She was supposed to be the one doing the assessing, here – but really it felt more like she was the one being assessed. Or she was just – self-conscious about the situation. It was bad luck indeed, to have been on shift for this call. If Effie let the discomfort grow, she was not entirely certain she wouldn’t call this a failure, and send backup out on another day instead.

Only she was here now, and not prepared to give up when Miss Selden was there watching her. If Effie was anything, she – didn’t have to be the better looking, nor the wealthier, not the wittiest or the most pleasant. But she did want to be competent, at the very least, if that was all she could be counted upon to be.

But it was hard to think about the fireplace problem when Miss Selden was standing there. “Have any uncommon spells been cast in this room, for instance – or any rare artifacts been brought in?” Effie posited, scrounging for possibilities – something that had potentially affected the Floo that was not the fireplace itself. Because it should be working, was the thing. And it had been working, had already been fixed once. “You mustn’t let me keep you, if you were on your way, Miss Selden,” Effie added – politely, though she might privately have preferred if Miss Selden left her alone. She did not seem inclined to be particularly helpful.

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