𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙎𝙤 𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙣 ―𝐣𝐬𝐩

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫 - 𝐄𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫

Martha

Dom, leading the gang as usual, scanned the compartments for an empty one. As we passed by, people whispered and stared. Being part of the Gryffindor Big Eight and the unofficial inner circle had its perks. Everyone knew who we were.

Dom found a compartment occupied by a group of second years. Without hesitation, she slid the door open and fixed them with a commanding look. "Out. Now."

The second years scrambled to gather their things, looking both scared and awed. Nate wrapped his arm around Dom's shoulders, grinning. "You're hot when you're bossy, Dominique."

She rolled her eyes, but a smirk tugged at her lips. "No, Nathaniel, I'm always hot." She leaned up and kissed his neck, making him shiver. I groaned internally. They did this kind of thing all the time, and it was both annoying and slightly disgusting. I mean, c'mon, that guy is my twin brother you know?

Once the compartment was vacated, we all piled in. Freddie and Roxy flopped onto one side, while Dom and Nate took the other, leaving me and James to fill in the gaps. James, of course, made a point of sitting right next to me. I glared at him, but he just smirked and settled in.

Ronny squeezed in next to Freddie, and Luke sat by Roxy, pulling her close. Dom and Nate continued their flirting, which made me want to gag. I was about to tell them to get a room when James cleared his throat. "So, guess what?"

Everyone looked at him, curiosity piqued. He reached into his bag, pulled out a shiny badge, and pinned it to his chest. It was the Gryffindor Captain badge. Silence fell over the compartment. Even his cousins, Freddie, Roxy, and Dom looked shocked. Apparently Potter only spilled the beans to my twin.

"James, you're the captain?" Freddie asked, disbelief coloring his tone.

James nodded, looking smug. "Yep. Got the letter over the summer."

All eyes turned to me, waiting for my reaction. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks, but I forced a smile and shrugged. "Congrats, Potter," I said, keeping my tone even. I had known about this since Nate had blurted it out earlier, but it didn't make it any less infuriating.

Freddie let out a low whistle. "Wow, mate. Didn't see that coming."

James' smirk widened. "I know, right? Guess McGonagall finally recognized my talent."

Dom rolled her eyes. "Or she got tired of your constant pranks and figured giving you more responsibility might keep you out of trouble."

"Fat chance of that," I muttered under my breath.

James leaned in, his smirk never wavering. "Jealous, Aurum?"

I shot him a glare. "Not in the slightest, Potter."

Nate, sensing the tension, decided to change the subject. "So, what's the plan for this year? More pranks? More parties?"

Freddie's eyes lit up. "Oh, definitely. We've got a whole list of ideas ready to go."

"Fantastic," Ronny said with a hint of sarcasm. "More detentions for you lot."

Roxy grinned. "But it's worth it. You know it is."

Luke chuckled, shaking his head. "You guys are hopeless."

"Hopelessly awesome," Freddie corrected, earning a laugh from everyone except me and James.

James, never one to let an opportunity to needle me slip by, nudged my shoulder. "You know, Martha, if you ever need tips on improving your game, I'm here to help."