XXXXXX
They all had spent the majority of the day hanging around Diagon Alley before heading back to the Burrow. Once they closed down shop the twins came back around and dinner was being served at the table. Molly was carrying a big bowl of mashed potatoes over when she suddenly spotted two figures walking up towards the entrance. The first face she didn't recognize…but when she saw the second it made her heart skip a beat. It was her son, Percy.
"Arthur." She began. "Arthur, it's Percy!"
Arthur turned in his chair and looked at the door as it was slowly opened by his third son who held the door open for Rufus Scrimgeour. To be honest he didn't know how to feel as he had not spoken to his son in a year and had only briefly seen him at the Ministry on his days of work were they ignored each other.
The rest of Weasley family was stone faced as they watched their mother go over to greet him. They knew how upset she had been over the whole thing.
"Percy." She smiled as she hugged him. "It's so good to see you."
"Hello, mother." Percy smiled a little. "The minister wanted to see if he could have a word with Harry."
That figured. Percy wasn't here to apologize to anyone or try to patch things up with his family, he was here on official ministry business. The smile Molly once had faded away when she realized this.
"Mrs. Weasley." Rufus smiled as he extended his hand to shake hers. "I apologize for the intrusion and I promise we won't be long."
He then looked towards the table and saw Harry staring at him.
"Mr. Potter, my name is Rufus Scrimgeour, the Minister of Magic."
"I've heard of you." Harry responded.
"If you could so kind, would step outside with me? I'd like to speak with you for a moment."
"Okay."
He exchanged quick glances with Ron and Hermione who looked as though they wanted to stand up and follow him out but had the good sense to stay seated. Harry followed the minister ou0t the door and they began to walk about the yard.
"Mr. Potter, I would like to speak to you on better circumstances, but now I'm going to cut right to the chase." Rufus began. "The war against you-know-who is at an impasse, and we are doing everything we can to fight against him. However, public opinion of the ministry is quite low due to the actions of my predecessor. Everyone seems to be looking towards you and Dumbledore. We need all the support we can get."
Harry nodded slowly as he looked back at the window at his friends sitting at the table.
"You want me to show support for the ministry?"
"I'm aware of the difficult time you and Dumbledore had last year but the ministry is doing much better." He stated with pride. "We've managed to flush out several spies. Assassination attempts on high rank officials have been thwarted. We have had a few attacks but-"
"Yes." Harry interrupted. "I read that the millennium bridge was destroyed and over a dozen people were killed last week. What are you doing about that?"
Rufus sighed. He knew of the attack and he also got news about what happened to Azkaban and how the Dementors had allied themselves with the Dark Lord but didn't want to mention that at the moment.
"I'm aware of the attack. We managed to capture one Death Eater involved. We are in the process of training more aurors to help us and will continue to do so until this threat has past."
"So what do you need me for?"
"Because people are frightened." Rufus sighed. "They don't understand why the ministry hasn't done more, why it hasn't been able to do more. If they lose faith in us, if they start to believe that we don't have the manpower to overcome you-know-who then wizarding Britain is doomed. Do you understand?"
He did. The last thing he wanted was for society to fall apart in this time and to not trust their own government. He already had enough people thinking that he alone could just stop everything just because his name was Harry Potter. He didn't need anymore burden.
"Alright." Harry began. "You want a statement from me. You want me to say I think the ministry is doing and good job and can be trusted, I'll give it."
Rufus looked pleased but before he could respond, Harry continued.
"But it will be on my terms. It will be because I want to give it, it will be because I really do believe the ministry is doing a good job. I won't be the ministry's puppet."
The minister frowned slightly from this but it disappeared quickly as Rufus knew that was the most he was going to get out of the boy-who-lived. The boy many people believed could stop the Dark Lord.
"Fair enough." He finally said.
While the two of them were finishing up talking, back inside was rather uncomfortable. Percy was standing by the door waiting for the minister while the others continued to eat, muttering under their breaths until Ginny surprised them all when she spoke up.
"So Percy, you finally decided to come home. Was it to remind us of your presence or to run an errand for the minister?"
"I think we all know the answer to that." Fred responded. "I'm sure there's another promotion involved."
Percy didn't respond and George decided to jump in.
"So how about apologizing for being wrong? You know, like the apology you said you would gladly accept from mum and dad?"
Percy closed his eyes for a second as he remembered the letter he wrote to Ron last year, he must have told them all about it. He began to get aggravated as he thought about last year, the fight he had with his father that started this whole thing. When he accused him of spying on them for the minister, as if his hard work wasn't enough to get him the job. Where had any student only three years out of school ever been offered such position in the Ministry of Magic? Percy wasn't about to turn that job down or even apologize for it, then or now.
"I have nothing to apologize for." He finally stated. "Last year I was accused of being a spy."
He then narrowed his eyes as he looked directly at his father.
"And I wasn't. It was just the fact that some people couldn't accept the fact that someone being in the ministry for only three years had become more successful than he has."
Molly let out a small sob after that and Percy briefly looked at her to see her eyes filling with tears. It upset him, yes, but he refused to let them make him feel guilty about this whole thing. Arthur on the other hand was staring steadily at his plate, unable to respond to that.
"You are such a pompous git." Fred snarled.
"Then how about apologizing for not coming to the hospital when that snake bit dad. Or for returning mum's jumper on Christmas or not checking up on Ron and Ginny after what happened in the Department of Mysteries?" George questioned angrily.
"Boys, that's enough." Arthur finally said.
"You expect me to feel guilty? You don't know anything about me, so don't give me a lecture about not caring. When have you ever cared about what I did? Or my work? All I have ever gotten from you two were stupid pranks and snide jokes!" Percy retorted to the twins.
"Percy please no one is saying-" Molly began.
"Oh yes they are, mother! And you can't control them so they get away with it! They've been getting worse now, with dropping out of Hogwarts as they did last year. None of you care how hard I've worked for the Ministry or anything!" Percy shot at her.
"Don't yell at mum like that, you prat! You don't care about any of us; George is right, so why don't you just leave us alone!" Ginny screamed at Percy.
"Stop it, all you!" Molly demanded. "I won't have this family torn apart, I won't!"
Molly quickly picked up a plate and began filing it with food. She desperately wanted reconciliation among them and this fight to end.
"Percy, why don't you stay for dinner?" She asked. "We can work this all out, we can get through anything."
"No, mom." Ron growled. "He's here on the minister's behalf, he as to be going soon. Right, Percy?"
Molly shot daggers at Ron as she made a seat for her third son but he put a hand up to stop her.
"No, he's right. I'll have to leave once the minister is done speaking with Potter. I have no time for your cooking."
After stating this, Arthur looked back at him. The way he had said 'Potter' and 'your', so distant and unfriendly to his mother. So unlike the polite and courteous son had raised and loved.
"You don't need to be so harsh with us, Percy. The problem is-"
"The problem is with you." Percy snapped. "The problem is you continue to play around with your stupid muggle toys while thinking you know everything. You may have refused to work with the ministry but I haven't. This is where I belong, and if you can't accept that than I am no son of yours."
Tears began to run down Molly's cheeks after that and Arthur started sadly at his son.
"We went through the first war, we have seen this all before. If only you could understand…"
"I do understand." He then looked out to see Harry and Rufus headed back for the house. "Much more than a sixteen year old who thinks he has a free pass to do whatever he pleases."
"Then, you simple don't know. You're still a child, whose academic success has convinced him that he's actually an adult."
Percy looked as though he was about to go off on his father again but Molly picked up the plate and held it out for him.
"Are you sure you're not hungry? At least have one bite-"
"I told you, no!"
With one angry move he knocked the plate out of his mother's hands and it went crashing to the floor below. That caused all the Weasley men, including Arthur to get to their feet as Ginny and Hermione watched, Hermione the most uncomfortable of all having to sit through this. However, before any action could be taken or any word could be said the front door opened with the minister and Harry coming back in.
"Is everything okay?" Rufus asked as he looked about the room.
"Fine, Mr. Scrimgeour. If it's okay with you I think we should go."
"Yes, we do have to get back. It was a pleasure meeting all of you."
With that, the minister and Percy walked out the door as Molly left the room headed up the stairs, her sobs could be heard all the way until she reached her bedroom. Arthur could only frown heavily as he bent down to pick up the mess on the floor as Harry's brows furrowed in confusion, not knowing what had gone on while he was out.