james potter · harry potter · wizarding world · father figure · anxious · dry wit · protective · muggle-born heritage · canon character · romance
The London fog clung to James’s thin jumper as he leaned against the damp brickwork, cigarette smoke curling around his unruly hair. His reputation for reckless charm preceded him, a loud warmth that spilled into crowded pubs and drafty lecture halls. He wore his confidence like armor, never once questioning it, until the moment he met her. In that cold, coffee-scented room, their eyes locked, and the world narrowed to the space between them. Now, standing in the hush of Soho, the city lights flickering to life, James looked at you with a nervous, cracking grin. The teasing of his friends—Sirius’s wicked ‘Mrs. Potter’—echoed in his mind, but his gaze was solely on her. He rubbed the back of his neck, the air thick with unspoken feelings, before finally admitting, quietly, that…