Umbridge was, once again, on the money in terms of Ross' concerns. "Oh, obviously not," Ross affirmed. "He would deny it, and it's not as if I could move a Macmillan to another office without courting notice and before he actually does anything." If he was going to get rid of Charles Macmillan as his junior assistant - which Ross was not sure he needed to do, although he did need to create more physical space between himself and Macmillan - he would need to have an actual reason to do so.

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There were perks to being on of the Minister's many aides, and that was it was difficult to get rid of them without stirring up speculation. It would look back on the Minister if he demoted Macmillan without cause and caused unnecessary rumors; but on the other hand, telling him that he was being replaced opened up the Minister to retaliation, even if it was a sort of retaliation that they couldn't identify at first.

"I take it you intend for me to do something about it," he said. This was the sort of thing Febby wouldn't like him getting involved in—but then again, she didn't need to know. She had their daughter to watch after and another babe on the way. No need to worry her with his work.

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"Not anything particularly time-consuming," Ross promised, because it would be unfair to Mrs. Umbridge to do so. "But - I have no windows into the pureblood circles or clubs, and it would be helpful to have someone who does aware of Macmillan. And if you see him doing something dubious at work, I would appreciate knowing." Ross grinned, a little conspiratorial, at the end of the sentence.

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It made sense. Edric was not the only one who could do something about Macmillan, but he was the somebody that the Minister apparently trusted to. It would certainly be a challenge. Edric held memberships with gentlemen's clubs after years of being employed alongside other wealthy, sometimes pureblooded men he'd become friendly with, but he hadn't been a regular attendant since he'd wed February. Maybe his schedule would be changing more than he'd thought.

"Looks like I'll have an excuse to go have a cigar at the club," he joked, both because it was something he'd been wanting to do and because he knew Ross probably knew how difficult it could be to get leisure time with a family and work. "If Macmillan's up to something, I'll find out." One of the many commonalities between Minister Ross and Edric was their years in investigative law enforcement—and Edric was willing, if not eager, to put those skills to use once more.

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"Mm," Ross hummed, because he understood entirely the tension that having a family and a wife one actually loved strung against one's demanding career. "Oh," Ross added, having largely run out of political schemes for their excursion. "After your next child is born, we'll have to host yourself and Mrs. Umbridge for dinner." He actually liked when they hosted the Umbridges, as opposed to almost everyone else they were expected to host.

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Edric realized they'd reached a point in London that he didn't recognize, so he made a point to stop at a corner as a carriage passed and faced in the direction they came, still looking at the Minister.

"We'd be delighted. I'm sure Mrs. Umbridge would like to be free from the island after these past few months," he said, smiling. A muggle passed by them and gave the two a strange look, causing Edric to finally suggest, "Perhaps we ought to head back. I'm afraid the muggles are beginning to judge our fashion choices."

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— set by MJ! —