severus, you need to be more careful. Don't forget…"

"I am careful as ever," hissed Snape. "It's just that there are a couple of recent bodily obstacles which I don't take in account automatically when quick action is necessary."

"Never mind," soothed Madam Pomfrey, while she covered the scald with a light bandage. "The main thing is that nothing worse happened, isn't it? The episode could have turned out far worse."

Nothing worse…, the Slytherin thought with clenched teeth. As if the fact that he managed to disperse his work evenly on the dungeon floor would not be worse enough…

ooo

Ironically enough, the day had started quite harmonically. After Madam Pomfrey's regular morning visit Snape had turned back to his work and started to conduct experiments with the already viscously cooked Bergamot decoction. Maybe this morning he had worked too automatically, since his experienced moves ever and anon gave his thoughts room to wander – towards the memorial service which was scheduled this evening. He dribbled a couple of drops of the Bergamot essence into a softly simmering cauldron which was placed on the table in front of him and then rolled a bit aside on his standing aid to carry on with the accompanying notes.

The familiar sizzling noise of an overboiling cauldron made him startle abruptly, and as he turned around his precious concoction already spread out over half of the working table. In a jerky move he tried to reach for his wand, while instinctively grabbing the cauldron, which already vibrated dangerously, with his other hand. That the latter proved to be an exceptionally stupid action he eventually realised when the boiling hot fluid poured over his hand. With a scream he flinched and knocked over the cauldron which fell to the floor with a loud clatter. Paralysed from pain and shock the Potions Master bewilderedly watched the result of several days' work slowly spread into the gaps of the dungeon's stone floor.

A fierce curse escaped him when his gaze fell onto his hand, on the back of which the first signs of a nasty blister became visible. He flicked his wand to vanish the spilled potion and to levitate the cauldron back on the table. Another wink made cold water appear within in which he dipped his aching hand. A shiver spread over his back, he closed his eyes and sighed softly. At incidents like this he was almost grateful of his habit of usually working alone.

After the burning had slightly subsided, Snape was forced to realise that even if his first aid kit contained all kinds of odds and ends for every emergency imaginable, the most important was absent – the burn ointment. Grinding his teeth he reached for his crutches and raised cumbersomely. However, the pain flaring up from his injured hand reminded him instantly that a hike up to the hospital wing was out of question. Resigning, he turned to the fireplace to call Madam Pomfrey.

ooo

"This tincture usually works just fine," said the healer, as she put a stopper in the little bottle and placed it back on the shelf.

Certainly this tincture works, Snape thought grudgingly, he had brewed it himself and also used it many times already. Because even if one acted with utmost caution – a Potions Master was never immune to accidents at work every now and then. Under normal circumstances, however, he would have had this cure at hand to treat himself… Annoyed over his carelessness he made a mental note to look over his lab's emergency equipment. He couldn't run to Madam Pomfrey with every little blister, after all…

"So," she said after a last check on the bandage. "Does it still hurt?"

Snape shook his head. "It's endurable. Thank you, Poppy."

"You should go easy on it today. Tomorrow everything should be fine…"

"Poppy…? Are you there?"

Green flames appeared in the fireplace, and in the middle hovered the head of Minerva McGonagall.

"Ah, Minerva," Snape stated dryly. "Headache again?"

Both witches graced him with poisonous looks.

"I am here, Minerva," Madam Pomfrey answered. "What happened?"

"I'm in the hospital wing and need your help here. There was an incident in my class – a student got hurt," the Gryffindor said through the flames. "Severus, it might be prudent if you could come as well."

The Slytherin furrowed his brow. "What's the matter?"

"It's a student from your house."

"I'm coming," Snape nodded and McGonagall's head disappeared from the flames which died out instantly.

"I will go right through the Floo, Severus," Madam Pomfrey said.

"I won't," the Potions Master frowned. He definitely had no desire whatsoever to make an idiot of himself by falling out of the fireplace on the other side like a baboon, just because he couldn't keep the needed balance with the crutches.

"Don't hurry," said the healer understandingly. "I'm sure we won't run away until you arrive." Then she turned to the fireplace, threw a handful of Floo powder inside and was gone in the flames.

ooo

Snape slowly made his way up to the hospital wing, carefully reducing the pressure on his injured hand as much as possible. He entered the big ward and saw Madam Pomfrey, Minerva McGonagall and Draco Malfoy standing around the second bed on the right. They turned when they noticed his arrival.

"Good afternoon, Professor Snape," said Draco, politely but seriously.

"Professor Snape," nodded the Gryffindor Head of House.

The Slytherin cast a brief glance to the hospital bed on which the softly whimpering Vincent Crabbe laid. The thick, ulcerous pustules which covered his head and neck were treated by Madam Pomfrey. Snape gave her a inquisitive look.

"It's not permanent," she said. "I want to keep Mr Crabbe here for the rest of the day, but the boils can be cured easily and will be gone by tomorrow at the latest."

"Good," Snape said. "What happened?"

"Somebody cursed him," McGonagall answered. "It happened behind my back, so I couldn't see who was responsible. I have suspicions but no proof."

Snape arched an eyebrow. "Draco?"

"It is… There are certain difficulties within our house presently, sir," the young man mumbled, looking to the floor.

"This hasn't escaped me, Draco," the Head of Slytherin frowned impatiently. "I want to know if this came from the students I suspect – MacKinnock? Zabini…? "

Draco nodded. "I believe this was MacKinnock's work, sir, although I have no proof either."

Certainly, Snape sighed inwardly. MacKinnock, an uncommunicative and inconspicuous student who preferably sat in the back of the classroom – and the father of whom got killed by Death Eaters when he refused to cooperate. It seems that a conversation with the young man in the near future would be prudent, he thought.

"Thank you, Draco," he said. "You can go to lunch now."

"Thank you, sir," the student answered and turned around,

"Ah… Draco?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Please tell Professor Shacklebolt that I will be late. He doesn't have to wait for me."

"I will, sir," Draco smiled and then left the room.

Snape smiled inwardly in view of the change the young Malfoy had undergone in the last two years. Not that he would ever have shown disrespect towards his Head of House and old friend of the family, but his sometimes blunt and boorish behaviour the Potions Master regarded as exceptionally short-sighted and in its primitiveness inadequate to the boy's heritage. The slow transformation to a young adult had made it easier for Dumbledore to entrust Draco with a status of responsibility. Snape gave the headmaster credit for this deeply symbolic sign of loyalty towards his house…

McGonagall cleared her throat and Snape turned around to face her.

"I am loath to meddle in affairs of your house, Severus, but the animosities between some of your students are reaching an alarming degree at this point."

The Slytherin frowned and his eyes narrowed dangerously. He indeed didn't agree when other people interfered in his area of responsibility.

"Apart from today's incident a small group of students is constantly disturbing classes," McGonagall continued undeviating. "As if the rivalries between Slytherin and Gryffindor students would not be unnerving enough, no, the constant ruckus continues within your house now."

"I will see what I can do, Minerva," Snape snapped acidly. "I'm afraid that I was forced to slacken the reins on my house in the recent past, for regrettable but comprehensible reasons."

"Severus, don't take that personally, please," the elderly witch said, shaking her head. "Neither did I want to complain nor did I want to dictate you how to guide your house. I just thought you needed to know."

Snape cast her a brief side glance. "Thank you."

"How are you lately, Severus?"

"Lately… better," the Slytherin answered truthfully. "Poppy said that she is going to allow me back to teaching soon."

McGonagall smiled. "I'm glad to hear that," she said. "I miss my counterpart."

Together they left the ward. As they reached the long staircase to the ground floor Snape stopped.

"What happened to your hand?" the Gryffindor asked, noticing the bandage.

The Potions Master cautiously placed the first step on the stairs. "I burned my hand while brewing this morning. It's nothing serious."

"Severus…" McGonagall began reluctantly. "If you need help…"

"No," Snape interrupted her curtly.

"You know where to find me," the elderly colleague said, and Snape answered with a brief nod.

"Just move along, Minerva," he said as he noticed her descending the stairs patiently beside him. "You don't need to wait for me."

"I will go with you," she answered. "Lunch will be finished by now anyway, and my afternoon duties are only correcting papers – which can wait. Do you feel like a bite of lunch with me?"

For a moment Snape arched an eyebrow, but then he nodded and together they made their way to McGonagall's chambers.

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A/N: Please review :-)

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