“ | stuff | ” |
–person to someone |
to come
Personality
What would one expect of Harry Potter’s eldest son, who seemed to emulate the qualities associated with whom he was named after? But, James was not only a Potter but also a Weasley. The Hogwarts staff undoubtedly prepared themselves for this combination once he arrived in the Great Hall in his first year at eleven. To nobody’s surprise, he was sorted into Gryffindor—the house of his father and mother, and he was elated. Much as his grandfather had been, James was incredibly outgoing. He made friends quickly and did not mind the spotlight and attention that came with being Harry Potter’s son. In addition to that, he seemed to fit in well and typically wasn’t one to actively look for trouble and enemies. Well, his definition of trouble might have been different than what the Prefects might have been thinking. There might have been a few, or a lot, that believed that James had some privilege to being a Potter and how much he got away with. James was slightly aware of this, but he did like the attention after all.
There was a natural draw to him, people migrated to him, and his presence and these qualities of charisma served him well as he lead the Quidditch team in his later years. Nobody was surprised by this. His father had been a Quidditch star himself as a Seeker while James played as a Chaser. Unfortunately, the Seeker position had been taken by the time he reached his second year, and his height and slim build made him perfect for a Chaser. In fact, he grew rather tall, which he figured was genetics from his mother’s side as he seemed to have inherited his father’s other physical traits, such as his very unkempt hair. It made him recognizable from just about anywhere. That hair was Harry’s signature, but one knew it was James from the height. In many ways, he wanted to emulate his father, Harry was a hero to this generation of the Wizarding World, and James’ main goal was for him to be proud of his eldest son. Every year he went in to promise he would not break the rules and study every waking minute. He wasn’t practicing Quidditch, but every year that goal seemed to fly through the window like a stray bludger after a week into the term.
This is where James was absolutely a Weasley. He enjoyed having a good time, including hanging out with his friends on the grounds in front of the Castle or pranking one of his dorm mates. Any chance he seemed to get, he would spend time with his uncles, who only encouraged this behavior, while his father wished he would study a bit harder and focus. The thing was, James did study, but for the most part, he didn’t have to study all that hard. He did well academically, though he wasn’t at the top of his class by any means. The pressure of his name and the spotlight that came with it never bothered him though he watched his brother struggle with it much more than he ever had. It wasn’t something he understood until he got much older, and suddenly everything wasn’t so easy anymore. When it came to his siblings, one could call James a typical older brother. It was natural for him to hover and try to include his brother and his little Hogwarts adventures, though it was clear Albus wasn’t interested. Their personalities had minimal overlap outside of a natural sense of humor and witty opinion of just about anything.
James found much more in common with his sister, Lily—however, he had no qualms about interjecting himself into their business one way or another. He was their older brother. He felt entitled to his opinion on anything they did and ignored the eye-rolls and frustrated sighs that came with it. But, things changed as he grew older and adulthood and the real world looming on the horizon. Events at school such as finding the dead student on the train and all these things that were only supposed to exist in the stories his mother and father told him of the days before and up to the War. It was a harsh dose of reality, going from easy-going school days to facing death and such fear. James still smiled, but it had never been a part of his life until now, and it weighed heavier than it should have, but he’d never been trained in any way to cope with such things. And though one might consider James ‘aloof’ at times, he was a determined individual when he chose to be. He supposed all the Potter children were determined in their own way, whether it was to meet a goal or actively avoid one.
Still, James didn’t want to show the damage done. He didn’t want to show how things might have weighed on him. His natural loyalty could often easily be mistaken for being overbearing at times. There were a few bad days, his mood getting the better of him as his temper tended to flair when he felt overwhelmed one way or another. In that way, he was his father’s son—that temper to action rather than taking a moment to think something through, but when it came down to it, he felt he had to do something as Harry Potter’s son. James had already been out of school when his father went missing and then was presumed dead. This was a significant blow to him. His father was his hero, a man he idolized in a way the rest of the Wizarding world did. He smiled a little less. It was all weighing heavy on him, and he felt even more protective of his close friends and family. Things were not coming so easy for James Potter.
History
James Sirius Potter. The first and eldest son of famed Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley. He was soon followed by his brother Albus and then another year after his sister, Lily. James couldn’t recall a time where he was ever alone. If his mother or father wasn’t around, he had his brother and sister there with him. Though more often than not, this involved James dragged one or both into some kind of trouble with him. It was clear from a very young age that James was your very typical little boy. Full of energy and once his magical abilities began to manifest—literally bouncing off the walls at times. Nonetheless, his childhood was reasonably calm aside from the attention the family received due to Harry Potter being his father and Ginny Weasley his mother. While his father worked in the Ministry in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, his mother was a Quidditch star in her own right. As such, James was put on a child’s broomstick as soon as he could walk, and it was clear he had both his parent’s talent for the sport.
But James never found himself alone, he had a swarm of cousins on his mother’s side that was always visiting, and he was always around growing up. There were enough of them to make small Quidditch teams that would scrimmage during family reunions as his grandmother happily watched on. When it came time, James received his letter from Hogwarts, though by that time, his cousin Victoire had already been at school for a few years. It had been quite the surprise she had ended up in Slytherin house, though James wasn’t anxious about his sorting. From what he had been told, he was a reminder to some of Harry and, of course, his grandfather James. It didn’t stop James from relentlessly teasing his younger brother Albus about the sorting. Their relationship was typical of an older and younger brother though the disparity in their personalities was quite apparent—as well as their height. Ginny would always remind James to leave the poor boy alone, to be nice to his younger brother.
When the sorting did finally occur, it was no surprise that James was sorted into Gryffindor as his mother and father had been. The Sorting Hat didn’t take long to decide on that matter. And to nobody else’s surprise, James was exactly what the staff expected of a Potter and Weasley. He was sociable, made friends easily, and always found a way to make a joke out of things. Fortunately, his grades were consistent as his classes seemed almost easy for him at times. The following year his brother joined in at Hogwarts, but there was a bit of a shock when he was sorted into Slytherin—however, he wouldn’t be alone in that house as a few of their cousins would end up being sorted into Slytherin as well. It was before this time that James had ‘acquired’ the Marauders Map as well. Though his definition of ‘acquiring’ items was always a bit loose but the point was that he had the Map and was excited to bring it to school with him.
James joined the Quidditch team his second year. Again this was not a surprise to anyone. However, he opted for the position of Chaser rather than a Seeker than his father had been. This was more due to what spots were open on the team, but he took it without complaint. The next few years went pretty much normally. Things seemed to come easy to James, whether it was Quidditch, any clubs he might have joined, dating, and even academics. Now, he wasn’t as studious as his brother, but he managed to pass his classes. There was the unspoken question and even an expectation that he would go into Ministry Law Enforcement—perhaps an Auror as his father had been. It wasn’t something that was entirely out of reach for him. He just needed to achieve the correct OWLs and NEWTs to do so. Then again, he supposed there was the other option of going into professional Quidditch as his mother had done. He played well enough, but he just wasn’t sure even up until before his seventh year. Maybe it was just a consequence of his carefree life and how easily he managed to go through it.
However, that began to change. James’ mother was attacked one day but unknown men, which resulted in Ginny losing her memories. However, it wasn’t immediately evident the extent of the damage. It was not until James and his brother and sister approached their mother and had no idea who they were. It was a kick in the chest for James, the last thing she seemed to remember was the final battle of the War, and that was it. To say that hurt would have been an understatement though each child seemed to carry it differently, and regardless he had to go back to school for his final year. But it wouldn’t be so bad, right? Maybe her memories could recover or slowly return, or they could rebuild that lost foundation once again. These were the questions swimming in James’ mind when he stepped on the Hogwarts Express for his final year, and he also tried to push back the obvious question of what in the world he was going to do after he graduated. But again, his plans for a good last year at school were quickly thwarted.
James found the body of a student on that train. The student had been muggle-born—a first year, and again, there came that kick in the stomach. Death was not something he had thought about a lot, even with the stories his father had had told him of when he had been a student. It wasn’t supposed to happen to him or this generation. Harry had taken care of the biggest evil, and whatever remained shouldn’t have been of that much consequence. Yet, there he stood, unable to take his eyes off the lifeless body. Eyes wide open and face void of anything. James tried to move on and push forward. It was what he had been brought up to do. Just keep going forward, anything other than that was like giving up, and James was not one that stepped down from a challenge. But despite smiling when he saw his friends laughing in the Common Room late at night or when they were dodging Prefects in the hallways, it sat with him, that image of the body on the train. Those closest to him would notice the very subtle difference, but it would appear more when another body was discovered on the grounds of Hogwarts later that fall.
This one had been older, though James was not the one to find him, he remembered the sinking feeling in his stomach and tightness in his chest when the news broke. One death felt like an anomaly but two? That was more of a pattern than anyone cared to admit. It was a disorienting feeling, but he decided that there needed to be action. And when he could get himself out of his daze, James and a fellow classmate formed a new organization, Phoenix Rising. His father had told him about Dumbledore’s Army and how he had started it when there was this silent call to action. This felt much the same to him, and there was plenty of interest. However, then another student was attacked. The difference was that this student—Ethan managed to survive but would not tell anyone who had attacked him. James, for the life of him, couldn’t understand why he was keeping it a secret but no matter. Phoenix Rising would continue and hopefully prevent more students from being attacked. Ethan remained a part of the group, at least until he was killed later that Spring.
The holidays felt somber that year. Ginny had no idea who this young man was in front of her, who had his father’s messy hair and her nose, who stared at her with pleading eyes for any form of recognition. Plus, he could see the worry in his father’s face, the way he furrowed his brow at the events of that Fall Semester. James worried about Harry and Ginny, but he especially worried about Albus and Lily. He could probably look back in the modern-day and maybe admit he had become a tad overbearing when it came to him. Lily pushed back the most as they were most similar in personality than he and Albus were, but regardless he found himself pestering them more and more, especially when they returned for the Spring term and his final one at Hogwarts. There was a part of him that was on edge. Phoenix Rising was moving forward, but nothing came of it as the months continued. The only news that really came up was when his cousin Victoire was elected Minister of Magic. James could smile legitimately for the first time in what seemed like forever, and he was proud of her.
However, that calm was soon broken. In the springtime that year—April Fools to be exact, the school was invaded by mercenaries and students kidnapped. In the commotion, Ethan—the student who had been attacked the previous year was killed. There were now three deaths for that school year alone, and now students gone. However, it didn’t take long for the Aurors and Law Enforcement—including Harry to find the safehouse that month. After that, things seemed to settle, but James felt a bit shaken though it also had the unintended side effect of giving the boy some direction. Despite all this, exams were still ahead, and he focused on his NEWTs and his new goal of joining Magical Law Enforcement. Now, this fell right along with that path people expected from him, and of course, there was enthusiasm over this new goal from James, but it wasn’t exactly what they expected either. After he graduated, he chose to go into training to become a Hit Wizard rather than the Auror’s department. It was a combination of wanting to do good in the world and for the thrill—if he had to admit it. Plus, what was it but not a new challenge for James Potter.
Graduation was a positive note. James’ family and, of course, the slew of cousins in and out of Hogwarts attended as two of his cousins were also graduating in the same class. But in June of that year, there was another incident. King’s Cross was bombed, and this was the news even with the Triwizard Tournament was announced a month later. James remembered feeling a bit sad that he couldn’t participate in the Tournament, but he didn’t feel too excited when he saw the look on his father’s face and how he began to speak against this. It was known what had transpired the last time the Tournament was held at Hogwarts. James could understand his concern. But he focused on his training, this new direction he had now. In the following new year, there was more news. While his cousin stepped down as Minister, she was replaced by his Aunt Hermione. The transition seemed smooth enough though James witnessed it from his new job in the Ministry.
Still, he paid close attention to the Tournament—his cousin Molly had been selected as the Hogwarts champion. James could now tell anyone who would listen that his cousin was competing and probably win—because she was the best after all. She was his cousin. He taught her everything she knew, etc. Though it turned out she did end up winning, James was able to visit Hogwarts at the end of that Spring to congratulate her along with the rest of his family, of course. But on that high note, the other shoe dropped, and there was another attack a month shy of the anniversary of the King’s Cross bombing the year before. This time, however, the casualties were much much higher. Students from Beauxbaton and Durmstrang died or were horribly injured, and James barely had time to process the news as he heard it at the Ministry when more news was relayed to him. His father was missing. Harry Potter was missing. James could hardly believe it. Maybe he was working and was just out for an extended time. No, he was missing.
Every day that passed, James hoped that Harry would just walk in through the door of their home or through the doors at the Ministry of Magic with a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why he was gone. Albus also joined the Ministry, but as an Auror-In-Training in the department, their father had left behind. Right before Lily was about to be in her final year at Hogwarts, Harry’s wand was discovered, and the Wizarding World assumed he was dead. It was difficult for the family, Ginny still had minimal memories of all those times in between, but their children certainly had not forgotten. James felt that dazed feeling again, the one from when he was seventeen, but he pushed through his training and tried to distract himself into feeling some kind of normalcy. His smile was never entirely gone, and neither was the jokes he couldn’t help but make despite what his mood would have been that day. James would always be James, but he felt as though he was carrying more weight—he was still concerned about his family. Now that Harry wasn’t around, he thought he had to step up and watch over them as Harry had done.
The Order was still present as Harry its leader, but there was a growing split after his disappearance and presumed death. James witnessed the arguments at each meeting and as they went from healthy discussions to raised voices, then screaming matches, a chair being thrown, and then wands being pointed at one another. The split finally occurred, and James’s initial instinct was to side with those who wanted to take immediate action, but as he took a moment to reflect, he realized that there was no immediate action to take. The other side was right, they needed some kind of plan and information, and he sided with Ouroborus where his cousins and his mother were. That winter, however, dragons attacked Hogsmeade village during the winter festivities, and at the same time, prisoners had broken out of Azkaban. It seemed to all spiral out of control, and inmates escaped.
The new year came and went, and Ginny began teaching at Hogwarts while he and Albus continued in their respective training and while all the papers talked about was Azkaban and ‘Harry Potter is Dead’. James stopped reading the Prophet for some time, and not that he had to with the news that he heard through work. He was coming up on almost a year and a half into his training, he was nearly done, and then he supposed the real work could begin alongside whatever he could help Ouroborus with. That February, he received quite a surprise and quite a shock when Harry—his father…reappeared. James felt conflicting feelings of elation and betrayal at the same time, he was angry that he’d been lied to, but he was happy that his father was back. It took some time, but James eventually came around though there was a very, very small bit of him deep down that found it hard to let it go. The point was, Harry Potter was back, and if James could breathe a sigh of relief, he could imagine how the rest of the Wizarding World felt.
Things seemed to be looking up, the summer arrived, and James finished his training, becoming a fully-fledged Hit Wizard as his a very close family member Teddy Lupin was as well. He had also expected to attend Lily’s graduation, but unfortunately, she would have to repeat her seventh year. While Lily herself didn’t seem terribly bothered by this James, felt frustrated. Then again, he had never quite fully recovered from the news that she had been bitten and turned by a Greyback no less and was now a werewolf as well. No amount of big brotherly advice or small lectures from him ever seemed to do the trick. James was slow to realize that she wasn’t eleven anymore, or maybe he was just having a difficult time taking a step back now that Harry was back and enjoy being nineteen again. However, just as things seemed to be getting back to normal, the unthinkable happened. Just as it had in 2024 and 2023, another explosion occurred and again with devastating consequences.
Naturally, James kept up with Quidditch and was excited about the final and even attended and was there when the “fireworks malfunction” had occurred though he got away unscathed. His family had not been at the match, and as far as he knew, even his extended family was safe….well, except for once. His Aunt Hermione, the Minister of Magic—his father’s longtime friend was killed. It hurt to lose family, someone who existed your entire life, and now a void was left behind. The Wizard World felt that void intensely. She was a famous figure in her own right, someone to look up to, and now she was gone. The rest of the year felt like a bit of a blur after that, Elaine Dupree was “killed” by Aurors, but James knew the truth even if he couldn’t speak it—he knew, and he didn’t like that fact. The perfect world he thought existed when he was young no longer existed. Or had it even existed at all? Nothing seemed like it was getting done much as it had during his seventh year with Phoenix Rising. Ouroborus seemed to fight among themselves more than anything, and James was tired of being silenced due to his age or that he wasn’t a squad leader. James found himself hanging around his father’s pub more and more, but really, he was tired of losing.
James has been significantly affected by events that have occurred over the years. It seemed that when anything happened, it was through his own family or extended family. When his cousin became Minister of Magic and then stepped down, his Aunt replaced her. And when the killing of students begun at Hogwarts, he had found the body of that first year on the train that day—still in his standard first-year robes. He hadn’t even made it to the sorting ceremony before he ceased to exist. That haunted James for some time and still does though now he has almost grown accustomed to it a few years later. Working as a Hit Wizard also helped him in the sense of living in the real world and seeing the real things that happen, though he has learned to talk about his experiences more instead of shoving them down instead. At his current age, the world is real versus whatever fake image he had made up in his mind at seventeen.
When his mother lost her memories and then later on his father went missing, it had been disorienting. He had to step up in a way he hadn’t expected to yet in his family, and while he handled the pressure, he hadn’t prepared himself to carry it just yet. But thankfully, Harry returned though the entire family was thrown a major blow when Hermione was killed at the Quidditch Final. While the killing of the students had left him angered and seeking justice, losing a close relative was an entirely different experience. And knowing that Elaine Dupree still walked this earth? Well, the sense of injustice there was too great to ignore, but what could be done? The order had split into two factions, and his father busied himself with his pub.
Maybe he was still that same lost seventeen-year-old that wasn’t sure what to do with his life. But he’d seen enough with the Azkaban breakout, his work in the Ministry, and now a new mysterious island appearing out of nowhere to know they couldn’t just sit around. The island was intriguing to him. It spoke to his need for a thrill, but he was still wary of it. Still, it was on their radar as Ouroborus sought out its secrets as he supposed Heliopath might as well. What magic was contained there, and what were the implications if it fell into the wrong hands? James had much on his mind at the turn of the year.