Damn I love this chapter :)
By noon the mead and the butterbeer had been popped open and everyone except Mrs Weasley was gathered on the living room floor playing a giant game of exploding snap. Every now and then someone would get up and go and offer help to her in the kitchen, only to be shooed back clutching a few bottles of butterbeer and a fresh bottle of mead.
At some point throughout the day, Al and Harry received a bundle of photographs from Slughorn's party. "You've met the Minister for Magic?" George asked her.
"Oh, yeah," Al said dismissively, shoving the picture to the back to see a very good picture of her laughing as she walked away from Snape and McLaggen. "He was more interested in Dumbledore and Harry than me, though."
At early afternoon, they all gathered round the table, with Al sat between Harry and George, much to her delight. She piled her plate high with stuffing, turkey, pigs in blankets, Yorkshire pudding, carrots, parsnips, potatoes and sprouts, topping it all off with gravy before digging in delightedly.
"How's Gabrielle?" Al asked Fleur, who was sat opposite her between Fred and Bill.
"Oh, she eez fantastique!" exclaimed Fleur, delighted that someone was showing an interest, "She eez top of all 'er classes, much cleverer zan me." Mrs Weasley snorted from where she sat at the other end of the table, a sound that clearly said 'that's not hard'. Fleur sat back in her chair, looking disgruntled, and Al turned to Mrs Weasley.
"The food's delicious, Mrs Weasley," Al said with a smile, "Thank you very much."
There was a chorus of agreement from around the table and Al heard Fred and George mumble in unison, "Suck up," causing her to aim a kick under the table and an elbow to her left.
"How's your patronus coming along, Al?" Remus asked from where he sat at the other side of Harry, and Al got the feeling this was a continuation of their previous conversation.
"Oh, well actually-" Al began, remembering she hadn't practised it, but then a clatter of cutlery and a surprised shout came from Mrs Weasley.
"Arthur! It's Percy!" Most of the Weasley children stood up to peer out the window, and Al had a vague recollection of a Weasley that had been very close to Fudge last year. "And the Minister too!"
Without any necessary thought, Al shoved Harry's plate, knife and fork, and glass into his hands and placed a hand on his head, shoving him under the table and relatively out of sight. She pushed his chair back against the wall as a spare, and moved herself and all her things up just as Scrimgeour walked in, bashing her knee painfully on what felt like Harry's head.
"Hello, Molly," he said jovially, scanning the room, as Mrs Weasley fussed over a very uncomfortable Percy. Al saw a faint flicker of a frown on his face, before his eyes landed on her. "And Miss Dursley, too! I wasn't aware you were familiar with the Weasleys?"
"Oh-uh, yes, Sir," she said, subtly turning round and leaning into the person next to her to block Harry as Scrimgeour made his way into the room and walked to face her. She found herself in a rather awkward and unrealistic position as he stood behind her chair. "This is my boyfriend, George," she said indicating to her left. He issued a very small, forced smile.
"And who's this charming fellow?" Scrimgeour said, indicating the person she was uncomfortably leaning into, and Al realised it was Remus.
"Oh-er, this is Remus. Lupin. Remus Lupin," Al said, forcing an introduction, "And, uh-Remus, this is Mr Scrimgeour."
"We met at Slughorn's Christmas party," Scrimgeour explained to the room while shaking Remus's hand. "Ah, you're the werewolf, no?" Suddenly, all the mead Al had drunk rushed to her head in a blast of fury and she stood up, the back of her chair bashing into Scrimgeour's knees. He took a single step back, but did not look surprised, and merely raised an eyebrow at her as she glared into his grizzly face. "Yes?" he asked shortly.
The room was completely silent, everybody holding their breath. "So what if he is?" Al asked venomously, daring him to make another comment.
"Oh, I didn't mean any offence," Scrimgeour said. "No, nothing of the sort-" he stopped, peering over Al's shoulder, "Young man, what are you doing under the table?" Al realised with a jolt that by standing up she had revealed Harry's hiding space. And then with another jolt that that had been Scrimgeour's plan all along. And it was evident by the smug look on his face.
"I-uh...I dropped my knife," Harry said feebly, climbing out from under the table.
"And your fork, plate and glass?" Scrimgeour said, looking amused. "No matter, perhaps you could accompany me on a walk around the yard? I don't want to intrude on a family reunion."
Harry put his things back down on the table and turned to face him. "Yeah, that's fine," he said, clearly seeing straight through Scrimgeour. "It's fine," he said to Remus and Al, when he had risen from his chair and she grabbed his wrist. "Fine," he added to Mr Weasley as he passed and Mr Weasley opened his mouth to object.
Everyone stared coldly at Percy, who stood with his cloak on in the doorway. "Would you like some dinner, Percy?" Mrs Weasley offered, indicating Harry's vacant chair.
"No thank you, Mother," Percy said sourly, and with great difficulty.
There was more silence, only broken by George. "Bet you feel like a bit of a git," he said. Al glanced around and saw six cold expressions of anger from the Weasley children and Mr Weasley, and a Mrs Weasley who looked torn between laughing, shouting, and crying. Al, Fleur, and Remus all looked at each other before collectively sipping their mead, not particularly fond of the awkwardness and feeling like intruders on a private moment.
"Now, really, George!" Mrs Weasley scolded, before turning back to Percy. "Are you sure you wouldn't like some mead, dear?"
"I'm quite alright," Percy responded coolly.
"C'mon, Perce," Bill encouraged, "It's Christmas!"
"I'm on duty," Percy said.
"I'm surprised Scrimgeour kept you on," Ginny said suddenly from next to Bill, "Thought he had more sense than Fudge."
Percy's cheeks flushed a deep scarlet but he seemed to gain some form of control. "I'm sorry to see that you're going the same way as the rest of this family, Ginevra." There was a sudden roar of fury as Fred, George, and Ginny all lunged forward and splattered Percy with mashed parsnip as Mrs Weasley burst into tears.
Percy practically flew from the room and Al stood up again, grabbed the last bottle of mead, two glasses, and a pile of spare napkins as she strode around the table. She placed a firm arm around Mrs Weasley's shoulders and guided her out and into the living room. Ginny, Bill, and Ron all tried to follow them in, but she round to them firmly. "No," she said, "Let your Ma calm down at bit first. She won't want you to see her like this."
Ron and Ginny made to protest but Bill placed his hands on their shoulders and sighed. "Al's right, come on you two." Before he went back to the kitchen he turned back and mouthed a 'thank you', clearly relieved that he didn't have to do it.
Al turned back to Mrs Weasley and settled her down on the sofa, handing her a napkin and watching concerned as she sobbed into it. "I'm sorry," she said helplessly as she threw her hands into her lap.
"Don't apologise," Al said gently, "It's not your fault."
"I haven't done anything!" Mrs Weasley cried, accepting the glass of mead but leaving it untouched. "My own child won't see me and I don't know what I've done!"
"Sometimes these things happen," Al said in what she hoped was a soothing tone. "And there's nothing you can do except what you did today. You just need to keep showing him that you're there for him and be patient." She thought with a horrible pang of what her relationship with Harry had been like before the tournament.
"I know," Mrs Weasley said sadly, taking a sip of mead, "But I want to be doing something. What if something happens to him? With this war..."
"It won't," Al said firmly, "Percy is very capable - he wouldn't have been head boy otherwise. And if it does, maybe he'll realise how much he misses you."
"But he doesn't miss me," Mrs Weasley said, "There are children who don't have families - Harry lost his own parents - and Percy would rather have no family than see me!"
Al sighed and put her glass down. "C'mere," she said opening her arms up and pulling Mrs Weasley into a hug. "This isn't your fault, an there's nothing you can do to change that. You just need to be patient and have faith that he'll come back."
"Thank you, Al," Mrs Weasley said fondly, "Shall we let the others in?" She mustered up a small smile, and patted Al's shoulder.
"I think so," Al said quietly, before opening the door and seeing the hallway crowded with people, Fred, George, Ginny and Ron clearly having had their ear pressed against the door.