𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜' ⟡ 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝟸
⟢ james potter x black!reader (fem)
⟢ summary: after your parents cross the line, you and your older brother sirius find sanctuary at the potters'. however, things don’t go so smoothly at first . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ 3.6k
⟢ warnings/tags: abusive parents, james’ clothes are described as baggy on the reader, siblings fighting, fluff then angst
⟢ part 1 ⟡ part 2 ⟡ part 3 ⟡ masterlist
note: my writing's so rustyyyy the dialogue is so off but im so done editing. and this is gonna need a few more parts, i keep getting carried away.
The Potters' house was very different from yours. It was the first thing you noticed when you woke up. Back home, it felt like Grimmauld Place existed under a perpetual storm cloud. Here, sunshine cannot be escaped. The curtains were drawn closed, but light still filtered in from both sides, almost pleading for them to be opened so that it might do its duty of brightening the house.
Another thing you noticed were birds, who sang pretty songs from right outside your window. You can't remember ever hearing any birds outside your home, and there were plenty of trees for them to nest in. In fact, you started to believe that the aura of your house scared all living things away. Realistically, it was probably all of the yelling and screaming.
As you lie in an unfamiliar room and think of all the reasons why you preferred it over your own, three gentle knocks beat on your door. They sounded different than James' quick staccato, and nerves bubbled in your stomach because you couldn't guess who was on the other side.
You took a deep breath, told yourself that you didn’t have to be so on edge here, and called for the person to come in as you sat up. The knock pattern automatically filed itself away in your brain as belonging to Mrs. Potter. She walked in, carrying a silver tea tray.
"Good morning, dear. Sleep well?" She greeted you as she made her way to your bedside.
"Yes, Ma'am." You said politely.
"Oh, please call me Effie," she insisted as she placed the tray on the bedside table and moved to draw open your curtains. You imagined the sunshine saying thank you for finally letting it in.
“I’ve brought up some tea for you. I wasn't sure how you liked it, alas..." Effie waved her hand over the tray.
The tray had the basics: a teapot, sugar, and a small milk pitcher. However, Effie had also laid out various tea bags for you to choose from, along with some warm biscuits.
“Thank you,” you said in awe as you stared at the display. It was a simple tea setting, really, but the thoughtfulness still had you feeling choked up.
"I spoke with James this morning. May I?" Effie gestured to the edge of your bed, and you welcomed her to sit. "He woke Monty and me up at the crack of dawn, insisting that we let you and your brother stay permanently. Even had tears in his eyes. I tell you, that boy has his father’s big heart."
"Anywho, I nearly tossed a pillow at him for waking me up so early, as if I’d even consider an alternative! But I got to thinking, if James felt like we needed convincing, then we better make sure you and Sirius don’t feel any unease either.”
Effie reached for your hands that lay folded in your lap. “So,” she paused a moment to allow you the chance to shoo her off before placing her hand over yours. “I felt it was important to tell you personally that you are welcomed in this home and this family, assuming you’ll have us, for as long as you need us. That sounds like a good deal to you?”
You bit back tears, “Yea- yes. I think that sounds lovely.”
Effie smiled and squeezed your hands, “Can I give you a hug, dear?”
“Yes, please.” you croaked.
Effie wrapped her arms around you, and you let a few tears loose while she couldn’t see you, wiping them away with your thumb as soon as they appeared. The hug felt warm and unfamiliar, and you wondered if there was a time that your parents ever hugged you like this. If they did, you didn’t remember it.
From behind Effie’s back, you watched James waltz over through your blurry vision. He became distracted by the surprise that the bedroom door was already opened, eyeing it before anything else in the room as he leaned against the doorframe.
“Good morning, sunsh- Mum! You’re in here!”
Effie pulled back from you and craned her neck to look over her shoulder at her son, who was standing up as straight as a board in the doorway. She raised an eyebrow at him, sensing his sudden weirdness.
“I was just welcoming Y/N to our home, like we discussed. Are you alright, dear?” Effie tilted her head.
“‘m splendid, Mum.” James said it with a goofy smile, rocking back and forth on his heels.
She drew her eyebrows together and said, "Lovely, James. What can we do for you?"
"Me? Do for me?" James' eyes widened.
Effie shook her head, perplexed by her son’s reaction.
"I'm wondering what brings you here, James?"
"Ah. I was just in the area," James said, doing a poor job at acting casual. "Y'know, the upstairs... area. Uh, so I thought I'd say good morning... Good morning!"
You thought that this must be the kind of thing people face palm over.
“Hm,” Effie squinted at her son, studying him for a moment before deciding to worry about whatever that was later. She turned back towards you, “Anywho, this is your room now, so I hope it's to your liking. We can see about changing these sheets and painting the walls however you’d like-”
“It’s perfect!” You interrupted, looking bashful for doing so, but Effie didn't seem to mind.
“Well, feel free to customize it any other way. Any posters?” Effie offered.
"I didn't have time to grab that sort of thing,” you admitted, and immediately felt stupid for doing so. Effie clearly just wanted you to feel at home, and you felt like you were being a downer.
But if it phased Effie, she didn’t show it.
"Well then, that means we get to go buy some new ones, yeah?"
She gave your hands a final squeeze before standing up, saying, “I better let you wake up and enjoy the tea,” and walking towards the hall.
Effie affectionately patted James on the cheek as she passed him.
“Have you had breakfast, dear?”
“Mum!” James shrank away from her, his face growing hot. “I will in a minute!”
She tsked at him, gave his cheek one last pinch, and made her way out of the room. James hung from the doorframe into the hall to watch her go. When she was out of sight, he dipped into your room and shut the door silently behind him.
James' back pressed against the closed door as he shot you a toothy grin.
"Good morning, sunshine," he repeated.
You can't help but giggle at him while saying, "Good morning, Jamie."
As he walked over you, his smile slightly faded as a hint of sadness crept onto his face when he noticed your teary eyes.
One thing you loved about James was that he never resorted to any of those hollow phrases like "don't cry" or "stay strong" when he tried to make you feel better. Instead, he always concocted the perfect cure for the situation. Today, it was goofiness and a lot of kisses.
James made a big show of acting innocent as he approached. He whistled some tune and looked anywhere but you before he suddenly dived at you, embracing your waist with a gentle yet decisive sweep of his arms. He flung his body into the mattress, dragging you down with him. You yelped and chided him through laughter.
When you landed, you were tangled awkwardly—your body twisted so that your torso was on top of his, but his legs were draped over yours. James' arms were still wrapped tightly around your waist, keeping you trapped as he peppered kisses on your face. He kissed your cheeks and the corner of your eyes, then your eyelids, effectively kissing away any stray tears.
You were a fit of giggles by the time his lips reached the tip of your nose. Next up, he dipped his head to kiss each side of your mouth before finally capturing your lips with his. You giggled through the feathery kisses he pressed on your lips, and he couldn't help but follow in your footsteps as he smiled against you.
Soon, laughter overtook you both. Yet you remained close, with your noses brushing against each other and your foreheads pressed together, as your happy laughter filled the room.
Eventually, James' laughter began to die down. He removed one of his hands from your waist to help brush your hair back into place, it having gotten disheveled from his attack.
You settled down as well, letting the touch of his fingertips in your hair calm you. He took notice and continued running his fingers through your hair, even after it was all brushed out of your face.
For a peaceful moment, you gazed into his eyes, which were filled with admiration and mirrored your own. James watched as a glint of mischief suddenly sparkled in your eyes.
"So," you voiced.
"Mhm," he hummed.
"You've clearly never tried to hide something from your mum before."
"Why would I 'ave had to hide something from my mum before?" James pouted, briefly bringing your giggles back. "Only reason I haven't gushed to her about my beautiful girlfriend," James gave your waist a squeeze, "is 'coz she would have qualms with me lying to a friend."
"Oh, so I guess we better go tell Sirius then, yeah? I wouldn't want to make you lie to your dear mum, I like her." You teased, amused by James' eyes widening nervously.
You've talked about telling your brothers before, but it's something neither of you were quite ready for—you were too fond of the blissfulness you found in the privacy of your relationship.
"Er, I don't particularly feel like getting socked in the face today." James said.
"Oh, come on. You think he'd react that badly?" You carried on.
"I think Sirius punching me would be a mild reaction for him." James grimaced, "He'll probably hex me into the next century. And I get chills thinking about what would happen if Regulus were to find out. Oh, I'd be a dead man. Or he'd put an irreversible curse on my bloodline. It's a tossup, really."
Your smile faltered at the mention of your twin brother, suddenly remembering your situation. You let yourself get distracted by the warm welcome from Effie and James' affection. How could you lay here happily while Regulus is still stuck at that house?
Your expression suddenly grew very solemn as you began squirming out of James' grip. "Where's Sirius?" you asked.
James seemed to choke on his own spit. "Uh, pardon? You're not really planning on telling him today?” Despite his protest, James loosened his grip, not wanting to keep you somewhere you didn’t want to be. “At least let me put my Quidditch gear on, I might need the protective padding."
You had tunnel vision the moment Regulus’ name was mentioned, but you realized what James was saying by the time he mentioned protective padding.
“Not that, James. I need to find out about Reg.”
His mouth formed an O shape as you stood at the foot of the bed with your hands on your hips.
“So do you know where he is?”
“Uh, eating breakfast probably,” James guessed, “in the dining room.”
You stared at him expectantly and after a while of him not moving, you huffed, “I don’t know where that is, James!”
“Right!” James scrambled up from the bed so he could lead you through the house. You could’ve found it if you wandered long enough, but the Potters’ house was fairly large, and you wanted to talk to Sirius as soon as possible.
By the time James had led you to the kitchen, you could see Sirius in the next room over through the open archway. You pushed past James at once.
Sirius was alone at the head of the table, various platters of breakfast food surrounding him. The kitchen was hot when you passed through it, so one of James’ parents must have just been cooking, but they were nowhere to be seen now. Sirius was shoveling some sausage onto his plate when he saw you.
“Sirius,” you said sternly as your hands returned to your hips.
“Look who’s finally up!” Your brother cheered, “Just in time to eat.” He gestured at the seat next to him.
James appeared at your side, and said, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Maybe you should have some before you-”
“Where is Regulus?” You interrupted, ignoring James altogether.
James’ utterance of “Yeah, didn’t think so” was lost on your ears.
With a scowl on his face, Sirius turned his attention away from his meal. His eyes scanned over you, and his scowl twisted into an amused expression. “Nice outfit!” he snorted.
You looked down briefly to see yourself drowning in James’ clothes. Being much taller than you, James' sweats pooled at your ankles. You rolled your eyes.
“Stop it, Sirius. Where is our brother?”
Sirius squinted at you. You thought he was finally going to give you answers when he decisively opened his mouth, but instead, “You should sit and eat. James is right, breakfast is the most-”
“Sirius!” You raised your voice, your hands molding into fists as your arms dropped to your sides.
Sirius threw his fork down with a clatter, “What do you want me to say?”
“I want you to tell me why he’s not here with us.” Your pleading voice cracked as you begged your brother for answers, stepping closer to him.
Sirius had a stormy, faraway look in his eyes, as if recalling something poignant. “The only one who can answer that question is him, so you’re out of luck,” he said bitterly.
The simmering anger in your chest started to bubble, rising up to your throat until you were spitting words that you would later regret. “You left him there!” you accused.
“Excuse me?” Sirius sent a deadly stare your way as he slowly pushed his chair back and stood up.
“Woah,” James tried to interrupt, moving to stand between you two, “Maybe we wanna take a moment and-”
You stepped around James, and his remaining words were drowned out by your raised voice: “I said you left him there. He’s not here because of you.”
“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!” Sirius bellowed, growing more irritated with you.
“Then why not enlighten me, Sirius!?”
“He chose to stay!" he disclosed. "Alright? I know you think so highly of your favorite brother, but he chose that place!”
“That’s ridiculous,” you scoffed, crossing your arms and looking away.
You ignored Sirius' choice words of "favorite brother." You weren't going to let yourself get distracted by that conversation, which you've had a countless number of times already. Sirius was sensitive to the fact that Regulus was your twin brother, and Sirius would always just be your brother, no matter how many times you told him that you loved them the same.
“I told him to pack, just like you, and he said no. I told him he had to and he refused," Sirius said vindictively.
“Then you should’ve tried harder!" You snapped, spewing words you didn't mean, "Now he’s there alone. He would’ve come if you would've just tried harder, I know it. This is all your fault!”
Sirius reeled back as if you had punched him in the gut. For a moment, he looked hurt, but then anger overwhelmed him. “How could you say that? You weren’t even there!”
“Because you never let me be! I stayed in my room, like you said to, and was out of my mind with worry. Next thing I know, we’re leaving and Regulus isn’t, and that feeling hasn’t gone away because I have no idea how he is. You should’ve grabbed him and dragged him along! You should’ve-“
“Why is everything my fault!? Why is it what I should’ve done!? You don’t even know what he did!” Sirius' nostrils flared with rage.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about how your dear Reggie isn’t as good as you think he is," he sneered. "If you only saw him…”
“I don’t care what he did, he’s our brother!" You shouted, "He should be here. It doesn’t matter!”
Sirius slammed his hand on the table, “IT DOESN’T MATTER!?” he screamed, causing you to jump back. Tears immediately began welling in your eyes. No matter what you did, when you were being yelled at, you started crying. You weren't like your brothers, who could hold stone-cold, emotionless expressions despite whatever was swirling within. It was one of the reasons your brothers did what they could to keep your parents away from you—to Walburga and Orion, emotion was weakness.
Your tears didn't phase Sirius like they normally would have. He was too furious. “You want to know what he did?" he asked harshly. "He watched. He watched our parents torture me, and then he just walked away!"
“What did you want him to do?” you cried, “He- he was probably scared,” you hiccuped, “you- you should’ve-“
“I shouldn’t have done anything, goddammit! She crucio’d me! THAT’S what he watched our mother do. THAT’S what he let me deal with alone. I was on the ground unable to get up for damn near thirty minutes, and he knew it!"
Sirius nearly doubled over, grabbing the table in front of him for balance so hard that his knuckles blanched. All of the yelling gave him a head rush, but he wouldn't relent, "So don’t you tell me that I should’ve tried harder. That I should’ve grabbed him. He doesn’t care about me, so why should I care about him?”
Your hand clasped over your mouth as you sobbed. Your parents were cruel, but the Cruciatus Curse? You couldn’t fathom it. Your mouth suddenly felt dry, and bile bubbled up in your throat as you recalled Sirius’ scream from the night before.
Neither of you seemed to have anything else to say. You both just stood before each other in your most vulnerable states. It was a miserable sight—you crying your eyes out and Sirius looking sick as a dog.
Neither of you had noticed James leave until he returned. His parents followed closely behind.
"Snitch," Sirius choked out, glaring at his best friend as a fit of coughs hit him, his throat strained from the yelling. He ducked his head down and screwed his eyes shut suddenly, like the light in the room was starting to bother his head.
James didn't seem to care what Sirius thought of him. He was too busy being concerned for you both. Besides, James didn't really snitch. You two were being so loud that his parents were already on their way. He happened to run into them in their pursuit.
"What's going on?" Effie's gentle voice rang through the room, "We could hear yelling from the other side of the house."
Even though James' mum was being stern, she didn't sound angry or upset. Her voice only carried notes of concern and motherly authority.
Neither you nor Sirius answered her, too busy crying and coughing. Both of you would've probably been too sheepish to answer, anyway.
James' parents shared a look with each other, deciding what to do about the situation through eye contact alone.
Fleamont spoke with a firm voice, "Alright, son, we ought to get you up to your room. I think it'd be best for you to lie down." Fleamont clasped a hand on Sirius' shoulder. Your brother let Fleamont assist him in the walk to his room.
Euphemia moved to comfort you, but James stopped her. "Wait, let me."
She raised her eyebrows at her son, skeptical of the idea that her young son was equipped to handle this situation. But James had already started reaching for you, and like a moth to a flame, you melted into his arms the moment you felt his fingertips graze your skin.
Effie's eyes darted between you and her son, settling on him when her features melded into a look of understanding. A million questions raced through her mind. How long had this been going on? Why didn't James tell her? Did James tell Sirius? But the one thing she knew for sure was that you found comfort in James, and comfort was the one thing you needed right now.
She took a deep breath and decided to trust her son. "We'll talk about this later. I'm going to check on Sirius."
"Thanks, Mum." James let out a relieved breath.
"Just... behave."
"Mum!" James blushed, his hands swiftly traveling up to cover your ears with his palms.
"Oh, I didn't mean it like that!" Effie waved a hand in the air as she followed in the direction of Fleamont and Sirius.
James noticed your shoulders had started shaking intensely.
“Lovey,” he cooed. He moved his hands to cup your face, tilting it up to look at him. He was surprised to find that the reason for your shuddering shoulders was not because you had started crying harder. You were still crying, but it was mixed with a bit of laughter.
"I guess neither of us are very good at hiding things,” you said, thinking of how you jumped into his arms right in front of his mother.
James shook his head, a single chuckle escaping from his lips.
“Guess not.”
Your moment of humor quickly passed, your eyes turning sad again as more tears spilled out.
James sighed, brushing away your tears with his thumb before pulling you close to his chest. He rubbed soothing circles on your back, pressed kisses to the top of your head, and whispered professions of love and sweet words in your ear while he let you cry. Sometimes, he knew you just needed to let it all out.
Eventually, you let James’ touch and loving words relax you. When your crying was reduced to a sniffle, James veered back so that you could see his face.
“Let’s go on a walk.”
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Crimson Rivers thoughts pt. 15
chapter 26: (check tags for triggers)
1. james’ stab wound will heal, but of course he’s gonna have to use a cane for the rest of his life. my poor darling. but also! CHARACTERS WITH DISABILITIES THAT WONT BE ERASED!!! HELL YEAH!
2. this nurse is pissing me off. sirius is asking if james and reg are gonna be okay, and all she can talk about it appearances and scars. not if they’ll be okay
3. sirius and reg are reunited. thank god. this is what the world needs
4. “"I love you. You're my brother; of course I love you. Always have, always will, and nothing—absolutely nothing in this world could ever change that, do you hear me? You're enough for me, and I love you. Never, never fucking doubt that."” AHHHHHHHHHHHHH reg needed to hear that so bad, and james needed to say it so bad
5. 😧😟 reg is vomitting blood. yikes. wow. that’s yikes. it’s not even HIS BLOOD that he’s vomiting. and i wanna know who’s blood filled that river. i want to know who was killed to make blood for that river
6. “”It's fine. I didn't even like this shirt.” (Sirius really liked this shirt.)” 😭😭
7. 😊 siblings! sirius wipes reg’s face, and reg threatens to vomit on him again
8. reg questioning if he actually made it out. that breaks both mine and sirius’ heart. “"I—I thought it made sense, because why would I have scars if I was dead?””
9. reg breaking down and sobbing to his brother. wow. i- wow
10. gosh, remus and sirius are already like a married couple. i love them
11. regulus would just wake up and ask for james. that hurts. in no way was my experience any where near as bad, but i know it must suck to wake up, calling for someone, and them not to be there. when i woke up from wisdom tooth surgery, i called out for my mom many times, and the nurses jsut told me to be quiet, and i can’t see her. i was so distressed that i cried. my pain is not anywhere like james or reg’s but i know that it sucks.
12. sobbing. reg needs to shower, but doesn’t want to get in the water. he’s scared of the water. like wow
13. god, james wakes up and starts fighting people. he never should have had to go through that.
14. james is begging to see regulus, and regulus begged to NOT see james. idk how zar could have hurt me any more, but here we are
15. james and sirius have matching scars! that’s horrific! but! they’re matching!
16. sirius’ words before james went into the arena. we get to know them. and it’s both healing to know the memory, but also hurts like a motherfucking truck
17. sirius asking for remus to kiss him! consent!
18. shit. remus realized he loved sirius. like. loved him. wolfstar better be granted happiness in this universe
19. authors end note: “you think regulus is unhinged? sirius is so, so much worse 😳”
chapter 27:
1. god, regulus needs to take a shower. he must STINK. but also, i do not blame him for not wanting to
2. i appreciate remus’ honestly. he will not dance around the point with reg, and honestly, that’s what he needs
3. oh my god. is remus gonna get reg to take a bath? honestly, if anyone could do it, it would be remus. nobody else could do it
4. remus sharing the petty hallow drama 😭😭
5. james and sirius friendship is all i need in this life
6. oh wow. sirius is hurt that james never told him about his crush on regulus. not that james likes regulus. i love when fics do that instead of sirius being angry
7. i love that it’s no issue for james and sirius to share a bed. they need comfort. they share. that’s that.
8. sirius not letting james have a drink cause he knows it’s a slippery slope >>>>>>
9. ✨remus lupin✨
10. 😧 reg but sirius as a reflex from the arena. and immediately apologized. he’s never hit sirius before. and wow. that-
11. sirius is admitting something he never even told james. that he accidentally hit effie. and 😧😧😧
12. AWWWW REMUS CALLED JAMES SWEETHEART
13. honorable mention for all pandora did in this chapter. she is a lifesaver, she is a queen, she is a goddess, and she deserves so much
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