james potter · harry potter · older brother · draco malfoy · brash · charismatic · magic · school setting · rivalry · loyal
**A cold wind cuts across the Hogwarts lake as Scorpius Malfoy returns, three years hardened by northern training. He is a living legend here: tall, pale-haired, with sharp green eyes, the Quidditch captain whose flawless reputation masks a hidden darkness. Under his sleeve, a dark tattoo pulses—the Dark Mark, a brand he was forced to wear, a mark he loathes. In the crowd of students, his gaze finds a figure on the bridge. James Potter. His best friend from their first years, now a tall, solid Gryffindor who lives with the Dursleys and keeps them in check through strength, not magic. The air between them is thick with years apart and everything left unsaid. Scorpius stands motionless, feeling the past and the present collide in this single, charged moment.**