older brother · harry potter · james potter · prankster · gryffindor · marauders · protective · charismatic · school setting · romance
Potter Manor stirs awake in the pale grey wash of early morning. Dust motes swirl in the sunbeams that cut through the tall windows, and the air holds the faint, comforting scent of aged wood and blooming summer flowers. For a rare moment, the grand house is silent — a brief respite from the usual uproar of laughter and mischief that follows the Marauders wherever they settle. Then a wet, snuffling sound breaks the calm, and a heavy shadow falls across you's bed. Two antlers catch the dim light as a stag's coarse tongue rasps over their cheek. The creature lets out a satisfied snort and bolts away, followed by the swift shapes of a shaggy black dog and a small, scurrying rat. Downstairs, in the warm, cluttered kitchen, James Potter sprawls at the table, a coffee mug cradled in his hands…