James rose a brow at the term, thinking it over. It made sense, he supposed, though he wasnât sure if that was entirely appropriate, to just make up new words. Perhaps appropriate wasnât the right word, but rather, he wasnât sure that it was heard of. âWell, makes sense I sâppose. The words are pretty similar already, so combining them makes things easier?â What a clever little trick, he thought to himself. Hangry. Heâd have to use that one more often, especially with Harry getting fussier by the day, it seemed.Â
Even if he wasnât totally convinced, it was nice to hear that Remus didnât think his life was too hectic for him. There were definitely days that felt busier than others, James thought, but all in all, what could he really expect when they were in the middle of fighting a war? Laughing, James shook his head and took a sip of his drink. âIndeed, not getting fired is a good quality to have for an employee.â He couldnât pretend to know what it was like, living as a werewolf, but being an animagi helped a bit in the aspects of understanding what it was like to be someone else. He never said some thing, because transformation or not, Remus was a person first. They all were. However, he would never understand the views of a prejudice society, which perhaps hurt the most. âWell thatâs decent, at least. He canât be all bad, if youâve not gotten fired yet,â James teased.
At the mention of his son and the toy broom, James lit up a bit more. âLoves it. Perhaps a little too much, Iâm afraid,â James chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. âJust the other day he fussed about not getting to play with it until he finished his dinner. Of course, I want him to enjoy it, but it may be becoming a bit addicting.â Giving a small shrug, he continued. âHasnât broken anything yet, though, so weâre in the clear for now.â
Remusâ lips twitched as James thought the tidbit over. âIâd bet three galleons that whoever came up with it was drunk, slurring their words together, and thought the result of it was genius,â he mused. âAdmittedly, they might be on to something, even though it feels silly to say.â Remus noticed a levity in his own tone that for half a second, he had to appreciate. Levity was becoming an exceedingly rare commodity.
âFor future employment opportunities. Some might say it gives me character, though.â The levity suddenly felt forced. The joke was hollow on his tongue. But he had to joke about it. About the unfairness and cruelty of the universe. The other options werenât worth considering â at least not in company, even company he trusted. âI guess.â His shoulders rose in a half-shrug. âI think heâs just practical. I donât ask for raises, accept the shifts Iâm given, and havenât cost him money in lost customers.â Left unspoken: heâd be out on his ass if any of those factors changed. Maybe he wrong, but Remus was also practical. And cynical.
Remusâ grin softened at the change in Jamesâ demeanor. Years ago, he mightâve teased his friend for going all soft, but the war had forced him to appreciate small miracles. Softness was a small miracle. âArenât kids his age fussy in general? Maybe it wasnât just the broom. Maybe he wouldâve thrown a fit if itâd been building blocks instead.â Remus cocked a brow at him. âI think Iâm more surprised he hasnât broken anything rather than if he had. Heâs your son, after all. Dâyou think itâs Lilyâs charms or her genetics thatâs got him behaving so well?â