George hadn't wanted to come. Well, okay, he'd wanted to come a little bit. But that was before the lovely young lady he'd wanted to invite got snatched up by someone else. Okay, there was no threat there, but damn.
He almost didn't come after that, but then he remembered that someone had to show up and wear the funny jester hat and liven things up when it got dull. The Ministry still pays for that sort of thing, right? No? Oh well, he could work for free this time.
George had established his territory near the food table. There was a good view here, and he'd recently acquired a much stronger taste for Firewhiskey. He rarely let anyone see how much of the stuff he drank these days, but the party seemed a perfect cover to sneak a glass now and then.
Glancing around, he caught flashes of red hair and knew his family was around. Great, let them dance over there. He'd be here if they needed him. Or until the Firewhiskey told him now was a good time to sing karaoke.