Ginny Weasley walked alone. She had taken to walking around a lot since the end of her fifth year, never with a destination in mind. Summer nights were the best, the warm nights were perfect for her to mull things over, for no matter what she said to anyone, she still didn’t fully understand why Harry had broken up with her, two full years ago. She knew he had to save the world, but did he really not trust her to take care of herself? She kept thinking that there was something more, maybe something she had done. If he had really loved me, he would of taken the risk, she thought. Seconds later, Ginny was furious at herself for not thinking enough of Harry. He did have a lot on his plate. Then, once again, she was angry. The war’s over now. If he really had loved me, he would have come back. I haven’t even seen him.

Frustrated, Ginny sat down on a near by bench and cried. She cried for her broken heart, she cried for her confused feelings, and she cried for what could have been. Suddenly, a wind stirred up, chilling Ginny to the bone. Oh, how she wished it would stop. Then she heard something, something that was creaking in the wind. She looked up to where the sound was coming from. It was a sign.

“The Green Dragon.” Ginny read the sign aloud. As she did so, the wind stopped blowing. Curious, Ginny crossed the street, and walked into the pub.

The inside of the pub surprised her. It was warm and cozy, with only a few people inside. There were stairs on the left side of the wall opposite Ginny, about sixteen tables, and a bar, behind which, sat a lone bartender. After Ginny had seated herself at the bar, the bartender spoke. “Hello there. My name is Blenkinsop Waterbut, welcome to my pub, The Green Dragon. We have several rooms available upstairs, if you would like to spend the night. In the meantime, if you would like something to drink, I highly recommend The House Special.”

“I’ll have that,” muttered Ginny, still depressed.

“Here you go.” Blenkinsop handed Ginny a tall glass, full of a sparkling red liquid.

“Thanks,” Ginny said, absentmindedly taking a sip of ‘The House Special’. To her surprise, it woke her up. It had a tangy, yet sweet taste. She thought she even detected a hint of strawberries.

“Would you like to talk?” Blenkinsop asked. “You look a bit troubled.”

I do feel like talking. Ginny realized, taking another sip. “I do want to talk.” Now Ginny spoke out loud. “So you see, two years ago, my boyfriend was Harry Potter. He broke up with me at Professor Dumbledore’s funeral. He said it was to keep me out of danger from Voldemort. But, he hasn’t come to see me since. One minute I’m mad at him for it, and the next I’m sad, and mad at myself for being mad at him.”

Blenkinsop nodded understandingly. “Would you like another drink?” Ginny had emptied her glass while she was talking. “I also recommend that you try our Somnium.”

“Alright.”

It took much longer for Ginny’s new drink to come than the last one. Somnium turned out to be a soft pink colored drink. It seemed frothier, and less liquidy than The House Special. Ginny also found that its taste was a lot less intense. It made her feel pensive, but not badly so. She wanted to work out her thoughts, not make them go away now. She was also beginning to feel tired, a fact not lost on Blenkinsop.

“Would you like a room, miss?” he asked.

“I should be heading home-” Ginny began. But she happened glance through one of the pub’s windows to see that the street outside was pitch-black. She had walked a long way, and she doubted that she could find her back home. Even though she could apparate, she wasn’t very good in the dark. She always ended up miles off target. “On second thought, I’ll take a room.”

Blenkinsop nodded. “Follow me.” He led Ginny up the stairs and into a room with a bronze number three on the door. “Here’s your key.” Blenkinsop handed Ginny a key with a three engraved on it. “Good night.” With a wave, Blenkinsop departed, leaving Ginny alone once more.

Feeling more tired with each passing second, Ginny opened the door to her room. It was a large room, with a four-poster bed in one corner, an oak bookshelf in another, a closet next to the bed, and another door on the right wall.

Curious, Ginny opened the other door to see a spacious bathroom. How she loved that bathroom. It was complete with a bathtub (a shower was included), toilet, and sink, all of which were made of marble. Ginny walked over to the bathtub, it was sunken into the floor and had to silver taps made of silver. You never guess a pub like this would have rooms so fancy, Ginny thought. It’s almost astounding. Even though Ginny felt exhausted, the bathtub was too beautiful not to try. With just one twist of the taps, the tub filled up with water the perfect temperature for Ginny. This has got to be the best bath I have ever taken, Ginny remarked to herself. Even more tired after her wonderful bath, Ginny redressed, left the bathroom, and fell onto the bed, asleep within seconds.

That night Ginny had a very strange dream.

Ginny dreamt about Harry. He was chained up in a dark room. Harry had always been skinny, but now he looked too skinny, like he was being starved. Out of Ginny’s sight, a door opened, filling the tiny room with light. In the light, details of Harry’s appearance became more prominent. He was dirty, very dirty. His hair, messy as it usually was, now resembled a bird’s nest. His glasses were cracked in several places, and numerous cuts scattered across his arms. Several black, cloaked figures entered the room.

“Potter. Talk, I know you can. I’ve heard you before. You can’t stay silent for much longer, it’s been two years. Talk!” Ginny recognized the angry voice of Lucius Malfoy. “Talk!” he bellowed. “Did you really think you could kill the Dark Lord and not have us to deal with? I know it’s killing you inside, Potter. Not being able to talk to your dear Ginny. I bet she hates you now.” Malfoy paused, sneering, seeming to hope that Harry would reply. Harry remained as silent as ever. “Fine,” spat Malfoy, and he left the room.

As soon as Malfoy’s retreating footsteps could be heard no more, Harry spoke. His voice sounded strong, and Ginny guessed that he had been talking when the Death Eaters weren’t around. “I love you, Ginny. I love you, Ginny. I never stopped loving you. I’m sorry I was caught I let my guard down. Know I love you, Ginny.” Harry repeated things like that for a while, voice and what Ginny was seeing, fading all the while, until Ginny awoke.

This isn’t my bed, she thought. That’s right, I’m at The Green Dragon. Ginny glanced towards her bedside clock. "Three in the morning," she groaned. "I have got to get some more sleep." Ginny found that she couldn’t get more sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Harry in that dark room, muttering. Suddenly it hit her. He does love me, but he’s captured, so he can’t get to me, but he loves me. The thought filled Ginny with happiness. At the same moment, Ginny realized that the dream had been real. Feeling slightly calmer, Ginny walked across the room to the bookshelf. Selecting a book, she made herself what she called a nest, a bunch of pillows and blankets arranged into a very comfortable place, onto her bed. The reading didn’t help much, Ginny still felt unsettled. She wondered if Blenkinsop Waterbut had any drink to help her sleep. Quietly, Ginny tiptoed down the stairs into the bar. There she was surprised, but relived to see the bar tender there.

“Excuse me, Mr. Waterbut.” Ginny’s quiet voice echoed in the empty room.

Blenkinsop turned around. “Why hello there, miss, is there anything I can do for you?”

Taking the same seat that she had early that day, Ginny asked, “Why are you still up?”

“In case someone needs something. I always have time to help my customers.”

“Do you have anything to help me sleep?” Ginny asked.

“Yep, it’s called, Hot Chocolate.”

Ginny giggled. “I’ll have one of those.”

“Alright.” Blenkinsop walked into the back again. There’s something strange about him. Maybe even something suspicious, Ginny thought. Blenkinsop Waterbut soon came out with a mug of Hot Chocolate. There was a mountain of whipped cream on top, from which came steam, signifying the warmth of the drink.

“Do you want to talk?” Blenkinsop asked. It seemed that he was could read Ginny’s thoughts, or rather, her feelings.

“I do.” Ginny recounted the events of the dream, studying Blenkinsop Waterbut’s face. He never seemed surprise throughout her tale; he looked as though he was expecting something like this.

By the time she was done talking, Ginny felt better, and sleepier. “I think I’ll go back to my room now. Thank you for listening, Mr. Waterbut.”

“No problem.”

Ginny headed back upstairs to her room, and fell asleep again.

She dreamed about Harry again. He was still chained in the dark room, but there seemed to be some sort of commotion going on outside. There were shouts, spells, and the occasional sound of a body falling. Soon, the door to the room flung open once more. Instead of Death Eaters, the room was flooded with members of the Order. Ginny saw Tonks and Remus at the head. They unchained Harry and helped him stand.

“Are you alright?” asked the gravely voice of Mad-Eye Moody.

“Yeah,” replied Harry, shaking his head to clear it. “I need to see Ginny.”

“She at the Burrow,” Tonks said, kindly.

“Will you take me there?” Harry asked.

“Of course.”

Once again, the room faded, and Ginny awoke.

Now it was seven o’clock in the morning, and Ginny knew that Harry would be expecting her at the Burrow. Quickly, she showered and ran as fast as she could down the stairs, and out the Green Dagon’s door, leaving a smiling Blenkinsop Waterbut behind.

Ginny continued to run, she wasn’t even consciously thinking about how to get back home. Her feet seemed to guide her. Soon, she arrived at the Burrow. She flung open the kitchen door, and there stood Harry. They ran towards each other and hugged, the entire full kitchen awed in response.

It was the next day when Ginny realized that she had left the Green Dragon without paying for her many drinks or for the staying the night. Not sure she could find the pub again, Ginny headed to Gringotts Wizarding Bank. She walked up to a goblin. “I would like to put money into someone else’s account.”

“Someone else’s account?” the goblin asked Ginny, looking at her suspiciously.

“Yes. You see, a couple of nights ago I stayed at a pub. I left in a rush. I was in such a rush that I forgot to pay.” The goblin snorted, as thought he didn’t believe that it was an accident that Ginny hadn’t paid. Ignoring the goblin, Ginny continued, saying, “Well, I feel bad about it, and I would like the give the owner his proper payment.”

“Sure, you do, miss.” The goblin still didn’t believe Ginny. “I’ll try to help you out anyways. Tell me the name of this pub’s owner and I’ll look him up. See if he actually owns a pub.”

“Alright. His name was Blenkinsop Waterbut.”

The goblin pulled out a large book from underneath his desk. On the white cover, the words “Account Numbers” were written in large black letters.

“Let’s see,” the goblin muttered under his breath. “A, A, A, B, B, B, B, C, C, C, C, C, C, C, D, D, D, E, E, E, E, E, F, F, F, F, G, G, G, G, G, G, H, H, H, I, I, I, I J, J, J, J, K, K, K, K, L, L, L, L, L, M, M, N, N, O, P, Q, R, R, R, R, R, R, S, S, S, S, S, S, S, T, T, T, T, T, T, U, V, here we are, W. Walton, Warbuche, Washington, Weasley. Wait, Washington to Weasley.” The goblin looked up from his book. “I’m sorry miss,” he began. “But there seems to be no one with the last name Waterbut.”

“That’s strange, what if he just doesn’t have an account?” Ginny asked.

“Impossible,” replied the goblin. “Every family has an account, it’s part of our magic.”

“Maybe I gave you his name wrong. Can you look up the pub?”

“Certainly.” The goblin put the Account Numbers book away, and pulled out another large, white book. This one said “Businesses” in the same type of black letters. “The pub’s name?” the goblin asked Ginny, opening the cover.

“The Green Dragon.”

This time, the goblin flipped through the pages silently. Once again, he looked up at Ginny. “That doesn’t exist either,” he informed Ginny.

“And I suppose that it’s part of your magic that every business has an account?” Ginny’s voice had a bit of an edge to it now.

“Yes it is,” replied the goblin.

“Thanks for your help,” Ginny said, sarcastically. She left the building feeling very strange. While walking down the cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley, she wondered why neither Blenkinsop Waterbut nor The Green Dragon seemed to exist. I’ll just go give him his money in person, Ginny decided.

She started walking towards where she thought The Green Dragon was. She walked around for almost an hour, to no avail. Finally, Ginny decided that she must be in the wrong place and walk back to her house. From there, she set off again, hoping that she was going the right way. She was. After about only another ten minutes, Ginny found the bench she had sat on when she first found The Green Dragon. She crossed the street, but there was no building. There wasn’t even a pile of rubble. “It was here, I know it!” Ginny said to herself. She began scouring the area for any hint of the building or its occupants that had been there just one day ago. Another hour passed, and Ginny found nothing. Discouraged and confused, she set off.

Deciding not to trust the goblin from Gringotts, she decided to check the records at the Ministry of Magic for Blenkinsop Waterbut or The Green Dragon. Not sure where they were, she decided to ask her father.

“Dad?” Ginny stuck her head around a door into a small office. It was nicer than Mr. Weasley’s old Muggle Artifacts office, but not much bigger.

“Ginny!” A surprised Mr. Weasley embraced his only daughter with a hug. “How are you? Where were you the other night?”

“I’m fine, Dad. As for where I was the other night, I was hoping that you’d be able to help. I need to look in the record room.”

Mr. Weasley looked at Ginny. “What are you up to?” he asked.

“I, er, forgot to pay last night. I’m trying to pay the owner back, but I can’t find the pub.”

Mr. Weasley sighed. “It’s on the bottom floor, next to Courtroom Ten. But, you didn’t hear it from me.”

Ginny smiled. “Thanks, Dad.”

Ginny hurried to the lift, and went down as far as it went. Turning right at the door to the Department of Mysteries, she went down the stairs, and to the door at the end of the hall, labeled “Records”. Fortunately for Ginny, the door wasn’t locked, nor did it creak when she pushed it open.

The room she found herself standing in was very vast. Every square inch of the walls was covered with wooden cabinets. Each cabinet had a label in the center reading things like “Hogwarts to Hufflepuff, Helga”, or “Quidditch to Riddikulus”. Deciding to look for Blenkinsop Waterbut first, Ginny walked past many, many, many cabinets. She passed “Acromantula to America”, “Dragons to Dugbog”, and even “Polka to Potter, Harry”. Finally she came across “Water to Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes”. He’ll be in here, Ginny realized. She opened the drawer. “Water, Water balloon, Wave.” Ginny stopped muttering. He should be between Water balloon and Wave. Beginning to fear for her sanity, Ginny ran to drawer “Fur to Green Plants.” Alas, there was no Green Dragon to be found.

Numb, Ginny left the records room and apparated to The Burrow. She had flopped down on her bed to worry, when she felt something in her pocket prick her leg. “Ouch!” she exclaimed. She dug in her pocket to find the culprit, which she found and extracted from her pocket. It was a key. A key with a three engraved on it.