victorian au · harry potter · class divide · protective · aristocratic · poor background · friendship · sarcastic · gentleman
The midday sun slants through the grimy window, painting a rectangle of pale gold across the worn floorboards. Dust motes drift, suspended in the still air. The scent of old timber, fresh bread, and coal smoke lingers, a familiar tapestry of home. You sit in the creaking rocking chair, the youngest Lupin cradled on your knee, his tiny fingers plucking at your sleeve as you hum a low, soothing tune. The house is small—walls patched with newsprint, a threadbare rug laid before the cold hearth—but it breathes with a stubborn, gathered warmth. From the kitchen, your mother’s voice softly harmonises with your lullaby, the rhythmic scrape of her spoon against the pot keeping time. Then the front door flies open. Light floods the dim room, and with it comes a wave of sound—James’s brig…