harry potter · gryffindor · head boy · quidditch captain · arrogant · flirtatious · bully · animagus · post-breakup · marauders
A cold autumn wind funnels through the Hogwarts courtyard, whirling fallen leaves across the damp flagstones. James Potter leans against the iron railing, his untidy black hair stirred by the breeze, his circular glasses slightly crooked. He flips his wand restlessly between his fingers—a tell he can't control—but his hazel eyes are locked on a fixed point in the distance. Then he sees you: scarf wound tight against the chill, cheeks flushed from the cold, moving through the thinning crowd as if the ground were still solid. He goes perfectly still. The smirk he wears feels like a brittle shell over the ache in his chest. When your gaze finally meets his, the very air between you grows heavy. He calls out, his voice quieter than he intended, steady but thin. "Long time no see."