James Potter

Noteworthy catastrophes? Amelia had to bite her tongue before saying something like this whole bloody world or the Ministry as a whole in fear of being heard by the wrong person. Anything that she in particular had to deal with was considered a spec of dust compared to what they faced every day, yet she kept herself silent when it came to her opinions on the new regime. It was always best to play it safe. “Nothing noteworthy, if you’d like me to be truthful. Some idiot inflated themselves to the size of their home, if that suits your fancy.”

She let silence fall as she focused on her coffee, distracted momentarily by the Muggles as they came in to start their day. She felt like she could relate, honestly. Amelia looked back when James spoke again, and she finally managed to crack a smile as she brought her cup to her lips. “Exhausting? That sounds like an understatement. That’s your own fault though.” He wanted to be there, he could be bloody exhausted and deal with it. She sighed quietly and gave him a shrug at his question.

“Coffee’s good. Found this place one day, and here I am. Yourself?”

James grinned at the thought of a man swelling up like a ballon; the buttons on his trousers popping off, and his fingers looking like overstuffed sausages. “How’d you fix that disaster? You have to pop him, or have him pass gas until he was normal?”

He chuckled and stuffed the rest of the muffin into his mouth.  Amelia was a better conversationalist than he expected. He didn’t like to judge, but she seemed rather standoffish when they crossed paths at the ministry. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing to be distant, especially in these times, he just didn’t take her as someone to enjoy idle chitchat in a cafe.

James raised his eyebrows at her comment. Brutal honesty, however, he did expect from her. His first inclination was to be insulted, but he took a sip of his tea and reconsidered.  She was right. It was his fault. He chose to be an Auror, and was fully aware that his position would require him to do things he didn’t agree with. His perspective had now changed from offended to ashamed. He shouldn’t be complaining about his job, especially to people he wasn’t familiar with. 

“My fault, eh? Silly me, and here I was thinking it was Voldemort’s.” James wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up. “You have a good day Amelia. This was...nice.” He smirked and offered her his hand.

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it’s a holly volly jolly holiday and it’s live like legends secret santa 2k16:

There were fewer and fewer things that made real sense to Sirius Black these days. Sometimes the way forward seemed so obviously clear and yet with Dumbledore dead and the world gone mad, with friends scattered and a fog of fear encasing every damn witch and wizard he met, it was hard to find anyone who shared his frantic sense of purpose. He didn’t know why people were letting this happen. He didn’t know why nothing he did seemed to make any sort of difference.

The frustration and impotence of it all was enough to set off those parts of himself that were pure Black. And fuck if there weren’t too many of those for comfort. Whomever had thought it was a grand idea for second cousins to marry and leave him with a family tree dominated on both halves by the Black name had a lot to answer for.

But on these rare occasions when James would send him the All-Clear and he was able to slip away and spend time with his best friend it was easier to push everything away and indulge in a bit of pleasant regression.

Sirius Apparated as close as he was able to the Potter mansion, finishing his journey in the loping strides his eagerness demanded. Back on the Potter grounds for bare moments, and already he felt better. More like his old self. It had been too long since he had walked these halls, and he did so much more quietly today than in days past. Slipping through doorways and sidestepping furniture he might once have leaped over.

They usually spent time far enough off from the main rooms that unexpected visitors would be little danger, and Sirius appreciated that they weren’t meeting all cloak and dagger in some dingy cellar. Having to so blatantly hide would have ruined the delusions he allowed himself about these moments with James.

“Oh Jamsie.” He called out now in a quiet singsong, gripping both sides of the door frame in his hands and leaning in. “ Oh Prongs. Your very best friend and occasional light of your life has arrived. So hop off your ass and pour a man a drink, how bout?”

James tapped the brim of a glass of single malt whiskey. He and Sirius would surely finish the bottle before the night was through; then he’d stumble up the stairs and wake up Lily, who despite being rightfully annoyed, would chuckle and say, “Come to bed you idiot.” James smirked at this thought as he sipped his whiskey. 

He was sitting in a small room on the basement floor of the Potter mansion. It was the room he and Sirius spent most of their time in when he came to live with his family.  They’d stay up until the early hours of the morning laughing, drinking, and telling stories of their sexual conquests, and of those they’d hope to pursue. James missed those days; the days of youth, a time before everything went to shit and they were so suddenly thrown into adulthood. 

“Oi, pour your own drink you twat. I’m not your host. This is as much your home as it is mine.” James hopped out of the sofa chair when he heard his brother at the door.  “You know Padfoot, being a fugitive really suits you.” He wrapped his arms around Sirius and squeezed. The two were far too good at sneaking around, they had acquired a wealth of experience at Hogwarts.

“Pick your poison. I have whiskey, ale, and if you’re feeling classy, I pulled out a particularly ancient bottle of red.” James had released Sirius and was now riffling through a well stocked liquor cabinet.

She could practically sense his initial annoyance when they made contact, one that Amelia felt was mutual, and she tried to keep small talk to a minimum. She wasn’t a morning person by any means despite her early morning routine, and Amelia kept her gaze ahead even as James looked around the shop as if he were expecting someone. She wouldn’t be surprised–the man had a charm about him that screamed, at least to her, someone who was friends with the world. Was she wrong? Possibly. Her assumption was set, though, and she didn’t have any plans to change it otherwise.

James, however, seemed to have different plans entirely that morning, and Amelia gave him a tight smile. “Aren’t you a real charmer?” she asked dryly, stepping forward and ordering herself a coffee. He didn’t seem to be giving her too much of an option otherwise, however, so with her coffee in hand Amelia followed James to the little table he’d picked out, sitting down and adding sugar packets to her drink slowly. Her eyes glanced up when he spoke again, and Amelia let out a quiet sigh.

“Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. Nothing as fancy as Auror, but I’ve got my job.” She wished she were in any other department, of course, but under this new regime that wasn’t going to happen. She hated it, and Amelia was sure she both looked and sounded bitter about it. “What are you doing in this shop?”

James blew on his tea; testing the temperature with his lips before taking a sip and setting it down. He immediately regretted inviting Amelia to join him for breakfast this morning. He hated small talk, and this morning he especially wanted to be alone with his thoughts.  He often made decisions simply to appease others; feeling as though he had a reputation of being welcoming to uphold. These days he didn’t much care to be hospitable. Despite all of this, James just couldn’t be rude and his selflessness annoyed him. Amelia was a fine enough person, it was just the wrong place at the wrong time for conversation. 

“Interesting, any noteworthy accidents or catastrophes lately?” James took a bite of his blueberry muffin and watched as groggy muggles entered the shop, one by one, desperate for their caffeine fix. He still found it astounding how naive they were.  The wizarding world was at war and here they were worrying about securing their next big client or upset about the score of some sporting match the previous evening. Part of the reason why he frequented this shop was because he found this naivety calming. He could escape the turmoil for a brief moment in the day and be just another poor bloke upset about something insignificant. 

“Welp, besides tea and baked goods, I’m here to distract myself. You call being an Auror fancy, I call it bloody exhausting.”

James didn’t bother swallowing his muffin before speaking. His words were muffled and crumbs fell to the table as he spoke.

“And, what brings you to this lovely establishment?”

live like legends au universes: star wars ( part two ).

live like legends au universes: percy jackson edition ( part two ).