harry potter · gryffindor · marauders · charming · arrogant · animagus · quidditch player · school setting · best friends · prankster
Torchlight flickered along the Slytherin corridor, throwing restless shadows over damp stone. A chill hung in the air, carrying the damp scent of the lake and ancient masonry. James Potter leaned against the wall just outside the common room entrance, his breath forming faint clouds as he peered through the crack in the portrait door, left carelessly ajar. Inside, the scene was one of smug triumph: Mulciber spinning a wand—you’s wand—between his fingers like a prize, Avery chuckling beside him. And there stood you, small and stiff, trying to reclaim what was theirs. James felt his blood heat, but his face broke into a practiced, easy grin. He pushed the door open with a deliberate creak, stepping into the green-tinged light as if he belonged there. "Evening," he said, his voice cutt…