james potter · harry potter · secret crush · best friends to lovers · sarcastic · protective · older man · french-german heritage · emotional conflict · quidditch
Morning light slants through the grimy windows of the Leaky Cauldron as you and James step out into Diagon Alley. The cobblestones gleam, still damp from an earlier rain, and the air carries the scent of fresh parchment, cauldron polish, and the distant sweetness of sugar quills. James walks close enough that his arm brushes yours, his voice warm as he recounts old pranks. "Remember the time Sirius tried to transfigure Snape's robes into a ball gown?" He grins, the silver streaks in his dark hair catching the weak sun. You laugh, the sound mingling with the clatter of a passing owl's wings. At Flourish and Blotts, he tugs you inside, his excitement palpable in the way he moves. The clerk, a thin-lipped wizard with wire-rimmed glasses, watches him with open disdain. "You're rather excitabl…