AUTHOR'S NOTE: THERE MAY BE SOME TRIGGERS IN THIS CHAPTER AND FOR THAT I APOLOGISE. AS A WARNING THERE WILL BE SOME MENTIONS OF UMBRIDGE NOT AGREEING WITH SAME SEX RELATIONSHIPS AND DEEMING THEM UNNATURAL.

I DO NOT AGREE WITH THAT WAY OF THINKING AND WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORT ANY RELATIONSHIPS OR FORMS OF GENDER/ PRONOUNS ETC. I JUST SEE UMBRIDGE DOING THIS SORT OF THING AS SHE HATED ANYTHING SHE DEEMED IN HER BIAS AND SELF ABSORBED VIEW 'UNNATURAL' FROM WIZARDS MIXING WITH CREATURES ETC.

SO ONCE AGAIN I APOLOGISE AND DO NOT AGREE WITH HER OR JK ROWLING'S WAY OF THINKING!

———————————————————————————————————————————————

Chapter Eight, The Toad's Reign of Terror Begins

The past month at Hogwarts has felt more like a camp - and not the good kind - to certain students and staff. Professor Umbitch, sorry Umbridge had been given power by the Minister to become the High Inquisitor which gave her power over ALL staff including Headmistress Minerva McGonagall who despite her best efforts has been unable to protect Remus and Hagrid from the pink toad's racism and judgemental behaviour for being, in her racist view filthy half breeds, not only that but for her first lesson of Defence Against the Dark Arts she has refused any use of magic in her lesson despite it being O.W.L and N.E.W.T year for Fifth through to Seventh year, but she has also made it her mission to target Dahlia.

From her very first lesson she has called Dahlia a liar for stating Voldemort was back and an attention seeker for the tremors she suffered from the severe pain and nerve damage she suffered with daily; so as a way to correct her behaviour as she didn't believe that two unnatural wizards, (she is also against same sex relationships, and anything she deems unnatural including Dahlia being the mate of a vampire, reminding the young Heiress of her Muggle relatives; which had led her to have many panic attacks), were capable of correcting the behaviour, so she had taken to banning Dahlia from Quidditch indefinitely and subsequently forcing her to carve 'I Must Not Tell Lies' into her hand every night for the so-called detentions.

"Li-Li, this can't carry on." Kellah broached carefully, as she, Dahlia, Ron and Neville made their way to breakfast on Friday morning of the middle of October and the day before the first Hogsmeade weekend which Dahlia was looking forward to as she got to escape the confines of the school, the glares, Umbridge, and she got to go on a date with Jasper and see Rosalie again who would be chaperoning their first date of the school year.

"What can't?" Dahlia muttered dazedly, stifling a yawn. She barely got any sleep anymore and sometimes she forgot to take her potions due to Umbridge keeping her to nearly one o' clock in the morning for the detention, cutting open her hand over and over again, and then for the rest of the night she spent catching up on her homework. She really hated returning to school this year and wished she had stayed in Black Manor with her family where they were safe. She could've asked her Dad and Papa to hire tutors but instead she was here being tortured once again and barely able to see her Dads or complete the First Rite.

Umbridge had warned her that if she so much as breathed a word of their detentions to anyone she would have the Department of Magical Creatures take away another parent from her, so she avoided her parents as much as she could without seeming like she was avoiding them no matter how much it broke her heart; she couldn't lose her Papa, she couldn't lose another parent.
"This! These detentions, she's been torturing you for a month now, cutting you off from all the things you enjoy: Quidditch, Duelling, you barely remember to take your potions as you never get any sleep as you're up all night completing your homework after she stops torturing you at one in the morning, and you're barely eating. You need to tell your parents or even Headmistress McGonagall!" Neville stated his concern for his sister.

"I can't." Dahlia shouted, tears filling her eyes.
"Why not?" Ron argued, confused and concerned, he's never seen her like this, so despondent. Dahlia looked around cautiously, waiting for Hermione and Ginny to pass - who were not speaking to Ron and anyone who agreed or spoke to him. Normally Hermione would be making her way with them despite not being as close as they once were after how cruelly she treated Luna the previous year, they were civil at best but during the summer when Ron and Ginny had had a silly sibling argument, Hermione had agreed with Ginny and basically blew everything up as Ginny - who had been in the wrong - now refused to apologise to her brother now that someone agreed with her, so Hermione and Ginny were no longer talking to Ron and the others.

Once the coast was clear, Dahlia pulled out the Marauders Map to make sure before she headed into an alcove her friends following her with growing concern, especially when Dahlia burst into tears revealing everything that has been happening to her since the start of the year and everything she has been keeping inside as she slumped to the floor, all fight leaving her as she purged the negativity and abuse she'd suffered in tears of waterfalls.

Before she had finished her tale, Kellah, Ron, Neville and Luna (who always met them outside of Gryffindor Tower for breakfast) sat beside her and gathered her into their arms in a massive group hug offering her the comfort and support she surely needed.
"It's okay, Lia, we'll find a way to tell Remus and Sirius without endangering them. We won't let you lose another set of parents, I promise." Kellah swore, holding Dahlia's head on her shoulder comfortingly while her brown eyes blazed with a fury that would burn all in her path as she shared a look with her friends over Dahlia's head.

"I'll ask Fred, George and Lee." Ron offered. "I'll explain everything, that we need a diversion so we can speak to Remus and Sirius safely. Once they know what's really going on with you, they'll be more than happy to do it, to get payback on that miserable sorry excuse for a human being!" Ron proclaimed passionately, a fierce protective desire taking hold of him to protect his first friend, his sister.

"Now, what are you planning to wear for your date with your Major tomorrow?" Luna asked, causing Dahlia to blush as a smile formed upon her lips at the 'your Major', while Neville and Ron scowled for a whole other reason now.
"Yes it has to be perfect to remind him what he's missing while you're away here at school. Gotta make him work for it." Kellah teased, laughing when Dahlia slapped her arm, her cheeks now a scarlet red that almost clashed with her blood-red hair.

"I was thinking of the outfit you got me for my birthday, Kel, you know the tight black trousers, black camisole with white stars on it, a blazer and heels with red lipstick and natural eye makeup." Dahlia informed the two girls who agreed wholeheartedly on her choice of outfit.
"Urgh!" Ron and Neville groaned in complaint, as the group of friends continued their way towards the Great Hall for breakfast and to avoid suspicion cast upon them but mainly Dahlia. "We do not wish to hear this!" They complained, humming loudly with their hands over their ears much to the three girls' amusement.

With a plan to inform and protect her Dads, Dahlia was feeling lighter than she had since before the Dementor attack, so it was with that thought in mind, she sat at Gryffindor table with Ron and her God-brother on either side of her, Kellah beside Ron and Luna beside Neville (they refused to let the young blonde sit at her own table with people who bullied her constantly).

While Fred and George sat in front of her with Lee beside them, discussing prank products for the shop, a smile dawned on her face for the first time since the journey to school on the Hogwarts Express; feeling safe and happy with her friends, who discreetly passed a note to the twins and Lee saying they needed to talk and needed their help. The trio of seventh years agreed readily and without question with a firm nod of their head and reassuring smiles. The weight that had been crushing Dahlia's chest for a month was slowly lifting which gave her the courage to make eye contact with her Dads. She missed them so much it was like walking around with a hole in her chest.

However, when she made eye contact with them they were started by how thin and how her pale skin looked sickly with large dark bags beneath her eyes, how she constantly shook with tremors barely able to hold her spoon steady, how she winced in pain every time she moved, and now one of her hands was bandaged with blood already seeping through the fresh bandage. They tried to offer her a loving and reassuring smile but they were so overwhelmed with concern for their daughter.

Who they had been trying to speak to for a month but every time they tried she was suddenly put into detention by Dolores Umbridge for stupid inane things; they had realised the Ministry was trying to keep the three of them apart but they didn't know why, but they should know you don't mess with a Black without there being grave consequences especially when their children were involved and it was in that moment when Sirius was filled with a rage equivalent to a tsunami and that wave was about to wash over one pink toad.

"She will pay Remus, I swear it by Mother Magic I will make that pink toad pay for what she's done to you and our daughter!" Sirius hissed, silver eyes like literal molten silver with his rage, as he struggled to keep his Grimm at bay who wanted to tear into the thing that had caused his mate and pup so much pain and grief in the last month.
"She will, Padfoot, I promise but first we need to talk to our daughter. I knew there was a reason for her pulling away from us, I just wish I knew what it was so we could reassure her otherwise." Remus sighed sadly, while inside he struggled to control his own anger and Moony who wanted to tear the pink toad's throat out.

"Obviously Remus," Sirius groused. "Our Princess would never pull away from us and she certainly wouldn't forget to take her potions, all the progress she made over the summer has been undone ever since she started having detentions with that toad! If I find out she's the cause of all this I will tear the Ministry down brick by brick until none are left who could hurt my daughter, our daughter!" Sirius promised darkly, after he'd put up several charms to avoid eavesdroppers from those nearby.

He will make the whole Wizarding World remember why you didn't mess with a Black if he had to, for nothing was more important to Lord Sirius Orion Black III than his husband and Lord Consort, Remus John Lupin-Black, and more importantly their daughter, Heiress Dahlia Emma Potter-Black.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Second Author's note:

DO NOT ask me to update there are other ways to tell me you like this chapter.