Winter II
Hermione was practically bouncing with excitement. Charlie would be back in just a few hours, for Christmas, and maybe she could tell him…
Four o' clock came, and Charlie was an hour late now. Hermione busied herself helping Molly in the kitchen, trying to distract herself.
At seven, everyone gave in and ate without him. She barely tasted the food, chewing and swallowing automatically. Wasn't he coming at all?
Hermione finally fell asleep, early in the morning, curled up on the old sofa. She awoke late in the afternoon to voices in the kitchen.
"No Dad, I definitely told you the twenty third. Not yesterday," Charlie spoke, sounding amused. "You must be going senile."
