ORBIT, James Potter

Vivienne Ashbourne was grounded, steady in a way most people at Hogwarts weren't. She knew what she wanted, or at least she liked to believe she did, and she carried herself like someone who had already mapped out her future long before it arrived.

James Potter, on the other hand, was a lovesick fool for her and absolutely unbearable about it.

She could still remember how he used to run after Lily Evans in the corridors, loud and shameless, completely unaware of how irritating he was when she was trying to enjoy even a moment of quiet. Back then, he ruined everything, girl talk in the common room, peaceful walks through the castle, stolen afternoons in the library. All Vivienne ever wanted was to shove him aside and tell him to disappear.

And yet... fifth year changed things.

It didn't happen all at once. It was subtle, almost unsettling.

James wasn't following them anymore.

He wasn't interrupting conversations just to show off or argue for attention. He wasn't trying so hard to be seen.

Instead, he had... shifted. Not softened completely, because James Potter would never be truly tame, but something in him had sharpened into maturity. He was still James, still reckless, still grinning like trouble had personally chosen him, but the chaos felt controlled now. Intentional. Pranks were still there, of course, scattered through the castle like sparks in dry grass, but they no longer felt like desperation for attention. They felt like choice.

And that was what unsettled Vivienne the most.