Severus had seen many, many indolent students come and go during his teaching career. Harry had seen his fair share as a teacher, although he didn't have nearly as much experience as Severus. They had seen students who couldn't be bothered with homework, who didn't try on tests, didn't pay attention in class… They had seen every trick in the book.
Neither of them, though, had ever seen a student this amazingly, astoundingly, inexplicably lazy.
Niccolo Zabini, Blaise Zabini's son, was not a difficult student in class, if only because he was never in class to be a difficult student.
Severus looked around at the assembled professors. They had called a special faculty meeting about this student, and it fell to Severus to start talking as his Head of House.
"I've received a number of complaints from every teacher in this school, except Sybil, about Niccolo Zabini. Of course, I've kept detailed records of all this, and as far as I can tell, Zabini has missed seventeen Transfiguration classes, eleven DADA classes, fifteen Charms classes, nineteen Potions classes, sixteen Herbology classes, and a whopping twenty-three Astronomy classes entirely and has been more than fifteen minutes late to ninety-seven more assorted classes. He's missing a total of 319 assignments, didn't take 23 tests, and failed 79 tests. He does no classwork and disrupts others during class when he does bother showing up. He's aggravating, obtuse, and exceptionally belligerent. He has also started duels in the hallways. He bullies the younger students."
"Severus, isn't this mainly your… problem, as Head of House?" Minerva asked delicately.
"The bullying, the duels, and the belligerence are, unfortunately, my problems. The lack of showing up to class… That boy is going to fail this year. And that is no longer, mercifully, solely my problem. Failing a year becomes the problem of his teachers, his Head of House, the Deputy Headmistress, and the Headmaster. So, Minerva, what would you suggest?"
"Clever, Severus. Putting the ball in my court like that. Well, do his parents know?"
"I have sent them letters about their son, yes," Severus sighed. "I have not yet informed them that he will fail. That is Albus' job. Or yours. Not mine. I get to send warnings and all that. Final notices of displeasure… all yours, Minerva, dear."
Harry frowned. "Do we really have to start with final notices and failing him? Shouldn't we have started this earlier?"
"We only hold a special faculty meeting as a last resort. Until then, the Head of House handles the problem."
"Is there anything we can do besides failing him? I would volunteer some of my time to catch him up, if it meant that he would pass this year. Even if it is by the skin of his teeth. Better than teaching it again next year."
"I agree," Minerva said. One by one, all the teachers agreed.
"We'll still have to tell his parents," Severus remarked. "But I like this plan. If only he weren't so… indolent."
Indolent – adj. 1. Avoiding labor and exertion; habitually idle; lazy; inactive. 2. Conducive to or encouraging laziness or inactivity. 3. Causing little or no pain. 4. Slow to heal, develop, or grow. ('s Word of the Day, March 17, 2008)