Addison would have never thought Katherine would be thankful for his attitude. That would have surprised him since he didn't feel he changed from those years that they knew each other, and since he believed she was quite stubborn and resistant to change herself, he didn't think she would have changed either. He was half-expecting her to blame him for the entire ministry event, complain to him about the refreshments they served or about elves' rights or some other tangent, if not for old time's sake.
He would have also thought that her practice with arguing would give an edge for beating down her editor. True, she could learn to use more tact, but she could probably argue until her voice was hoarse about something she believed in or refused to do, and some people would just bow out of the way or just allow her to do whatever. Of course, he didn't think she'd automatically be able to cover top stories without learning basic journalism and without starting at the bottom, but he figured she could wow her editors with other pieces and climb the Daily Prophet ladder quickly.
It probably would have been rude to ask, but Addison would have been amused if she had asked to get a drink. And actually, he would have thought that would be her way to excuse herself from engaging in small talk. They really didn't need to talk, did they? He thought he was one of the last people she'd want to talk to there, so he wouldn't have been disappointed or insulted had she told him she had better things to do than speak to him.
He smiled, his amusement at her distaste and the reason that she was there apparent in his face before it disappeared as well. "There are quite a few important people here," he mentioned with a nod, his eyes scanning the crowd. "Even if they're not directly involved in matters of the state, they have some pull with people who do..." When she asked him about his job, he blinked and shrugged nonchalantly, his eyes drifting towards the back corner as his head tilted in that direction and towards a man in the back. "Currently, I'm acting on behalf of the Greek Ambassador," he said, "Networking and making contacts like you."