As soon as Umbridge assumed office, she began resorting to various tactics to form cliques and consolidate her power and authority at Hogwarts. She knew very well that it was utterly impossible to control Hogwarts all by herself, and Filch, whom she had previously tried to win over, was not as reliable as she had imagined. She needed more helpers to share the pressure and, incidentally, create conflicts to divert the students' attention.
Thus, the Inquisitorial Squad was quickly established through an Educational Decree. Umbridge intended to use these privileged positions to win over the power-hungry Slytherin students, as she knew very well that the descendants of those pure-blood wizards loved such perks.
With no one to obstruct her, Umbridge directly appointed Draco Malfoy and his gang as members of the Inquisitorial Squad, granting them various powers and a silver "I" badge symbolizing their status.
Chapter 997