He balked internally at the word ultimatum, and dearly hoped that another forced exile or a stay in the asylum was not about to be brought up. What Aldous offered instead seemed almost laughably lenient, and Ben found himself sitting back in his chair with a twitch at his lips that almost approached a smile. Unbreakable Vows were serious business, of course, and he knew that, but it wasn't as though he would have ever wanted to do this again anyway. It hadn't exactly gone well the first time, and he couldn't foresee there ever being a need for it in the future. It would certainly be no difficulty to avoid it; if he ever needed something from the Ministry again that he wasn't allowed to have, he was sure there were plenty of other ways to talk himself into it. Probably much more reliable ways than trying to pretend to be Aldous.

"Yeah, okay," he agreed quickly. "No problem. Let's do it right now. I'm really getting tired of this clinking chain," he said, rattling his arm for dramatic effect.

  

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MJ made this <3

He blinked at Reuben’s hasty agreement. Did his brother not quite understand the weight of the situation? His options were prison or a literal life-or-death wager on his own good behaviour—a pattern of which he had never quite managed to show. It was a good deal, of course, and it was the choice Aldous himself would have made, but Reuben had scarcely given it any thought, seemed almost eager. This thrill-seeking behaviour, Aldous thought with some sadness, was half the problem.

He gestured towards the wall for an auror to enter—if anyone was even there—as he continued, “For me, Reuben, I would appreciate it if you would just stay out of trouble, even if only for a week or two.” More troublesome than Roman and November combined, he was.

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— Aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp as the result of a splinching accident. —

— graphics by lady ❤ —

Ben tensed slightly when Aldous gestured at the wall. It was easy enough to put the pieces together and assume they hadn't been as alone as Reuben had suspected. Did that mean that their entire conversation had had an audience? He felt a little tricked, though he should have expected that to be the case. He wasn't sure it would have changed anything, either — while he was all for protecting a woman's reputation, he wasn't about to do so at the cost of his own freedom. Particularly not when the woman in question might not even be in the land of the living anymore.

"What are you going to do about Miss Scrimgeour?" he asked, with a wary glance at the wall behind Aldous. The decision might be out of both of their hands, depending on who had been listening in behind them.

  

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MJ made this <3

“One bridge at a time,” he responded quietly as an auror came into the room to perform the Vow. “But it is a bridge we can cross legally—and together.”

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The following 3 users Like Aldous Crouch's post:3 users Like Aldous Crouch's post
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— Aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp as the result of a splinching accident. —

— graphics by lady ❤ —