Weasley Family Fallout

Chapter 21: The Engagement Party

A/N: Hey, y'all. Here's Chapter 21. I did another reread of the story in order to reconnect with it. I decided to add a few of Arthur's brothers in this one. The ending gave me a little difficulty, but I hope y'all enjoy and give me your feedback.

Edit: I had to go back and fix a couple things after having read it again once I had posted it. I'm not sure if it's just me, but some words got cut out after it posted even though it had not changed in the original document.

The Engagement Party

The first two days, Arthur abided by his sons' rule of not going out to drink, but when Percy wasn't at home, he had his flask and when Percy was at home, he would retreat to the guest room. Come Tuesday, Arthur abandoned this tactic and began going back to the bar which he had frequented, not caring if his son kicked him out or not. His office would suffice until he was able to move into his new place. However, there was no retribution for his actions. The late nights were obvious, but Percy had not been a big fan of the new rule in the first place and he did not want to deepen the rift between him and his father, especially before his engagement party.

Thursday morning an owl came informing Arthur that he would be able to move into the flat that night if he wished. Taking the opportunity to move in early – or rather, move out early – he told Percy and left that evening. There were no angry words or sudden outbursts from either man, but Percy had to admit he was disappointed. It had been nice having his father live with him no matter how stressful.

When Saturday rolled around, Percy had yet to receive confirmation from his father if he would be attending the party. Since Arthur moved out, he hadn't heard from him at all, and neither had his siblings. It was a pleasant surprise when Percy opened the door at Audrey's parent's house to find his dad standing on the other side.

"Dad!" the young man exclaimed, pulling Arthur into a hug. "I wasn't sure if you were coming."

"I wouldn't miss this," Arthur replied as he stepped over the threshold.

"Daddy!" Ginny bounded up to her father, pecking him on the cheek. George was right behind her to greet his dad as well. The two siblings and Harry had been the first to arrive and were the only guests so far. The party still wasn't due to begin for another ten minutes though, so that was understandable.

"I hope you're not angry with me, Dad," George voiced quietly.

"Don't know why I would be, Son," Arthur answered, even though he knew exactly why George would think that.

When the four entered the living room, Arthur shook Harry's hand, greeted Audrey, and was formally introduced to her parents. They hadn't been talking five minutes when there was another knock at the door and the newly engaged couple disappeared to answer it. When they came back, they had Molly, Hermione, Bill, and Fleur in tow.

No matter how hard she tried, Hermione couldn't convince Ron to come. Molly also was unable to do so with her youngest and second oldest sons.

The group in the living room stood to greet them; although, Ginny and George's wasn't as warm to their mother as the others, and the exchange between Molly and Arthur was brief and stiff.

Shortly after the new arrivals appeared, Arthur excused himself to the restroom. Once in the privacy of the dimly lit room, he took a few gulps from his flask. The arrival of his wife caught him off guard. It had been a week since he had seen her and even longer since they had actually talked. Then with everything that had occurred, he did not think it likely that Percy would invite her.