They didn't get to have another S.A. meeting, because in the middle of a windy April, the D.A. was betrayed by Marietta Edgecombe.

The door of the Slytherin common room burst open, and Cassius Warrington came stumbling in. He was a seventh-year Chaser, and he was ecstatic. "Umbridge found Potter's secret organization! She wants some of us to go trap them while she summons Fudge. Who's with me?"

A handful of purebloods leapt up and raced to the door, throwing on their robes. Of the four friends, Blaise was the first to stand up, "We should do something. We owe it to them."

Drew was already moving. They got ready to go out, and she grabbed Wilby. "You're in charge of finding Jinx. I've got to go get something."

He nodded.

Drew sprinted into her room and opened her bedside drawer, taking out the cloth-covered ice cube. She didn't even notice that Isabell was sitting on her bed, fiddling with a glass vial.

"Where are you going?" Isabell questioned, and it marked the first time in that she'd spoken to her like a normal person.

Drew pocketed the cube and started gathering her hair so she could tie it back. "Absolutely nowhere, and if you snitch, I'll destroy you."

She didn't wait for a response and darted out into the hallway, taking the stairs two at a time. Morfinus stopped her on the third floor. "What's the rush? I saw your friends run up —"

"D.A.'s getting raided. Where's Jack?"

His brain tried to keep up with her, "Er, the courtyard. I asked him to —"

She cut him off by pushing him towards the other stairs. "Tell him to come. We've got to save the members from expulsion."

He stared at her like she'd grown an extra pair of eyes, "You'd do that for them? They didn't even let Slytherins join!"

"For good reason. And we kind of owe them, so yeah."

"Damn," he muttered, "I underestimated you guys. Right, I'll get Jack and some others."

She continued up the stairs and was breathless by the time she reached the seventh floor. Going to school in a castle had its downsides.

Wilby was at the top, and he led her into the girl's bathrooms. "Malfoy and the others are already there, surrounding the Room. We can ambush them right now."

"You in?" Cyndee asked, grinning.

"Definitely, but I've got reinforcements coming, so maybe we should wait?"

Blaise shook his head, "They looked like they were about to blow up the wall. I think we need to act fast."

"Then let's buy them some time."

The four of them flew down the corridor, blasting the other Slytherins with an arsenal of spells from behind.

Cyndee sent Pansy spinning with an explosive crack, and Blaise Stupefied Goyle. It was a great start until a sixth-year girl deflected Wilby's Freezing Charm, Cyndee barely shooting it aside.

But the rest of the enemy students scattered as Drew slammed her ice cube into the ground. The tiles turned glacial, and Crabbe was frozen, his large body sliding across the floor to hit a dragon-shaped vase.

Millicent tried to get up on the glassy floor. She cast a Shield Charm around herself and glared at them furiously. "Traitors!" she screeched.

Warrington effortlessly broke through the ice freezing his legs and flicked his wand. Blaise was hurled down the hall, slamming into the ground. Cyndee gasped, "Hey!"

"Back off!" he yelled. "The next one to take a step will get another from me! None of you know nonverbal spells, so I wouldn't try it."

Drew searched the mass of scrambling students. Where the hell was Malfoy?

"Araceli," Warrington indicated his head at the sixth-year girl, then at Drew, "get that one."

Immediately Drew made a Shield Charm, but Araceli lobbed a rope-like spell that reached around the shield and grabbed her legs, flipping her upside down.

"Drew!" Wilby yelled.

She yelped, hastily holding her clothes in place. "Put me down, you hag!"

"Immobulus!" Warrington roared. Cyndee went still, but Wilby had put a shield up in time. He sent a Trip Jinx at Araceli. Millicent tried to block it, but she missed and Araceli was sent tumbling down, her spell dissipating.

Drew held her elbow, which she'd smacked unceremoniously on the ground and was now numb with pain. She grabbed for her wand as Millicent and Warrington raised theirs in unison at Wilby.

Before they could speak, a bright jet of red flung the Chaser into the wall, and he slid down, groaning in pain.

Three figures had burst onto the scene, Morfinus at the lead with Graham and Adrian following behind.

Morfinus fired a blue spell at the floor, shattering the ice into a thousand slivers that flew into the air. The students ran for it as shards fell about them, only to skid into walls as the floor refroze.

"Leave!" Graham shouted. "Right now."

Araceli scowled at Morfinus, "What a typical Gryffindor — coming to save the day! Where's your insufferable traitor friend?"

He smirked, "I wasn't aware that you and I were friends."

She shot a red spell that Graham blasted aside. "You better stop that," he warned.

The students glanced at each other. "Come on," Warrington sneered, starting to leave. "Umbridge will take care of it."

He whipped his wand upwards, and a visible Shield Charm materialized between them. They went down the hall in the direction of a separate staircase, and at that moment Jack and another prefect, Serena, came rushing from behind Drew.

"I delayed Umbridge a little," Jack panted. "She's on the fourth floor. We need to go. The Minister is here."

Adrian stared at him weirdly. "Why are you helping —"

"Sorry for sending you after her," Morfinus said to Jack, "but I didn't want Warrington to see you and think you were involved."

Serena looked at Drew, "You've done more than enough to help, but now we've got to save ourselves. I already got my friend to find a house-elf to warn them."

"No," Morfinus interrupted, "it doesn't end now. Drew and her friends should go back, but we need to split up and help hide whoever runs out."

"Obviously," Graham said. "Now let's go. You and Serena can take the bathrooms. Adrian, with me."

Wilby was de-Freezing Cyndee, and Drew Summoned the ice cube to herself then hurried to revive Blaise. He seemed to have injured his head and was in no shape to move.

"I've got it," Jack said, and he Levitated Blaise.

As they started racing down the stairs, Drew stopped. "I need to get my cat. She's inside."

Jack looked back up at her, "Your funeral, Dave."

Wilby stayed with her, and he said, "Should we try going in the Room to warn them? If Serena's friend isn't fast enough —"

The door to the Room of Requirement broke open, and the D.A. members swarmed out in a panic.

Jinx was the first out, and Drew scooped her up. The two of them sprinted down the stairs, the mass of alarmed students behind them.

* ° * ° *

They brought Blaise to his room, knowing that being at the Hospital Wing would draw suspicion.

Cyndee had a potion for headaches, and she brought it to him so he could wait until a time it'd be safe to go to the infirmary.

Jack and Serena were outside, busy taking advantage of their positions as Slytherin prefects to vouch for any D.A. members who had gotten caught.

"Ouch," Blaise murmured after he downed the potion. "Remind me to never try fighting a seventh year again."

"We all underestimated Warrington," Drew shrugged. "We're going to the common room now. Get some rest. If someone comes, pretend to be reading."

They brought their homework and lay themselves out, so they were prepared when Umbridge came marching in.

"You!" she seethed, storming towards Drew. "I know you ambushed my students. You and your friends were the reason why so many of Potter's organization away!"

"What?" Drew scoffed. "What are you on about?"

"They told me everything," she scowled, then quickly changed it to a smile. "Don't lie to me, Getaway. It won't do you any good."

Malfoy and Pansy came in sneering, followed by Cornelius Fudge. Drew told herself to be positive. The Minister's presence meant that Umbridge wasn't the most high-ranking person in the room. Unluckily, both were in a bad mood.

Jack poked his head in, "I didn't see them leave the common room, Professor."

She glared at him furiously, "I don't want to hear it from you, Mr. Liang. I know you must have played a part. Make one more mishap and you will lose your position and get a month's worth of detentions."

Jack made a yikes face, and he shrugged at them helplessly before quickly backing out of the room.

Fudge regarded Drew suspiciously, "Yes, I would like to hear it from the people involved."

Drew frowned slowly, "Well, I was doing homework." She held up her essay, which she'd managed to write half of in ten minutes. It sucked and made no sense, but there were a lot of words.

"You could have written that earlier today."

Umbridge peered around the room, "Where is Mr. Zabini?"

"I don't know," Drew said, "sulking somewhere. He likes being by himself, you know, despite having friends." She grasped Jinx and held her up, "Oh, and this is my adorable cat." Jinx meowed on cue.

Umbridge was mesmerized by Jinx for a long moment, but snapped out of it. "Come with me to my office, you three."

"They never left," Torch said suddenly. His hair was still brown, but he'd styled it into curls that bounced in every direction as he sat up. "Warrington and some others ran out, but they didn't. Why would they go save whatever Potter was doing? They don't care. None of us do."

Tracey Davis, a witch in her year who Drew had never heard say anything besides spells in the S.A., piped up, "It's true."

"Yeah," a second-year said. "I'm Mafalda, by the way." She grinned toothily at the Minister, not missing the chance to get her name out.

And to Drew's disbelief, more Slytherins chimed in with their agreement, many not even part of the S.A. Even the sixth-year prefects, who had been content with flying under the radar, adamantly swore that they were here.

It was a rare moment of solidarity. Drew felt elated, seeing that her House wasn't all that terrible once the bad ones had been rooted out, and the good ones had a chance to speak.

"Miss Greengrass?" Umbridge asked. "Did you see them leave?"

Both sisters looked up, and the older one shot the evil eye at everyone, "I'm pretty sure they did."

Drew wanted to deck her.

"Not a very committed response," Fudge noted, and Drew smirked.

Umbridge's smile had morphed into a full-toothed grimace. "Miss Skull!" she called. "What do you say? Now be mindful — giving in to peer pressure is not a Slytherin trait. You are much better than that, I'm sure."

Eliza looked shocked to be addressed, and she slowly brushed her hair back, considering her words carefully. "I was not paying attention, but I am pretty sure they were here. I have heard them talking for the past hour."

"It's true," Isabell put in, and Eliza turned to glare at her. "I wouldn't want you to waste your time, Professor."

"This is overwhelming evidence," Fudge murmured, shaking his head slightly, "perhaps your students were mistaken? Draco, I understand that you want someone to pay for Harry Potter's crimes, but trying to convict innocents will not do it."

Malfoy's jaw dropped, "Sir! I wasn't — then how do you explain what happened to Crabbe?! He was frozen solid!"

"Now now," he said sternly, "I shall have a talk with Lucius about your behaviour. I find it curious indeed that you and Parkinson were made prefects..." The Minister led the protesting ferret away. Umbridge's face was pinched, and she glowered at Drew before leaving as well.

"Thanks, everyone," Drew grinned once the door had slammed. "Flat out lying to the Minister of Magic and succeeding is a pretty good accomplishment."

"I expect payment!" a sixth year shouted. Drew found a pack of bubblegum in her pocket and tossed it at him.

Cyndee was laughing to herself. "I'm going to tell Blaise," she said before rushing off.

Wilby had started scribbling in his notebook, so Drew walked across the room and stopped in front of Isabell and Eliza. "Even though it was peer pressure, I appreciate that you both stood up for me."

"You're welcome," Isabell mumbled, fingers pulling nervously at her golden hair.

Drew kept standing there, hoping for a reply from Eliza. Finally she spoke, though her eyes refused to meet hers, "What do you want me to say?"

"What I don't expect you to say."

Eliza looked up at her then, and she was so beautiful it hurt. "I do not understand why you try. You clearly do not like me."

"You make it sound like that's my fault."

"It is not your fault," she said, turning away again. "Can you leave me alone?"

"Alright, fine." Drew held up her hands and stalked off.

Most of the Slytherin students who'd tried attacking the D.A. had returned to the common room, and they hit Drew with sullen glares.

"You may have fooled the Minister," Araceli hissed, pointing at her, "but I know what you did, and you are dead."

Drew threw up her hands, "Thank you, Araceli! I needed my daily dose of death threats. And do you have a broken hand?"

Araceli grimaced and examined her fist, which had a large bruise across the knuckles. "Jack hurts more," she smirked. "Cassius found him. I guess he's still mad that it was Liang who got made prefect and not him."

"Where is he?" she asked uneasily, wondering if she had to lead another assault.

"Cassius? He's in the Hospital Wing. Labrinth hexed him."

Drew rolled her eyes, "Nobody cares about Warrington. I was asking about Jack."

"He ran to Gryffindor Tower," she scowled. "I bet he's staying the night there. Again. As if those numbskulls like him any better. Way to stab your fellow Slytherins in the back by hating your own House and hanging out with Labrinth."

"You're more of a traitor than he is," Drew pointed out. "You're making Slytherin look terrible."

Her eyes glinted, "We had this prefect once. Walter. He was annoyingly set on changing Slytherin's reputation. In seven years he accomplished absolutely nothing, so you should really just accept that you can't be a hero."

"That's ridiculous."

"Your little group of renegades isn't going to last. Dumbledore's gone, Getaway, and for you it's only going downhill from here. "

Drew sat up, "What do you mean 'Dumbledore's gone'?"

"I mean," she smirked, "that Umbridge is now the Headmistress."