“I can’t believe it.” Marigold gasped in shock.

 On the front page of the Daily Prophet, it read “Delphini: The New Minister for Magic”; below the headlines, there was a photo of Delphini being appointed as the new Minister.

 “What is it?” Andrew asked.

 Marigold showed her friends the newspaper.

 “No way,” Andrew gasped.

 “That’s terrible,” Scorpius added.

 “How did she do it, though?” Rose asked. “Become Minister, I mean. What about Shacklebolt?”

 “According to this, Delphini used the Imperius charm on Shacklebolt. That’s how she was able to push him out of power.”

 “So what does this all mean?” David asked, turning pale. “She said that she’ll kick out Muggle-borns, didn’t she?”

 “I doubt that she meant it,” Andrew reassured him. “Who in their right mind would actually do that kind of thing in this day and age?”

 Just then, James and Albus came running, out of breath.

 “Where were you?” Marigold asked them. “I’ve been looking for you two all morning.”

 “We were talking to Daisy,” James replied. “And you’re not gonna believe what she just told us.”

 “She got an owl from home,” Albus said. “Her family just got a letter from the Ministry. Dudley and Poppy were told to leave Britain in a week.”

 “What?!” Marigold yelled, standing up.

 “No way!” Rose exclaimed.

 “Who’s Dudley and Poppy?” Andrew asked.

 “Dudley is Daisy’s dad and my dad’s cousin. He’s a Muggle.” James replied. “Poppy is Daisy’s sister, and she’s a squib.”

 “So Dudley and Poppy are getting kicked out, and separated from their family, simply for being a Muggle and a squib,” Scorpius said as if he couldn’t believe it.

 “Exactly,” Albus said. “James and I were comforting Daisy; she was crying.”

 “I can’t imagine what that must be like,” David said. “And I guess that just means that it’ll be me and my family soon.”

* * *

 Marigold and Scorpius were outside, at the Middle Courtyard; she was helping him with his Transfiguration homework.

 “Look what we have here.” Parkinson sneered as she walked past. “Two blood-traitors. How do you losers feel now that Delphini’s finally kicking out the scum?”

 “Leave us alone.” Scorpius snapped at her.

 “Yeah, why don’t you leave my friends alone and go pick on someone your own size, Parkinson?” David commented as he passed them.

 “Stay out of it, you filthy little Mudblood.” she quipped.

 Marigold immediately felt a rush of anger. Parkinson had said hateful things before, but she had gone too far this time.

 “Apologise to my friend!” Marigold snarled, pointing her wand at Parkinson.

 “Lupin-Black, I’m gonna teach your little friend a lesson,” Parkinson smirked as she pulled out her wand and pointed it towards David. “Levicorpus!”

 David was lifted from the ground, dangling upside down midair.

 “Help!” he screamed.

 “Put him down!” Scorpius yelled at Parkinson.

 “No,” she smiled derisively, then turned to David. “This is what you get for not staying in your place, you jumped-up Mudblood.”

 Marigold decided to take matters into her own hands; she pointed her wand at him.

 “Liberacorpus!”

 David fell to the ground with a thump. Scorpius ran over to him.

 “Are you alright?” he asked, holding out a hand.

 “Thanks.” David grabbed Scorpius’s hand and stood up.

 “You’ll pay for this one, Parkinson!” Marigold growled, pointing her wand towards her.

 “Diffindo!” Parkinson shouted, waving her wand.

 “Protego!”

 Luckily, Marigold managed to shield herself before the spell could severe her skin. Parkinson glared at her, swishing her wand again.

 “Sectumsempr-”

 “Expelliarmus!”

 The scarlet light from Marigold’s wand and the white light from Parkinson’s created a single beam as Marigold and Parkinson glared at each other.

 Celeste, who had just arrived at the courtyard, was about to go up to Scorpius to say hi when she noticed the duel.

 “Marigold! Parkinson!” she yelled. “Both of you, stop!”

 But neither Marigold nor Parkinson could hear her; they continued to point their wands at each other while shooting death glares.

 “I said, stop!”

 When Marigold and Parkinson still didn’t budge, Celeste pulled out her wand and pointed it towards the centre of the two beams.

 “Expelliarmus!”

 David and Scorpius continued to stare at the three-way duel, not knowing what to do. Even the other students who were in the courtyard gathered to watch. Professor Slughorn noticed the commotion and headed towards them.

 “Professor Slughorn is here!” David yelled.

 “Ms Greengrass, Ms Lupin-Black and Ms Parkinson!” Professor Slughorn bellowed. “Stop this at once!”

 Celeste, Marigold and Parkinson immediately dropped their wands to the ground.

 “The three of you, to my office!” he said sternly. “And Mr Edwards and Mr Malfoy, please come with us.”

* * *

 “They were bullying me, professor!” Parkinson started wailing. “All four of them! I was so afraid!”

 “Cut out your crocodile tears, Parkinson!” Marigold snapped at her. “And no one was the bully but you!”

 “Now, now, I’m confused.” Professor Slughorn frowned. “Who was bullying whom?”

 “Marigold is right, sir,” Scorpius said. “Parkinson is lying; she was the bully.”

 “No, I wasn’t!” Parkinson said, wiping away a tear.

 “Is that true, Mr Malfoy?” Professor Slughorn asked. “And whom was she bullying?”

 “Me, sir,” David replied. “She called me a Mudblood. And she used Levicorpus against me. Marigold and Scorpius were not the bullies at all; they were the ones who defended me.”

 “And Parkinson also tried to use the Diffindo and Sectumsempra on Marigold,” Scorpius added.

 “They’re right, sir,” Celeste added. “And what I saw was Marigold and Parkinson duelling each other. Neither Marigold nor Scorpius was bullying her at all.”

 “We know Marigold,” Scorpius added. “Off the Quidditch pitch, she wouldn’t hurt a fly. She definitely wasn’t bullying Parkinson. None of us was.”

 “I agree with you, Mr Malfoy. I also know Ms Lupin-Black quite well, and I know that she would never torment another student.” Professor Slughorn said, then turned to Parkinson.

 “Ms Parkinson, based on the fact that their stories line up, I’m afraid I’m gonna have to believe their story over yours, especially considering your past behaviour,” he continued; then turned back to Marigold and her friends. “Off you go, now. I’m gonna have a talk with Ms Parkinson.”