"Of course," Ben agreed, following her lead and standing. He wished, as he had on more than one occasion previously, that he didn't have to leave through the floo. It was so little time to go from her parlor, with Elliott smiling at him from her shoulder, to his own in Swallowbury. Most days the Crouch parlor was empty and it didn't matter either way, but there was always the chance that he'd run into Melody sitting on the downstairs sofa, so he always had to be careful to school his expression as he stepped into the flames. It would have been nice to have a walk between one room and the other so that he could take some time to transition himself mentally, but of course that was impossible. If he left through the front door, someone would see him, and then all their care to keep this a secret from everyone else would be out the window.

"I'll write soon," he said with a smile. "And I hope you are able to go back to work. Take care."

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