Sorry about missing a week. Again.

Christmas dinner started out perfect, just the thing to rid James of his sour mood. Of course, if things are too good to be true, they usually were, James thought, bitterly. It started when Tonks was brought into the conversation. James had been hoping to avoid any mention of her, since it always made the whole situation awkward and Remus sad. But he sometimes felt that nothing ever went his way anymore. And it only started there.

"You are as bad as zat Tonks," Fleur said when Ron knocked over the gravy boat, "She is always knocking..."

"I invited dear Tonks to come along today," said Molly, glaring at Fleur, "But she wouldn't come. Have you spoken to her lately, Remus?"

"No, I haven't been in contact with anybody very much," said Remus. Obviously, since he was hanging with the werewolves, and that wasn't prejudice, not with Greyback around. James shoved that line of thought away in time to hear Remus' next words. "But Tonks has her own family to go to, hasn't she?"

"Hmmm," said Molly. "Maybe. I got the impression she was planning to spend Christmas alone, actually."

He appreciated what Molly was trying to do; they all wanted Remus and Tonks to get together. But guilt tripping him wasn't going to help anything.

James opened his mouth to change the subject, though he had no idea what to. Turned out it didn't matter; Harry had a question.

"Tonks Patronus has changed its form," he said. "Snape said so anyway. I didn't know that could happen. Why would your Patronus change?"

Remus took his time chewing his turkey and swallowing. James recognized it as a stall tactic to compose himself, to not give away how the question affected him. "Sometimes... a great shock... an emotional upheaval..." Remus was a master of telling the truth while avoiding what a person wanted to know. Everything he said was true, without implicating the true reason Tonks' specifically had changed.

"It looked big, and it had four legs," said Harry. James could practically see the wheels turning in his head. "Hey... it couldn't be..." James shook his head frantically from behind Remus' back.

"Arthur!" said Molly, suddenly, jumping to her feet. "Arthur, it's Percy!"

"What?"

As grateful as he was for the distraction, James knew the situation had just gone from bad and awkward, to worse, awkward, and suspicious. Because the estranged Percy Weasley and the Minister of Magic had just walked in the door.

There was a long, painful silence. "Merry Christmas, Mother," said Percy, finally and stiffly.

"Oh, Percy!" Molly threw herself in Percy's arms.

Rufus Scrimgeour paused in the doorway. "You must forgive this intrusion," he said. James did not trust the minister in the same way he hadn't trusted Barty Crouch. They may be firmly on the right side but that wasn't everything. "Percy and I were in the vicinity, working you know, and he couldn't resist dropping in and seeing you all."

That was bull. Percy didn't look in the least happy to see his family again. James felt an irrational surge of anger. How could his family mean so little to him?

Molly stammered over inviting the Minister in, and Scrimgeour refused, saying they only stopped in because Percy wanted to.

"We've only looked in for five minutes, so I'll have a stroll around the yard while you catch up with Percy. No, no, I assure you, I don't want to butt in. Well, if anybody cared to show me your charming garden... Ah, that young man's finished, why doesn't he take a stroll with me?" He gestured to Harry.

James felt Lily stiffen beside him. He opened his mouth to protest, but Harry beat him to it.

"Yeah, all right."

"It's fine," he said as James started to get up, "Fine," he repeated when Lily opened her mouth. No, it was not fine. James had a pretty good idea as to what the Minister was up to, and he didn't like it. He wanted to follow them, but neither his boss nor, more importantly, his son would appreciate that. His only conciliation was that Harry was just as likely to send Scrimgeour packing as James was.

Unfortunately, at the moment, he was stuck in the house with a family reunion that he had no business witnessing.

Lily almost silently scooted her chair back and stood. James and Remus at once followed her out of the room. James didn't think anyone had even noticed when they left.

As soon as the door shut behind them, Lily spun to face James, her hair whipping around her. "What would the minister want with Harry?" she hissed.

"Besides becoming the Ministries new poster boy?" James asked with no humor. "You know what he wants. It's all image. If 'the Chosen One,'" he spat out the words, "will come into the Ministry once in a while, people will 'be encouraged.'"

"In my experience," Remus said, quietly, "It's better to let the public know what's going on, so they can be prepared."

"In what experience?" James asked, running his hand through his hair, "They ran the same show during the first war; they just didn't have someone like Harry to boost their numbers."

"Why tell the public the truth?" Lily snapped, sarcastically. "They should learn from their previous mistakes."

"They don't think they were mistakes," said Remus, "The war ended before not lying to the people came back to bite them. But would it have made a difference really?"

"How do you mean?" Lily demanded.

Remus shrugged. "If Voldemort had taken over the ministry last time, would it have changed anything if the public realized how powerful he was?"

There was silence as the three veterans considered the question. Finally, James shrugged. "There's no way to know, is there? Even if it had happened, which it didn't. What's the point of worrying over what ifs?"

There was another, briefer silence. "Do you think we should go find them?" Lily asked.

It was tempting. Of course, James might end up losing his job if he really gave Scrimgeour his mind. "Nah," he said, "Harry'll set him straight."

Remus nodded. "I seriously doubt that after what the Ministry pulled last year, Harry will be willing to work with them."

"He asked me if they released Stan Shunpike yet," James agreed, "and was frustrated when he found they hadn't." He smiled a little. "You know, he only met the kid once? Yet, he's still convinced Stan can't be a Death Eater and is so indignant at the Ministry for detaining him."

Lily and Remus smiled. "You have a remarkable son, that's for sure," said Remus.

Their conversation was interrupted by a bang from inside the kitchen. The friends raced into the room, James drawing his wand, wondering if he'd have to separate someone.

There was a great deal of noise. Arthur and Bill were shouting, trying to get people to calm down, and Molly was tearfully pleading. James' eyes were drawn to the actual contesters, however. Fred, George, and Ginny stood, pelting Percy with mashed parsnip while he tried to block it with his hands. Seconds later, Percy stormed out of the room.

James really felt bad, Molly looked so upset, but he truly couldn't help it. He laughed.