The New Marauders

The Badge

It was a lazy morning at the Potter house, the sun streaming through the kitchen windows as the last few weeks of summer break dwindled away. James sat at the breakfast table, lazily toying with a piece of toast while Albus and Lily were playing a game of Wizard Chess in the living room. The family owl, Archimedes, swooped in through the window, landing on the table with a stack of letters clutched in its talons.

“Post’s here!” Ginny called from the kitchen.

James perked up, grabbing his letter. As he tore it open, his eyes widened in surprise. Tucked inside the usual parchment was a gleaming badge. It read Captain in bold letters. For a second, he just stared at it in disbelief. His heart thudded with excitement, a grin spreading across his face.

“Oi! Al! Look at this!” James held up the badge, practically glowing with pride.

Albus glanced over from his spot on the couch, curious. When he saw the badge, his eyes widened. “No way! You’re Quidditch captain?”

“Looks like it!” James said, beaming. “This is going to be brilliant.”

Albus smiled, genuinely happy for his brother but also excited as he reached for his own letter. He opened it quickly, his eyes scanning the parchment. A grin spread across his face when he spotted the Hogsmeade permission slip tucked inside. He jumped up from the couch and rushed over to Ginny, who was still in the kitchen.

“Mum, can you sign this?” Albus asked eagerly, waving the slip in front of her. “I’m finally allowed to go to Hogsmeade this year!”

Ginny smiled fondly at her middle son. “Of course, love. Give me a quill, and I’ll sign it.”

Just as she was about to take the slip, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway. “Lily! Come here, darling!” Ginny called. “Your Hogwarts letter is here!”

Lily came bounding down the stairs, her red hair bouncing behind her, her face lit up with excitement. She’d been waiting for this letter all summer, and the moment had finally arrived. She skidded to a stop in front of her mother and snatched up the envelope with her name on it. She ripped it open, her eyes growing wide as she read the letter, confirming what she already knew: she was officially a Hogwarts student.

“I’m going to Hogwarts!” Lily exclaimed, waving the letter around as if everyone didn’t already know.

James, still clutching his captain’s badge, gave her a teasing grin. “Finally. Now we won’t have to listen to you complain about not being able to come with us.”

Lily stuck her tongue out at him but couldn’t hide her excitement. “Just wait! I’ll be better than both of you!”

Albus, who was still holding his Hogsmeade slip, chimed in, “Yeah, but will you be a Quidditch captain, like James?” He gave James a playful nudge.

Lily shrugged, her eyes gleaming with confidence. “We’ll see.”

Ginny, watching her children with a smile, signed Albus’s Hogsmeade slip and handed it back to him. “There you go, Al. And Lily, we’ll need to get your school supplies sorted soon.”

Harry walked into the kitchen just then, a mug of tea in hand, and glanced at the scene with a smile. “Well, looks like this year is going to be interesting,” he said, ruffling James’s hair. “Quidditch captain, third years going to Hogsmeade, and another Potter off to Hogwarts.”

James grinned, holding up his badge for his dad to see. “Looks like it.”

Harry smiled proudly. “That’s my boy.”

The house buzzed with energy as everyone talked over each other—Albus excitedly planning his first trip to Hogsmeade, Lily still grinning from ear to ear about her letter, and James daydreaming about leading the Gryffindor Quidditch team as captain. It was shaping up to be an unforgettable year at Hogwarts.

******

The Hogwarts Express was steadily chugging along, its familiar whistle echoing through the rolling countryside. The new Marauders—James, Edward, Nate, Sam, and Luke—had settled into their usual compartment, bags stowed away, and the air buzzing with the excitement of another year at Hogwarts.

James, however, had been uncharacteristically quiet, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth as he stared out the window, clearly holding back something.

"Alright, Potter," Nate said, leaning forward, “you’ve been looking like a cat that’s about to catch a broomstick. What’s the deal?”

Edward, sitting across from James, gave him a playful nudge. “Yeah, mate, spill it. You’ve had that grin since King’s Cross.”

James glanced at them, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “Well, I was going to wait until we got to the common room, but… I guess now’s as good a time as any.” He reached into his bag, pulling out the small, gleaming badge that read Captain in bold letters and held it up for everyone to see.

For a moment, the compartment was silent. Then Nate’s eyes widened, and Sam let out a loud, “No way!” as Luke started clapping.

“You’re Quidditch captain?” Edward asked, grinning from ear to ear. “That’s brilliant!”

James beamed, nodding. “Yep! Got the letter a couple of weeks ago. I’m leading Gryffindor to victory this year.”

Nate, who was still a bit shocked, whistled. “That’s massive, mate. You’re gonna destroy Slytherin this year!”

Sam, always the practical one, leaned back with a thoughtful look. “That means you’ll be handling the tryouts, right? Think we’ll keep the same team as last year?”

James shrugged, still grinning. “We’ll see. I’ll have to see who’s trying out, but I’ve got a few ideas.”

Luke leaned forward with an eager grin. “You’ve got to keep us all in the loop for strategy meetings, Captain.”

James laughed. “You know I will.”

Edward gave James another playful nudge. “I can already see it—James Potter, Gryffindor legend. First Seeker to lead the team since your dad, right?”

“Yeah,” James nodded, a flicker of pride crossing his face. “It’s going to be a lot of pressure, but I’m ready. Plus, with you lot on the team, it’ll be a breeze.”

Sam grinned. “And by ‘you lot,’ you mean mostly us helping you win, right?”

James chuckled. “Exactly.”

As they continued chatting, the excitement of the year ahead started to sink in. With James as Quidditch captain, the new Marauders knew this was going to be a year full of adventure, pranks, and, hopefully, some Quidditch glory for Gryffindor.

The train rolled on, carrying the group closer to Hogwarts, and as James tucked the badge back into his pocket, his heart raced at the thought of leading his team to victory.