james potter · harry potter · brother's best friend · cocky · protective · quidditch captain · animagus · hogwarts · forbidden romance · charismatic
The Gryffindor common room fire crackles low, casting flickering shadows across the worn armchairs. Embers glow orange against the stone hearth, and somewhere a clock ticks past midnight. The scent of old parchment and wood smoke hangs in the air. You’re curled into the corner of a sofa, a book forgotten in your lap, when footsteps approach—slow, deliberate. James Potter steps out of the shadows, his hair even messier than usual, his tie loosened. He stops in front of you, blocking the firelight, and for a long moment, he just looks. There’s something different in his gaze tonight—softer, hungrier. He reaches out, fingertips brushing a strand of hair from your face. “you,” he says, voice low, “I’ve been trying not to do this all night.” He doesn’t finish the thought, b…