94 Diagon Alley

    Wine glasses, raise yourself and Gwen's left hand to show everyone.

    "We're engaged!"

    The room erupted into warm cheers and applause, Mrs. Weasley wiped her tears with wool again, and Mr. Weasley put on a kind smile. Fleur was telling Bill that they had to get married soon or he'd have his brother overtake him.

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

    At the dinner table, Harry and Lupin said something inexplicable about the prince.

    Ron asked, "Would you like a gravy, Hibiscus?"

    He was eager to be courteous, and knocked the meat stew plate flying. With a wave of Bill's wand, the gravy rose into the air and fell obediently back to the plate.

    "You're as dumb as that Tonks," Fleur said to Ron after kissing Bill, "she always knocks over—"

    "I invited dear Tonks," Mrs. Weasley said, laying down her carrot and glaring at Fleur, "but she wouldn't come. Have you talked to her lately, Rhyme? s?"

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

    "Well," Mrs. Weasley said, "maybe. I feel like she's planning to spend Christmas alone."

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

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

    Lupin chewed the turkey calmly, swallowed it, and said slowly: "Sometimes... a big blow... emotional upheaval..."

    "It looks big, it has four legs," said Harry, and suddenly a thought passed and he said in a low voice, "Hey...wouldn't it be—?"

    Cough cough cough, Gwen choked on the turkey when she heard this, George patted her a few times before she recovered. Harry was interrupted by her, and Lupin immediately shut up about it. It's just that Gwen always wanted to see the expression of the person who Tonks' emotional upheaval later, Lupin had to put down his knife and fork and looked at Gwen seriously.

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

    "No, sir." Gwen retracted her eyes guiltily. She wanted to ask Lupin how he felt about Tonks.

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

    "What?"

    Mr. Weasley turned around, everyone immediately looked out the window, Ginny stood up and looked out. Sure enough, it was Percy Weasley, striding across the snow in the courtyard, his tortoiseshell-rimmed glasses twinkling in the night. However 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, he was a little shattered, with long, thick grey hair and a black cloak falling up and down Flakes of snow. No one had time to speak. The Weasleys had just exchanged a startled look when the back door opened and Percy was standing there.

    There was an embarrassing silence, and Percy said stiffly, "Merry Christmas, Mom."

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

    Rufus Scrimgeour stopped at the door, leaning on crutches, smiling at the touching scene.

    "Excuse me," he said, as Mrs Weasley turned to him, wiping her eyes with a smile. "Percy and I are around—running errands, you know—he couldn't help coming to see you."

    But Percy didn't mean to say hello to anyone else. He stood there upright, looking unnatural, looking over the heads of everyone. Mr. Weasley, Fred and George all looked at him sternly.

    "Come in, sit down, Minister!" Mrs. Weasley said in a panic, 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 bother, and I wouldn't be here if Percy didn't want to see you so much..."

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

    "...We've only been here for five minutes, I'm walking around the yard, and you and Percy have a little more chat. No no, I really don't want to bother you! Well, if anyone wants to show me Take a look at your lovely garden... ah, can you take a walk with me when that lad is done eating?"

    The atmosphere around the table changed significantly, and everyone's eyes shifted from Scrimgeour to Harry. No one seemed to believe that Scrimgeour didn't know Harry's name, and no one thought it was natural for him to be chosen to accompany the minister for a walk in the garden, since Ginny, Fleur, and George were all empty.

    "Okay." Harry said, breaking the silence.

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

    "It's all right," he whispered as he passed Lupin, as he saw Lupin getting up from his chair. "It's all right," he added when Mr. Weasley opened his mouth to speak.

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

    "I knew he was going to ruin this dinner." George said angrily to Gwen, looking at Percy who was standing upright at the door and ignoring anyone. "I just saw his pointer jump from 'fatal danger' to 'on the way'."

    "At least he said Happy Holidays." Gwen didn't move his lips and squeezed out an answer.

    But soon, Percy made some ambitious statements such as loyalty to the Ministry of Magic. Mr. Weasley's temples twitched, his face flushed, and he went upstairs without turning his head, despite Molly's cries and obstructions, determined not to quarrel with his son on Christmas Eve.

     As soon as Mr. Weasley left his forefoot, Fred, George and Ginny tacitly poured parsnips on Percy. The twins blocked Mrs. Weasley's sight with their tall bodies, and stood in front of Percy, as if he would be swept out of the door immediately if he said one more word.

    "I don't think I'm doing anything wrong!" Percy jumped with anger, "I just want to live a decent, decent life!"

    As soon as the voice fell, Mrs. Weasley let out a sobbing scream, and the four fists of Fred and George greeted Percy's face. But they were stopped by Sirius, who had been sitting at the dinner table. The dark-haired wizard scolded Percy gracefully as a bastard, seeming to think how outrageous it was for him to be divorced from the Weasleys for a decent living.

    Percy opened his eyes because he didn't feel the pain of his fist hitting his face, froze for a moment, and heard the sound of Harry pushing the door alone. He wiped his tortoiseshell glasses in embarrassment, tidied up his clothes, and left without saying hello. Just before he rushed out of the house, Percy saw the ring in George's hand, muttered something, then left a room of family and strode towards the Minister of Magic.

    George slapped the table as if he had suffered a big loss. And anxiously and siblings comforted Mrs. Weasley who kept crying. It wasn't until they sent Mom back to the bedroom that Gwen had time to soothe her scary-faced boyfriend.

    George stared at Gwen's worried face, scratching his head and spreading the fire, steam was coming out of his ears.

    "What's the matter with you, the parsnips have been spilled, and it's time to calm down." Gwen put his 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, and said reluctantly, "That **** wishes me a happy engagement."

    Birthday surprise

    A few days after New Year's Eve, Harry, Ron, Gwen and Ginny lined up by the kitchen fire to return to Hogwarts. The Ministry of Magic arranged for this one-time 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 had to go to work. Mrs Weasley was in tears as she said goodbye. It was true that the smallest things had caused her to be sad these days. Ever since Percy rushed out of the house with parsnip splattered on her glasses on Christmas Day, she would cry now and then.

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

    "Yeah, don't worry about us," said Ron, letting his mother put a wet kiss on his cheek, "and don't worry about Percy, he's such a stupid pig, no What a loss, isn't it?"

    Mrs. Weasley wrapped her arms around Harry, sobbing even harder.

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

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

    She smiled with tears in her eyes and stepped back. Finally hugged Gwen, "Good girl, be sure to be good."

    The students walked into the green fire and shouted "Hogwarts!"