"I feel like I'm going mad!"
Standing by the washroom door, Ron glanced back at the stairs behind him, then handed a slice of bread to Harry, who had just finished washing up. "I really don't understand why we have to bear the consequences of the trouble Fred and George caused."
Harry did not respond. He and Ginny were temporarily staying with the Weasley family, which already made him feel awkward enough. How could he say anything behind their backs?
"You might not know since you just got up, but Dad hasn't even been willing to stay for breakfast lately. Every morning, he grabs a piece of bread and rushes off to work. He's probably about to be driven mad too!"
"I remember the Ministry of Magic was planning to send someone to negotiate with the goblins today."
Seeing Ron grow increasingly irritable, Harry quickly changed the subject to keep him from saying something shocking.
"They probably won't get anything out of it. Minister Kingsley never intended to reconcile with the goblins from the start, did he?" Ron held out the bread toward Harry again. When Harry raised a hand to decline, Ron simply took a bite himself and said through a mouthful of bread, "I suspect the goblins have plans of their own too. If they could've reached an agreement, they would've done so long ago. How many times have they talked since last time? And every single one fell apart. The fact that they haven't started fighting is already the best possible outcome."
"Ron, where have you gone off to? Aren't you coming down for breakfast? Every one of you..." Mrs. Weasley's dissatisfied voice floated up from downstairs.
"Coming, Mum!"
After giving Harry a look, Ron swiftly stuffed the rest of the bread into his mouth and swallowed