Harry's Birthday - Part 9

Sensing Harry's stare, Ron looked up. "Get moving, Harry. You don't have time to eat. Dad's ready to take us to the Ministry; he just went to grab his cloak."

"Ron," Ginny said, grabbing Harry's arm as he went to stand. "This is his birthday breakfast; he should get to enjoy some of it."

"And he needs to have something in his stomach to do well on his test," Mrs. Weasley said, moving over to the table and placing a few more slices of toast on Harry's plate. "Harry, you look flushed, dear. Are you feeling all right?"

Mrs. Weasley put the back of her hand on Harry's forehead to check if it was warm.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Weasley," Harry murmured, feeling anything but fine. He'd completely lost his appetite and felt as eager as Ron to leave the kitchen and the dangerously smirking twins.

"Don't let the test worry you, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, misinterpreting his unease. "I'm certain you'll do fine. And even if you don't, you can always take it again later."

"If Harry's feeling peckish, Mum, I'm certain Ginny will be able to take care of him," Fred said with an evil grin. "She seems to know a lot about his needs these days."

Not wanting to hear anything more, Harry jumped from his chair and managed to spill his coffee all over the table in the process. Mrs. Weasley hurriedly grabbed a towel and began to sop up the mess.

"Sorry, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, flustered. This only caused Fred and George to laugh harder.

Ginny glared at her brothers. "Ignore them, Harry," she whispered, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "Good luck. You too, Ron."

"Yeah," Ron said, barely acknowledging any of them as he dragged Harry from the kitchen.

They had to use the visitor's entrance when they arrived at the Ministry, causing Harry's stomach to churn unpleasantly. Mr. Weasley placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze while they were inside the telephone box. Harry was grateful for the support but was even more appreciative of Mr. Weasley's silence. He couldn't bear right then to talk about what had happened the last time he'd been there. The memories were all too close to the surface.

When the telephone box sprang open, they stepped out and into the atrium. Harry had only a moment to notice that the fountain in the center of the room had been replaced before a throng of reporters rushed forward towards them.

"There he is," one of them shouted. "Mr. Potter, could you look this way."

Flashbulbs began going off in all directions while so many questions were fired at Harry that he couldn't hear any of them.

Surprised, he remained motionless for a moment, staring blankly at the number of reporters. Mr. Weasley grabbed his arm and began pushing him towards a glass doorway. Ron walked on his other side, attempting to shield him from view.

The doorway opened suddenly, and Percy Weasley stood motioning them inside. They sprinted through just as Percy slammed the door shut and sealed it with his wand. Harry could see the reporters banging on the glass while still shouting their questions and snapping pictures.

"This way," Percy said, leading them down a corridor and out of sight.

"What the devil was that all about?" Mr. Weasley asked, straightening his robes.

"That," Percy replied grimly, "was the Minister's idea. He informed the press that you'd be arriving here this morning, Harry."

"Did he bother telling them I'm only here to get my Apparation license?" Harry asked, firing up at once.