"I am unbelievably sick of students and their fatuous beliefs!" Harry cried.

Severus snorted. "What did they do?"

"Oh, nothing, really. Just minor demon-raising attempts in the back row today."

Severus laughed and passed Harry the mashed potatoes. "Asparagus?"

"Sure. So, I'm teaching them how to successfully repel grindylows and hinkypunks, and they're attempting to bring Inferi into my classroom. Like I didn't have enough problems with students. Inferi!"

"You consider Inferi minor demons?"

"No, the Classification of Magical Creatures and Demons does."

"Never did trust that book," Snape groused. "I'd like to see that idiot editor-in-chief face down Inferi and then have him tell me they're minor demons."

Harry laughed. "He's about as clever as my students. When I told the students that demon-raising was extraordinarily dangerous and that Inferi were absolutely awful, they didn't believe me. Apparently, James Cutterstorm's older brother has been telling them that Inferi are about as frightening as hinkypunks. I'd like to see that Alan Cutterstorm deal with Inferi. He'll beg me for the chance to deal with a hinkypunk. Ruddy idiot!"

Severus snickered. "He is. He never did learn about the difference between crushing and pulverizing, or slicing and dicing, or clockwise and counterclockwise."

"How many potions has the idiot ruined?"

"Almost every single one. No matter. Three more months until his OWL in Potions, which he won't be able to pass without many, many miracles, and then I won't ever have to deal with the idiot again. It will be a very happy day. Wanna help me celebrate?"

"Only if he doesn't get in my Advanced DADA class. Oh, damn. With our luck, the idiot will fail almost everything, and then Dumbledore – meddling coot – will hold him back a year, and then we'll have to teach him again."

"Oh, Merlin. With my luck that will happen. Your luck… Harry, you have the most luck of anyone I know, including those damn Gryffindors. Maybe we won't get him again, not if we have your luck working for us."

"One can only hope," Harry laughed. "What about your students? What idiocies have they been doing now?"

"Oh, nothing really," Severus said lightly. "Yesterday I caught one of the students – Rose Horbants – making a contraceptive. After hours. With some of my ingredients. Incorrectly."

"Ouch."

"Apparently, it wasn't the first time. No wonder she was so green a couple of weeks ago. When I asked her about it, she said that she figured it was just a side-effect of the potion she didn't know about. Luckily, she was too sick to have sex, or she'd be pregnant now. Naturally, I gave her a lecture on not thoroughly researching her potion before making it and not coming to Poppy or me when she did have issues. Bloody fool."

"Yes, she is," Harry agreed.

"Another one tried to make a highly illegal love potion after hours. Apparently didn't consider that it's illegal for a reason."

Harry smiled as they continued talking about fatuous students long into the night.

Fatuous – adj. 1. Inanely foolish and unintelligent; stupid. 2. Illusory; delusive. Word of the Day, September 15, 1999)