Andi Mao-Macdougal Zizhen strode into the Leaky Cauldron, the wisps of her long dress swishing around her feet. Just once, Andi thought she might like to give up the mildly gothic, steel magnolia 'I'm so Intimidating. Fear me!' act for some nice pants. Apparently they didn't get in the way so much when you were kneeing or kicking someone. She had a bag full of supplies and planned to go to the bookstore later.

Not to buy anything, of course not!

No sir...

She would have self control this time!

Andi's fingers clenched tight around the bag and her scowl became that much more set. She had rented a small room in the Cauldron and planned to retreat to it after a light snack and a ci-

No! Self control!

Andi sighed, and made herself smile as she bought a drink.

"Professor!" Nik called out to the tall woman who was buying a drink. He waved at her, calling her over. He needed salvation right now, the Count was driving him up the wall with his constant lecturing and nitpicking at his faults.

"Nikolai, it is not polite to interrupt an elder when he is speaking." Andrei scolded his son, a frown gracing his handsome features. He turned anyway to see this professor that Nikolai was waving to and smirked when he caught sight of her. She was beautiful, but yet there was something about her that told a man to move on and not attempt to get close to her.

Andi almost turned around guiltily, not sure if the Hogwarts code allowed her to be seen buying a stiff drink. A swift glance around reassured her that no other professors were to be seen for the time being and yes, the young boy's voice was ostensibly addressing her.

It was familiar.

Andi turned around, and surprise lifted her eyebrows as they winged halfway up her forehead. "Nikolai Vannacut!" she said, a brief, polite smile on her mouth as she nodded at him. Something drew her towards him, and it was definitely not the handsome, arrogant gentleman sitting across from her student.

"Shopping for school supplies, Vannacutt?" she inquired, as she stopped by the table, not yet daring to look at the other man too closely lest she start staring.

Nik grinned up at his favourite professor. She was so surly, it was a relief actually! And now he got to watch her shoot down his father, or vice versa. Whichever way, it was going to be entertaining. Standing up, he smirked at AMMZ, "Yes, school supplies and such..." he said, thinking of the joke shop.

Andrei stood up and looked down at the attractive woman with a smirk that matched his son's. "Nikolai, have your manners eroded so dramatically since I sent you to England?" He turned to the woman and held out a hand, "Andrei Vannacutt." He said, introducing himself.

Andi shot Nikolai a sudden suspicious look, aware of the edge of mischief in his voice, but then his companion spoke. He actually stood up - and that was either chivalry or sexism. Andi turned to him, and her eyebrows gave one more insistent jerk even though they had gone high enough and wouldn't go any higher.

Count Andrei Vannacutt, in the flesh.

Andi took his hand delicately, and decided to break it to him quick. "Pleasure," she said in a tone that suggested that it might quite well turn out to be the opposite. "Professor Andi Mao-Macdougal Zizhen. I believe we... corresponded?"

"Aahh...We did indeed..." Andrei replied, a hardness entering his grey eyes at the memory of what they had written to each other. "It's a..pleasure to finally place a face to the letters, Andi." He said, deliberately using her first name even though propriety told him to do otherwise.

Nik looked from his teacher to his father with a mischievous glint in his eyes. This was going to be good. Franchesca better see this, he thought.

Andi smiled, even while her body was screaming at her to touch this man - go on, go on - give him a sharp right hook! With great, yes, self control, she entertained that thought but for a brief moment. "You didn't reply my last letter, Mr Vannacutt," she said pointedly, her smile growing rather fixed. "Been busy lately?"

Andrei summoned a chair over to their table, "Come, Andi. Have a seat and we can discuss your parenting skills further." He said with a patent smirk. AMMZ was looking positively livid and ready to lash out at him at anytime, he was going to bring that out by the end of the stay here.

A blur whizzed past him and tackled Nikolai to the ground. With a frown he surveyed the young girl who was smiling at him.

Nik noticed the tension growing in the air and shrugged it off. Grinning at Fran, he put an arm around her shoulder. "Father, this is Franchesca Clairmont, and Fran, this is The Count." he said. He smirked at his father and AMMZ and pulled Fran away. "Father, Professor, Fran and I are going to go have some ice-cream. We will see you later." he said, and pulled Fran out of the shop

Andi heard Francesca's greeting, she was turned to reply to the girl, but before she could, Nikolai had whizzed the girl away so fast that Andi could have sworn they were wearing wheels with rockets attached to their heels.

She was forced to face Count Vannacutt's long smirk. Andi wondered if he had it specially surgically attached to his face. Tightly, she lowered herself down into the chair and shooting him a look, said sweetly, "Do be seated, Mr. Vannacutt, don't stand in my honor. Now about your parenting skills..."

Andrei frowned at his son's back and turned back to AMMZ. Seating himself down beside her, he looked her over slowly, intent on making her uncomfortable in his presence. "As you can see for yourself, Professor, Nikolai is perfectly fine with me.He has no bite marks or slashes on his skin, and he doesn't sit and shiver quietly in a corner while I am in the room. There is nothing wrong with my parenting skills." he said tersely.

"He doesn't exactly throw his arms round your waist in unmigitated glee, does he?" retorted Andi, feeling his eyes going up and down on her. She sensed this was an intimidation tactic -- or his flirting skills were severely off. "Mr. Vannacutt, you two are hardly happy families, though I must say, accompanying him to buy his school supplies is certainly more than I expected of you."

Mirroring his tactic and hoping to show he didn't intimidate her, Andi let her eyes roam over him as well. Everything about him spoke of understated elegance and easy ruthlessness. Alright, fine. Maybe a little intimidating. But you could break Andi's ego on bricks, and she wasn't too worried.

Andrei leaned back in his chair and rested one ankle over the other. She was surveying him and he felt the awakening off his pride. "I was interested in some property here...and figured that I might as well check it out while I bring Nikolai shopping."

He watched her eyes travel his body and leaned forward with a grin, "Andi, my dear...I insist that you call me Andrei...we are all too..familiar...for you to be calling me Mr. Vannacutt. Besides, it is an incorrect address, I am Count Vannacutt."

Andi's hand reflexively jerked. "I'm going to ignore that last part, Count Vannacutt, if we must be so picky, though insisting on retaining a title is, I might add, a sign of insecurity, and if you call me 'my dear' again, I'll knot your feet around your neck," she said, in a completely level, even pleasant tone. "Tell me, how familiar are you with Nikolai's personality? And I don't mean merely how well he's doing in school, mind."

Andrei threw his head back and laughed at her threat. "Andi, are you intimidated by me?" he asked evenly afterwards, with a slight grin. But before she could answer, he waved it off. "Nikolai is a good boy, he's strong and determind. Everything that I have shaped him to be. there is no reason to worry for his well being." He frowned at the subject, hoping that AMMZ wouldn't dig too deeply and hit a nerve. Nikolai was a touchy subject, and he knew that he had not been the best father, but he did not appreciate being told that he did a crap job at it.

Andi's put her hands in her pockets. They were clenched. She waited until she could trust them before pulling them out again, and even then they twitched, wanting to wipe the grin off his face. Finally, they got down to the point. Andi suspected that all the (sexism) mannerisms were especially turned on to muddle her guard. Andi had a guard that metaphorically equalled a steel wall with pointy bits on top, electricity running through every nail, and a deep moat in front with crocodiles - but she had been muddled. No wonder he was good in business.

"There is every reason to worry about his well-being," snapped Andi. In truth, Nikolai's situation reminded her of her own. Well, most neglected-by-parents situations did. "He doesn't get along well with you. I saw his face. And I dare say this little bit of family life turns Nikolai off even more. Don't you ever sit in the same room as Nikolai without nagging? Gods know what you're going to be like when you're old and infirm." And if Nikolai will still be there by your side...

Andrei straightened up in his seat and gave Andi a level stare, "I do not nag. Women nag. I assure you, I am a man. And I give sound advice. That is all." He looked over at the woman who was getting angrier by the second and a real smile broke out on his face, she was fun to poke and he was curious to see just how beautiful she could be when she let go of all her reservations.

"Sexist pig," said Andi, barely under her breath. She looked Andrei over, feeling the blush start somewhere from her toes, accelarating to her knees. "I assure you, I'm quite aware that you're a man," she said. And a handsome one too, as you probably know all too well. "But too much advice, sound or not," and she certainly said it as if she was certain Andrei's advice was absolute rubbish, "becomes nagging. Haven't you ever tried to have a simple conversation with the boy, one that involves his opinions, not yours?"

Andrei raised an eyebrow at the irony of the situation, "Why don't you try a simple conversation with me...and I will try it with Nikolai..." He said calmly and leaned back in his chair once more, folding his arms in front of him and hooking his ankle over the other.

"I am trying a simple conversation with you," said Andi sweetly. "You can't talk to a... twenty - oh, I tell a lie - early thirtyish woman like you would your twelve year old son, would you? But since you ask so nicely, try asking open-ended questions. Something like 'So how was Quidditch this year'?"

Andrei smirked and shrugged, "No...I imagine I would talk to you and my son in two very different ways, my dear. And I know how Quidditch was for him, he won. Obviously, a Vannacutt always wins." He said easily.

"And if you talk to him in this patronizing way all the time I can tell you you're going to be a very lonely old man," muttered Andi again, under her breath. "A Vannacutt always wins. my sainted aunt's behind." In a louder voice, she replied, "But then you didn't ask, did you? You just assumed. I'm sure there's a lot of... whips, dodges, whatever those things are called. I don't play much Quidditch, myself. I don't suppose you pull him over and tell him stories about the good ol' days?" Do you talk to him about his mother?

Andrei shrugged and leaned back, "There is little sense in dwelling in the past. What matters is the present, how you spend it to have a better future." He said tersely. It was true, he rarely spoke to Nikolai and Andi was getting to close to the truth here.

"Learning about the past is important," said Andi, leaning forward as she got into the discussion, "to make sure that you don't repeat the mistakes of it." She studied Andrei's face, carefully making sure that she didn't get sidetracked into studying the silky, sexy small beard, the deep eyes, the...

...Oops.

"Am I discomfiting you, Count Vannacutt?" she asked, rather delighted to have him on the run, though she had felt like fanning herself there. The blush was now at her stomach.

Nik snorted "What a wimp." He reached for a pitcher of cold butterbeer on the table near him and poured it over Sebastian's head. When the guy was revived slightly from his stupor, Nik sneered at him "Don't start a fight if you can't finish it, fool."

With that, he grabbed Franchesca's hand and pulled her out of the dark pub, leaving Sebastian spluttering on the floor drenched in butterbeer.




* * *

Swiftly Andi had followed him, her bags banging against her legs as she strode, almost but not quite catching up with him. She saw him kick the apples; she restored them with a wave of her wand, she saw him push over a few hapless passerbys; she helped them back up - and all she got for her trouble were glares for associating with the madman. Huh. Mad man. Literally.

From her vantage point, and not being overcome with rage, Andi was able to scan the crowd when the Count bumped into Jacques. She saw Nikolai, and Francesca watching with a mixture of guilt, amusement and a little fear. Thanks to Jacques, they had time to duck down a small alley.

Andi turned back to smirk at the Count, heard him swear, and swirl three times (sending his robe flying up so she could see his legs) and disappear.

Damn.

Ando shrugged, and set down after Nikolai and Francesca's path, hoping to find them.

She wanted to know where they had hid the body of their vic- opponent.