The Great Hall was loud, buzzing with the chatter of students, but all you could hear was the sound of your thoughts pounding against your skull. Across the room, James sat surrounded by his usual crowd Sirius, Remus, Peter, all of them laughing over something you didn’t care to know. You couldn’t bring yourself to look at him any longer.

For the first time, you were pretty sure that James was less.

Less than the charming, golden boy everyone seemed to see him as. Less than the person you thought you had known. It hit you like a Bludger to the chest, that sharp realization.

He had never been a friend to you, ever.

The memory of his laughter when Sirius mockingly mimicked something you said in class played on a loop in your head. He didn’t defend you. He didn’t even flinch. He laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world.

He hadn’t taken your side at all.

And those gifts. The ones you had foolishly poured your heart into things you had painstakingly made with your hands he tossed them away without a second thought. You remembered finding them crumpled, forgotten in the corner of the common room.

He threw away your gifts and made fun at your expense.

You felt your throat tighten as you pushed your plate away. You had been so blind. So completely, stupidly blind. Potter wasn’t the dazzling figure you had once admired. He wasn’t kind. He wasn’t thoughtful, and he certainly didn’t care about you in the way you had once cared for him.

You were sure you no longer liked James.

You stood abruptly, your chair scraping against the stone floor. His gaze flicked to you for a fleeting second, but you turned away before he could catch your eyes. You didn’t care if he noticed you leaving.

You were so done with Potter.