I do not own Harry Potter
Y'all get ready.
Chapter Ten
'Trouble in Hogwarts: Students Being Abused by a Ministry Official!
By Rita Skeeter
Yes, dear readers. You read that correctly. We all know that Dolores Umbridge, the new defense professor at Hogwarts, appointed by the ministry by our Minister of Magic, who has no experience in defense against the dark arts, nor a high enough NEWT score to be considered on brains alone, has been abusing students in her care.
I'm sure a few of you believe a good rap on the knuckles is in order at times, which I whole heartily agree with. However, the use of a blood quill on a student whose mother did NOT sign the permission slip to allow for such disciplines, is completely despicable!
(Blood quills are still on the list of items allowed to be used on students due to an old rule that was looked over for the past three hundred years. Headmaster Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, receiver of Order of Merlin First Class, is now trying to rewrite the items that are allowed to be used. Examples of items outside of blood quills being removed are as follows: chains, whips, thumbscrews, and the iron maiden.)
Many who have met Umbridge are not shocked by the treatment she has been giving students. (Please see page four for interviews with ministry workers that Umbridge blackmailed and spied on to further her career.) Others who don't know her personally however were shocked, remembering her father as a lowly janitor for the ministry, who offered kind smiles to many. (Please see page five for a summary on Orford Umbridge, his marriage to muggle Ellen Cracknell, his Squib son, and his history with the ministry.)
Who, pray tell, is the student that was brave enough to come forward and tell their mother, who wrote to me herself, about the blood quill being used on them? Why, it was none other than Harry Potter, the boy who lived! Now, I know some of my dear readers are confused, as Lily Potter, nee Evans, died that night in Godric's Hallow. I am here to inform you, dear readers, that Harry Potter was blood adopted right after his third year by Lady Adeline Black, nee Shafiq!
I'm sure we all remember the rumors that floated around when Harry Potter's most precious item that could be lost was none other than his teacher before she threw herself back into the water of the Black Lake to save him from the dangers below. I, myself, wrote an article that was later rescinded about the incident. I formally and publicly apologize for my words and causing such an uproar. Knowing that Lady Black had just adopted the young orphan just a few months prior would be enough to cause anyone to see her as their most precious item. I mean, who wouldn't hold their new mother in such high regards after a life of abuse from their muggle relatives. (Please see page two for the letter Mister Potter sent to be published about his childhood before Lady Black took him in describing the abuse he received.)
Mister Potter seems to be unable to catch a break from abuses after being saved from his muggle relatives though. Lady Black has been trying to protect her newest son from danger just to find out he'd been being abused by someone our minister placed in his path. One must ask when the minister will be removing Dolores Umbridge from her post at the school and offering a formal, public apology to the Black family and Harry Potter for yet another slight against their family, especially following so closely after the innocence of one Sirius Black was discovered after being forced to spend twelve years in Azkaban for crimes he did not commit and being denied a trial at every turn.
One thing is to be sure, though. Harry Potter has finally found a family that will love and protect him no matter what comes their way.'
Dolores Umbridge was a lot of things. Determined, cunning, manipulative. Adeline Black nee Shafiq was those things as well, but considerably better at it. The two witches stared one another down outside of the Great Hall on a Thursday morning, the Daily Prophet on the floor between them with a picture of Harry Potter's hand on the front, along with a moving photo of Harry and Adeline exiting the Black Lake the year before. Adeline smirked as Dolores fumed, red in the face with anger.
"You," Umbridge pointed her finger at Adeline in anger. "You are dismissed from your classes."
Adeline didn't move, didn't even blink as she continued smirking, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Do you understand me?!" Umbridge screeched the question.
"Alright, I'm dismissed," Adeline shrugged, much to the amusement of the students that surrounded them.
"Detention!" she yelled at the students. "All of you, detention tonight!"
"I do hope you'll remember to use the approved methods of discipline this time," Adeline stated, voice sugary sweet.
Dolores reddened even further, the color clashing quite terribly with the pink dress she was currently wearing.
"You have no right," Umbridge hissed out, stepping into Adeline's space.
"Oh, I think you'll find that I have every right. You abused my child and thought no one would notice? Did you think that, just because he was an orphan that no one cared for him? I'm sure you loved the power that you held over him and any other student who hasn't come forward yet but I think you'll find that I have more power in this world than you will ever have in your little finger," Adeline stated, voice low and dangerous. "I suggest you take a few steps back before I do what I wanted to do to you when I originally found out and remind you why everyone believed me to be a dark witch rising for years."
Umbridge took a small step back, looking slightly shocked at Adeline's words.
"If you ever try to harm my child again, I'll kill you," Adeline said loud enough for everyone to hear before stepping into Umbridge's space and dropping her voice so that only Umbridge could hear her. "I will it make it slow and painful. I'll start with using all of the devices being removed from the discipline list, making you go through the pain that all of those items cost before having you use your own quill and write obscenities on your own skin. I won't stop there, though. I'll slowly strip away at your skin with the fires that my ancestors created before giving you a slow poison that will cause you to cough up blood and your own insides bit by bit until you're begging me to end you. The poison or the pain will take you eventually and the last thing you'll see is my smiling face staring down at you. When you get to Hell, make sure you tell the demons and the Devil himself who sent you."
Adeline turned and walked away, waving for the children to move to the Great Hall for their breakfast. She went to her classroom, falling into her seat and letting out a heavy sigh. Footsteps entering her classroom caused her to frown before she opened her eyes, finding the children of Death Eaters before her, Draco standing at the front.
"Draco. How can I help you?" Adeline asked, sitting up straight.
"We need your help," Draco told her.
Adeline nodded, waiting for more information.
"We know Potter has a dueling club," Blaise Zabini spoke up. "Umbridge has been trying to get us to find it for a month now. She's had no luck and none of us really care to catch him, either."
"We want in," Pansy Parkinson spoke up. "We need to learn how to defend ourselves."
"It's true," Daphne Greengrass nodded. "You know that he's back. You know that our parents are involved and that puts us in a precarious place. He'll want to recruit all of us before we even finish our courses."
"I'm aware," Adeline nodded, remembering her own childhood. "It was expected of me and my friends when I was your age. Many of his recruits were people I held dear to me."
"So, you understand?" Theodore Nott asked and Adeline wasn't sure she'd actually ever heard him speak before that moment, the boy preferring to read quietly in a corner than speak to others.
"I do," Adeline stated, voice soft. "Let me speak to my sons. The choice isn't really mine as it's their group. If they don't want to teach you, then I'll find a way to."
The Slytherins left, leaving Draco behind as he waved them off. Once they were gone, he turned back to Adeline.
"Do you trust them?" Adeline asked him.
"I do," he nodded. "I wouldn't have brought them here if I didn't."
"Good," Adeline nodded before standing and walking around her desk to wrap Draco in a hug. "I missed you."
"I missed you as well," Draco sighed, leaning into her touch.
"When did you get so tall?" Adeline questioned, pulling back slightly so that she could look at him.
"I've always been tall," Draco stated with a smirk. "You're just getting shorter."
"Cheeky," Adeline rolled her eyes. "Go eat some breakfast, love."
"Yes, Aunt Adie," Draco smiled, leaving the room.
Aster and Harry walked into her living quarters at lunch hour, smiling excitedly when Adeline told them about Draco and the Slytherins.
"Let us talk to everyone else and then we'll send word to him," Aster stated.
"Should be fine," Harry nodded. "People will be weary at first but Draco still has friends in Gryffindor, even if he doesn't realize it."
"Good," Adeline nodded. "Keep reminding him that you still care about him every chance you get. When I was dealing with all of this at your age, there were times where I felt so alone it was starting to consume me."
"You had Dad and Uncle Severus, though, right?" Aster asked.
"Your dad and I didn't talk for a period of time a few times. Uncle Severus and Reggie did what they could, but they weren't Remus," Adeline explained. "The two of you and Hermione try keeping an eye on him, remind him that he isn't alone and that he always has somewhere safe to go."
The boys nodded and they ate lunch before heading to class, OWLs coming up in a few weeks. Adeline sighed, dropping the charms that were on her body and placing her hand on her swollen stomach. She smiled down fondly, though, waiting for Pomfrey to some see her so she could check on the baby. Poppy smiled when she saw Adeline's stomach, telling her to lay down.
"Well, you and baby are both healthy," Poppy told her. "Do you want to know what you're having?"
"Yes," Sirius answered, rushing over and in human form now. "Yes, she would."
"Sirius and Remus would like to know," Adeline rolled her eyes. "I don't really care as long as it's healthy and has all its toes and fingers."
"Common thing in someone with multiple children," Poppy smile to her before turning to Sirius. "Men, on the other hand, like to be all knowing."
"Yes, we do," Sirius nodded. "Please, help me in this endeavor, Poppy."
"It's a girl," Poppy smiled gently before looking to Adeline. "A strong, healthy girl."
"A girl?" Adeline asked in shock.
"Not what you were expecting?" Poppy smirked.
"I don't know how to raise girls!" Adeline yelled, sitting up in a panic. "What do I do with them?"
"I'm sure you can take a few pointers from your own childhood," Poppy tried.
"Oh, that's a great idea," Adeline scoffed, standing and beginning to pace. "I'll marry her off to the most powerful family I can find, teach her how to produce Fiendfyre before any other spell, and torture her when she gets it wrong and then, right after that, I'll stick her in an uncomfortable dress, heels, and makeup that is way too old for her and send her to a ball with a dangerous family. Perfect advice."
"So, what you're saying is you know what not to do," Sirius smirked, sitting on the couch and looking far too proud of himself.
"I will vanish your tongue, Sirius Black," Adeline threatened, pointing at him.
Adeline's door burst open and Sirius had enough time to throw a charm at Adeline to hide her stomach before Umbridge barged in.
"I thought I said no visitors outside of spouses or with a ministry permit," Umbridge declared.
"We're married," Sirius lied.
"Oh, are you?" Umbridge asked, catching the lie.
"Her last name is Black, is it not?" Sirius asked, brows raised.
"What do you want?" Adeline asked, glaring at Umbridge.
"I was looking for Healer Pomfrey and was told she was here by her student," Umbridge hissed out, glaring at Adeline. "I wanted to speak with her about student records."
"I am not at liberty to share student records with anyone outside of my student, the student whom the records are about, and that students' parents if there is an emergency," Poppy spoke clearly and firmly. "I'm afraid that you'll have no assistance from me."
"Why are you still here?" Sirius asked Umbridge. "Are you telling me you haven't been removed yet? How disappointing."
"You are the one who is not supposed to be here," Umbridge growled out. "I don't believe for a moment that you're married. It would have made the front page."
"Not if it was a small ceremony and we didn't announce it in the paper, which we didn't," Adeline added on. "Leave my living quarters. Now."
Umbridge heard the threat in Adeline's words and ran out of the quarters. Adeline waved her wand, causing the door to slam shut before she sat beside Sirius.
"Congratulations on the wedding?" Poppy offered, confused.
"I didn't have time to hide," Sirius shrugged before turning to Adeline. "How dare you think I wouldn't announce to anyone who would listen that I finally got you to marry me. I'm offended."
"She was right. It would have made the front page," Adeline shrugged.
"Maybe we should get married just to shut her up," Sirius grumbled and Adeline let out a soft laugh.
"I'm not sure who would take it worse; Voldemort or the children," she joked.
"I'll leave you both be," Poppy smirked, flooing directly to the hospital wing.
"What do I need to do to convince you to marry me?" Sirius asked, voice sounding genuine as he stared at Adeline.
"Sirius, I am six months pregnant with your best friends child," Adeline reminded him.
"I'm aware," Sirius nodded, waving his wand so Adeline's stomach was visible again. "A little girl."
"I was banking on using the name Atlas," Adeline complained.
"No Aries?" Sirius joked. "And are you really still using 'A' names? I thought you would have broken that family tradition."
"I need to tell you something," Adeline whispered, suddenly remembering that she'd never told Sirius the truth of her birth. "I completely forgot to tell you and you may be mad at me."
"What did you do," Sirius sighed.
"Well, I may have kept something from you since the moment we met," she said, flinching slightly as Sirius raised his brows. "The reason I knew how to perform a blood adoption ritual wasn't because I'd looked into it for Harry. I knew how to do it because, when I was six years old, the Shafiq's blood adopted me."
"I don't understand," he whispered.
"I was born to Babi and Carolyn Boudreaux, two muggles, in a small town in Georgia. They died in a car accident when I was young. Adeline Shafiq died in a fire not long after that. Miranda and Adrian Shafiq stole me from the orphanage, burned it to the ground with everyone inside of it, and then blood adopted me two weeks later. They trained me to act like the real Adeline Shafiq so that they wouldn't lose their magic due to the contract between the Shafiqs and the Blacks."
Sirius just stared at Adeline in shock before he began laughing loudly, bending over a bit in the process.
"Are you telling me that the 'pure' Black line ended because of you?" Sirius asked once he was able to breath a bit easier, still laughing in the process.
"Your mother did not find it as funny," Adeline offered.
"You told my mother?" Sirius asked, eyes widening. "How are you alive?"
"Well, she was on her death bed," Adeline offered.
"Please tell me you have a pensieve around here somewhere?" Sirius questioned, eyes wide with excitement.
"I don't have one lying around. Albus probably does but I'm not sure how much he would appreciate me asking to borrow it just to show you the death of your mother," Adeline laughed.
"How disappointing," Sirius sighed. "Back to the marriage talk."
"Are you being serious?" Adeline asked, immediately regretting the question.
"I'm always Sirius, but in this moment I am speaking in earnest," Sirius smirked.
"Why do you want to marry a woman who is six months pregnant with another man's child?" Adeline questioned.
"I'd settle for a date," he shrugged.
"Oh, would you?" Adeline laughed.
"Well, I did a year of healing and some," Sirius smirked.
"That you did," Adeline smirked back. "Alright. A date."
