Dory hadn't intended to write to Winnie on her birthday — not when their relationship was now nonexistent with far too much baggage to ever fully address. However, he'd spent the majority of that night drinking to suppress the memories of their previous birthdays spent together and the letter was sent before he could think better of it. It was a mistake, just as revealing some of his baggage in a subsequent letter had been.

Now, there was simply too much to discuss to do so via letter. It wasn't as though he could pen a letter explaining that he had, in fact, thought of marrying her before the pregnancy was even an issue and expect her to react well to it. No. She would likely sent him a howler with a jinx attached or show up at his flat shouting. Unfortunately for him not discussing everything through post meant doing so in person, which was mildly terrifying.

It took him all of two seconds to register the wand aimed at him and the fear in Winnie's voice. It took another few seconds still before the extent of her injuries made sense to his brain. Someone had violently attacked her, likely tried to murder her from the look of her neck. "Winnie." He greeted cautiously, taking two steps forward so that she was now in arms reach. Dory thought to embrace her, to show her whatever had happened would never happen again, but was unsure if his touch would comfort her.

"Who - what?" He hadn't the slightest idea of where to start. "How did this happen? Who did this?"

---