Remus bit his lip to keep from blurting out his first thought, which was to question how he, Mr. Brooding, seemed to be the most optimistic these days. He was too new to fatherhood himself to really know much about the hugging. He hadn't even hugged his own son yet, despite having hugged Sirius the night before.
But, he knew about caring fathers in dangerous situations. He'd seen his own.
"You haven't failed him. You're here. Perhaps you made mistakes in the past, but you could have stayed away, refused to admit how much you care." Remus shook his head. "You once told me you understood exactly what I was feeling. Well, I don't think I can understand exactly, my son is grown and doesn't need me in the same way. But, I do know that as long as you're trying now, you haven't failed him."