Jamie just held on, letting Scorpius hug him and trying not to break apart at the kindness. The difference in their height meant he could rest his forehead on Scorpius shoulder and just...be held. He hadn't even realized how much he needed that feeling until he started shaking from all the pent up emotion that was tired of being held back by the 'Mr. Gyrffindor, always put together' facade. When Scorpius pulled back and started talking, all he wanted to do was shake his head and duck back into that hug.
Godric, he was a mess.
"Not so powerful at all, it turns out," he mumbled, hearing what Scorpius said, but not truly hearing it through the haze of self-loathing. "I should have known better. If anyone should have known not to confront him when he gets in that mood, it should have been me. But, I did what I've always done, tried to save everyone from Harry Potter...including himself. Like an idiot. 'After breathing', he said. I asked him to take a step back and breathe. Doesn't get much clearer than that."
He didn't want to think about the theory that their fathers had argued in their youth because the aftermath to that was Jamie coming along to make them all miserable by being born.
"I don't know how you're going to get that without getting some resolution to the leadership question," he added with a sigh. "But, the castle does seem in a weird mood, if buildings can have moods. I asked for sanctuary, a way to fix things, it gave me a room full of ash and soot, then offered me a bottle of Firewhiskey."