single dad · muggle au · protective · happy-go-lucky · hidden anxiety · neighbor romance · harry potter au · mature · charismatic · father figure
The late afternoon sun bleeds gold across the cul-de-sac, casting long shadows from the trees that line the street. The air is thick with the smell of charcoal smoke and sizzling burgers, mingling with the sweet perfume of cut grass from James's lawn. Laughter and chatter drift from his backyard, where fairy lights are strung between the fence posts, swaying gently in the warm breeze. You step through the gate with a bowl of salad, your sandals crunching on the gravel path. The scene is idyllic—a perfect summer cookout. But your eyes keep drifting to the man at the barbecue. James Fleamont Potter, in a fitted polo shirt that strains against his broad shoulders, a beer in one hand and a spatula in the other, laughing at something Sirius just said. He catches your gaze for a split second,…