94 hp Diagon Alley

Wine glass, raise yourself and Gwen's left hand together, and show everyone.

"We're engaged!"

There were enthusiastic cheers and applause in the room. Mrs. Weasley wiped away her tears with wool again, and Mr. Weasley also put on a kind smile.Fleur was telling Bill that the two of them had to get married quickly, or he was going to make his brother catch up.

Until everyone raised their glasses to congratulate George and Gwen, and they all sat at the dining table to enjoy the Christmas Eve dinner, Gwen still didn't understand what George saw.

At the dinner table, Harry and Lupine said some inexplicable words about the prince.

Ron asked, "Would you like gravy, Fleur?"

In his eagerness to be courteous, he knocked the gravy plate away.With a wave of Bill's wand, the gravy rose into the air and fell obediently back to the plate.

"You're as stupid as that Tonks," Fleur said to Ron after she had kissed Bill, "she's always knocking over—"

"I invited dear Tonks," said Mrs Weasley, putting down the carrot heavily, and glaring at Fleur, "but she won't come. Have you talked to her lately, Remus?"

"No, I haven't had much contact with anyone. But Tonks is going back to her own home, isn't she?"

"Well," said Mrs. Weasley, "maybe. I have a feeling she's going to spend Christmas alone."

She gave Lupine an annoyed look, as if it was all his fault that she got Fleur instead of Tonks as her daughter-in-law.Looking over at Fleur, who was feeding Bill turkey with her own fork, Harry felt that Mrs. Weasley had already lost.But he remembered a question about Tonks, and wouldn't it be best to ask Lupine?He knows everything about the Patronus.

"Tonks' Patronus changed, Snape said. I didn't know there was such a thing. Why did the Patronus change?"

Lupine chewed the turkey calmly, and said slowly after swallowing, "Sometimes...a big blow...a big emotional change..."

"It looks big, with four legs," said Harry, and suddenly it occurred to him that he said under his breath, "Hey... wouldn't it be—?"

Cough, cough, Gwen choked on the turkey when she heard this, George patted her several times before she recovered.Harry was interrupted by her, and Lupine immediately shut up about the matter.It's just that Gwen always intentionally or unintentionally wanted to see the expressions of the parties involved in the dramatic change in Tonks' relationship. Lupine had to put down the knife and fork, and looked at Gwen seriously.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" asked the gentle and refined former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

"No, sir." Gwen withdrew her eyes guiltily. How much she wanted to ask Lupine how he felt about Tonks.

"Arthur!" cried Mrs. Weasley suddenly.She got up from her chair, put her hand over her heart, and stared out the kitchen window. "Arthur—it's Percy!"

"what?"

Mr. Weasley turned his head, and everyone looked out of the window immediately, and Ginny stood up and looked out.Sure enough, it was Percy Weasley. He was striding over the snow in the yard, his tortoiseshell-rimmed glasses twinkling in the night.Yet he is not alone.

"Arthur, he—he came with the Minister!"

Sure enough, the man Harry had seen in the Daily Prophet was following Percy, a bit worn out, with long thick gray hair and black cloak flakes of snow.Before anyone could speak, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley just exchanged a surprised look when the back door opened and Percy stood in the doorway.

There was an awkward silence, and Percy said stiffly, "Merry Christmas, Mother."

"Oh, Percy!" cried Mrs. Weasley, throwing herself into his arms.

Rufus Scrimgeour stopped at the door, leaning on his cane, and smiling at the touching scene.

"Excuse me for the interruption," he said, as Mrs. Weasley turned to him, wiping her eyes with a smile. "Percy and I were around - on errands, you know - and he couldn't resist coming to see you."

But Percy had no intention of saying hello to the others.He stood there upright, unnaturally, looking over the heads of the crowd.Mr. Weasley, Fred, and George all looked at him with serious faces.

"Come in, sit down, Minister!" said Mrs. Weasley flusteredly, straightening her hat. "Have some turkey, or pudding... I mean—"

"No, no, Molly dear," said Scrimgeour.He must have asked Percy her name before entering the house. "I don't want to disturb, and if Percy didn't want to see you so badly, I wouldn't come either..."

"Oh, Percy!" cried Mrs. Weasley, tearfully, tiptoing to kiss him.

"...we've been here for 5 minutes, and I'm going to walk around the yard, you guys have a little more chat with Percy. No, no, I really don't want to disturb you! Well, if someone would like to show me your lovely garden... Ah, that young man has finished eating, can you take a walk with me?"

The atmosphere around the table changed visibly, and everyone's eyes shifted from Scrimgeour to Harry.No one seemed to believe that Scrimgeour didn't know Harry's name, or that it seemed natural that he had been chosen to accompany the Minister for a walk in the garden, since Ginny, Fleur, and George's plates were all empty, too.

"Okay," Harry said, breaking the silence.

He wasn't fooled, although Scrimgeour said he was on errands nearby and Percy wanted to see the family, but that was the real reason they had come: so that Scrimgeour could talk to Harry alone.

"It's all right," he whispered as he passed Lupine, who was about to get up from his chair. "It's all right," he added, seeing Mr. Weasley open his mouth to speak.

"Great!" Scrimgeour stepped back, letting Harry go out the door first. "We'll just walk around the garden, and then Percy and I will go. Go on, everyone!"

"I knew he would ruin this dinner." George said to Gwen angrily, looking at Percy who was standing straight at the door and ignoring anyone. "Just now I saw his pointer jump from 'mortal danger' to 'on the way.'"

"At least he said happy holidays." Gwen managed to answer without moving her lips.

But soon, Percy made some ambitious statements such as loyalty to the Ministry of Magic.Mr. Weasley's temples twitched and his face was flushed. Regardless of Molly's crying and obstruction, he went upstairs without looking back, making up his mind not to quarrel with his son on Christmas Eve.

No sooner had Mr Weasley stepped off than Fred, George, and Ginny poured parsnip root jam on Percy in unison.The twins blocked Mrs. Weasley's view with their tall bodies, and stood in front of Percy, as if he would be kicked out immediately if he said one more word.

"I don't think I've done anything wrong!" Percy hopped his feet angrily. "I just want to live a decent, decent life!"

As soon as the words were finished, Mrs. Weasley let out a sobbing scream, and Fred and George's four fists came towards Percy's face.But they were stopped by Sirius who had been sitting at the table.The dark-haired wizard called Percy an asshole gracefully, and seemed to think it was absurd for him to break away from the Weasleys for a decent living.

Percy opened his eyes because he didn't feel the pain of the fist hitting his face, and was stunned for a moment when he heard the sound of Harry pushing the door alone.He wiped his tortoise-rimmed glasses in embarrassment, arranged his clothes, and left without saying hello.Just before he could rush out of the house, Percy caught sight of the ring on George's finger, muttered something, and left the family behind to stride towards the Minister for Magic.

George slapped the table angrily as if he had suffered a big loss.He anxiously comforted the weeping Mrs. Weasley with his brothers and sisters.It wasn't until after they sent her mother back to the bedroom that Gwen had time to comfort her frighteningly dark boyfriend.

George stared at Gwen's worried face, scratching his head, and there was nowhere to vent his anger, steam was coming out of his ears.

"What's the matter with you, parsnip root paste has been spilled, you should calm down." Gwen put her head on George's lap and looked at him. "I thought you knew what Percy was like."

George took a deep breath, let it out again, and said calmly, "That bastard wishes me a happy engagement."

birthday accident

One evening, a few days after New Year's Eve, Harry, Ron, Gwen, and Ginny lined up by the kitchen fire for their return to Hogwarts.The Ministry of Magic arranged this one-off Floo connection to allow students to return to school quickly and safely.Only Mrs. Weasley saw them off, and Mr. Weasley, Fred, George, Bill and Fleur were all at work.Mrs Weasley wept as she said goodbye.It is true that the slightest incident of late has aroused her sentimentality.Ever since Percy rushed out of the house on Christmas Day with parsnip-root jam splashed over her glasses, she had been crying now and then.

"Don't cry, Mum," said Ginny, patting her on the back as Mrs Weasley was sobbing on her shoulder, "it's all right..."

"Just don't worry about us," said Ron, letting his mother press a wet kiss on his cheek, "and don't worry about Percy either, he's such a stupid pig, it's no loss, is it?"

Mrs. Weasley put her arms around Harry, sobbing harder.

"Promise me to take care of yourself...don't get in trouble..."

"I've always been like this, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry. "I like the quiet life, you know."

She laughed with tears in her eyes and stepped back.Finally hugged Gwen, "Good girl, you must be good."

The students walked into the emerald fire, shouted "Hogwarts!" and cast a last glance at the Weasley kitchen and Weasley