"As though anyone would fancy a flight to Finland," Ben joked, in sudden good humor at this unexpected turn of events. Of course, he'd been hoping to have his portkey privileges reinstated, but the conversation so far had not given him much opportunity for optimism. While this wasn't a total win, it was going to allow him to take on the responsibilities at Jewell that they wanted him to have, which would in turn give him more income and more job security. And he honestly thought he would be good at it; he was a people person, and had plenty of experience with travel and interacting with others of various cultures and backgrounds. One could even say that diplomacy ran in the family, although Ben expected both Aldous and Roman would object to any sort of comparison between their much tamer version of diplomacy and Ben's.

It occurred to him that while Scrimgeour had granted his request provisionally, he may not have yet been in the mood for jokes. In a much more solemn tone, he added, "I'll have that letter sent over right away."