black butterflies and déjà vu | yas

[james sirius potter]

Waiting for the right words

January 29, 2026
YASMIN ZARA EL FAYED

James had to confess that he wasn’t at the Hounds and Harriers as often as one might think. Aside from his work keeping him busy, he found he spent more time at home if he could help it. Although this month had been different, the Island kept the Ministry busy, and Lily was back at school, as was his mother. Ariadne was working longer hours just as he was due to the recent Magical World news. James pushed through the doors and saw it wasn’t crowded that night, but that was expected for a weekday, and it would give James some peace that he desired. Arriving here had been a last-minute decision. It was either this or go home to an empty house—if his father was here. Sometimes it was hard to catch Harry, even if his schedule was simpler on paper than when he was training Aurors.

Taking a seat at the bar, he quickly checked his phone, Ariadne hadn’t messaged him back yet, but she was still working. A small smile crept onto his face when he thought of her. They’d been through much together as a couple and since their seventh year, but it was all worth it. Even when he’d asked for space after his father disappeared because he couldn’t emotionally handle having to keep his family together and the void his father left behind—she’d been understanding. It had added to his pain, a broken heart, and they had found another once again months later. Thankfully, they hadn’t discussed that time apart except for the fact that when they began dating again, Ariadne had been recruited into Ouroborus, much to his surprise, and now they were in the Order together.

Hearing a glass hit the surface of the bar, James looked up from his phone, and it was as if his entire brain paused. The face that looked at him was one he was very familiar with or at least had been but not someone he had expected to see here of all places. It appeared that of all the times James’ had stopped by, Yas had not been working, or she was just new. ”I—erm—hi Yas.” James cleared his throat and put his phone away. There wasn’t a need to be awkward. They’d had a mutually beneficial relationship until he’d told her he was getting back together with Ariadne, and that was that. There hadn’t been drama, though he missed their conversations. He’d just been surprised to see her, that was all. ”How are you?”

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[YASMIN ZARA EL FAYED]

Yas was spending more and more time at the Hounds and Harriers. On one hand, she appreciated the distraction from her lack of muse for painting. On the other hand, she wanted to spend more time working on her digital artwork, getting used to the various different apps and methods. Harry Potter, famous and well known as he was, was a remarkably level-headed boss. She hadn't wasted much time trying to read up on wizarding history, but his defeat of Voldemort thirty years ago or so was taught in class. She'd half listened - thus knew few details of his past life.

In school, Yas had become rather close with James despite her relationship with Emrys. She mentally berated herself even still for not accepting James' advances in school, considering Emrys had been sleeping around with any person with a heartbeat while she had been just and loyal. Maybe if she had, she wouldn't be at such a loss with her muse. With a sigh, Yas scrubbed a stubborn sticky stain on the counter, grumbling to herself.

It took Yas a half a second to recognise the young, black haired man who slid into a seat at the bar, and another half second for her to be pouring him a drink and plonking the glass on the bar before him. A grin spread across her face - how curious that she had just been thinking of James, and he'd walked right in. "Hey, James," she greeted brightly. He looked rather uncomfortable, but Yas didn't mind. "I'm good, how are you? Haven't seen you around here much... unless that's just me being up in the clouds as usual," she said with a laugh.

james sirius potter

[james sirius potter]

Waiting for the right words

January 29, 2026
YASMIN ZARA EL FAYED

Mentally, James shook off the surprise. It was good to see her, and she was just as pretty as when they were in school. Fortunately, before anything, they had been friends, and even if they’d drifted apart, they could still definitely be that. She had told him all about her ex-boyfriend, who James recalled vaguely from school, but also he was some rockstar now, so it was hard to escape his name or face at times. There was a thought, imagine not being able to escape someone who hurt you so badly because they were in the public’s eye now. She grinned at him as if no time had passed at all, and he accepted the drink she brought him.

”Well I’m offended.” His expression shifted to one of being hurt that she hadn't noticed his presence at all over however long she'd worked here. ”I thought we were friends.” But then he quickly shifted into his usual lopsided grin. James drank from the pint, placing it back on the bar. ”I actually haven’t been around as much…work.” He shrugged. At times it was as if there was no end in sight. Double shifts and overtime were more common when Hit-Wizards and Aurors were being sent to that island. His father had already ‘forbade’ him to go as if James still needed permission. He absolutely didn’t but Harry had a direct line to Bianca—his boss. Plus, he was more frightened of his mother appearing on said island and dragging him back to London by the ear. From the stories that his Uncles told him, she was undoubtedly her mother’s daughter and a force despite being the youngest of her siblings. Why had it been so long since they had spoken? There had been the chance meeting over the past year, but James didn’t see a good reason otherwise. Life just had a funny way of making one too busy, he supposed. ”Are you still doing that digital art stuff?”

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[YASMIN ZARA EL FAYED]

Yas laughed, a sound clear as bells. "We are friends!" she claimed, swatting him playfully as her laugh turned to giggles. She waved a hand dismissively at the mention of work. "See, you've got to get into freelancing like me. Gives you time to do the things you really adore," she said, peering up at her old friend. How many months had it been since she'd last seen him? She noticed the same strange sensation in her belly that always accompanied spending time with James, and Yas wondered if perhaps she was allergic to something. Maybe his cologne made her ill? She didn't know. Or perhaps she was just imagining things.

The silence between them stretched as they both appraised one another, perhaps just as lost in thought as the other. Yas recalled the sunny days they spent stretched on the grass, talking about everything and nothing at all. James had confided in her how he had felt discovering the body on the train - Yas had shuddered, terrified as a muggleborn herself, but felt safer with Emrys' and James' protection. She had listened all the same, and provided feedback as a good friend would.

Yas scratched a spot on her nose and nodded. "Yes, still doing art. You know I could never give my heart to anything else," she said. "The digital bit is rather new - Yara has taught me some things about computers and different programmes to use. It's quite interesting, as you can make different types of images all with the click of a pen on a tablet," said Yas thoughtfully. "And you? Ministry still grinding you to the bone? And how is Ariadne?" asked Yas. She had heard that James and his on again off again girlfriend had gotten back together - Yas didn't know Ariadne very well, but was reluctant to learn more. After all, she was a Lestrange. And Lestranges didn't like muggleborns like her.

james sirius potter

[james sirius potter]

Waiting for the right words

January 29, 2026
YASMIN ZARA EL FAYED

James was never the type to feel awkward for very long. He thrived in social situations. But there was always a sort of attention he’d grown up with that made it easy. Everybody adjusted to situations like that differently. Slowly a grin formed on his face as, despite the time, they fell back into a very friendly and familiar routine. Seventh year had been a bit of a low point for him, with the main highlights being the things he enjoyed like Quidditch or finding a new relationship with Ariadne, Yas had become a new friend but someone he could talk to as well. More recently, with the events surrounding his father disappearing, he’d found an even lower point existed for him and to the point where he started pushing people out. James and Albus had a lot of work on their hands to keep their family from completely crumbling, and fortunately, Ariadne had understood and given him space. But then he’d found his usual confidant still here.

He appeared to consider her point about freelancing but then shook his head. ”I don’t know how that would work for me. My mother always insisted I needed structure.” James responded jokingly. It wasn’t entirely false, but she said much the same about Lily. He supposed his inability to think through his decisions thoroughly at times is what would cause the sorting hat to scoff at the idea of James being placed in Ravenclaw. Taking a drink, he placed it back on the bar. ”I do enjoy my work, its just long hours.” Some weeks were forgiving, while others had James pulling extra shifts because so much was happening. Other times he was stuck at his desk filing reports and writing notes because the world was calm for those few minutes.

Yas explained her work and how technology played into it, and he found he leaned forward on his elbows, clearly interested. Technology fascinated him even if he didn’t completely comprehend it to the level of that one department at work or Harper and her work. ”You can do art stuff on the computer? Really?” James always figured his curiosity for such things stemmed from his grandfather, though he hardly had the patience to sit and take something completely apart and put it back together. ”Fascinating…I think I’ve only just mastered sending messages from my phone.” Or so he thought. Most of the time, James still preferred to write letters—it felt a bit more personal. ”She’s well. St. Mungo’s has her working about as much as I do.” James looked down a moment before returning to his drink. It was difficult to coordinate schedules, but they made it work somehow. Despite the things the world threw at them together or individually, they seemed to always find one another. And James was happy they did, despite what pain she had endured from associating with him.

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[YASMIN ZARA EL FAYED]

James and Yas had always worked well together. Two sides of the same coin. Both under immense pressure to perform well for their families - and while James had risen to the challenge, Yas had busied herself with befriending everyone she possibly could, even if they were impossible to love. Like her now vampire ex-boyfriend. James had been a constant at Yas' side, or rather she was a constant at his side, ever since school. And now, through ups and downs, yes and no, love and lust, they were friends. Friends who were closer than most. Yas, in her own way, had succeeded.

Even when James had started to succumb to the pressures of his father leaving, he and Yas had remained close. When all else had gone to shit, she was there. Now, they were stronger than ever. Yas' dark eyes roved over James' familiar facing, something within her wishing for something forbidden. She smirked at James' reply. "Hmm, come to think of it your mother is probably right. You'd be absolute chaos if left to your own devices," said Yas with a nudge to James' side. "It's harder than it looks though. No deadlines means I get a bit lazy and distracted. I'm lucky for your dad's pub though," she added after a moment.

When Yas explained her interest in computer modelling and art, rather than the classical stuff she'd been trained in, James leaned forward slightly. It took every ounce of willpower for her not to lean forward and close the distance between them as she had done so many times before. James and Ariadne had rectified their differences, and Yas adored Ariadne. Even if they weren't the perfect match, she considered them both her friends, and as such, she had to behave. Yas asked after James' girlfriend, who was now working on the maternity ward at St Mungo's. She truly was so different from what Yas had first expected. "It's a wonder how you two get any free time together at all," she observed, watching James carefully.

james sirius potter

[james sirius potter]

Waiting for the right words

January 29, 2026
YASMIN ZARA EL FAYED

There was a reason that James had turned to Yas so quickly for comfort during those dark times. She was easy to talk to, just as James could strike a conversation with just about anybody. But she hadn’t been looking to fix anything either. His focus at the time had been to hold his family together with the help of his brother. Their opposite personalities and methods had provided that balance after their foundations had threatened to crumble. He would always be grateful for that, especially now when he could take a step back and see the better place his life was now.

She echoed the common thought that seemed to prevail among those that knew James. That energy was about him and the very Gryffindor way he acted before thinking. He left the meticulous planning of every next step to his brother while he and Lily acted on their very strong Weasley genes. Incidentally, it worked well for him in his line of work, and he liked that freedom of being fearless. ”Now you’re beginning to sound like her.” James feigned annoyance. Sometimes it was clear that Ginny knew her children better than they knew themselves. Still, James probably would’ve behaved worse if not for knowing that he was Harry Potter’s eldest son and eyes were on him. ”I would probably nap all day if I could.” And that was a fact. James had the uncanny ability to fall asleep absolutely anywhere when he felt like it.

James glanced down at the bar for a moment with a light shrug. For some couples, their Hogwarts days were much easier—being able to see one’s partner when their common room was a short walk away rather than across town, for example. For James and Ariadne, their seventh year had been anything but easy, maybe it was why he had still been so drawn to her after all those months without speaking, and they’d easily fallen back into their rhythm. Yas had been understanding and hadn’t given him a hard time when he told her that he was seeing Ariadne again, and part of him appreciated that. While he had liked Yas and he very much enjoyed her company, Ariadne had still had his heart. ”We make it work.” He said warmly. ”I think I’m getting the hang of using my phone for messages and phone calls, which helps.” James recalled some things his coworkers had been discussing at the Ministry. ”Apparently, you can make a call, but it shows your face too—but then I wondered why not just use a two-way mirror?” He was curious about these muggle items the Wizarding world was adapting, but his family had always encouraged that open-mindedness.

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