This is it, the last chapter. I hope you guys like it.

8.

It was one week later, in fourth-year potions class, just after lunch, that disaster struck.
Severus was teaching the students how to brew a strong headache potion when the fire alarms went off. This time they sounded like a cross between the old, congested car his father used to drive and a banshee. Severus turned around just in time to see Walter Thompson, a mousy Hufflepuff with no potions skill whatsoever, bump into his neighbours' table in his haste to grab his things. The cauldron on the table wobbled precariously and some of its contents spilled over the edge and into the fire.

"Everybody down!" Severus bellowed while storming down to the back table were young Thompson landed quite harshly on his elbows in his haste to obey the order. Severus had had years of training in pitching his voice just right to make even the most dim-witted student obey instantly. The students followed Thompsons' example and dropped as one to the floor.

The headache potion was not very dangerous, except for one tiny fact. Drop it directly into an open heat source, say a fire, and you've created the biggest jet flame possible. Luckily only a little bit of the potion had spilled into the fire. Unfortunately, a whole cauldron-full was sitting right on top of it.

The jet-flame shot straight up to the ceiling, spreading outwards like a flower in bloom. There was no time to try and douse the flames. Severus evanesco'ed the potions closest to the flames and threw up a shield over the fire itself, trying to shield his face shielded from the heat with his robe sleeves.

"Keep low to the ground and get out! Leave your things. Mr. Williams, Miss Brightlas!" he called to the two least panicky-looking students. "Evanesco the other potions when you pass them on your way out!"

Severus felt movement at his back, but didn't dare to turn his eyes away from the flames. Was it diminishing? Were the students out? Severus took a quick peek around. Most students seemed to have left, only Mr. Williams was still vanishing some potions.

Severus slowly backed up, his wand still steadily on the fire he was shielding. From the corner of his eye he saw parchments starting to smoulder. It wouldn't be long before the furniture in the rest of the room would spontaneously combust from the heat and smoke.

"Mr. Williams get out of here, now." The blond Ravenclaw scuttled out of the door as fast as he could.

"We're all out, Professor!" miss Brightlas called.

Severus started coughing. The smoke was thickening. He had to get out. He'd almost reached the door, when another coughing fit overtook him and he lost his concentration. Immediately, the shield failed. Severus turned away, dove through the door, made a roll and came to a stop with his face to the classroom. Wandlessly, he threw out his magic to close the door in the path of the approaching firestorm.

Luckily, the potions class was fortified for just such an event, and the door heavily reinforced with magic. The only thing they could do now, was wait until the fire died down from lack of fuel and oxygen.

Severus rolled on his back in relief. The skin of his face and hands chose that moment to assert their unhappiness with having been this close to a fire. They were red, blistered and hurt like hell. Severus looked around. His students were sitting around in the hallway, with various states of shock written on their faces. Severus gave them a quick once-over. Most of them didn't seem really hurt, except for some minor burning or scrapes here and there. Mr. Thompson was almost hysterical, he noted dimly.

Severus coughed some more, tried to clear his throat, thought better of it, concentrated hard and raised his wand to wordlessly summon a Patronus. The beautiful white doe sprang from his wandtip. Some students sighed in wonder at seeing the doe.

"Inform Poppy, she is needed in the dungeons." he rasped. The doe immediately sprang forward.

Severus put down his head again.

"I'm going to kill the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Slowly, torturously. And with great delight." Severus' menacing whisper informed the ceiling. Some of the students whimpered and young Mr. Thompson fainted.

oOo

Three hours later, all the students had left the infirmary. Severus was laying on a bed in the back of the room. Ostensibly so Poppy could monitor his breathing, in reality because she hoped his temper would have cooled once he was released in the morning.

Severus turned on his side. Poppy had used almost a whole jar of burn cream on him alone. The infirmary stock was completely depleted, he'd have to brew new salve soon. Only, he wouldn't be brewing, at least not for the rest of the week. And potions class was cancelled until they found a new classroom. Severus felt his temper rise again. That blasted woman and her infernal devices.

The doors of the infirmary creaked open and Albus, Filius and Minerva entered the room. They looked around, and spotting him in the last bed, quickly walked towards him.

"How are you feeling Severus?" Minerva asked quietly. Severus gave her a glare worthy of a Basilisk.

"How do you think I'm feeling, woman?" he almost snarled.

"Now, Severus, no need to get snippy. It was an accident. Caused by the clumsiness of a student." Albus said soothingly, "these things happen." he put his hand on Severus' arm.

"Albus, when will you admit it's time to end this, this game of yours and stop these fire drills?" Minerva asked wearily. "It disrupts the school, throws everybody in panic, gets people hurt. It just doesn't work."

"You know we don't need these alarms, Hogwarts has its own way to inform everybody of a disaster. Don't tell me you didn't know of the fire in the dungeons the moment it happened." Filius said reasoningly.

"We've already talked about this. It's a good system, and I'm not always on the premises to raise the alarm. It just needs some more fine-tuning" Albus said placatingly to the two Heads.

"Nonsense, Albus." Minerva interjected. "If you aren't within the wards, Hogwarts will inform me as Deputy and the Heads of Houses. This is only you playing with a new toy."

"Give it another chance. " Albus looked almost pleadingly at his two staff members.

Severus turned his head to look Albus dead in the eye.

"Albus, this toy could have cost lives." he said very quietly. „Either she and those things go, or I go." The pure contempt and anger when Severus spoke the word 'she', left nothing to the imagination.

A shocked silence hung in the infirmary. Severus looked away and turned on his other side, his back to his colleagues.

"I'll order the house-elves to remove the alarms. And I'll inform Miss Paddington not to come back after New Year." Albus said resignedly and turned to the door.

Minerva and Filius looked at each other in triumph. When Albus closed the infirmary door, they turned back to Severus.

"Thank you Severus" Filius said. "And well done, it was a spectacular way to get rid of her."

"However did you devise such a plan? I never would have thought you had it in you Severus, so brave." Minerva gushed. "Albus will never believe you did it on purpose." she praised with a proud tone in her voice.

Severus smiled to himself. Of course she would be proud of something so Gryffindorish.

He never, ever, was going to let them know it really was an accident.

"Tell Pomona to plant those beans. Goodnight, Minerva, Filius." he said with great aplomb and closed his eyes.

END