"Same here," he said with a laugh. "But having a friend share your birthday is kind of a peculiar feeling."
"What's so special about that? George and I have the same birthday," Fred said with a dismissive wave. "It's been like that for years, we never thought it was anything peculiar."
"Yeah," George nodded. "Sometimes I wish our birthdays were a few days apart, so we could enjoy another birthday feast each year!"
At his words, everyone around burst into laughter, even Mrs. Weasley stopped sobbing and couldn't help but go over to tweak their ears.
The two of them immediately pleaded for mercy, and their comical demeanor made everyone laugh once again.
"Alright, let's head back quickly," Mr. Weasley seized the opportunity to say. "The Death Eaters are still causing havoc, and Sirius and the others alone aren't nearly enough."
"I know..." Mrs. Weasley said with a somber look. "I'm just... a bit upset... Was I too harsh on Percy before..."
"I think you could have been even harsher!" Fred, who had just been released, couldn't help but add his opinion, but quickly ran off when Mrs. Weasley glanced his way.
"Don't worry, Molly, didn't the Healer just say Percy is alright?" Mr. Weasley went up to comfort her.
"Yeah, Mom," George chimed in. "We have to thank Mr. Fudge, his timely appearance drew most of the firepower away."
Another silence ensued, but this time everyone's expression was a bit odd.
"Enough, you two, don't mention this again in the future..." Mr. Weasley tried to keep a straight face. "Regardless of what kind of person Fudge was, he died fighting against You-Know-Who, and we should respect him."
"Okay..."
"We got it..."
The two responded lazily.
But their interruption quickly lifted the previously gloomy atmosphere.
Everyone also noticed Cedric, who had been silently following behind Kael.
"Oh, Cedric..." Mrs. Weasley hurried over and gave him a tight hug. "Sorry, dear, we were so flustered earlier we didn't get the chance to thank you for getting Percy to St Mungo's in time."
"It's nothing, Mrs. Weasley, I was just doing what I should," Cedric said.
"Such a good boy, but regardless, we must thank you," Mrs. Weasley hugged him again.
But then, she found herself in a bit of a dilemma.
Because surely everyone was going back to Grimmauld Place, but Cedric...
As if sensing her thoughts, Kael stepped up in time. "It's alright, just before we came here, Professor Dumbledore had already invited him to join the Order of Phoenix and gave him the address to Grimmauld Place."
"Really?" Mrs. Weasley's eyes lit up, immediately inquiring.
"If it's the address... it's gone, but I remember it was..."
"That's enough, child, don't say it here," Mrs. Weasley grabbed Cedric's arm, cutting off his next words. "Come with me, I assume you know how to Side-Along Apparate."
"Of course, I've also got my Apparition license."
"Good, good..."
With that, Mrs. Weasley took him away.
The others followed closely behind.
But just as Kael was about to Apparate, a large hand suddenly grabbed him from behind.
Kael couldn't help but look back and burst into laughter.
Charlie was looking at him with an awkward expression.
"You really should take some time to learn this magic," Kael laughed and said.
"I want to, but it's really tough," Charlie sighed.
His large physique was a great advantage in Dragon Taming, but it made learning Apparition very challenging.
Short distances were barely manageable, but any long-distance travel would surely result in splinching.
Charlie was quite helpless about this.
"Alright then, hold on tight."
Afterward, Kael took Charlie back to Grimmauld Place.
When they arrived, Cedric had just recited the exact address and pointed out number twelve's location.
There was no more doubt.
Mr. Weasley led him inside, and as they opened the door, they were greeted by Hermione, holding her wand.
Harry, Ron, and Ginny quickly rushed over from elsewhere as they heard the commotion.
"Relax, Hermione, it's us," Mr. Weasley said softly. "You can take it easy, as long as Dumbledore is okay, the Death Eaters can't possibly find this place."
"Where did you guys go just now?" Ron asked eagerly.
"Oh, it was nothing, just a bit of business," Mr. Weasley said somewhat awkwardly. He also didn't want to tell Ron about Percy's injury, for fear that they would do something reckless.
Past experiences showed that such concerns were quite necessary.
"What kind of business requires all of you to go out together?" Ron pressed again, unwilling to give up.
"It's Ministry of Magic business, of course," Fred came up from behind and shoved him aside. "Step aside, don't block the way."
George followed him, "These are things we need to handle, you little brats who haven't graduated yet should hurry back and finish your homework."
Ron grit his teeth in frustration, but didn't dare say anything. Because if Fred and George didn't want to tell him, they definitely wouldn't.
If he annoyed them, they might even throw a few sticky bombshells into his room while he slept — Ron was very familiar with their antics.