Su Er scooped up the little girl and ran downstairs without even changing out of his pajamas.
Mr. Ellison was sitting comfortably on the sofa with the morning paper, and the kitchen light was on.
"You're up?" Hearing them, Mrs. Ellison came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of sandwiches and some milk, smiling gently. "Come have breakfast."
"Nice work on the Christmas tree." Mr. Ellison took off his glasses, a smile tugging at his lips.
"Why did you come back early?" Su Er gulped down a glass of milk and asked curiously, "Weren't you coming back on Christmas Day?"
"Mr. Granger told me you were home, so we came back," Mr. Ellison explained with a smile.
"Won't it interfere with business?"
"No, we finished the discussions ages ago." Mr. Ellison folded the newspaper and placed it neatly in the magazine rack. "I'm going to the office. I'll be back at noon."
The days that followed were much like usual, except that Su Er had said goodbye to sleeping in for good.
Anyone with children would probably understand: children woke up early every day, brimming with energy.
And because she had not seen her brother for three months, the little girl stuck to him practically all day long.
Hermione still had not written back by Christmas Day. He did not know whether things had gone smoothly.
Or had she turned into a catgirl with a pair of cat ears, just as she had in the original plot?
A catgirl...
Incidentally, Su Er had sent Dumbledore a Christmas present this year: hand-knitted wool socks in a full range of colors. Naturally, he had not knitted them himself. His gift to Professor McGonagall was a lovely hat.
In the end, Hagrid had sent Su Er the bicorn horn after all, leaving