October 11th, 1888 — Isle of Sheppey
February Umbridge

After settling matters at work and with family regarding his hasty, amortentia-induced elopement to February Lynch, Edric had set out on finding the perfect house. Long ago he'd promised her a cottage by the sea, and he intended to keep that promise—though he admittedly had little idea he'd be standing on the coastline of the Isle of Sheppey in an attempt to do so. Edric had employed a portkey to get them there, having little desire to locate the nearest floo access point on the mostly-muggle nearby village, and now they stood in front of the seaside cottage, the roar of nearby ocean waves providing much needed white noise to the secluded area.

"It's your call, Febs," he said, his gaze sweeping over the gate, gardens, and empty pen—which he supposed had housed chickens some time long ago. "The ocean's nearby, there's a garden, a place for a library... the only question is whether you could call it home." Improvements would need to be done: the roof would need repaired, the gates replaced, and it would likely need a fresh coat of pain—but that's what magic was for.

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— set by MJ! —

Though she'd been calling London home for the last couple weeks while the dust settled after the elopement, Febby still felt decidedly out of place in Edric's home there. Admittedly, it was probably because every time she'd been there before that, it was, well, in secret and even after she was free to roam around, she still felt like she was intruding. The library had been her safe haven, and oh, what a hideaway it was, but she wanted something of her own and she knew Edric did too.

Taking a moment to appreciate their anonymity in this quaint little seaside down, Febs looped her arms around one of her husband's and rested her head against his shoulder while she contemplated the property in front of them. She could hear the ocean, smell the sea air and feel the breeze, that much was likely enough to tip her over the edge, but the little cottage before them was just darling and she wanted it. It needed some love, that was for sure, but rather than deter her, she actually wanted something she had to put a little effort into; it would give her something to do during the day. Plus, between her and Mrs. H, who had indeed agreed to accompany them in this next chapter of their life, would certainly make it work.

Febs bit her lip, trying to hide the excited smile that threatened to light up her features, as she looked up at Edric with eager brown eyes. They'd seen a couple others that would do, but this one, this had everything she wanted. Febs could already envision the garden and the little swing she'd set up and the roses; she desperately wanted a rose garden. "I really like this one," She admitted, trying to keep her enthusiasm under wraps just in case he didn't. He said it was her call, but she was not the one paying for it, so she didn't want him to get something he didn't like. "What do you think?"

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Though she was asking for his opinion, it was not difficult to tell that she'd already came to her own conclusion. She loved it, and her expression made that blatantly obvious. Her bright, brown eyes and the tight, upward-angled corners of her lips were a dead giveaway as she tried—and failed—to hide her excitement for the cottage before them. Edric gently patted her arm and muffled a chuckle.

"I think it would meet our needs," he commented, a pleasant smile resting on his lips. He wasn't one to get too attached to his lodgings; he'd so long lived at his father's house, leaving home at the break of dawn and returning when the sun had already fallen. That opinion was bound to change now that he had a wife, but he was very much in agreement that an seaside cottage was a more comfortable environment to raise a family than a bustling London neighborhood. "... unless you plan on having as many children as your mother," he teased, knowing very well that she had no desire for that many children.

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— set by MJ! —

"Ha! No, no. A couple is good." Febs nudged him gently, laughing sincerely at the comment about children. In true form however, she sucked at hiding her feelings and he could see right through her. Letting her true excitement show now, her brown eyes lit up as she looked at him again, lips spreading into wide, genuine smile. "You really think so? I have so many ideas for it."

Febs pushed up to kiss his cheek, squeezing his arm gently, so thoroughly pleased at the moment it was easy to forget the drama that was happening elsewhere in their lives. "Mrs. H and I will have such a good time with this."  Febby had never envisioned herself to be one if those housewives, but she was not complaining, not in the slightest. Where she had once thought marriage to be isolating, in reality, she was finding it freeing. She highly suspected that had to do with who she married, though.

"I'll run everything by you of course." Febs had no intention of spending his money without checking with him first, but she could so easily envision what she wanted and how she would do everything.

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"A couple," he echoed in agreement, his chest shaking with silent laughter. In truth, hunting for a house with February as man and wife was far more exciting than the prospect of being the head of his own house—not that he was about to put a damper on her excitement. "I'm sure it won't be boring. Nothing with you ever is," he teased. He wasn't one for extravagance or bright colors, but he knew watching her decorate would help him get to know her better. For all the time they'd spent together over the past few months, there was a lot about her he truly didn't know—in fact, he probably knew her body better than her soul.

"As long as it won't see me teased by my friends if they visit, you can do whatever you want. I won't be the one looking at it all day," he comforted, turning his head to press a kiss to her temple.

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   February Umbridge

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— set by MJ! —

"If it weren't true, I might be insulted." Febby laughed; there was little in her life that was boring, that was for certain! "I cannot wait to start filling the library." That would likely fill most of her time. The garden would have to wait until the spring, but she could focus on inside for the time being. She wasn't an overly sentimental person, but she had a few small knickknacks and the like she'd have to get from her room at her parent's, but those could be kept on a vanity or something of the like in their room. Mostly it would be little things she collected if they managed to travel.

She'd been about to bring that up- they could very well see France itself on a clear day from this beach, instead she interjected, "You have friends?" It was a joke of course, and she bit her lip to hide the following smirk. She knew he had friends, but he rarely mentioned them, so it was kind of easy for her to forget he had a social life outside of work before she barged into his life.  

Blowing out a little huff, Febby eyed him again, "So are we really doing this?" They tended to do thing so suddenly that having a moment to actually think it through was a luxury they'd yet to explore.

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Nothing with Febs had ever been boring. Unpredictable and sometimes infuriating? Yes, but never boring.

"I'm sure we'll have many adventures," he responded, his voice quiet as grey eyes scanned the property before them. He wasn't a stranger to adventures, but none of them were like this. He'd risked his life chasing criminals and staging undercover operations, but those were only temporary in the grand scheme of things. The paperwork would be filed away once the operation was concluded, and he would only look back on them as memories. Marriage would be a new adventure—one that was far more permanent.

He rolled his eyes dramatically in lieu of some snarky remark about his friendships—or more specifically, hers. He knew there'd be days where he'd be welcomed home by the sight of February surrounded by her giggling schoolgirl friends, but that would be a conversation to save for later. For now, this was about them.

Edric took a deep breath and pondered the question for a moment before he took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I guess we are," he sighed, the corner of his lip tugging into a smile as he glanced down at her.

"Home."

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— set by MJ! —