"Well, that's all well and good, and it's not that I'm not grateful," James replied, feeling the need to explain. Well, the reality was that Harry never should have been without proper care, even if he and Lily had died. Sirius would have done anything to keep them safe. That was something of the plan, anyway. James figured that of his nuclear family, he was the most likely to loose his life to the war. In that event, James knew Sirius would have done anything, would have done what James likely wouldn't have been able to do, to protect them. As much as he didn't like it, he knew that in the right moment, Sirius had options at his disposal that James couldn't access- options James only ever entertained when the lives of his wife and son were hanging in the balance. And even if only Harry had survived, part of James thought it would have mended the rift between Remus and Sirius, that Harry still would have had two people who loved him like their own. "But we missed so much with you," James sighed. James only wanted a bit of time just for them. He wanted Lily to talk about the year James couldn't remember, about all those firsts of Harry's that they'd been there for. "They can't really think mixing muggles into the wizarding world can work - there's no way for this it to not blow up in their faces."
"No, no... I know. It's just us, Dad. Ron doesn't get to share you lot, no matter how much he wants to." he smirked. "I know the Weasleys were good to me, and I'll always care for them, but you're my parents, not them. I'm not giving that up for anything! Not after so long." he took another sip of his tea, thinking about what his Dad said about the things blowing up. "I couldn't agree more... it's a really volatile issue, and I just can't imagine that this will go well. But it's stupid, I can't talk to anyone about this, they all think I'm bad for not wanting it, but you know I just don't agree. Everytime muggles have mixed in the magical world, muggles have gotten hurt."
There was something of a relief to know that the positions hadn't been filled by surrogates, despite how indebted he was to them. James reckoned Harry had a point, but his own experience informed his concerns. When he'd been too young to understand, on holiday to the beach with his parents, he had tried to talk to another boy about magic, showed him how he could blow into a conch shell and have it sound like a lion's roar. The other little boy had been terrified, and soon the other's mother was having very serious words with his mother while the boy glared at him from behind the protection of his mother's legs. "And it goes both ways," James said with a bit of a shrug. "It's not like muggles really want us in their world to begin with - some of them think we're a threat, and I don't really blame them. But you know how people when they're scared."
He nodded vehemently. "Absolutely! I mean, I step into both worlds but I can keep my mouth shut, just like anyone else who steps between the worlds. But I don't see any point in intigrating the worlds. I just think people will get hurt. I remember my 4th year, when I went to the Quidditch world cup finals, I saw death eaters torture muggles for no reason... just because they were there. And now we're trying to make them there and available? I just don't like it."
James frowned, though more at the fact that in his 4th year that Harry had had to see such things. He took a drink of his tea. Sure, he and Sirius had seen terrible things, and it wasn't that he'd wanted to see Harry sheltered or anything, but Death Eaters? Torturing people? It didn't sit well with - "Harry, what do you know about Regulus Black?" he asked rather abruptly, setting his cup back down.
Harry raised an eyebrow. "I know a bit about him, why do you ask?" he questioned, wondering what on earth may have brought that to the forefront. He took a sip of his tea, looking at his Dad. "Something bothering you?"