Poppy in Potions

"Absolutely not!"

"Come on Poppy, it's just one class!"

"Albus I can not do it. I have enough to do here!"

But I have no one else to turn to! And you are remarkable at the subject!"

"For the last time, Albus, I can not teach Potions! What if somebody needs me? What if there is a serious emergency? What am I supposed to do, tell them to come back an hour later?"

"Poppy, don't worry. Most of the accidents in this school occur in the Potions classroom anyway..."

"Oh that's just wonderful. Now you want me to burn my hands and shrink my fingers too!"

"No, Poppy..."

"I'm not just sitting here, you know. I have my own responsibilities in the hospital wing. You wouldn't know how many students in this violent school I can receive in an hour. And here, you want me to cover a Potions class! God knows what will happen while I teach for an hour! Besides, I haven't taught anything in this school and I would rather not do so. I don't have any sort of training anyway..."

Albus Dumbledore sighed, looking defeated to Poppy Pomfrey's outbursts, "I just need someone to cover for Augustus Clinch while he recovers from yesterday's explosion, it's just one class today ... and you're the best one for the job..."

"Well..." Poppy looked unsure (and was secretly pleased to be called an expert in Potions), on the verge of giving in, yet still holding back.

"Do it for me, Poppy... please?" Albus put on a very pitiful pleading look that no female could resist.

"Alright... I'll do it for you, Albus... just know that you owe me one..."

"Thank you so much, Poppy!" Albus bent down and planted a kiss on her cheek. Poppy couldn't help blushing. Her face seemed to bear the after effects of Pepper-up Potion.

"So, who will I be teaching today?"

"Today, Augustus has Double Potions with the fifth-year Slytherins and Gryffindors."

Poppy's eyes popped out of their dreamy state and widened.

"Oh no..." she groaned.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

After spending a final few seconds on a last-minute mild broken-bone case, Poppy hurried to the dungeons to her waiting Potions class. Taking a big gulp of air, she opened the door and walked inside to the dusty, frosty classroom where Augustus contemptuously taught his classes. The noise level might have seemed a bit intense to an outsider, but Poppy knew this was typical when a group of Slytherins and Gryffindors were present in the same room. Praying to God for an injury-free class, Poppy sat down in Augustus' seat, much to the confusion of both Houses. One of the Gryffindors raised her hand.

"Um... Madame Pomfrey?"

"Yes?"

"I don't mean to be rude or anything... but what are you doing here?"

"Well, your Potions teacher, Professor Clinch, seems to be unable to attend to his class today due to... health problems..."

There was a great deal of snickering in the Gryffindor section of the room. Poppy refused to acknowledge it and continued.

"So, Professor Dumbledore has insisted that I cover this Potions class for today. As I do not teach regularly in this school, I request your full cooperation so that we may have a smooth class. Any questions?"

The classroom remained quiet, although there were a few eye rolls at the word "cooperation". Poppy stiffened and continued.

"Now I've been informed that you are currently learning the process of making an Aging Potion. This potion is very vital to the O.W.L.s and I expect you to work as hard as you would if Professor Clinch was here. Now I will give you the directions and you shall begin."

Poppy wrote the directions on the board and began to observe the students as they started to assemble the ingredients. She kept an eye on Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy; those two had such a strong adversity to each other that she had to even distance the two in the hospital wing. And then there was Molly Donegan, always messing up her magical beauty treatments, coming into Poppy's office with a hair full of glowing slime instead of curls. She noticed Patrick Adams, a student who was always eating sweets and ending up in the hospital wing with severe indigestion problems. Poppy winced as he accidentally dropped a Bertie Bott's Ever Flavor Bean into his cauldron, causing it to turn from blue to red and bubble furiously. Poppy couldn't have asked for a more familiar class. Almost all of the students in the room happened to be some of her frequent visitors.

Poppy went back to her desk and scanned a few of the essays that had been submitted as homework. It was very exhausting, not to mention boring. By the time the fight had started, Poppy was on the brink of falling asleep. Molly had been prodding her arm.

"Professor... I mean Madame Pomfrey?"

"Gah?"

"Madame, please wake up!"

"Whassamatter?"

"Arthur and Malfoy are fighting," Molly cried, and then added with a wrinkling of her nose, "Again."

Poppy jerked from the state of sleep. She looked in the direction Molly was pointing her and saw two boys pointing their wands. She cursed at herself for drifting off to sleep and ran over to the two, who were now aiming jinxes at each other.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Protego!"

"Tarantallegra!"

"FINITE INCANTATEM!" Poppy yelled over the two. Weasley and Malfoy both looked at her with a look of absolute terror.

"What were you two doing? Why can't you two act in a civil manner? You'll be certain that I'll be informing Professor Dumbledore about this despicable behavior."

"Well," Malfoy began in an untouched, smooth tone, "maybe this wouldn't have begun if you, Madame Pomfrey, had been keeping a better eye on us..."

"You, Malfoy, are in no position to talk to me about my behavior! In fact, tomorrow, come to my office for detention."

There was some groaning from the Slytherin section of the room. However, Poppy caught Arthur Weasley smirking with glee. She turned to him.

"And don't think you'll be getting out of punishment either, Mr. Weasley! You'll be coming tomorrow as well!"

Arthur now looked horrified.

"But Madame Pomfrey! I have Quidditch practice tomorrow! I can't.... I don't think-"

"That's right! You don't think! Now it's time for you to learn your lesson. Tomorrow at seven in my office. Now the rest of you should be done with that Aging Potion, right?"

"Yes, Madame Pomfrey," was the monotonous reply.

"Well, then don't just stand there! Place your samples over by my desk and clean this place up! This is a mess!"

One of the Slytherins followed her orders, yet as he passed, she heard him distinctly mutter, "Gryffindor supporter!"

"Excuse me?" she asked, rounding up on the student.

"I-I... uh... meant that I support you," stammered the student under her strong glare. Poppy was rather amused. After all, she reminded herself, Irma Pince had to have learned her glower from somewhere....

"Very well, but you can support me by cleaning up and helping your peers."

"R-right you are, Madame Pomfrey," spluttered the student, hurrying to pick his belongings.

"Well, I'll be a bit generous with you today... the homework is to write a foot-long scroll on the practical use of Aging Potion. You may leave."

Most of the students looked rather relieved about the homework and happy about Poppy allowing them to leave class an extra minute early. As they shuffled out the classroom door, Poppy watched the name-calling Slytherin give her a terrified look. Poppy was looking forward to seeing him the in hospital wing...

Suddenly, an oddly disheveled man sprinted into the classroom with untidy white hair in a frenzy and an ornate green shawl that he carried around with a rag. He narrowed his grey eyes at Poppy.

"Madame Pomfrey, what the hell are you doing here?"

Poppy rolled her eyes at Augustus Clinch, "I was about to leave...."

"Who gave you permission to cover my class?"

"Why, it was Professor Dumbledore, of course."

"Well, I do not need any substitute for my class, thank you."

"Isn't it a bit late for that now?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Augustus quizzically. Apparently, he had lost track of time during his recovery.

"Class is over. In fact, by now, all students should be headed for lunch," Poppy answered curtly.

"But...but... I can handle classes! I don't need a nurse to fill my post in this school."

Poppy glared at him and he flinched, realizing his offending speech.

"What you, Professor Clinch, need now is some rest and relaxation. You can do it the easy way and go back to your quarters quietly, or I shall drag you to the hospital wing and force-feed you some disgusting sleeping draught. I'm sure you, with your expertise in Potions, are familiar with the aftertaste?"

Professor Clinch paled.

"Well, I'll be off then...."

"Good night, Professor Clinch."

Poppy followed him out the door and walked to the door. She did something that she always found time o do everyday... wonder what this crazy madhouse would do without her.