Sit deus nobiscum omnibus

After the talk, making the biggest part of himself an open book, a new normal started to settle in for Hadrian and the slytherins. They didn't understand, they never fully would, but they were just glad to - well to know that part of Hadrian. Hadrian also became more relaxed after the talk. The next two weeks were the same as they had been, nothing had really changed. Black and Dumbledore kept up with their watching, Lupin reigned himself in but things seemed to be on the waters between him and Black but not enough to be painfully obvious.

Umbridge however, well the woman hadn’t taken a break. It was now two and a half months, since their fifth year had started, Umbridge had all but taken over. She had appointed herself recently as detention administor, now handling every detention. Everyone was on edge, not being able to even touch their wands in her lesson and worrying that the woman would spring a detention on them if they much as put a hair out of line. The crap three had somehow managed to worm their way out of detentions with the woman much to her dislike, she was growing more and more annoyed at Dumbledore for his meddling but didn't risk starting a fight for the useless three.

They had all been distracted, trying to focus on not falling behind in this new workload that the pink toad was pushing to notice just how bad she had become. No one who had detentions with her spoke of what happened in them, people speculated that they were all too scared, she was a worrying amount of anger in such a small woman after all. That's of course when it all went to hell.

In the middle of downtime before dinner, Hadrian and the slytherins were busy revising and completing homework or at least attempting too in Crabbe and Goyles case when the loud cry was heard from the now closing entrance to the common room.

A fourth year, Lucien Dale half-blood, had stormed into the common room with an enraged look on his face. Everyone, all the years that were hanging around the common room had been shocked at the loud entrance only to grow concerned with the anger their fellow snake was showing.

“Merlin's beard Dale, what's wrong?” An older year slytherin asked. They all snapped out of their shock, getting up Hadrian and the rest of his friends made their way to the angry boy.

“Umbridge that's what!” Lucien almost growled in anger. The rest of them looked at him in sympathy; they too were all annoyed at the woman.

“We understand Dale. She’s over the top but it's not too hard to deal with.” Theodore said in agreement, making sure to look considerate as he spoke. All they got in return was an angry yet exasperated look.

“No. It’s not that -ok maybe it is a little- But i'm not talking about that.” Lucien said, a lot calmer as he spoke, knowing that shouting wouldn’t do anything.

“Then what is it?” Pansy asked. A little confused as to what Umbridge could have done since lesson time to warrant such anger.

“The bloody bitch went too far-” He said, growing fidgety as he spoke as if the memory was in and of itself enraging him. They were all confused, more slytherins now in the common room listening in.

“Woah mate calm down. What's she done?” Blaise asked, now slightly worried.

“She scarred my sister. That's what she did.” Lucien all but shouted. Gasps were let out as he finished, everyone was shocked beyond containment. The woman was horrible, but to scar someone. They all looked between themselves, what had happened? Disgust and anger filling them all.

“My sister, she's a ravenclaw second year, she was given detention for talking to her seatmate. Umbridge thought she was gossiping or something and gave her detention.-” Lucen explained, stopping to take a breath, trying to calm himself. The rest of the house looked at him in waiting, all eager to know what happened. “During the detention she had her write lines. With a blood quill.”

Nearly everyone in the common room stopped in their places, not daring to even move their heads. Too shocked to even gasp as they previously had. The woman had a blood quill, and was using it as a punishment on children.

All of them knew what a blood quill was, either from being told by their families, their friends or reading about it. Blood quills were banned, seen as a method of torture, how Umbridge even had one was a huge question in and of itself. She was a ministry official, she knew that even owning a blood quill was illegal let alone using one on a person. It all made sense now, why everyone who had detentions wouldn't talk about them. Umbridge must have threatened or scared them into silence, afterall a woman who had just scarred them would obviously do so again.

Now though, she had gone too far, hurting the sister of a snake was inexcusable. Umbridge had been a slytherin herself, she would know not to indirectly hurt a snake. The woman was also quite stupid though, probably hadn't expected a ravenclaw halfblood to have a sibling in green.

“Fuck Dale is she okay?” Draco asked, the first to make sense of it all, Hadrian was too stunned to speak but nodded in agreement of the question.

“Yeah, but she's got an open wound on her hand that's gonna scar. ‘I must not spread gossip’ permanently etched into her skin, she was told not to tell anyone or go to madam pomfrey. Luckily I noticed her rubbing at her arm and saw the red skin. Merlin, I wanna kill that woman.” Lucien answered, annoyed and obviouisly concerned for his sister.

Hadrian thought for a moment, they obviously couldn't go straight to a teacher or pomfrey but there were ways to get rid of scars, more specifically fresh ones and Hadrian understood how annoying scars could be. Hadrian wanted to calm Dale down, but could see the boy coming apart.

“Why doesn't one of us brew some star grass salve,that way none of the teachers will know and we can try and stop it from scarring as bad.” Hadrian said, wanting to help Dale’s sister as best he could, knowing that Dale himself wasn't thinking right. Plus his sister was a second year, she wouldn't have gotten far enough in her studies to consider brewing an option. Lucky enough however they had some brilliant potions students in their house, Draco included.

Words of agreement were heard across the common room, Lucien looked a little relieved.

“I hadn’t thought of that,”Lucien admitted. Feeling a little stupid for not thinking of that himself.

“That's a great idea.” Pansy added, smiling at Lucien and Hadrian.

One of the older years offered to brew it, citing they had wanted to stock up on some for their own healing set anyway. Lucien calmed down, The entire house adding their own messages of distaste at the situation.

They knew that this was the final straw, as the common room split back off into their own groups as they had been earlier.

“I can't believe that woman,who would do such a horrible thing to a child.” Astoria sighed out, feeling so sad for the girl.

“What are we going to do?” Crabbe asked from his seat, completely ignoring the work he needed to complete.

“We do what we do best, attack subtly.” Theodore answered, a cunning look on his face.

“How exactly do we do that?” Hadrian asked, fully prepared to tear this woman down a notch.

“Simple. We talk.” Theodore said, a smirk on his face. His friends looked at Theo in slight confusion waiting for him to elaborate. What would talking do?

“Come on guys, half of our parents are on, if not highly connected to the school board and the ministry. We are all incredibly influential families. Even a Potter heir expressing their distaste and worries about what's happening is a big slap to the face. We need to get word to our family of the fact that she's indirectly hurt one of our own. A second year no less. Even Dale's mother is from a well respected pureblood family, if we all hitUmbridge on her blind side she’ll be caught unaware and have no excuses for what she's done. It's brilliant.” Theodore explained, leaning back in his seat as he finished, a slight cocky attitude taking over him as he smirked.

He wasn't wrong, they couldn't go at her themselves they were at the end of the day just children. But their names, now there was something people outside of the school would not be able to ignore.

“Ok that's admittedly a brilliant idea, but you seem to forget that Umbridge is watching how many letters are being sent out. If we all send letters she’d grow suspicious. She's stupid but not that stupid.” Daphne expressed, wanting to find a way to go through with Theos plan but being a little hesitant.

“That's simple. Goyle has his heir duties coming up. We can give the letters to him to pass on to his father,who can deliver them to my father. She cannot stop a pureblood heir from attending his duties.”Draco smugly spoke, feeling quite content with Theos plan. The bitch wouldn't know what was coming for her.

The rest of their friends also seemed to have had their spirits lifted at the reminder. Thankfully Goyle had recently turned sixteen, meaning he was to have annual meetings when his father saw fit to prepare him for his heir duties that would now become his as he is now of age. Thankfully his first meeting was early next week, Blaise having turned sixteen just the day before him had his meeting in the next coming months as his mother was traveling. Goyle may not be the smartest but he was more than capable of delivering letters and messages.

Draco coached Hadrian on what to write in his letter, Thest rest of the group had been raised to know these things already. During the next few days,as they all wrote their letters, Theodore and Tracy made it their priority to spread their idea to the right people. It couldn't help to have a few extra afterall.

A few days later, Snape came to call Goyle for his meeting as he was to use Snape's floo to attend it. So with a large stack of letters in his pocket, hidden from view, Goyle made his way to his home ready to see his father.

“Hello Gregory.” Goyle Sr spoke, having been waiting for his son's arrival by the floo. Gregory met his fathers gaze with a polite smile.

“Father.” Gregory responded, following his father wordlessly made his way to his study.
Upon arrival, Goyle Sr sat in the chair behind his desk, Gregory following suit in the chair opposite. It was obvious that Gregory wanted to speak, his father quite confused as to why his son was clutching at his pocket.

“Well? What is it?” Sr asked. Gregory was slightly stunned that his father knew he had something to say, unaware of how obvious he was.

“Well I have something to give you,- well something for you to give to Lord Malfoy.” Gregory answered, taking out the stack of letters as he did.

“Well, pass them here then.” Sr spoke, reaching his hand for the letters. Once he had them in his grasp he started to inspect them, noting the pureblood names on the front of the envelopes, placing them on the table as he went.

“What are these for?” Sr asked.

“Well Umbridge has gotten rather out of control with the whole forcing us not to use magic in class.” Gregory slowly explained, not wanting to embarrass himself tripping over his explanation yet not wanting to go on for too long and annoy his father. Sr chuckled.

“Well yes son that's what she's there for.” Sr was finding this rather comical, the death eaters knew of her plans of course but didn't see a reason to intervene yet the stack of letters he had in his hands insinuate something was wrong. These names were all slytherin names after all.

“Yes well, she has took over the detentions father and - well she's making students write lines with blood quills, a slytherins ravenclaw second year sister, The dales, had been forced to use it, she might be scarred from it.”Gregory finally let out, hoping he had a sense of it to his father, feeling himself stumble over his words as his father glimpsed his way out of the corner of his eyes. Sr stopped, mid reading, A blood quill on a sister of a slytherin?

“The Dales? Are those Lady Stones children?” Sr asked. The Stones being a pureblood family who had emigrated to England just over a hundred years back.

“Yes father. We have all written letters to try and get Umbridge removed before she does it to someone else connected to the house.” Gregory expressed. “Malfoy, Greengrass’, parkinson- Even potter wrote one with help from Draco.”

Wait. Had his son just said Potter? Sr quickly scanned through the remaining letters. Potter, second to last letter.

“Potter is in slytherin?” Sr asked, hiding his confusion well from his son, as he had his other emotions for years.

“Yes, he’s been a slytherin for years, did you not know?” Gregory asked, forgetting that it wasn't exactly well known outside of housemates' chatter to their parents to find out who was in each house. Sr just nodded. He was shocked, incredibly so, nothing bad had been brought up in the years about the boy that he thought he must have been a quiet gryffindor, but a slytherin? now wasn't that something to think about. Of course Gregory was known to ramble, silence was never his friend.

“Yeah, he's only just started opening up to us though, Draco and the rest have been trying for years to get him to speak to us. Not that he hated us, he was just shy. Apparently he said it's because the children in his orphanage were not that nice.” Gregory rambled, his father perking up at his son's choice of words. Had he heard that right. He raised a hand to stop his sons talking, playing down the letter as he did. With his attention fully on his son Sr let a small smile appear on his face.

“Did you say orphanage?” He questioned. Gregory turned to face his father, locking eyes with him as he did. His father had that look in his eye, the one he wore when he was intrigued.

“Yes I did, He told us all about his childhood.” Gregor explained, not knowing when to shut up.
His father looked on, settling into his desk chair, as if to get comfortable.

“Son. Tell me everything.” Sr said, knowing that what he was about to hear was going to be worth listening to his sons rambling.

And Gregory, wanting to please his father and being ignorant as to why his father wanted to know, proceeded to tell his father everything. Everything.