Jamie snorted. "Get a man's hopes up and dash them again the next second. I see how it is," he teased. Not that he could blame him, honestly. Aunt Hermione's lectures were worse than her hexes (which she had never directed at any of the children).
"He wasn't always crazy. It took a few more years for that boredom to get to him." Turning back, he met his dad's look. "I think the man who got into a screaming match with me over not being an auror was incredibly unhappy. Unhappy, bored, trapped in a life he didn't want. But, he used to be excited by simpler things. I think he enjoyed teaching his children spells that were probably far too advanced for them, encouraging them to keep trying."
There would have been a time (only a few weeks ago) when Jamie would have argued that he was perfectly capable of handling a situation, any situation, that came up. And, the truth was, if he was objective about it, he hadn't done terribly with the birds. He'd kept his head, helped where he could. But, he wasn't ready to be objective when it was his brother and sister who had been injured. "It's been my job because there wasn't anyone else to do it. And, I'm not saying that to make you feel guilty. But, it's true. It was never life or death, but when it was necessary, I was the one there to do it. I..." Trailing off, he shrugged. "I've never failed them before. And, I don't know what I could have done differently, since the only thing really would have been to let Savannah fend for herself and then Lilu and Al would have hexed me for it. I get what you're saying. I do. And, logically, it makes sense. But...in my heart...it should be me in that bed, not Al."