[He's visibly a little surprised when he does eventually get a good look at the stranger's face. It passes in moments, though. What do unusual eyes or teeth matter when someone's upset?

He leans slightly forward in his chair.] Well, sometimes things just don't work out, and it's nobody's fault. That doesn't mean it wasn't better to try anyway.

[Then he hesitates, just briefly. The Dementor isn't getting to him as badly as it might if he had all of his memories - he can tell; they're like an itch at the back of his mind - but he isn't exactly immune, either. Still, if it'll help cheer the kid up even a bit, he can brush it off.]

If you don't know whether you can do something that matters, and you decide you're too scared to find out... that's worse, I think. So you're probably braver than me.