Author's Note: This is for the "Name-Meaning" challenge. I was given the character of James II and his name means supplanter. It's probably OOC from the fanon James, but since his character was never really explored in the books, I think I'm okay :). Anyway, review please!

Title from the song by Relient K.

Give Until There's Nothing Left

supplanter - one who wrongfully or illegally seizes and holds the place of another

His name was James Sirius Potter II. He never had a chance.

How could he possibly be unique? How could he possibly make a name for himself? How could he possibly carve his own path through life?

In Hogwarts, if he wasn't known as "Harry Potter's son" or "the Potter boy," he was gossiped about as the boy who was named after James and Sirius, two of the most infamous pranksters Hogwarts has ever seen. The general assumption was that James would be brilliant, would be a Gryffindor, would be courageous and strong and brave. The expectations were that James would carry on his namesakes' legacy and be mischievous and witty and be able to execute incredible pranks that had the students in fits of laughter and had the professors hiding a smile.

He didn't know any better. These assumptions, these expectations had been drilled in him from the start. He fulfilled them; he lived up to what people thought he should be. He was his father's son; he was his late grandfather's legacy; he was a blast from the past at Hogwarts.

He was everything his name demanded of him. And in time, it became second nature to be funny and courageous and carefree and to pull pranks. James could hardly remember what he was before he was the ghost of James and Sirius combined, and he accepted his personality, molded to fit the expectations of everyone, as his own.

--

He graduates Hogwarts in a storm of laughter and last-time pranks and celebration. His dad comes to him that night and grins at him knowingly. "I suppose you're dying for your Auror training. When is it, anyway? They asked me to help train you lot, but I said no…didn't want to give the opportunity for Skeeter to write an expose about my favoritism towards my son when he comes out as top Auror."

He winks at James and James freezes. James I and Sirius were Aurors, his own father was an Auror, it was expected that James himself would be an Auror. While he hadn't actually given a direct answer to his parents when they asked about his career plans, he had implied that he was indeed intending to be an Auror. It was easier that way, James had thought. There was no need to tear down his parents' tower of hopes and expectations until it was absolutely necessary.

James looks at his father and forces out a grin. "Yeah, well, you could train if you wanted. I…won't be there."

Harry frowns. "What d'you mean?"

"I'm not going to be an Auror," James says in a rush.

His father looks thrown for a second, but then quickly recovers. "Ah, you want to try your luck on the Quidditch team? Well, that's a rather risky career, but if that's your dream, I say go for it. You're a great Chaser. I obviously never saw my dad play, but from what I heard, you match his skills."

James shifts uncomfortably. "Yeah. Thanks. I don't want to play Quidditch though. I kind of want to…explore magical creatures. Like Uncle Rolf."

Harry stares at him, clearly confused. "But…why?"

"Because that's what I want to do," James snaps, biting back the rush of accusations and protests threatening to explode. "It's my dream, Dad, and I'll have to leave London to do it." He hides a smile of satisfaction. James and Sirius had never really left London.

Harry looks away, but not before James catches the flash of disappointment in his eyes. "Well, whatever you want to do, of course," he mutters. "Your mother will want to know about this. We all thought you were going to be an Auror. No matter. I'll tell her." He looks at James and forces a grin. "That kind of job takes a lot of patience. Sure you can handle that?"

"Yes," James says, a bit coldly. "I'm a patient bloke."

Harry shrugs. "I'll tell your mother, then." He leaves the room, and James stands there, unable to resist the grin spreading across his face. He had supplanted James and Sirius' place in the beginning and has been firmly entrenched as their imitation for his whole life. He hopes that he'll be able to break free.

--

James' eyes shine in the darkness as he watches his colleague, Marie, stumble towards him. "You okay?"

"I saw a unicorn," Marie says breathlessly. "James, it was beautiful."

"We see them almost every day," James teases lightly. They've been chosen as partners for a month-long expedition to catalogue different magical animals, and although his parents expressed doubts ("You want to do this for a month? But…won't it be terribly boring?" "Look, when I was a bit younger than you, I was more-or-less camping for months, trying to figure out how to defeat Voldemort, and it wasn't fun, James, trust me."), he has been having the time of his life. Out in the wild, with only Marie and creatures for company, he has nothing to prove, nobody to live up to. He shakes his head and grins at Marie. "I'd think you'd be sick of them by now."

"Never," Marie says fervently, throwing herself down next to James. "And this was different, seeing one in the dark. It was glowing."

"Pretty," James says absently, smiling at her flushed face.

"You're just saying that," Marie sniffs, but she grins.

"Well, I've seen prettier," James shrugs.

Marie's eyes twinkle. "Oh?"

"Yeah," James breathes, and almost-hesitantly touches Marie's hair (brown, not red, and James thinks vaguely that his mother was wrong, he won't follow the "Potter tradition" of falling in love with a red-head).

Marie blinks, and then kisses him softly. He cups her face with the palm of his hand, and revels in the softness of her lips and her intoxicating scent.

"Is this okay?" he whispers, reluctantly pulling away slightly.

Marie flashes him a quick grin before pulling him closer to her. "Of course it's okay," she breathes into his ear. "I've liked you forever."

"What?" James asks, startled.

"I love you, James Sirius Potter," Marie whispers fiercely, before crashing her lips to his.

James thinks hazily that when she says his full name, it doesn't sound laden with expectations and preconceptions. With her, he doesn't have to live up to James I and Sirius. He doesn't have to supplant their places and hope he's doing it right.

He can be his own person.

James Sirius Potter II, the original.