"They just write it in the history books, usually at the start for the day you were born," James teased. "And on all your official documents like your marriage certificate, your birth certificate, my birth certificate. Mum was usually pretty angry when it came out." Never as angry as when she used the various nicknames and titles. But, Jamie didn't think his dad really needed to know that part.
"Because of the war or because of Cousin Dudley's parents?" Jamie asked curiously before huffing at the assertion. "No, I am your son, therefore I am supposed to believe I am the greatest at everything I do while simultaneously never forgetting that I will never be as good as you, or Mum, or Uncle Bill, or Grandpa James, or Sirius Black. Doesn't matter. I accepted it was all bollocks before third year, anyway. I know I'm good at what I do. I know I worked my tail off to get where I am, even if no one ever believes it. No one outside the family with the exception of maybe Scorpius or Savannah really knows us, after all." The only one whose approval he'd ever wanted was his father and his father had withdrawn that when Jamie refused to be an auror. So, things now could only go up, really.
"Maybe you would have. I'm not saying you wouldn't have. Just that none of us would have believed it of your future self. The important part is that I believe you would do it now, if you could." He shrugged. "I get that. But, Dad...when I tell you these things? I don't really expect you to be able to explain them. I know Sirius meant a lot to you. I have his name. Plus, Mum always did say I inherited your guilt complex I only tell these things, though, because I want you to know me and knowing me means knowing what your future self did, how it appeared to me. Did it hurt to be ignored in favour of a dead man's memory? Yeah. But...you brought me cake and were the first to wish me happy birthday. You stayed to talk me off a metaphoric ledge."
Echoing his dad's earlier sigh, Jamie tilted his head to look down at his dad's hands. "Well, I tend to agree with Draco when it comes to animals, magical or not. But, I can tell you no one is being harder on Scorpius over it than he is himself. So, thanks for not saying anything to him. But, changing the way we think won't happen just by duelling over and over, especially not if we don't know where our thinking is problematic. Which is why I'm asking for specific. I understand caution and 'just in case', but this isn't a war, Dad. There is no us and them because even those birds and the troll were victims of whatever was done to bring us all back. It's dangerous. It's survival. But, it's not a war. Change will take time, even if we're willing."