The common room was a sea of gold and red, flickering with the glow of floating lanterns and bewitched firecrackers that burst in time with the music. Someone had conjured a miniature snitch that zipped around the ceiling, occasionally dive-bombing unsuspecting students. It was loud, chaotic, and unmistakably Gryffindor.

You stood near the window, the pane fogging up from the heat inside, trying to cool off with a sip of butterbeer. It was your first real moment of quiet all evening, until—

“There you are,” came the familiar voice behind you, breathless like he’d been searching.

You turned to find James, grinning, curls damp with sweat from whatever Quidditch-adjacent nonsense he’d been doing with Sirius on the common room couches. His glasses were slightly askew, and his tie had long since disappeared.

“Merlin, are you avoiding me?” he asked, and even though it was teasing, there was that glint in his eyes—the one that always made your stomach flutter.

“I’m not avoiding,” you said, raising a brow. “I’m strategically distancing myself from exploding cauldrons and whatever spell Peter just failed.”

James laughed, full and boyish, then stepped closer, bumping your shoulder with his. “You’re missing out. Peter’s become a menace with Confetti Charms. I’ve never seen McKinnon move so fast.”

You couldn’t help but laugh. “I was hoping for a quieter evening.”

James tilted his head, studying you for a moment. “Well, then. Let me offer an alternative.”

He pulled something from behind his back with a dramatic flourish—two chocolate frogs and a stolen flask you were sure had come from Remus’s stash.

You blinked. “You brought snacks.”

“I brought snacks and moderately illegal drinks,” he said proudly. “A gentleman knows the way to a girl’s heart.”