The Hog's Head

Ruxandra and D'Anton came to mind. Such fun people, Luke liked to hang out with them, but now he was an authority figure. He had to set the rules, and punish those who broke them. It was a weird change of pace, but relivable like the spiking of the drink he just did. "Not just that. I have just as many enemies as students as I do professors." What came to mind first was Dein and Brianna, than to Michelle and Madison. He would rather be poison a hundred different ways than deal with the duo Gorgons. Than he thought of something.

An image flash in his head, of Dein back in Potions class. His words were heated, filled with malice, that Luke knew he would not give up until he got even with Luke. It was genius that he even surprise himself. "I'll take it back. I will introduce you personally to a few friends of mine, if you find me information on a boy that is a pain in my side. His name is Dein Edrins." He figured that with Dein's pompous attitude he had to be lathered in money. And after all Alexandra is too. They might fall in the same circles where commoners like himself would be excluded.

(g2g to bed. Night)

Alexandra chuckled a bit before it drew to a sudden halt as she eyed him almost suspiciously. She had been truthful when she had said she didn't need to know the sources names, so this 'Dein Edrins' must be quite irritating for Luke to ask for her assistance. Then she realized the only reason that he would ever ask her for help - especially when she technically had no contacts - would be if this boy belonged to a circle that he did not navigate but that she did, or at least used to.
"This Dein Edrins doesn't happen to be a ridiculously wealthy, spoilt brat does he? Maybe a quite a bit smarter than your average spoilt kid if you're asking me for help?" she winced. If aiding Luke meant that she would have to go to one of those 'gatherings' or 'parties', then she damn well hoped it would be doing her friend a lot of good. Last thing she needed was to smile while people discussed their families' varying degrees of blood 'purity'.

No. She did not know that uneasy instinct, but then again, she never really let instinct guide her actions anymore. Reason was far easier to explain if someone got hurt and too many lives were on the line to disallow logic. However, Alexandra and Luke were always different in that regard anyways, so she listened carefully.

"So..." she drawled. "You want me to cosy up to a student's friends and family to find information?" If someone had told her Luke would request this when she graduated, Alexandra would have laughed.

"If I remember correctly, you've already seen me in a ballgown. At the Yule Ball." Alexandra had started off with a partner of course, but his boy-friend was falling asleep aaand she ended up alone after the first dance or two.
The story of her life.

"How are Sorrow and Vanity by the way? Finally gotten married yet?"

(oooh. god.)

(She has to find out someday non?xD Better this way when she can't storm into Hogwarts to kick Sorrow's ass and has time to cool off)

( they should just get back together :C )

"If you want," he said now weary of this conversation and glad it was moving forth to bigger and better things. "Um. Well. It is always fun to see friends all doll up, and purty. It makes it easier to tease them about it." He slide the glass across the table back and forth in between his hands. Sighing slightly, he said, "Well, sadly to say Vanity and Sorrow are not together. I am not sure why, because I heard it from Cazz in passing."

(I am making this scenario in between Cazz's date and St. Mungos accident. Is that fine?)

(@randompersonplayingChris: I know right?]:
@Luke: Of course!)

A hint of color filled her cheeks and she hoped to hell that he couldn't see it in the dim lighting of the pub. Needless to say, Alexandra was embarrassed about the fuss her brother and Luke caused when she wore a dress. Surely it wasn't that big of a deal right?
"Shush will you?" the twist of her mouth gave away her urge to grin despite everything. "Agh. Fine, I'll do it." Even though her family hadn't gone to a meet-and-greet in years, they still got the invitations. All that she could guess, was that those hosting the parties never got rid of names from their mailing list.

She froze, not believing her ears. "Wait, they've... broken up?" Alexandra frowned, the last time she had seen them together, they were as in love as could be. What the hell happened over the year she'd been gone?

"No problem." She regarded him silently, wondering why he was still grinning when he moved on to the topic of Vanity and Sorrow. There was no way he could be happy about them being parted so there must be something else amusing him. Whatever it was, she would wring it out of him some other time, she was sure.

"Riiight. And I'm guessing it would be ineffective to find one of them and interogate them as to what the hell happened?" she was itching to run into Hogwarts to find Sorrow and ask two things: Vanity and how they'd gotten Misery and where from. All she had to do was walk in and march to the Herbology rooms right?

Her crooked grin instantly appeared when Luke announced that Vanity would be the maid-of-honor. How could it be any different? Perhaps she could get into Hogwarts with that as an excuse: guilt-trip Sorrow into going, ask about his sister's escape, find out what had happened between him and Vanity and try to chat with Madison. Four birds with one stone. Things had never looked so good for her before. Her acceptance was a given of course.

"Thanks for the invitation," she slipped the letter into a pocket of her robes before anyone could read the name on it, then a thought struck her.
"Oh. You're going to tease me when I dress up for your wedding aren't you?" another stray line of thinking had her hoping that Cazz was sensible enough to tell Luke the truth about her past before the engagement. Another thing to discuss with the blonde she supposed.

She harumphed at his denial. If there was anyway to minorly embarrass Alexandra, Luke would be the first to find it, closely followed by her own brother of course. It would be even worse if Cazz made her a bride's maid at a more fancy wedding, with fittings and everything. God, she hoped it would be a small wedding.

"I might just steal Cazz away for a bachelorette night or something if you even hint at making wide eyes at me." Alexandra bluffed. The last thing she needed was to put strain on the couple's relationship. As old-fashioned as some people thought her principles of marriage to be, she thought that if the couple were truly in love, they wouldn't have bachelor parties.

She winced, visualizing what state she would be in by 8am the next morning. What would it be? Her worshipping the porclean god, stripped naked on top of a couple of heavily tattooed men, in the English channel screaming at merpeople? With Cazz, Alexandra doubted that these things were impossible. But what was a given was that she would either get very, very, VERY drunk or would be sober and regretting every second of being awake enough to see what ridiculousness they were up to.

"On second thought, you can take her on a personal bachelor-bachelorette party. She'd be much happier seeing you strip than anyone we could hire with Vanity's advice." Alexandra shuddered again. It may be fun at the time when she would be partying, but the next morning...

"Definitely can keep her. Laugh at me all you like."

"I did say 'personal bachelor party'," she rebuked. "You would be the entertainment of her part- Eugh." Alexandra's face screwed up in disgust. "I will never try to say that again. Remind me to wash my mouth with bleach later." she shivered again. It was official: she had officially scarred herself for life. Probably some sort of world record that she would never, ever admit to earning.

"High time for a change of subject now," or at least a slight diversion in a similar course of conversation, the raven-haired girl mentally added. "Casual wedding? Circus? What's the deal?"

Lamia was sat away from her usual place, drenched in the shadows of the stairs, but instead, she was sat on the table bathing in the light streaming in from the window at her back.

She would take no chances with Aries.

Her eyes scanned the crumpled letter in front of her, shielded away from prying eyes with the day's Daily Prophet. The letter had clearly received no care, as much care as Lamia had for Aries' health and well-being.

The letter had stated that she had wanted to meet, thus she had obliged and accepted, choosing a place where the Death's Mistress would unable to pull out her party tricks that easily.

*Aries pulled her hood of her deep blue cloak down, as she stood before the shambles of the Hogs Head. She was amused by this odd but fitting location that Bontrolva had chosen for this interlude. The filth was present even before coming in. Windows unwashed, grim in between the slats of the wood planks. The door open, and dust swirled up every time Aries took another step.*

A fitting place, indeed.

*Her grey pool eyes scan the faces who attended this historic bar. Most if not all looked either tense, hiding there faces in shadows or bandages, or grim with years of emotional ware and tear. Her smile grew even larger, more wicked, seeing Lamia bathed in the lime light of the only clean window in the place. She was very predictable. Taking no time to speak to the bar man, she glided up to the table for two.*

"MS. Bontrolva, what a pleasant surprise?"

*Her lively demeanor was to throw off any eavesdroppers that linger like rats in this place.*

"Your boss did not keep you late?"

*She winked towards Lamia,hinting at something unspoken, as she took the other empty seat. Oh, how Aries loved to play games with this child, it was so easy, so entertaining too. One of the highlights of showing up to any Death Eater function anyways.*

"Yes such a surprising coincidence to see the Durmstrang Headmistress sauntering round in a run-down place like this" a smile was plastered on her lips as she said the words with a wry tone.

She ignored Aries' blow towards her, and calmly replied. "Why, you jealous?" Her smile revealed clean white teeth, her eyes glinting with a slight irritation at being called to just be Aries' plaything.

She folded the newspaper over, the letter sinking in between the layers of the newspaper pages, no remains of it to the visible eye.

"So pray tell, Miss Lestrange, what brings you out on such a fine day?" she played with the light, casting long shadows across the table towards Aries "I thought vampires couldn't walk through sunlight?"

[unless you're edward cullen-___-']

*Aries ignored the slight directed towards her. The words wore beneath her as was the child sitting before her, but still she needed her as a pawn in this never ending chess game she was playing for power.*

"I'm more like a hungry fox, ready to prey on petite, feeble ravens."

*Most listening to their conversation would not gain nothing about there simple banter, but Aries knew that this simple statement would not escape the narrow minded Lamia. It was a threat that Aries could easily carried out even here. She had killed many in the throws of social gatherings. Men and women dropped dead as she pleased while in the midst of on high security areas.*

"I came in search of information that you may or may not have."

Lamia knew the threat to be true as Aries was one who wielded enough power to have it done within seconds. Power that caused Lamia to envy such an arrogant woman.

She looked to the people behind Aries, the bartender had cleverly decided to not ask them whether they wanted any drinks. Even a drunkard would be able to sense the slight crackles in the atmosphere that surrounded the two women.

She looked back to the woman sat in front of her. "I'm all ears" Her hand signalled for Aries to carry on with her ammo of information. Lamia had the disadvantage of not including herself in many Deatheater activities, thus for once she had to listen to Aries with her mouth sewn shut.

"Simple. What do you know of our new 'friend?'"

*She relaxed in her chair, but not stupid enough to lose her edge, or stay in tune with her surrounding. She had learn long ago the only person she could trust is herself, and everyone else was a threat to her, and the power that she wield.*