Pretending I don't feel this place.. [w]

[Lexa Avery]

(It's so much easier to run replacing this pain with something else)

~*~*~*~

It was already late into the evening when Lexa came downstairs out of the room she had been staying in for the last few weeks. She had gotten back from the states not so long ago and with no place to really live in, she opted to just stay at the Leaky Cauldron until it was time to go back to Hogwarts. Sure she was older then the requirements for the school but with the war having interrupted any further education, certain students were allowed back to finish up. Now this did not mean that everyone would be coming back, some had already moved on with their lives and feel that going back to the school would only be a hassle. At first Lexa had felt the same way, but after much convincing from certain persons, she was persuaded to go back. In reality she wasn’t going back to be a regular student, but that is what people would think and she was going to make sure their cover wasn’t blown. She knew that it might be a bit harder to keep Alex quiet once he started drinking but after two years with no one but Alex, she was able to understand the other a lot better. There had been times where she had opened up to him more about her past and it had really helped. It wasn’t like there was a choice when no one else was around. It did help that the other was one of her close friends. She had few left, hell she had two last she counted seeing as everyone else betrayed her during the battle.

The battle had been one to remember and she knew that it would stick with her for the rest of her life. It was during hard and crucial times that one finds out who their allies really are. Opting to get away from the heat after the battle, they had taken a trip which she really missed. It was the only time in her life she had actually been able to live her life without fear of death at her door step. She had never felt as relaxed and calm as she had during her time over seas. Being back in London had only brought back all the memories and bitter hate she had for people. However, the hate wasn’t as strong as one would think. She had let go of a lot of things when she left and now she felt a bit lighter. Despite letting go of a lot of that hate, she was still the same strong and manipulative person. She still didn’t let people push her around and she stood up for what she believed in. It was the same Lexa everyone knew and loved only older and more mature. Not only had there been small changes in her personality but her wardrobe also took a small turn for the better. New clothes had come into the picture from the American fashions she had picked up.

Wearing new knee leather lace boots and a grey socks that stopped a few inches past her boots, she slowly descended down the rickety old stairs that joined together the many floors of the pub. It wasn’t much but at least she had a roof over her head. She would have gone to Malfoy manor but figured Draco really didn’t want guests right now. Hell she hadn’t really spoken to him in a while and it would have been weird. The last few weeks leading up to the battle they never really got a long much. He had his own life and she had her own. Maybe there would be a time where they finally had an awkward reunion but for now it would be how it is. Sighing heavily, she pushed some hair out of her face before going over to the bar ordering herself something to eat. She had been out all day attending to some business; one was getting herself more money from the bank and after that getting whatever would be needed for Hogwarts. She hadn’t got everything but she had a bit of the list covered already. Ordering a sandwich and some tea, she found herself a corner table before slowly dropping into the wooden seat beneath her.

Lazily, she picked up the salt shaker and twirled it around in her fingers, taking this moment to get a good look at who was in the pub. From the quick scan, she could see no one that she knew, a bit of a relief to her. It was bad enough she had to live here but to have people knowing she had no where else to go, would really but a damper in her mood. Lately she had been in this calm and collected mood. It wasn’t happy but it wasn’t depressed either. She was no a single free woman, who had a new chance at life for now. Sure she was back to her old habits and back to the old crowd of people she worked with before, but it was different. Lexa found that she had a better understanding of what it was she was doing, and this time around she had willingly gone back into the life. Licking her lips, she casually stood up reaching over to the table beside hers to grab the abandoned copy of the Daily Prophet. It would give her something to do while she waited for her food to be read.

______________________________________________

Yes I am copying a popular style.

[Sean Lydon]

A very drunk and grimey Sean stumbled into the Leaker as he liked to call the place, took a seat at the a table away from everyone else in the building. Staring. People were always staring, probably because he was simply drunk and stumbling around latly, knocking things over and being a nuisance to most of the general goodwilled public, and too lazy to care about his appearance. He turned his back to the bartender and slipped a mostly full bottle of rum to his lips and took a good pull, there was nothing quite like liquor to wallow and drown in.

[Lexa Avery]

Lexa was sitting in the Leaky Cauldron sipping on a cup of green tea, while skipping through a borrowed copy of the Daily Prophet. So far there wasn’t much to read about, at least nothing that she found interesting. There was yet another story of a heroic someone doing something brave for another soul. The usual that anyone could read in this paper. In her opinion since the war there really hasn’t been anything interested in the paper. Flipping to the personals, she started reading them wanting to see if there was a funny ad in there that she could laugh at.

Just as she was doing this, the door to the Leaky Cauldron swung open and she watched someone walk in. For a second she thought she recognized that person but shrugged it off. Who would be down here at this time of the night in London? Not many people were that eager to be out and about in public again. Turning her attention back to the newspaper she listened to the new comer ordering another drink. From what she could tell he already seemed drunk and happy our started only ten minutes ago.

[Sean Lydon]

He was trying to keep his stuck in bottle hidden from the barkeep, they generally didn't like it when he came into their bars with his own drink and wasn't buying any of theirs. He was doing a halfway decent job but eventually got sloppy and the tender saw what was going on.

"Hey, Lydon." the man behind the bar said, this was far from his first encounter with Sean sneaking his own alcohol in and not buying from the bar. "You know the rules around here, if you're drinking its from the house, not you're pocket."

"Damn" he mumbled under his breath, he had left the bottle sitting on the table in plain sight after his last drink. "Ah come on man, just this once?" Of course he already knew the answer to his question, but it was worth a shot, wasn't it?

"No way Sean, you've probably got another bottle tucked up in there somewhere, I know how you are." The tender walked over and picked up his bottle off the table. "But I tell you what.. you give me 3 sickles and I will let you stay where you are and drink this, eh? Not a bad deal everywhere else is going to make you buy, and you don't want to get picked up again for drinking in the streets do you"

Sean sighed and shook his head "Come on now from barkeep to barkeep, cant you let this one slide, Ill let you have a few free rounds at the Head...." The keep simply laughed "You wouldn't catch me dead in what you call your bar, the place is a wreck and has been for years. Last time I'm offering that deal though.." Sean dug into his pocket and pulled out some money and put it on the table. "Thank you my boy" the keep said, handed him back his bottle, and went back to the bar. Sean on the other hand, took another long pull and looked around the bar not surprised at all the people returning to their business like they had not been watching what was going on.

[Lexa Avery]

Lexa had been able to find a very amusing ad in the paper of a submissive male seeing a dominant female with extensive knowledge of knots. At this Lexa couldn’t help but chuckle wondering who in the world would opening put something like that in a paper. They even included an address and a way to contact them. This really was a keeper for the funnies. Just as she was about to move down to the next section of ad’s she hard the bartender yelling at one of the customers. Usually she would just ignore it but this time the guy had used a familiar name.

Still leaving the paper open, she looked up her gaze traveling to whom the bartender was yelling at. It had been the guy that walked in a few minutes ago that she had thought looked familiar. Having heard the last name, she wondered if it could really be the same person. She had known a Lydon back before the war but lost touch after certain events took place. Lexa also knew which side he had been fighting on even if he would never admit it to them openly. It wasn’t hard to figure out when she had seen him kill one of her allies not knowing she had been watching. Never the less, she wasn’t going to come out right and tell him about it. Not yet anyways, besides it could just be a similar last name.

Silently watching the exchange between the two, she realized it really was him. Sean had been and still is apparently the owner of Hogshead one of the worst pubs around. She figured it was gone by now but from what she just heard; it was still there bad as always. It had always been a favourite place to be for her because you could find a lot of unexpected person’s lurking around there. Once the fight was over, she closed the paper and got up walking slowly over to where Sean was sitting. After this long she wondered if he would remember her or not. Sliding into the seat in front of the other, she leaned back casually. ”The next one’s on me, it doesn’t look like you can afford it anyways.” she added looking right at Sean wondering why he looked do bad.

[Sean Lydon]

Suddenly there was a female in front of him offering to buy his next drink. He didn't respond at first, just took another pull from the bottle noticing his scruffy image in the window, he did look rather...haggered to say the least, not exactly the state he would chose to be in when meeting a new person but he didn't figure on running into any new faces that he would get along with anyway.

But she carried herself herself so casually over to his isolated table and took a seat offering to buy him a drink that he already had. It didn't help that she commented on his obvious inability to buy more drink, his pocket change was running a little short lately but what business was this to someone he never met.

"Quite capable of buying my own drink if you didn't just see" he said in the not most friendly manner, this woman was almost mocking him it seemed in his drunken state. Another pull of the bottle brought a new thought to his head, 'Who in the bloody hell is this, and why did she decide to sit with me?'

Sean studied the occupant of the seat in front of him carefully for a few seconds, something was...eriely familiar about this girl...he had defiantly meet her before somewhere...No..It couldn't be.. she was dead for all he knew..lost contact with her years ago..along with most everyone else he had ran around with at the time but still. Yes he was almost sure now, the confident attitude and that ever present smirk.

"....Lexa Avery..?"He slowly said, not so sure now that he was correct, this girl might stand up and slap him and walk away for calling her the wrong name, it was probably someone he knew and had just made a complete ass out of himself forgetting her name....but one can never be sure.

[Lexa Avery]

Lexa crossed one leg over the other, sitting there watching Sean the whole time. He looked years older then he really was and it seemed that time hadn’t really been the nice to him. At least form what she could tell from his scruffy and untidy appearance. She wasn’t surprised most people took the war harder then other and it effected them worse. That and Lexa also knew that business was rough in war torn areas and not many people wanted to spend their time in an unclean pub. At least not ones who had some form of a family, the others who did want to spend their time drunk could barely afford to drink. It wasn’t pleasant to watch but she could tell Sean was one of the many who had little money and will to be alive anymore.

Hearing his response to the drink offer, she couldn’t help but laugh. Typical male can’t even let someone buy him a drink. He should be grateful it was a way not to get kicked out of the place for another few rounds. She didn’t respond to his protest and ordered up another two drinks, one for herself and one for Sean if he ever decided to give in and take the once in a life time offer. Normally she wouldn’t have been nice to someone that betrayed her, but he had helped her out many ways and secretly she would always be thankful for that. He just didn’t need to know that at this point they were even when it came to debts and other things.

Tapping her fingers gently on the old wooden table, she watched Sean trying to figure out who the hell she was. At least maybe there was some memory of her still lingering in his mind for him to put two and two together. It had only been a few minutes before she could hear her name being uttered from the others lip in a somewhat hesitant fashion. So he suspected it was her but he still couldn’t believe it or figure it out at least. A small smirk appeared on her face when he said this at least he still remembered her name. ”Didn’t think you’d ever see me again did you Lydon? she asked figuring he had thought her for dead. She had been out of the castle grounds seconds after the fall of the Dark Lord. At lot of people had fled when this happened being able to get away from being thrown into Azkaban. With no proof of actually being on a side, she was walking free for now.

[Sean Lydon]

So it really was her. He truly had thought she was dead, or had joined the ranks of prisoners in Azkaban, but now that he saw his old friend in front of him he laughed out loud, a sound that had not fallen upon his ears in sometime. "Forgive me Lexa, I thought that you had journeyed on into the great abyss some time ago." He raised the bottle to his lips once more welcoming the familiar burn of Caribbean Rum, he had always preferred the Muggles drink to that of Wizards, along with their music and choices in drugs.

Sean studied her face for a few more seconds, Lexa, as always, was loving her position on the conversation because he had made himself look like an ignorant ass. "Yes I thought you were one of a couple things, dead, or wishing you were." He once again paused to pull from his bottle and the room was slowly starting to melt away into blurriness.

'I should cut back from this' He thought to himself, it wasn't for the fun of the party anymore, more like to drown the world. "Where did you go...after?" that was all the more detail he was going to get into, he knew she had probably suspected him or his double agency at some point but was not going to bring it up unless she questioned him about it, and was skeptical even then

[Lexa Avery]

Lexa took a sip of the lemon vodka drink she had ordered along with the others beer. Being in America had let her explore the different things available out there. One of them was alcoholic drinks that tasted way better then the fire whiskey that they main offered in the wizarding pubs. Having tasted a few different selections and combination of drinks, she was quite content with anything that had vodka in it. She didn’t care what anyone else thought, beer didn’t seem to be her cup of tea. Gently setting the glass down on the wooden table, she raised an eyebrow when Sean started laughing. The laugh seemed foreign coming from his mouth or it could just have been that she hadn’t heard him laugh in a few years.

”Honestly, you thought that someone like me would actually be caged up?” she asked a bit insulted that he thought she could be caught that quickly. She shook her head slightly, some of her dark blond hair falling into her eyes. Picking up her drink again, she took another sip pushing Sean’s drink closer to him. ”I gotta say you look like you’ve been through hell and back a couple times.” she told him honestly. Being back to her old habit of telling it like it is, made her feel like she was defiantly home again. It had been a while since she was back amongst the people she once knew. Now it felt like it was a whole new world. Most of her old friends and family had perished before the war or during it. Only a few still walked among them freely.

Licking her lips to get any stray vodka off her lips, she chuckled softly at how he had phrased his question. Once again people were not being out front about things, instead they seemed to be scared talking about what happened. It was the whole Dark Lord’s name incident all over again. ”Took off to see the other half of the world.” she told him having remembered the day they had decided to do that it. It was right after they battle was over and most of the world was trying to recover. Before any man hunts had started. Europe was too crowded for them and they had figured it would be better over seas. Before they knew it, Alex and Lexa were on a boat heading to an undiscovered world.

[Sean Lydon]

Sean paused for a second "No I honestly see you dead before that happens." He said it quite honestly, they both knew it was true for both of them, they would rather go out wands blazing then get locked up in Azkaban. "Ah I see...Far East?" Then he stopped and thought about. Obviously not the Far East, Lexa and whomever she had disappeared with would stick out like...well two English people in a sea of Asians. "Na probably Western Hemisphere, a lot less.." what was the word he was looking for "You would stick out less there I guess." The alcohol was starting to to take a toll on his vocabulary.

"Well you know, after that night at the castle, Hogsmeade got a little of the action too. Ran a lot of people out of there for a while and business." He stopped at that word and a slight grin apeared "whatever you can call business I guess. Took a slight dip." Sean paused to clear his throat and for another pull from the depleating bottle. "After that just trying to make ends meet, and here we are."

[Lexa Avery]

Pushing the stray hair out of her face, Lexa leaned forward on the table a bit, just resting on her arm. She hadn’t felt the alcohol kick in yet but it did take a few shots of the strong stuff for her to be knocked out. She had trained herself not to get to the point where she didn’t remember what the hell had happened the night before. After her first encounter at the New York pub where she woke up in the park with a really bad hangover and Alex laughing over her confused form, she vowed to take it easy. It was a weird situation for her to be the one waking up lost and confused instead of Alex. She had found him in the oddest places after one of his nights of drinking. Each time she would pick a limit and drink till her body got used to the limit and then she would try and expand it. Sure it took long to get anywhere but at least she could have a few drinks before she lost all function of her body.

Unconsciously she licked her lips, tasting whatever was left of the liquid on her lips. ”Death hasn’t graced my door step yet or even been in the neighbourhood.” she told him knowing there had been moments during the fight where she had been cornered and could have died at any moment. However, due to the people she was fighting against being extreme justice of the peace rulers, she was able to get away. When you’re in a battle it isn’t tie up and prosecute later, it’s killing or die trying. At least that is how she had seen it and many people that were fighting on the same side did. ”Far west. We traveled most of North America. Great place to let loose. she added not sure if he had figured out who the we was. Many people wouldn’t but there were a few who had strange thoughts about the matter. She wished they would have minded their own business.

Playing with the odd shaped straw in her drink, Lexa watched Sean as he continued with his tale of constant decension into hell. She was surprised he had made it this far, but he was a fighter and it seemed like he wasn’t going down without a fight. ”Things will pick up now that the schools opening up again.” she commented wondering if he had heard about this or not. Despite the drinking age there was always bound to be someone that came in to try and get wasted without anyone asking questions.

[Sean Lydon]

Sean keep hearing the word 'we' and could do nothing but puzzle over who the other person was. It could be one person or more than one person, and chances were he knew who it was very good. But he was not one to pry into people's business. If Lexa wanted him to know who it was, she would have said that person's name. He suspected a couple, maybe it was Mr. Avery, whom he had meet an a few occasions. But moreover he was hoping it was Alex, because he had just as much of an idea where he was as he did Lexa a few short minutes ago.

"North America eh. Probably would have went to the Caribbean myself." He smiled and held the bottle up for another pull. He was soon entering the state of blundering drunkenness but knew he could drink the rest of the bottle and a lot of the other he had tucked inside of his robes. "Have you run into any more of the old crew?" He left it as a broad question, not asking on anyone in particular.

[Lexa Avery]

Lexa started to remember all the good times she had spent over seas and all that she got to see. It had been a trip to remember and she knew she would one day go back just for another visit. Maybe this one won’t be as long as the first but at least now she knew all the best places to see. One of her favourite please through out the states had been near the beach. No one knew her there and she could relax in water that wasn’t freezing for the first time in her life. It had been a shocking change when she lost the full out ghost white skin she once had. Not it was slightly darker but not too much. A life time of pale could not go away that quickly.

”It was the first place Alex and I thought of so we went there. It was easier then trying to list a whole bunch of places and waste time.” she informed him wondering if he would have an odd reaction to her not having gone with her husband. After his betrayal she had found it surprisingly easy to be without him. In all honesty, it had been a relief to not be tied down with anyone. The time away had also given her the opportunity to think about how everything had gone on and she realized it really had been an odd relationship.

He was from a really old family with extremely shallow beliefs and she really couldn’t be thrown into a role like that. Lexa being an independent person did not like being talked too as inferior. She preferred it if when in a relationship things were on equal grounds, instead of her being treated like the man’s property. Maybe she was just a person that could not be tied down for too long. ”You’re fortunately the first. But I think a lot of them won’t be seen around much.” She figured they were either dead or in hiding till they felt like it was safe to be out and about.

[Sean Lydon]

So his long awaited suspicions had been true. Lexa and Alex had run off and left him in England while they adventured off into the unknown. It saddened him at first that he had been left out, but then realized there was probably a reason for that. She knew. She knew and probably didn't trust him at the time...or maybe even now for that matter. But he knew these two too well, if they did not trust him, he would not be sitting here getting piss drunk with her talking about what they did. He would be laying in a shallow grave somewhere, deader than the Dark Lord himself. No, it wasnt that they didnt trust him.It was the fact that he did not have any trouble that he needed to get away from that probably was the reason he wasn't told what was going on.

He dwell ed on it for what seemed hours in his head, but was probably only a few seconds in reality in his inebriated state of mind. Whatever had caused Lexa and Alex to not invite him on their escapade of hiding chances were, they had good reason. They might have thought he would turn them in, but he doubted that. They all knew that he could have done that on more than one occasion. But somehow to Sean the people he was supposed to be alienating grew on him more than everyone else, probably because he was more like them than anyone else he had know the rest of his life. But now he had his priorities in order...to an extent at least, he would rather whither in Azkaban himself that turn one of his friends in to avoid it.

The part about Lord Avery not going on the journey was slightly puzzling and made him curious if Lexa and Alex had found a new found interest in one another. But going on the run just didn't seem like the thing he would do, the man seemed more suited to a life of fine wine and dining and worrying if the bedsheets had been changed that very day, than ducking the Ministry that was looking very hard for Death Eaters in hiding. And on top of that, Sean was fairly sure that the both Lord Avery and his father detested both the Eaters and the Dark Lord, but wasn't positive.

"Yes I suppose you are right..we did have our tendencies to... be around the rougher crowd didn't we?" Sean grinned and finished off the last quarter of the bottle and shook his head vigorously. Nothing like high quality alcohol to spicen up your day. He was now pretty well into his state of drunkenness, his body buzzing warmly with the effects of good rum. "So what now Lex? Now that the heat has cooled off your case and you two are not exactly highly wanted criminals anymore, whatever shall we do to fill the time?"

[Lexa Avery]

Lexa finished off her drink before letting the empty glass sit on the table watching the last bit of moisture slowly fall down the rim. She would leave the alcohol for now; at least until she was alone and could drink safely to the point she didn’t know her left or right. She remembered right after the Dark Lord had fallen they had all fled the grounds before anyone could be wiser. She had apparated to Avery Manor and packed up all her things. It had been an easy task since most of her stuff was still in boxes and some was still back at Malfoy Manor. Once she had everything stuffed into her old leather bag, she went to meet Alex at the station. It had been the one place they knew to go where no one would think to look. Not at first. She didn’t trust anyone but him at the moment in her life. They had gone through a lot of shit and even a fight that almost ended their friendship yet no matter what happened she always had a gut feeling he would never betray her. Lexa never really had betrayal come to mind

Sean hadn’t really been on her mind that night. She knew he was going to get off scot free for everything because of which side he fought on. Her mind was focused on finding a way to save her own ass instead. Sean still didn’t seem like he was aware that she knew about his actions. Lexa hadn’t said anything or let anything really obvious slip that she knew. She would just keep at it as if nothing happened. Maybe one day it would come out and they could fight about it but right now it was just two old friends catching up over a beer or two. Like she had told herself for now they were even. He had helped her escape a few times and now she wasn’t using his toxic state to kill him. Even if she did have the chance to she didn’t know if she could, he had been one of the few friends she had liked.

”Now I go back to Hogwarts to finish up.” she told him knowing that would most likely be the last thing that anyone thought would come from her. She herself knew it wasn’t something she would say but she was going to be under cover and that’s really the only reason to go back. If it had not been for that, she would have stayed in the states most likely finding life a lot less stressful there. Instead, she was back home going to risk her life again to finally try and finally bring the wizarding world to how they wanted it. Leaning back in her chair, she sighed and looked over at Sean.

”What about you? What’s in store for Sean Lydon?” she asked curious to know if the other really had plans to live his life or just sit and rot like most people were doing. She knew there was a lot that were most then grateful to be alive and they were now living each day as if it were their last. It was a great way to not die with regrets. She herself was glad she had left Regdon before she got in too far and had no way out. This way she was single and had her pride in tact.