Erik Vinteren was one of those shadows lurking in Knockturn Alley at the moment. He would never describe himself as a creepy crawly one should fear, but as fate would have it...here was a fearless filly, prancing down this dangerous street without a care in the world. Of course his piercing blue eyes followed Alexa as she walked past. Why was she here? Why wasn't she studying, or travelling, or doing something great with her life...?

She was on his turf, so of course he followed her into the pub. They knew him here, and all it took was a tap on the bar for him to have a drink in his hand. Two, if he wanted them, but first he wanted to watch. Watch his former pupil...ah...navigate this world. This had to be new to her, yes? From his spot in the corner of Moribund's, he had a perfect vantage point for whatever would happen next.

Hardly inside for five minutes and she'd come to the conclusion that these people--much like the ones outside, were in the habit of staring. Well wasn't that just brilliant? The man that tried locking gazes with her received a grimace before she turned and headed for the bar. At the moment, it didn't occur to her that someone might have been watching, why would it when everyone was watching anyway? Yes, several eyes but she hadn't quite perfected that one curse yet, so she wouldn't go asking if they wanted them removed.

Bad idea....really bad idea; even she knew that.

When she left this place, she'd have to tell Cassia and Lottie all about it, Cassia especially seeing as she'd been the one to lecture her on what a bad idea Knockturn Alley always was whenever the conversation got brought up. For now, though, a drink so she'd blend in. Hopefully then everyone would mind their own business.

"Firewhiskey." Lex said to the bartender who'd been giving her expectant looks...but only because it was the only thing she knew on that board. Not a drinker, you see.

Not a fan of being stalked either Mr. Creeper in the Corner.

Accidentally on purpose following was not at all the same thing as stalking. Erik Vinteren of all people would know that. He took a sip of his pale ale and casually listened as Alexa ordered a firewhiskey.

Newcomers who didn't know how to order always tried the firewhiskey, and the bartender always served them the worst kind to scare them away. So he let her order, and continued to pretend he didn't recognize her. If he were to speak to her now, with all eyes on her, people would link him with her. A little girl. An out-of-place little girl. A newcomer.

So Erik bid his time and glanced at his watch. Well well. Would the former Gryffindor notice the pickpocket who had just sat down beside her, or would she finally glance at his corner? Time would tell.

Lex watched the bartender, for lack of anything better to do at the moment. Of course she was still keeping some attention on her surroundings but not directly. It seemed that staring back only made them stare more and as it so happened, she wasn't looking to play that game with anyone.

The man that took the seat next to her was given little attention, pick pocket or not. Alexa wasn't in the habit of keeping anything valuable in her pockets anyway. Everything was in the bag slung over her shoulder which happened to be on the opposite side because no, she hadn't outgrown that candy bag, why would you think a month away from Hogwarts would change that? Funny enough, the man might have figured that for himself with the way she felt his hand brush against her pocket. A casual gesture as he adjusted on his stool. Dude could have an 'A' for effort.

Acceptable. Sure.

Lex took the glass of firewhiskey when it was offered and slipped the sickles across to him. It didn't take more than the first sip and swallow to have her making a face and wrinkling her nose. Luckily the gag reflex hadn't kicked but merlin. This tasted...possibly worse than the firewhiskey she'd tasted at that Halloween Party the lot of them had down in the Shrieking Shack during her Fourth Year. How Benjy had swallowed his cup she would never know.

One thing was for sure, this...this drink probably wasn't gonna happen anymore so she turned casually on her stool to have a look at the rest of the bar. No need to make it obvious she'd already had enough--wait, hold the snitch. Lex blinked and stared at the man in the corner. At first she didn't believe it but then, it made perfect sense, didn't it? This was Knockturn Alley...why wouldn't Vinteren be down here?? With a small clearing of her throat, she grabbed her glass and made her way to the corner too. "Fancy running into you here." That's right, keep it cool Lex. Mature older girls did not do petty fangirling. Perfectly calm, peeerfectly calm. EEEPPPP!!!!.

Erik was going to need another pint if Alexa stayed here long enough. It wasn't that he had any obligation to watch out for her, per-say, but then...wasn't that exactly what he was doing here? He was pleased to see her handle the pickpocket calmly, which was a sign she had matured some since he had taught her that blasting spell. But then she was swivelling on her stool, spotting him, recognising him, which was worse...and marching her way over.

How vonderful. Erik inhaled sharply and downed some of his pint before she fully arrived at his table, and he set it down rather heavily as she called attention to his corner. In front of the whole pub. Really, Cambridge?

"You look vell, Alexa," he returned her greeting as he wiped his ale-soaked mouth on his knuckles. "But vhy are you in this part of vhe Alley?" He wasn't about to let her off that easily. He never felt a need to explain himself and his reasons for being in Moribund's, but a....young erm, lady like her...yes, she needed a reason to be here.

The last thing she expected as she slipped into the seat opposite his was to walk in on a mini interrogation. People didn't always need to a reason to wander down here, not from what she'd seen. Most of them in here were just drinking and staring...oh yeah, lots of staring. Outside of that, didn't seem like they had much reason to be here either.

Lex gave a casual shrug assuming he was only being polite in asking that sort of thing not that she could ever remember him feeling he was obligated to be as such. "Got tired of the sun shiny streets up in Diagon Alley, saw the steps and figured why not." It seemed like a good idea at the time and now that she'd run into HIM it suddenly transformed into the most brilliant idea she'd had in a week.

The former Gryffindor swiveled her drink around a bit but made no moves to take a sip. "Passing time til I get my YATI acceptance...and NEWT results I guess."

But now she was curious. How long had it been since this man all but disappeared off the maps. "And you? Top secret business lead you down here? An understandable aversion to the idiots up on the main street maybe?" Circe just don't tell her Knox was gonna show up too. He wasn't waiting for her, RIGHT?

Of course she gave the most Gryffindor answer possible. Erik had anticipated that kind of response, but had certainly not guessed at what was to follow.

"The YATI program?" he repeated her, with just a hint of snide incredulity colouring his tone. What in Odin's name was she going into that propaganda-geared program for? He quickly masked his moment of disbelief by finishing off his beer, during which time he was also able to come up with an answer for her question.

An understandable aversion to the idiots of Diagon Alley, yes, that was certainly it. But really, "I have a business meeting later," Erik brushed her off, curious to return to the subject of Gryffindoring around the YATI program. Alexa could be useful to him in this regard...so he might have leaned in to the table and locked his laser blue eyes on the girl. "So you vant to vork for the British Ministry, is that so? How....curious, Alexa, please tell me vhy."

Lex raised a curious brow at his reaction. "Yes, the YATI Program." She replied calmly as he helped himself to the rest of his beer. His tone didn't bother her much. Not everyone was impressed with Aurors though she could never understand that and he was maybe one of those people.

Meeting though....down here....? Fancy...but then he had said business. A business meeting. "Boring." She'd heard more business in the last month than she had in her entire life thanks to her grandparents and she didn't care for anymore in her down time. Lex might have asked if he always had meetings down but he was right back on the YATI stuff.

Alexa used the fact he'd leaned a little closer to nudge her drink away, as if she was proper paying attention or something along those lines. His question left her shrugging. "License to hurt people." Might as well stay on the right side of the law while you're doing it, yeah? Made things less sticky. "I thought about it and everything else sucks--too dull, really. I'm not ready to wake up every morning realizing I hate my job." So she'd do something that kept her on her feet.

"Not a fan of the Ministry? Or is it just Aurors that got you?"

Boring, indeed. Good to know this little lion still found words like 'business' boring, eh.

Licence to hurt people, now that was interesting, and Erik found himself nodding as Cambridge explained herself. He nearly chuckled at the comparisons his mind drew between her and himself, though it was doubtful that he would ever voice such a thing aloud. Instead he remained quiet for the most part, considering the correct angle here.

"I am not a fan of this Ministry," he quietly corrected her. "Aurors do not frighten me. In fact, I happen to agree vhat this is a job most appropriate for you, so long as you do not go rushing headlong into danger just for the thrill of it." A word of caution for you, Cambridge.

"When are you slated to begin vhe training?"

This Ministry. Mm. Something against the way they ran things in Britain? He would probably never understand just how hard it was for her to swallow the millions of questions that rose in the wake of that one answer but she wasn't trying to wear him down or have him grow tired of her company. Younger Alexa had a million questions, Lex was working on it.

She would allow herself ONE question on the matter though as this interrogation went both ways. "Why?"

Of course she was grinning now, having heard Erik Vinteren tell her that even he thought it was the right path for her. Might not come as a surprise but his opinions were still highly valued. He was one of the only people who'd ever made sense to her at Hogwarts--and no she wasn't holding the detention against him, just the fact he chose Lottie over HER. Like seriously, he'd rather be locked in a dungeon with someone that wasn't her???? Granted Knox had been the one to pick first but STILL, he could have opposed...but yeah, not holding that against him at all. Ahem. "You'll be happy to know I got a better handle on that reckless thing. I should be able to handle myself. Choosing my battles and all that." Admittedly less exciting at times but the pay off was usually worth it.

"January." A scowl set in. "That's forever away and I'll possibly have nothing to do besides become some prized possession to be displayed at will by my grandparents." Contrary to 'popular belief', Lex wasn't a fan of dress up or fancy dinner parties. Weren't business classes suffering enough?

She had matured some, as she was asking open-ended questions now instead of the million or so that regularly ran rampant through the pastures of her mind. Erik did not mind this small interrogation. It was certainly easier to handle than the ones he regularly faced at the whim of his...companion.

"I'm not from here," he replied levelly. "Vhy vould I care for the British?" Besides that one half-American one he did like. The British had killed his good mate and started all this silly revenge plotting and Board of Governors nonsense he was involved in now. But ah...Alexa did not need to know all of that.

She was more fascinating to talk about, just look at that ridiculous grin on her face. "No need to look so pleased about it," he murmured, a smirk of his own nearly twitching his lips. "Though I am glad to hear vhat. I trust you didn't blow anything up vith that spell I taught you, then, considering you must haff a diploma to go into training..." Oh, and she had recovered from the ageing issue, though it was only now occurring to him that that was the last time he had seen her....hmm. So she had survived Hogwarts in the end. See, he wasn't interfering over there; he was merely building these paltry Brits up into stronger wizards...though in hindsight, his superiors would not want to hear that status report...

"I can think ov things for you to do until January," which, all things considered, wasn't really that far away. "Do you enjoy travelling?"

A small glance around confirmed that the eyes had found better things to occupy their field of vision and that was what she was waiting for. Casually, Lex drew her wand and with a subtle flick drained the firewhiskey from her cup. Nothing to see here. She drank the whole thing.

Wand back in her holster, she considered his response. "...Fair enough. No reason to like them I guess." Was it bad she'd been expecting worse? Like maybe an operation gone wrong? Trade secrets being leaked? Some warrant out on his life?--as terrible as that would be. Not being from here was good too...she guessed.

He was wrong there. Plenty of reason to be pleased and more being added by the second. The pleased look slipped into a smirk of her own. "Don't be so sure. They give diplomas to even the worst of the lot." She wasn't the worst, hardly, maybe but the point still stood. "Blew up a couple things when I think about it...taught a kid or two how to blow things up in my leave as well--nearly blew up someone twice but the first dodged and the other...I found my self restraint." See? Not a loose canon. She knew when to blow things up and when not to...in the end. It's a learning process, really.

Lex perked up some hearing he could think up things. 7 months was a long time to while away, even for the most active of people. "I do." Why?

"I vould have finished that for you..." Erik commented, even as he calmly observed the girl using magic to whisk away perfectly good firewhiskey. Perfectly good and drinkable yet. She still had some growing up to do.

Did his answer disappoint? He leaned back into his corner and crossed his arms, quite comfortable with her lack of reaction to his response. And this was why he was the best at what he did...which, exactly, she may never well know. At least Alexa did not ask a follow-up question, thank Odin.

"True, just look at the voman leading your school." She was an unholy terror with a temper, easily misled by shiny objects and handsome men. Not that anyone had asked him. "Congratulations," he said instead, "on developing some self-control. So far you haff accomplished something many adults never manage." He was proud of her, in his own way. "You vill only improve on vhat with time, and by learning vhat is worthy of being blown up and what could be handled by...other means."

Not that he was here to give her lessons, ahem. Erik kept his arms crossed and gave the girl a small shrug. "Maybe you should see the vorld a bit before you decide to vork for the British." Just saying.

Without really thinking about it, Lex made a face at Vinteren's delayed offer. "Doubt it. S'not very good to begin with." She informed him, casually fiddling with the now empty cup. "This stuff doesn't usually taste good but even then, I've had better." So in the end she'd helped him dodge a bullet and he was totally welcome and should make an official apprentice of her. No pressure though.

That. That right there reminded her of the fact the man had never been too taken with the Headmistress. In some ways she could understand why but you had to admit...never a dull moment with her leading and how would half her house learn if school was entirely boring? "I think I'm already learning that." She mused, finally putting the cup to a rest. "Explosions are messy...and loud, making them incriminating. Only to be used when you're afforded a reprieve from needing to be inconspicuous."

The other means was what needed working on. Lex eyed him curiously for a moment, not having disregarded the slight shift in his tone at the mention of other means. "Don't suppose you've got anything else to teach me." As 'chill' as she managed to make that sound, internally she was now bouncing at the idea of learning something else considering how epic the last thing turned out...and you know...she was totally responsible now...maybe.

"I can see the world twice, I'm still going to be an Auror." Just had to make that clear while they were on this. "But I could. No real reason to stay in one place. All my friends travelled while I suffered through my last and have decided to settle into studies now that I've graduated. I'd probably have to go it alone."

Oh! And "Did I tell you I got to be 'Mistress of All Evil' for a week or two at Hogwarts?" Nothing she was tremendously proud of but in hind sight...some of the stuff they said she did was hilarious.

...oh naturally, it wasn't very good to begin with and she'd had better. Erik's slightly raised eyebrows spoke volumes for him without his needing to say a word. Firewhiskey was firewhiskey in his world, though all things said, he still preferred a pint over the spicy whiskey.

"Good," he replied to her bit about learning. He particularly approved of her word choices in incriminating and inconspicuous. He didn't know how to word this approval, however, without appearing to incriminate himself, so he went with a quiet, "You show a lot ov potential, Miss Cambridge," instead. Yes, a lot of potential to do great things...

He smirked at her eagerness to learn something else...from him. "I can't be your teacher any more if you're going to join vhe Auror squad." Or whatever those self-inflated wizard-hunters called themselves. "There's nothing vrong with being alone. You vill learn a lot about yourself, and other cultures, through introspection and solo travel." Take it from him, kid, it was how he had gotten here today; hence why he had suggested a similar route for the girl with a like-mindedness.

This 'Mistress of All Evil' topic, though...now that was fascinating. Vinteren's curiosity was certainly piqued. "Go on."

The raising of his brow didn't go unnoticed but she wasn't exactly sure what it was for....In her defense, "It's true. Benjy had some at the Halloween party. It tastes different from that stuff I just vanished and both taste worse than what me and Lottie were having." He remembered Lottie, right? The non-hufflepuff. Funny how he thought they were lying when they said it but it was true.

Also, ahem, there might have been a stupid grin on her face--it didn't last long before she regained composure but yes, it had been there BECAUSE MR. VINTEREN SAID SHE SHOWED A LOT OF POTENTIAL. Not a little. Not a bit. Not some. A lot. Definitely to be noted.

Her expression twisted into one of bemusement as he went on. Not learning from him because she was going to be an Auror...? "I disagree." Lex said, point blank, hazel eyes locked on his own piercing blues and her expression as stubborn as it could be. "I've read that Aurors are given special leave to use an means necessary to get the bad guy. No one said I had to play nice, so I don't need to learn nice otherwise I'll never be at the top of my game and someone's likely to out me while I'm still reading some dumb manual on wizarding rights." Did he think pansies ran the world? No, they were chewed out first mission and quickly forgotten. It was the questionable ones that struck fear. The ones commonly known to do whatever it took, those gave you the heebie jeebies and unnerved you. An idea she rather liked.

As for the Mistress of All Evil. "There was some fairytale book possessing kids." Go figure. "Found it in the restricted section and apparently unleashed it on everyone else?" But that wasn't her fault. Obviously. "I had some fortune to not have gotten stuck with a puffy dress wearing princess but the Mistress of All Evil herself. Dot says I made a couple kids cry," pansies, "and apparently I challenged the Headmistress for her 'throne'?" 'Least according to Ethan she did. Lex shrugged. "Wasn't so bad, did whatever I wanted."

He had no idea who Benjy was and frankly didn't care, but the Lottie name...that at least rang a bell. Lottie was the girl he had given detention to, yes? Erik just shrugged this topic off altogether. Alexa was clearly too young to appreciate the finer things in life, like firewhiskey.

Well, she was definitely grinning and looking happy, happier than likely anyone else in Moribund's at this hour. And she disagreed, did she? Erik liked the eye contact, but kept his voice very, very soft as they discussed her potential. "Correct; you don't haff to play nice, but you do need to be able to decide who is vhe 'bad guy.' And I cannot help an Auror decide who is vhe bad guy and who is not." Which brought him back to his last point. "This is why I suggested travel for you, Alexa, so vhat you could see some truly bad things in vhe vorld, some good things too, and make up your own mind. After all, vot makes a person 'bad' in vhe first place? Is it because their politics do not align vith yours? Is it because vhey did one bad thing, once upon a time ago? Or is it because you were handed so-called 'evidence' of vheir wrong-doings, evidence vhich could very well have been doctored to mislead you into hunting an innocent wizard?"

Wizard rights, pfffffffffffft, who cared about those. He privately agreed there without even blinking a blonde eyelash. "All I am asking ov you is, don't lose vhat independent streak of yours when you go into vhe business of 'bad guy' catching." Or whatever it was she thought she would be doing.

Now, was Alexa Cambridge admitting that she had read a book? And challenged the Headmistress for her 'throne'? Erik Vinteren nearly laughed at the mental images he was getting, but turned his quiet chuckle into a soft cough instead. "So you truly enjoyed your last term there, in other vords."

It wasn't fair. For the briefest moment, the former Gryffindor thought she'd won this part of the conversation. She didn't care much for playing nice, he didn't strike her as the type to play nice; it all made perfect sense until he went and said all that.

Suddenly she didn't think she knew as much as she did when she walked into the pub and she had no one else to blame? thank? but him. "Never really thought of it that way..." Lex conceded after what seemed like a long moment of silent staring at the table. What did constitute a 'bad guy'...? The worst part was that she didn't actually have an answer that she couldn't counter with another, not fully anyway but there were some little cogs that started to turn. Maybe all those he listed made for bad people, even the one framed (by virtue of being dumb enough to be at the wrong place at the wrong time) or maybe none of them. "I think you've just complicated my life." Just thought he'd like to know.

"But I won't." Lose the independent streak that is. "Too ingrained in me by now, nothing I can or want to do about it." Independence and confidence, something bred into all Cambridges 'cept maybe her creature of a half sister. "Sounds like it'll do me more good than I thought."

Enjoying her last year though. Whoa there, let's not get carried away with ourselves. "Not at all." And a very serious expression. "Hated almost every minute of it in truth and almost everyone in it too. Restrictions I didn't need, idiots I shouldn't have needed to be subjected to, the responsibility of taking 2nd year Ravenclaws to the bathroom," because she'd never forget THAT, "A year I could have done without."

Ah, the old shaken, not stirred, to the core expression. It was one Erik was familiar with seeing on the faces of his companions, usually right before they expired, and it was one he was seeing on Alexa now. And to think, all he'd hoped for was her changing her mind....

"Sorry, but it's vot I do best." He shrugged humbly. Complicating things was second nature for a complicated man. He gave her a rare, thin-lipped smile at her answer about her independent streak, a smile which vanished as he looked at his watch. It was nearly time.

A year she could have gone without but one she endured anyway. "Vot doesn't kill simply you makes you stronger," Erik murmured cryptically, scooting to the edge of his seat and standing up. He gave Alexa a final look and then a small but gentle pat on the shoulder; an almost warm gesture for him. "I'm out of time for here for now," he announced quietly, "but I do vish you the best in whichever endeavours you choose. Keep in touch?"

What he did best? She was inclined to believe him. He struck her as the complicated type, even when he gave the plainest of answers to things--of course there was nothing plain about that one he'd asked her just now but you got the idea.

Lex watched, more than a little disappointed when he said he had to be going but he did say he had a meeting of sorts to go to. Poor him. Business was the worst thing to meet about in her opinion, it being as dull as it usually tended to be and she didn't envy him a bit. Who knew, they might become her life one day if she couldn't palm them all off to her cousin.

"Thank you and we'll probably run into each other." People with somewhat like minds tended to find that happening. So yeah, keeping in touch. He was still on the Board of Governors too so if all other routes failed she knew ONE guaranteed way of getting in touch with him. Bonus right there, definite bonus.

She shoved off her own chair after that. "Let me know if you ever plan to do anything immensely epic. I'll clear my schedule.".....she....actually meant that....just so he knew.........