Chapter Ten: Viva La Revolution (It's Not Dead)
When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal.
-Napoleon Hill
Padma did not want to believe it. No, she absolutely refused to believe that Harry Potter and Susan Bones were expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She refused!
But it was the truth that was spread around Hogwarts in the morning. That Harry Potter and Susan Bones were indeed expelled from the school for endangering the life of a professor. That was not the whole truth and Padma knew it. She and Draco met at the Chamber of Secrets at night the day after news broke, happy that it was a Friday. Entering the Chamber was rather easy, all Draco had to do was make weird hissing noises until it opened. When they finally entered, everything came out.
"Why would Susan do that? Why would she give herself up like that?" Draco stalked the room, up and down before Padma physically stopped him.
"I don't know but what I do know is that they wouldn't want us to be giving up." She told the Slytherin. "If anything they might have saved our butts by taking the fall. Now we have to keep going, draw out a new plan."
Draco shook his head. "Like how? Don't you see it, it's practically over Padma! We can't regroup in the RoR anymore-"
"Don't you think I know that Draco!" She snapped at him. They were both angry, upset and paranoid over what occurred. They could feel it straining them, scared shitless over the fact that Umbridge just decimated their whole group and got Harry and Susan expelled from school. It felt pointless now, defeat gripping their shoulders as if drowning them or trying to in the choppy waters.
"Maybe," Padma said. "Maybe we need to break the group off for their safety. We can't do anything anymore until we can calm down and come up with a new plan."
Draco said nothing but nodded at her. He knew that it was hopeless to continue this when Umbridge just tightened her grip on the school and gave herself a pat on the back after expelling two well-known students. They didn't say anything after that, just left quietly from the Chamber.
Next day they came back to the Chamber with apologies over what happened yesterday. After that their discussion came back to Umbridge.
"We still need a plan, we can't go back there-"
"I'm not talking about that, we already unified the school and now they want blood just as much as we want it. Think about it, Umbridge cut down our two leaders and pissed off two houses. She doesn't know that two other leaders are still here, Draco. We can win this."
"But how?" He repeated.
"By playing the game our way. If anything Susan and Harry already must have given the dirt on Umbridge to Madame Bones, we can just anonymously give more information on what's she's doing here. The more information-"
"The faster she'll leave." It dawned on him instantly. "But what dirt is there left on her besides the Blood Quills?"
Now that, Padma thought. Was an excellent question.
What other dirt is there on the devil in pink?
She thought of a plan, crazy one at best. "I've got an idea."
"I think we might have to tell some people about this." Draco looked at her, his grey eyes squinting at her. "We should tell Harry and Susan's friends about the reincarnation and the plan..."
"Not bloody likely Patil!" Draco practically shouted. Padma pulled herself up to full height, eyes locked on to the Slytherin.
"We need allies, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff allies Draco! We can't do this alone with just two of us." Draco's mouth opened but Padma shut him down swiftly, continuing. "We need to do this, for Harry and Susan. I know they'll be pissed at me but we have no choice to continue this lie anymore. There's isn't any other option Draco."
"What?" Hermione's face screamed disbelief at what Padma had told her. It shouldn't be that hard considering they were in the old Chamber of Secrets, telling the two Gryffindors and two Hufflepuffs the truth about Harry's odd behavior the past couple months.
It seemed to have clicked in Ron's brain along with the rest of them but Hermione seemed to be digging her heels with the truth. Draco was losing patience, rolling his eyes at the witch as she tried to somehow try to breakdown Padma's truth.
"Give it a rest Granger," Draco barked at the Gryffindor. "It's the truth, whether you believe us or not, you can't tell anyone."
"But Dumbledore-"
"No!" The blonde Slytherin said. "Don't you get it! He allowed your friend to be expelled, what makes you think he'll protect our big secret that the Founders have returned? We need to keep this between us until the day we die."
"Dramatic much?" Padma quipped. Draco glared at her, Padma ignored it. Granted, she couldn't blame her friend, Hermione wasn't helping his temper at the moment with wanting to go word-barf everything to Dumbledore. "Look, Hermione, I know your first instinct is to go tell the headmaster but, we just can't. We're on the outside right now, the founders, we need to do this with our people-the students to be exact. Harry didn't tell Dumbledore because he didn't want this to leak or have the man look at him like he lost his marbles."
"So we can't tell anyone but why tell us?" Ron asked.
Draco and Padma looked at one another. "We told you this because the houses need to be united. It's just me and Draco left without Harry and Susan, you guys are the second best behind both of them right now. We're all scared, believe me, so am I, but we need to get rid of her."
"But-" Hermione began only to be cut off once more.
"Hermione listen." Padma's patient already unraveling. "She expelled Harry, she won't hesitate to expel other students who worked alongside him and Susan. We need you guys for this plan to work, this new plan at least."
"So what is the plan then?" Justin asked. Draco crossed his arms. "It's called Operation Loki-Nemesis."
"Loki? like low-key?" Hannah Abbott asked. Padma shook her head. "No, Loki. After the Norse god of mischief, and Nemesis is the Greek goddess of revenge. Mischevious revenge, to get Umbridge out while also humiliating her in the most hilarious way possible."
"What do you say? Want to kick Umbridge out of our school?" Draco asked. Ron and Hermione looked at one another along with Hannah and Justin. The Slytherin and Ravenclaw held their breaths, waiting for the answers.
"When do we start Malfoy?" Justin asked. Draco gave them a smirk, one that held secrets and deviousness. "We start tomorrow, first we'll need you guys to get handwritten letters from students that got detention from her. Weasley, we'll need a couple of stuff from your twin brothers, tell them to bring the loudest stuff and to hold on to it soon. That could help us drive her away."
When the four left, Padma turned to her Slytherin companion.
"How do you think Harry and Susan are holding up?"
Draco shrugged. "Dunno, but I hope they're staying out of trouble."
"Do you think this will work?" She asked, her nerves showing. "Do you think we can finally get rid of her? For good?"
"Vive la révolution, we need to keep this going or it'll all come crashing down on us." Padma nodded in agreement, knowing the fitting words he spoke were true. She also knew another quote from France that rang eerily true for them all.
Like Saturn, the Revolution devours its children
NOTES: New chapter... who dis? Lol, a pretty short chapter here. Hope you guys enjoy it! :3
Don't own the quotes, The one at the end is from Jacques Mallet du Pan.