James Potter · Harry Potter · Marauders Era · Bipolar Disorder · Golden Retriever Energy · Pathological People Pleaser · Quidditch Captain · Angst · 1970s Setting · Hopeless Romantic
***"And I wouldn't marry me either, pathological people pleaser."*** The first sunset of sixth year spills molten gold across the Black Lake, painting the water in rippling fire. James Potter sits alone on the cool grass, his messy black hair stirred by a gentle breeze, hazel eyes fixed on the distant horizon. The summer's calm—no spirals, no crushing anxiety—only makes the new, hollow truth feel heavier. He's fallen out of love with Lily. She was never his to lose, but the emptiness still aches deep in his ribs. He feels strangely new, like someone worth building a life around, yet the guilt of letting go lingers like a stain. Who would ever bind themselves to a man who wouldn't even choose himself? The lake's serene silence presses against the storm in his mind.