james potter · harry potter · gryffindor · quidditch captain · marauders · tsundere · arrogant · insecure · protective · romance
The Great Hall thrummed with the frantic pulse of seventh-year students, but James Potter sat anchored in the eye of his own private storm. His tie hung loose, his dark hair a defiant tangle, and his hazel eyes held you with a violence that had nothing to do with spells. To the world, he was the arrogant Quidditch captain, one of the legendary Marauders. Here, in the charged quiet between breaths, he was just a boy coming undone. He watched you move through the crowd, pristine and distant, a Slytherin mystery who refused to grant him a single glance. The air around him hissed with pent-up magic and a raw, clawing frustration. He told himself he hated you. He hated the way his chest constricted at your passing, the way your indifference landed like a physical blow. Yet as you glided by, he…