"Don't get used to it," Jamie grumbled. "Apparently, my mouth won't shut up when I'm at a breaking point." Seriously, what was wrong with him? First Savannah after the memory swap, now Scorpius. Jamie was usually better about keeping this crap bottled up and doing the very deflecting Scorpius was talking about with Al. What the hell had happened to him since coming here? The castle had to have fucked him up somehow.
He shook his head. "I don't forget. Just not used to be called out on it except from Savannah."
There was no helping the tired sigh breathed out at Scorpius' words. "I'm sorry. It's my fault. I was worried about the same thing, I thought Dad was going to push Nott too far. So, I tried to talk him down privately. Instead, I pushed him over the edge. None of this would be happening if I'd just kept my damned mouth shut and hoped he didn't say something he'd end up regretting. To Nott, about Al and you, his Slytherin prejudices coming out stronger the more it went on. Now your dad's hurt -- and I can't believe mine broke up with him over this. Al's joining the self-sacrificing side of the family."
It was really hard not to worry about it when he was the one to blame for 'poking the bear' as Regulus had put it.
"Fuck, it won't even work, anyway. No one wants anyone but Dad except a couple who want anyone but him. We have his name, but we're not good enough because we're not him. No one will listen to us. And Dad will hate us, which, he already hates me...so, really, other than how the press, when they finally get hold of it, would react, nothing would really break. But...fuck, Al. What are you thinking?"