Now... to wind down.

[dvs]

It was steadily becoming the rule of thumb for Demetrio: Avoid Madame Puddifoot's at all costs.

He had gotten entangled with a woman from work who's warm smile and cheery personality got the best of the Ministry worker. He had taken the gamble of asking her to dinner in town and she had accepted happily, however, she had suggested Puddifoot's as the destination.

Demetrio had known the implications of the place, and it seemed rather odd as it was more fitting for teenagers than a couple of Ministry workers to have a meal there. He did not give in to his doubts though, and made it a plan to meet here there a few hours after work.

Looking back on it, it was something Deme could close his eyes and groan at when he entered into Hog's Head. His mind hesitantly wandered to the hour just before, and he knew exactly what made it only an hour's worth.

The woman, she was mad. Outside of work she was juvenile, giggly, and overly effervescent. And while Deme appreciated someone who was a child at heart, she had stayed more to hormonal teenage girl at heart. Despite the cat and mouse chase she put on, the night ended in a failed attempt at a first date kiss and a red sting on his cheek. It was only going to be a peck on the cheek, too.

Demetrio had left her as speechless as a mute. She left as well, gathering her comical dignity and heading back home. Instead of doing the same, Demetrio only made a detour to Hog's Head, as it seemed fitting to sit there alone, mark another notch in his stick (for the number of times he was mislead by a woman), drink like the semi-lush that he was.

Ah, women...

(open)

[Juan Marcos]

The door swung open and a rather interesting individual entered the bar. He wore the standard black cloaklike outfit typical of Hogwarts students and professors and he did not seem to be enjoying it. The poor man walked awkwardly in it and seemed to be used to less... flowing types of outfits.

He had a pale complexion, which made his jet black hair stand out against his skin. His hair was oddly styled, layered about his face and ending just below his ears in the back; but it was longer on one side, covering the left half of his face. The hair concealed one of his bloodred eyes, but the other scanned the semi-crowded room. The man walked hesitantly over to the bar, changed his mind, and took a seat at the back of the room.

Suspicious eyes bore into him from across the room. The problem? The man was a vampire and vampires were not well recieved in good society. He'd thought that Hogsmeade folk might be a bit more accepting, but he'd soon realized that was not the case when he'd approached the bar. As if he didn't have enough to deal with.

Juan Marcos had accepted the position of Astronomy Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Announcement was to be made at the end of the End of Year Feast. He technically had until the end of the Summer to complete preparations for his class, but there was much work to be done. The previous Professor had left the room in disarray with class notes and plans scattered about. After Juan fixed the tower to his liking, he would have to plan the course and which topics he would be teaching. Then there was the rules and class policies... Not to mention the mountains of paperwork that each teacher was required to fill out and bring to the head.

He sighed... There would be so much work involved and he knew no matter how hard he worked and how well he prepared... He would not be well recieved because of what he was.

The vampire dreaded the day the parents and students recieved their letters listing the classes and professors. He knew the school would soon be flooded with outraged letters from concerned parents. Following this, he would be stalked by the Ministry.

He shook his head. Juan really needed a drink, several actually. His body processed the liquid too quickly for it to have any effect otherwise.

He was not hungry, otherwise he would have been in the mood for something a bit... stronger. But it was a good thing because this was not the place to be doing that anyway.

[dvs]

"Make it a firewhiskey, sir," Demetrio said in a huff and a strangled emphasis. He realized again how he had held his breath as he did whenever he had been in a situation of humiliation or even an unfavored scenario. It was a subconscious way of his body wanting to vanish from it,and possibly never return.

And to think, he would have to see the woman just the next morning.

Again, he held his breath as he settled by the bar. His eyes of strained apathy seemed to skim around the pub. Hog's Head was never the greatest pub, nor would it house even the family-friendly types of drunks. It was usually filled with dark eyes and nervous habits, those usually possessed by men, and even possessed by those who weren't. But bless them, they weren't shy about the firewhiskey. For now, this was Demetrio's kind of people.

He wouldn't have noticed the man hadn't it been for the white-washed ivory skin he sported in contrast to the scheme and theme of darkness around him. But that's what he saw first: the skin. It wasn't something to be regarded as human. Deme blinked and slightly weighed an eyebrow against another. Vampire, he thought in question. But he knew the answer. As part of the transportation department, he had to keep a look out for other breeds in case.

But what brought him more awe was the man's attire, and it was one to bring more thoughts into his mind as he barely acknowledged the bartender handing him the whiskey. Demetrio's school, Hogwarts, seem to endorse him just with the robes. It was probably his nerves, or probably experience. The different kinds of teachers seem to cause the worst trouble. Paranoia would count this to be another time not to be ignored.

"How's the school holding up?" Demetrio said with a sliver of agenda. While he was no Auror, he could certainly poke around and see what was the story of the school, now long after the abductions.

[Juan Marcos]

Juan blinked, startled from his musings. He was surprised that someone had actually spoken to him. Usually, he received one of two reactions: stares with no attempt to make contact or angry or hostile behavior. A man had just addressed him in a somewhat friendly manner, though he had stared just as much as the rest of them.

“How’s the school holding up?” The man spoke with a slight accent. Juan looked him over before answering; he appeared to be very nicely dressed, giving him a professional air about him. Juan noted that he had relatively tanned skin and blonde hair. He was taller than Juan and had a much more muscular build.

Overall, he seemed like a relatively amiable fellow, so he responded, “I am afraid I would not know señor. I have been somewhat confined due to my workload. The previous professor appears to have left the classroom in somewhat of a disarray.”

He paused and added, “I am curious as to how you knew I came from the school,” he flashed a fanged grin, “My name is, by the way, Juan Marcos.”

[lizareese]

It had been a night to start celebration early, or so Elizabeth had been told by her cousin. In lieu of being hired at the Ministry, it meant it was time to make plans with friends and drink the night away. The first stop had been to a small place in London, but there were more friends in Hogsmeade who wanted to participate in the celebration. Madam Rosmerta had certainly been surprised at the crowd that entered The Three Broomsticks a couple of hours before, she thought it strange for so many to be gathered together that early in the day. And while it was barely evening at that point, Elizabeth had to be reassured that the cause to celebrate early was a good one.

Elizabeth and company had entered The Hog's Head only a while before, and everyone had left only moments after. They all had jobs that required early morning departure. For Elizabeth the night was still young, she didn't start at the Ministry until the next week; therefore, she sat at a table, facing the bar, with empty glass in hand. She stared into the reflection that was given off of the glass, her hair was down and looked wilder than it had when she left London earlier in the evening. Her eyeliner was begining to smudge and her lipstick was barely noticeable. Alcohol usually didn't mix well with her system, but beverage after beverage had been handed to her since that afternoon; she was at the point where she thought she might've drunk herself sober. Nothing was spinning around the room as her eyes focused in on the customers at the pub. As she wasn't expected back at her cousin's home for a while longer she decided to grab a last drink. Elizabeth stood and managed to walk to the bar without so much as a stumble, she placed her order and looked over to the side. From what she could see, it looked as though there was another Ministry Personel present, she hadn't been formally introduced but she was certain she had seen him in passing when she interviewed.

As she waited for her re-fill, she edged toward the man to introduce herself, but was stopped short when the air of the pub tightened. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed the reason, a rather pale figure had entered. Elizabeth's eyes were stuck on the man, as were all else's. The sound of a glass set down in front of her gave her reason to be distracted. At least she was able to tear her gaze away as she fiddled around with coins to pay the tender, who also seemed awestruck at the man. When the man beside Elizabeth spoke to the other, the livelyhood of the pub at last returned, or at least what livelyhood there was. Curious about the conversation that had begun, she didn't move away, but inched closer. It wouldn't be frowned upon if she included herself in the conversation as much as it would've been if she opted to eavesdrop.

After the introduction of Jaun, she quickly inserted her hand and also flashed a smile. "Elizabeth Reese, it's nice to meet you."

[dvs]

If there was an interpretation of Demetrio's initial words being stiff, curious, and distanced, it would melt away as the man broke into a slight smile. The way Demetrio had it reasoned that he was new in town, most likely from Spain with his accent, and just as bit of taut as the rest of them in the pub. "Well, mate, you're sporting their attire. No one else in Hogsmeade has one like it."

He picked up his firewhiskey, and lifted it up in a semi-toast. "Cheers to you, mate, for getting into Hogwarts. The name's Demetrio. Demetrio Sheehy." He also acknowledged the woman who interjected, but not much else. It was hard to encounter women right now, especially with the last one being so horrendous. He wasn't so sure an inebriated female would be much too much different.