Inquisitorial Squad Badge

• Type: Magical Device, Badge of Office
• Owners: Members of the Inquisitorial Squad, including Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode, and Warrington.
• Maker: Created under the authority of Dolores Umbridge during her tenure as Hogwarts High Inquisitor.

The Inquisitorial Squad Badge is described as a small, silver pin. It features a large, ornate letter 'I', which stands for 'Inquisitorial'. The badge was designed to be worn on the front of a student's school robes to visibly signify their membership and authority. When Harry Potter first saw the badge on Draco Malfoy's chest, he noted it was “something silver” that “was glinting” and identified it as “a small, ornate letter ‘I’ on a silver pin” (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix).

While the badge itself may not possess complex enchantments, its primary function was to serve as a symbol of authority bestowed by Hogwarts High Inquisitor Dolores Umbridge. Its key properties included:

• Conferral of Authority: Wearing the badge granted a student powers that superseded those of Prefects. Members of the Inquisitorial Squad were empowered to enforce Educational Decrees and punish other students.
• Deducting House Points: The most significant power associated with the badge was the ability to deduct House Points from any student, including Prefects. Draco Malfoy notably used this power to take points from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff with impunity. This was a privilege previously restricted to Prefects, Heads of School, and professors, making its delegation to the Squad a major disruption of the school's established order.

The Inquisitorial Squad Badge was introduced during the 1995-1996 school year, a period marked by the Ministry of Magic's increasing interference at Hogwarts. Dolores Umbridge, in her role as High Inquisitor, established the Inquisitorial Squad to serve as her loyal enforcers and spies within the student body. Umbridge handpicked students for the Squad, primarily from Slytherin house, who were either children of influential Ministry of Magic officials or who showed a willingness to support her regime. Notable members like Draco Malfoy eagerly accepted the position and the badge, using the newfound power to bully and intimidate their peers, especially members of Dumbledore's Army. The authority granted by the badges became void following Dolores Umbridge's removal from Hogwarts at the end of the school year, after she was carried off into the Forbidden Forest by a herd of Centaurs. The Inquisitorial Squad was disbanded, and the badges lost all meaning and authority.

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the Inquisitorial Squad Badge serves as a potent symbol of tyranny and the corruption of power. It represents the oppressive atmosphere Dolores Umbridge imposed upon Hogwarts, rewarding sycophancy and cruelty while punishing dissent. The badge is a constant visual reminder to Harry Potter and his friends of their loss of freedom within the school. It empowers their antagonists, like Draco Malfoy, giving them an official license to harass and persecute members of Dumbledore's Army. The climax of the Squad's power comes when they, led by Malfoy, successfully capture members of the D.A. in the Room of Requirement, an event made possible by the authority their badges represented.

In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the Inquisitorial Squad Badges are visually depicted as silver pins with the letter 'I', consistent with their description in the novel. The design in the film is slightly more elaborate, featuring the 'I' within a small crest-like shape. (film)