Chapter 111 - Scrimgeour's Surprise

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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.

Alexandra Dursley {Golden Trio}Where stories live. Discover now