Ace walked through Hogsmeade, having just seen some seriously weird prankitems in Zonko's. He smiled to himself as he took out one of his purchases, a book called 'Mine to Kill'. It had a really interesting plot summary, and he was excited to read it. However, he didn't want to read it in a noisy place, so he made his way to Hog's Head.

When he entered, he saw that it was the same, dusty place as always, and he enjoyed something constant in the way the world was constantly changing nowadays. He walked up to the bar and waited for a bartender to show up.

Valkyrie walked into the back of the bar, having to check out some of the mead in the back. It could get old. She sighed and then heard someone walking in upstairs. She checked off the last few bottles and then walked back upstairs again. She smiled to the man standing there. Well, he was handsome. She then pushed the thought away and walked up to him.

"What can I get you?" she asked politely. She knew she might be recognized, though many didn't when she had her hair in a long braid and her face wasn't filled with the awesome, but crazy make-up she always wore when she was with the band. Of course, she hadn't completely laid off the skulls, as one was hanging in the end of her braid.

Ace heard someone climb up some stairs and then smiled when a woman walked over to the bar. She was a bit familiar. He felt like he'd seen her somewhere before, but he didn't quite know where. He then thought about what he'd like at the moment and due to how early it actually was...

"A butterbeer, please," he said kindly. He looked at her, very sure he'd seen her somewhere. Then a skull was visible in the end of a long braid. "Valkyrie," he breathed before he could stop himself. He then grinned. "Wow, I never expected to see you here!" he said surprised.

Valkyrie nodded and got one of the butterbeers from underneath the desk. She took one of those who weren't dusty and smiled to him when he said her name. She then shrugged. "Even I need a job," she said casually, though it was a lie. She was rich enough to last three lifetimes.

"So," she said, leaning forward on the desk, "You a fan?" She gave him a big smirk, though it was clear she was just joking. She then realized that maybe he was one of the people who seemed normal, but might actually be completely mental.

Ace raised an eyebrow. "I have a feeling you don't. But hey, nothing personal about it. I wouldn't mind working here myself," he said kindly. He took out his wallet to pay for the butterbeer and gave a smile.

"I am a fan, yes. Your band is about the only magical band I like. Though I'm in for the music," Ace added honestly. He didn't understand people who chased after people just because they were famous. To him, it was only about the music, nothing more.

Then the door behind him opened as someone walked in. Judging by the light steps and the shoes, it would be a woman. Ace turned his head and was a bit shocked. The woman had short, red hair, but that wasn't the shocking thing. She was staggeringly beautiful. She was just ... beautiful. Ace turned to look at Valkyrie and gave her a shocked facial expression.

Valkyrie smiled softly, but let it go. There was no point in arguing when the opposite was already right. She was a bit surprised, though, when he said he cared only for the music. She smiled at that. There were many who didn't seem to get that. She grinned and looked happily at him. "I'm glad to hear it," she said honestly.

She then looked in the direction of the door when it opened. And in walked a really pretty woman with red hair and sharp eyes. She hadn't seen her here before, and wondered where she was from. Valkyrie smiled at the guy's dumbfound expression. "Go sit down in a corner. She looks like a corner person," Valkyrie said with a big grin.

Ace smiled when she said she was glad to hear it. He was pretty sure that Valkyrie had many people walking up to her because she was her, and not just because of her music. He then smiled slightly as she told him to sit in a corner. He nodded and took his butterbeer and walked over to a quiet corner, pulling up his book, and looking at the woman over the edge of his book. She truly was beautiful.

Deva walked into Hog's Head after having been in Hogsmeade to get rid of some Christmas shopping. Not that she had too many to give to. She figured she'd send a gift to Anne with some baby-clothes, and she had bought a book to Parker, a wonderful sweater to Pyxis, and she had bought some cool shoes for Alcyone, as well as a neat pair of trousers for Nora. On top of that, she had also sent a muggle weapon set to Athena for the fun of it.

She walked up to the bar and ordered a butterbeer, longing to be at a peaceful place. She smiled to the bartender, not having seen her before here, though something was slightly familiar. She didn't know that it was a singer as Deva wasn't really occupied with music during these times, other than that really slow and soft Mozart music that cleared her mind.

She had noticed the guy who was sitting in the corner and she took the butterbeer and walked in his general direction, noticing his eyes. She sat down at a table nearby, and after a minute or two, she sighed, rose and walked over to him. "Mind telling me why you're watching me?" she asked. She was seriously on guard during these times after having learned that the Black Ones knew she was the leader of the OOTP; anyone could be an enemy.

Ace watched the woman as she turned away from the bar and walked towards him. He found himself trying to find funny jokes or cool one-liners as she looked at him. But then she sat down at a table a bit off from him. He was a tiny bit surprised; it had looked as though she was walking towards him.

He kept watching her over the edge of the book, taking in her face. Her eyes shone green, her nose was small and perfect. And there was something about her skin that said that she was a bloody model. Her arms didn't lack muscles either. And her lips were full, though not too much so. Once again; perfect. Then she rose.

As she asked him the question, he was both shocked and amazed by her voice. It was so firm and strong and clear. He mentally shook his head and then gave a smile. "Is it a surprise that a guy finds you pretty?" he asked smoothly.

Deva didn't react in an overall 'big-eyes-blushing'-fashion, but she did blink. She hadn't expected such a straight-forward answer. She didn't quite know what to say. So, she took her time to study him: was he lying? His eyes told her he wasn't, the calm way he held his fingers told her he wasn't, the small smirk on his face told her he was a stuck-up guy with a cocky attitude, but a honest guy nonetheless. At the current moment.

Deva then sat down on the same table as him. "What are you reading?" she asked, her voice more casual now. She could see the title 'Mine to Kill', but she wondered what it was about. An action? Thriller? Maybe even a romance. If so, she wouldn't read it. Though she cared and loved a lot of people, romance was lost on her. At least it was easy to believe that.

Ace studied her face as he tried to find out what to make of it. She did blink, but she didn't seem too shocked. He titled his head to the side as he watched her eyes dance over himself, wondering what that was all about. She then sat down at his table, surprising him with a question. He knew she could see the title, so he shrugged.

"It's a thriller. Muggle book, actually. It's about mythology and the bond of destiny and shit like so. It's supposed to be very good, so I had to read it. I couldn't wait so I came here," he said with a kind smile.

"And that's my reason for seeking a silent pub in the middle of the day. What's yours?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

She listened to his voice as he spoke about the book. It actually did sound interesting. Deva had always been fascinated by destiny. She wasn't sure of whether she believed in it or not, but she was pretty sure that some things were set in stone and could never be changed. She then returned to the present at hand. "Sounds interesting," she said softly.

She raised an eyebrow herself and shrugged. "Silence can be good sometimes. Especially if you're a professor," Deva said, stretching a bit. She felt pretty tired, but she figured that was explainable; it had been a rough year with the attack on the ball at both Hogwarts and Durmstrang from each other. It had been a rough day. Deva still wasn't quite over the fact that Alcyone was a part of the order; it would've blown Deva's cover if she had used her weather powers.

Ace was still amazed at how beautiful the woman in front of him was, and when she seemed to fall into deep thoughts, he kept studying her. He wondered what her name was, but didn't want to ask just yet. It was interesting to talk to someone he had no idea of what the name was. "It is," he simply replied when she said the book sounded interesting.

He then blinked. "You're a professor? At Hogwarts then, I presume?" he asked, "What do you teach?"

He easily saw her to be the healer, but she wouldn't have called herself a professor then. So, maybe she was the charms' professor. That seemed very likely. The professor everyone loved. But the strict face she had when she asked why he was watching her told him that it wasn't that either. Defense against the Dark Arts was the next thing that fell into his mind. It had to be that.

Deva nodded. "Yes, I am," she said kindly. She felt a bit more comfortable now, and relaxed back in her chair, taking a sip from her butterbeer. She felt a small smile appear on her lips. "I teach Defense against the Dark Arts," she said, still beyond happy that she got that position. She loved it a bunch.

"What about you? What do you do for a living?" she asked him curiously. He seemed like a mixture of a rock artist and a business man, making her instantly think of him as the stereotypical mafia boss. She almost rolled her eyes at herself for even thinking that. She honestly wasn't that paranoid. She took another sip from the butterbeer and looked into his eyes. There was something about them. The darkness of it. They were so ... mysterious. They portrayed both warmth and cold.

Without noticing what she was doing, she leaned forward onto the table, looking straight into his eyes, prying into them, not using occlumency though. That was just rude. When she didn't get anything else from the eyes, she realized that she was sitting mere inches from his face and sighed, leaning back into her chair again, putting on a solid pokerface.

Ace smiled as he learned his presumptions had been right. "I'm not surprised," he said, "You seem like someone who would know how to fight." He wasn't sure if that would be taken as a compliment or not, but he couldn't understand why it wouldn't be: no one was sad to hear that they could take care of themselves.

His smile faltered slightly, though it wouldn't be noticable to people who weren't looking for it. However, this woman seemed to have a very inspecting gaze. Before he had the chance to say anything, she leaned forward and studied him. He felt exposed under her gaze and he automatically enforced his occlumency. No one would learn that he was a Dark One. Not yet. He was one of the few who managed to keep a low profile and possibly be of use to Dusk in thoughts of infiltration and the like.

But while she studied him, he studied her. Her eyes were the lightest green he had ever seen. They almost seemed cold and as if they had seen too much horror of this world already. Then she sighed, the breath reaching him as they were mere inches apart and then she leaned back.

"Did you find something interesting?" Ace asked her with a slight smirk, though his voice was lower than usual, a bit more husky.

Then he cleared his throat. "To answer your previous question, I don't really have a job at the moment. I like the thought of photography, though, so maybe I'll apply to a magazine or something," he said with a shrug.

Deva halfway raised her eyebrows. Was that meant as a compliment? If so, it was a poor one. Sure, she was very pleased with the fact that she could fight off almost anyone, but if people judged her to be good at fighting, it would most likely mean that it was because she looked serious and stuff. She instantly longed for the days when she was fun. When she always laughed and had a good time.

"I can," she merely said, looking at the bar and the woman there. She was smiling. She seemed to be having a good time, just standing there, washing some bottles. Deva was relieved to see it wasn't with the dirty cloth the owner often used. Deva then turned to the guy as he asked if she saw something interesting.

"Just trying to figure you out without sounding like I'm interrogating you," she said softly. She listened to what he was saying, and at the sound of photography, she nodded. She liked taking photos, and she loved the few photos she had dared to keep after she changed her name.

She took a deep breath and let it out, with it she brought out a smile. "Sounds like a plan. I've always loved photography," she said softly.

Ace had the feeling that he'd offended her. But he wasn't about to row his way to the shore again. She would have to take it as she wished to. He then nodded and said: "Good. In times like these, that is a quality scarce in most people at the moment. Or so it seems."

Ace had to snort at that. "Nothing is more like interrogation than studying someone," he commented, "But I'll live. I don't mind being studied by you. It gives me something to study that I like watching." He didn't smirk, but he barely managed to not do so.

When he talked about photography, she started smiling. He was amazed at how a smile could light up a face that was already so beautiful. He felt a bit dazzled for a second or so before blinking. "Me too," he finally said, "It captures things that you want to have in your memory for the rest of your life."

"Why do you look so stern around people when you're this beautiful when you're smiling?" he then blurted, not able to keep it in.

Deva nodded. "That's true," she said. She'd met so many people over the years as an auror who weren't able to protect themselves. They had been hopeless and Deva had on several occasions saved a person's life due to this. Maybe she had to start up a self-defense class, though she had a feeling that would be a bit too much.

Deva shrugged, and was about to say something when he continued. She blinked and raised an eyebrow. "Gee, that makes me feel so good about myself," she said sarcastically.

For some reason, what he said about photography, and the way he was staring at her, made her believe he was talking about her when it came to memories he wanted to keep. His next sentence confirmed that, as well as it caught her off guard.

She didn't lose her smile, actually, it widened. "Why I look so stern?" she asked. She almost laughed. Almost. She had never been stern when she was younger. Now she was hunted by a murderer and she was planning his demise. The Dark Ones knew she was the one who lead the Order. She had all the reason in the world to be stern. "Because I never let my guard down. And with a smile, my guard vanes," she said softly.

Ace chuckled at her sarcastic comeback. "I suppose it takes a lot to compliment you then. Maybe something ... less cheesy?" he suggested thoughtfully with a playful smirk. He was going to crack her. It was a dare, and therefore, he wouldn't give up before he managed it.

Ace looked at her as she made a pause. She seemed to be thinking fiercly at something. He wasn't about to ask, honestly, she'd walk away instantly. He just knew it. But when she then told him about how her guard vaned when she smiled, he raised an eyebrow.

"You're smiling now. Does that mean your guard is down, or that you're simply tricking me?" he asked, not at all mad, but very curious.

Deva shrugged and decided not to give him any hints. "I'll let you figure that one out on your own," she said softly, though this would probably encourage him to go on. It wasn't that she didn't like it. It was just that after Hogwarts, everything had changed for her. And it shouldn't have. But during the time training, killing, training more and hiding, boys and their compliments had been the last thing on her mind. "But I suppose you could try," she added, just to make sure she wouldn't make him run away in annoyance.

She then blinked at his question and her smile dropped slightly before returning. She wasn't sure about anything at this very moment, but she was sure that even though she was smiling, and it was a true smile, her guard was still up. She didn't know why, but the cold in his eyes made it easy to keep a distance, but still be smiling.

"I don't know. I'm enjoying this, but I don't think I'll let my guard down. Maybe I'm better at doing more than one thing at a time than I thought," she said lightly, "And maybe my guard has been up for so long that I have forgotten how to let it down."

After saying that, she knew that it was the latter thing that was true. Keeping her guard up had become a part of her subconscious mind. That was clear to her now.

Ace smiled to himself when she told him to figure it out on his own. He took that as an invitation. She then fell into thoughts again before adding that he could try not to be so cheesy. He definitely took that as an invitation. "All right then, oh fair maiden," he said jokingly with a very British accent.

His smile widened when she said she enjoyed the conversation and nodded kindly. He wasn't too bad with words then? He straightened up a bit before leaning casually back in his chair. He laughed at the two things at once-thing, but instantly frowned when she went on with always keeping her guard up.

"Why? I mean, not to pry, but why would you keep your guard up for so long that you've forgotten what it's like to relax? It sounds exhausting," he said, almost feeling bad on her behalf.

Deva rolled her eyes a bit, but had to snort at it. "British works well on you," she then commented with a glint in her eyes. It actually worked really well with him.

She lifted her gaze from his and over to the bar where the bartender still was, not looking at them, but not seemingly trying to listen either. Besides, Deva wasn't about to reveal anything to someone she had just met. She wasn't stupid.

"I have my reasons. And they're far too complex than for me to just tell someone I've just met," she said, her smile dropping a bit. She looked back at him. "And I suggest you change the subject or I'll be walking out of here," she added calmly, though there was a hint of playfulness to her tone.

She enjoyed talking with him. It had been long since she'd randomly sat down and talked to strangers. Not counting Tess, though. She hadn't known her. And that had proven to be a success, meeting her. She smiled at that.

"So, do you have any family?" she asked kindly.

Ace smirked slightly. "There's a reason I was born here after all then?" he asked, giving a wink at her. Finally; she was warming up to him. He felt pretty pleased about that. He was actually flirting with her now, and she had yet to slap him. A good sign.

He looked to Valkyrie when the redhead did, and he wondered if she was about to say something. It didn't seem like Valkyrie was listening to them, where she was moving glasses and cleaning them, seeming to huff every once in a while at the dirt on them. He turned back to the woman when she started talking and her smile dropped. Ace nodded when she came to the point of walking away.

"Then I'll change the subject," he said sweetly, having heard the playful tone in her voice, even though it was clear that she was serious about not talking about her past.

He was about to ask her a new question when she asked about his family. Ace leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I haven't really talked to them in a while. I've been rather busy with different things. But I have a family, yes. No wife or child though," he said, his flirtatious mood returning.

"How about you?" he asked kindly. Something told him that the guard she kept up was not because of nothing, and he really hoped for her sake that it didn't have anything to do with her family.

Deva gave him another smile at his flirtatious response. She could see that he was growing more comfortable in her presence. She still wasn't though. She wasn't sure whether or not she could trust that he wouldn't suddenly jump from his chair and kill her. She didn't trust anyone. Not even the bartender over by the desk. She sighed. "It seems so. In other words you were raised here in Britain?" she asked softly.

When he said he'd change the subject, Deva felt her smile returning, but didn't wait for him to think of something as she asked about his family. She smiled wider when he told her he had his parents, though a small frown was on her face when he said he didn't have much contact with them anymore. She didn't want to pry, but family was so important. She couldn't ever come to understand why someone would waste them away.

She gave a soft smile when he asked about hers. "My family. They were killed when I finished my first year at Hogwarts," she said softly. "They were the best people to have ever graced this earth, and I miss them every day," she said, hoping that it would be a stealthy hint for him to take on when thinking of his own family. "I've never been as safe as I was around my family," she said with a sigh.

Ace shook his head. "Actually I was raised in the Caribbean. I was born here, and a month later, I was living my life in the heat and wonderful sand of the most amazing islands on earth," Ace said softly, "So I reckon myself as more from the Caribbean than Britain, really."

He looked at her as she didn't seem to relax more. He wondered what could've happened that would lead to a person never letting their guard go. Even he, who was a Dark One, let his guard down. On rare occasions. But it happened. It didn't seem to happen with this one. It was kind of fascinating.

He studied her face as he talked about his family. She didn't seem to be overly happy with the fact that he didn't have much contact with them. But honestly, what could he do? Call them up and say he was still alive? They still hated him. He wasn't sorry about that, but it was a fact. His family was not someone who looked lightly on the joining of Dark Ones.

He immediately frowned himself when he heard her family was killed. "I'm very sorry to hear that," he said honestly, "It must be really hard." Ace couldn't imagine losing his family. He never wanted to feel such a pain. But to be with them again was never going to happen.

"And there's no one else? No siblings? No aunts or uncles?" he asked softly.