His visits with Nora were the highlight of his week, but that was no surprise. His life at home was so solitary and quiet — so utterly unlike any version of him that had ever existed heretofore — that it always felt a bit like he was just going through the motions of being alive. He still had plenty of social interactions through work, but that was work. He saw his friends, but since the split with Melody there were only a few of them to whom he felt he could speak freely, which meant it wasn't as much of a release as it might have been. Even without that, though, he was sure Eleanora would still have been the highlight of each week. None of his friends could compare to spending time with his daughter.

It took him a second after walking in through the floo to notice anything was amiss. He didn't have the sort of eye for detail that would have led him to notice anything about the house, but he did note that Melody seemed stressed. That combined with Nora's absence put him momentarily on edge, but then she offered an explanation. His relief and disappointment were probably both evident in the way his shoulders relaxed and his expression changed. "Well, guess I can't fault her for that," he said, though it rang a bit hollow. He interpreted Melody's remark about excitement as excitement to see him, which was both gratifying and a bit heart-breaking. In any case, he wasn't going to ask Melody to wake her up to see him — but what was he supposed to do now? Leave without seeing her? Wait an hour or more for her to wake up?

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