Any other night would have saw Dory standing to embrace her and begin their festivities immediately. Her twirl would have had him reaching for her instantly, anything to belay his need for her. However, tonight he was feeling too introspective to switch into such a playful mood so quickly. He'd get there eventually (it was impossible not to with Winnie) but he needed some time yet. Instead, Dory gave her an appreciative look up and down along with a chuckle.
"It's nothing good - just a random one I picked up this week to pass the time." He commented, finally reaching for her to pull her into his lap. Whizzard's was packed with the Christmas rush so Dory hadn't spent much time browsing. He'd simply chosen the first title that appeared interesting and quickly made his escape. "You're welcome to it if you'd like. Maybe you'll like it more."
While Dory hadn't intentionally avoided telling Winnie about his hospitalization, her question had him regretting not mentioning it sooner. He'd thought to a few times in their brief letter exchanges, but the timing never seemed appropriate. How was he to explain the situation without mentioning Maple? (More importantly, why was he afraid to mention Maple? It wasn't as though anything had happened there since before Halloween!) Still, he should have told her, if for no reason other than making her aware of his still baby pink skin.
"It's been a long week," he eventually settled upon. "I had a brief stint in St. Mungo's on Christmas, tried to make myself into a chestnut."
"It's nothing good - just a random one I picked up this week to pass the time." He commented, finally reaching for her to pull her into his lap. Whizzard's was packed with the Christmas rush so Dory hadn't spent much time browsing. He'd simply chosen the first title that appeared interesting and quickly made his escape. "You're welcome to it if you'd like. Maybe you'll like it more."
While Dory hadn't intentionally avoided telling Winnie about his hospitalization, her question had him regretting not mentioning it sooner. He'd thought to a few times in their brief letter exchanges, but the timing never seemed appropriate. How was he to explain the situation without mentioning Maple? (More importantly, why was he afraid to mention Maple? It wasn't as though anything had happened there since before Halloween!) Still, he should have told her, if for no reason other than making her aware of his still baby pink skin.
"It's been a long week," he eventually settled upon. "I had a brief stint in St. Mungo's on Christmas, tried to make myself into a chestnut."