au_hogwarts | The Three Broomsticks; Late Night

"I could limit the explosions to their country of origin and make it overlap with yours," Sokka suggests thoughtfully. "I haven't decided yet which year gets it. They all enjoy the explosions, except maybe the firsties, but that's usually just because they haven't realized yet I'm trying to make it explode.

"And unless you keep cauldrons in your rooms now, they shouldn't be going off anywhere near you." A pause and he wrinkles his nose. "But I'll borrow you tonight, if you're free. A whole summer later, I'm sure the ventilation in the dungeons hasn't been cleared out."

"Tonight?" Leah frowns, her own nose wrinkling in the exact same way. "If you make it tomorrow, I can think of five students who are just itching for a detention."

"Really?" Bright and cheerful. "That was quick! It should be easy work, though, unless you want them doing it without magic."

Which is how Sokka has to do it, when he can't borrow another professor. But there's no need to advertise that to the students.

"I don't go in for the 'without magic' detentions," Leah admits. "But if they get inventive, it'll be another day before I can clean up the mess they leave. So really it's up to you."

Now or later, Socks?

"Without magic detentions are worthwhile," Sokka argues, frowning with a sudden (albeit slight) serious air. "Not enough professors use them. Which was terrible when I was a student and only slightly annoying now, but still.

"Scrubbing and climbing through dark tubes could be useful practice for some student or another."

"The trick is not telling them which spell to use," Leah says. "After the first scurgify doesn't work most students find that scrubbing is the best plan anyway. Or they pick up valuable improvisation skills."

Never a problem with them, but it's something she places a lot of value on.

"...point."

He's intrigued by this one.

"You know, in NEWTs last year, I forgot to put an ingredient on one of their potions. Half the class figured it out and got it right anyway. I'm thinking of doing it on purpose this year and seeing what happens."

Leah snorts. "Oh yes, I heard a few people complaining about that."

She thinks, tappiing her lips with a finger of the hand still holding her new toy. "This year's seventh year has Dinah Drake's daughter in it, doesn't it? She needs the challenge."

"I have too many students who are getting irritatingly difficult to challenge anyway. Some trickery won't hurt them!"

Unless, of course, it does. But if they study properly, they won't have anything to worry about!

Grinning again, Sokka reaches over the bar for a glass and bottle. Even if Jo minds, he can bear the scowling. "Maybe give them the wrong ingredients, see who questions me!"

"That is a great idea," Leah says cheerfully. "Makes me wish I had a more practical compon... ooooh."

Sokka very nearly chokes on his whiskey at the excitement in her voice. "Ooh what?"

"Oooh, if the second years are doing context and origin of the major thread of magical theory, they should be able to replicate some of the earliest spells from each school," Leah says, her smile wide.

"...I have a list of South American variants of common potions," Sokka offers helpfully.

"...I want that list," Leah replies.

"Not until after Christmas holiday. After I hit Greece, I'll have a fairly comprehensive world list. I refuse to give you things that are less than perfect."

Leah blows out through her closed lips. Pffffft.

"You'd never give me anything, then."

"Oi, who's got a perfectly perfect Deluminator in her hand?"

Leah tightens her grip on it, and grins up at hm in satisfaction.

"Me."

"Damn right you do."

There is grumping and sulking, though a light version of both considering her satisfied grin.

Leah bumps his arm with a fist.

"Hang on," she says, and turns away slightly so she can flip the homework she was marking into one pile. "There. That's corrections out of the way. They can have their first drafts back tomorrow - hold this."

She presents him with the deluminator while she sets about doing something that's rather digusting, but she doesn't care - her eyes are itching again and they have to come out.

It's the sort of disgust that is entirely acceptable once you know the reasons why in great detail. Besides, it gives Sokka some more time to play with the deluminator before she takes it away from him forever.

"You assigned papers already? Unnecessarily cruel. This is why you're never up for Teacher of the Year."

"I'm never up for Teacher of the Year because I don't teach underaged wizards how to blow shit up," Leah points out. "And these were their sumnmer projects anyway. Bloody awful, too. I'm never doing that again."

"For Merlin's sake, Leah, you teach history. If anything has more of an excuse for explosions than potions, it's history."

But he is grinning. Somewhat evilly.

"Besides, one of my Gryffindor Seconds mouthed off today. Had them making Doxycide all afternoon."

"Alright," Leah says. "I'll take you up on that challenge, Professor Aquam. If I can get explosions into all of my curricula by the end of the term, you're buying the drinks for the staff party."

"Done!"

Prompt acceptance.

Perhaps too prompt.

"...all right, secret time." The bar stool beside her scrapes as he pulls it out and Sokka flops into the seat with a very serious frown. "M'actually cutting down a bit on explosions this term. They were mostly for rewards anyway, but I'm gonna enforce that a little more now.

"So feel free to fill up the gap!"

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