Chapter Two: Blenkinsop
I know not how long I stood there, gazing steadily at the sign of the Green Dragon. It might have been mere seconds, but it also could have been hours for all I knew.
All I had on my mind was the board draped over the metal pole protruding from the side of the inn. More specifically, my eyes were on the image carelessly emblazoned all over it. It was a messily painted dragon �“ green, of course. Its legs were splayed out in all directions and a fiery tongue hung out of its mouth, a flame burning from the dragon’s gullet.
The building, overall, looked extremely worn, like it was about to collapse upon itself any minute. Boards sported holes and shingles peeled from the roof. It was a tiny little place.
I was truly ready to swear on my life that that building had not been there earlier. There was just something so mysterious about the place, and I soon realized that it was not a Muggle pub. No, no �“ this had to be a wizard’s pub.
Something soon brought me back to my senses: a ray of orange light tickling my face. I looked to my right and spotted the setting sun once more. Its ambient orange light was splashed over the barren landscape. It was an extremely beautiful sight to behold.
As if the setting sun were giving me strength, I nodded to myself and made my way over to the inn. I noticed the windows had no glass: they were simply squares cut out from the boards of the building. The door hung slightly from a broken hinge.
I pushed it open.
A musty smell soon filled my nostrils. It was a rather nostalgic scent, reminding me of the dusty cobwebs of the basement which was now stained with the deaths of two wonderful women. I flinched inwardly, but stepped forward into the dark inn.
A wheeze brought my attention to the left, where a hunched middle-aged man stood behind the Green Dragon’s bar.
“Good evening,” I greeted him.
The man coughed dryly before answering. “Don’t fool yehself. ‘Tis not a ‘good evening’ when a man loses all ‘e owns.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I beg your pardon?”
“Yeh heard me. Ahh, but le’s not get into that, eh?” When the man spoke, it sounded as if his voice hadn’t been used in years. It was very hard and almost rusty. “So, what can I do for yeh?”
After a moment’s hesitation, I crossed the few feet to the bar, stepping on a bit of broken glass as I did so. I sat on the hard stool and asked for water.
“Water?” he echoed, astonished. “’Tis the Green Dragon pub, Sir! Ain’t no water here!”
“Well, then, what do you have?” I prodded.
He didn’t answer, but leant down under the bar and pulled out a dusty bottle followed by two glasses. Cracking open the old bottle cap, he poured out a good measure of amber liquid into both glasses. He slid one over to me before downing his own.
I eyed it somewhat warily. With Grindelwald’s renewed threat, one couldn’t be too careful. I picked it up and rotated it, almost hypnotized by the slowly swirling liquid as I turned the glass every which way.
“Well? Yeh gonna drink it? Ah ain’t poisoned it, yeh know.” The man’s harsh voice brought me back to my senses.
I put it down. “Deeply sorry, good man, but it’s not the best time for me to accept stranger’s drinks.”
The man emitted a hacking noise. I recognized it as a laugh and looked at him curiously.
“I’m Blenkinsop Waterbut,” he spoke in an ‘as-a-matter-of-fact’ tone. Blenkinsop beamed at me toothily, as if expecting me to recognize him as a long lost friend. “But yeh won’t know who Ah am, anyways.” His grin lessened. “So, who’re yeh?”
“I’m Albus Dumbledore,” I replied, offering my hand over the bar.
Blenkinsop raised his hands in refusal and shook his head. “Eh, well, yeh know, it’s not the best time fer me teh ‘cept stranger’s hands,” he explained, teasing me for before. He then began his wheezing laugh once more.
He stopped suddenly, realizing I hadn’t joined in on his mirth.
My eyes traced the bar’s wood grain and, for some reason, I found it marvelous. Just the way the grain was thick here, thin there, and joined another mark yet over there! Splendid. Even my own thumbs seemed to interest me to no extent, and I found it peculiar that lately I had become fascinated in the most trivial things.
“Do you have room and board here?” I inquired, noticing a small, spiral staircase in a corner to my right.
“Boards? Plenty of those ‘ere!” Blenkinsop joked, picking up a piece of wood from the ground and shaking it loosely at me. He laughed again, obviously very amused. I simply watched him, until I managed a small chuckle. The small chuckle soon turned into a rather joyful laugh shared between the both of us.
Our laughter soon subsided, however, as I remembered my loss, still so fresh in my mind. This was really no time to be happy and carefree. Dark times loomed ahead, and I knew it.
I looked up at the barman, only to see him watching me intently. Neither of us spoke, until he opened his mouth uncertainly. “Yeh must really miss ‘em, eh?”
I stayed silent for a moment, before answering, “Yes. Yes, I do.”
Blenkinsop nodded solemnly, and looked as if he had something he wanted to say. But no words came out of his mouth.
The two of us sat in silence, and I only then realized how hopelessly dark it was. A light breeze wafted in through the creaking door on my left.
I could smell a truly wonderful scent: the scent of rain. Oh, words cannot describe how the wet weather lifted my spirits. No matter the situation, no matter the time, rain always made me feel hopeful, as if bringing a new day. I suppose that is slightly odd, as seeing stormy weather usually makes one sad and gloomy. But not me. I inhaled deeply, savoring the taste and smell.
I looked past the window and out at the sky outside. Though it was dark as night, I could make out puffy clouds billowing, preparing for a storm.
“So, how ‘bout that room?” Blenkinsop asked.
“Oh!” I replied, startled out of my reverie. “Yes. Yes, that would be nice.”
“Well, of course it’d be nice! Are yeh mad? No one’d go out there in that gale! Lookit!” the man exclaimed, pointing a grubby finger out the window.
I looked out again, and noticed quickly churning cumulus clouds in the sky. A flash lit it up miles away. The wind now whistled by, and leaked into the stumpy little shack we were sitting in.
I nodded, and followed Blenkinsop toward the stairs. He had a bit of a hunch, I noticed, and he was a little on the short side. His clothes were patched every here and there. The man stumbled up the stairs, which creaked, unaccustomed to their weight.
As we stepped onto the second floor of the building, it groaned and the floor seemed to sag a bit. I stepped warily, but Blenkinsop seemed to take no notice. He led me down the short hallway and stopped at the very end, where one last door stood on the right. He turned, and took out some keys, fumbling with them as he prepared to open the door.
Listening to the jingle of his keys, I looked out of the window in front of me and saw the storm was coming closer. In this rickety place, I was in for a rough night.
The creak of a long-forgotten door announced the room was open. Stepping in after the innkeeper, I surveyed it.
My first impression was of a room that hadn’t seen life in over a decade. Well, it probably hadn’t, apart from the inhabiting spiders and mice. Cobwebs littered the four corners and rain leaked in through the ceiling. The wooden floor was damp and I doubted it could support much more than its few pieces of furniture. The blanket on the bed was moth-eaten, as was the sofa. Limp curtains hung dejectedly from the window and a chair against the wall had a broken leg. The atmosphere of the place was as if it had recently seen death; perhaps it had, for who was I to know?
Blenkinsop cleared his throat. “Well, ‘tis a bit shabby, but it’ll do, eh?”
I nodded my head and the man left, bidding me a good night. I did likewise and he shut the door.
Pulling out my wand, I muttered a quick spell, and the leaking from the roof stopped. Sighing, I lay down on the old bed. I kicked off my boots and stared up at the cracked ceiling.
The rain was pouring steadily now, and a thunderbolt clapped somewhere off in the distance, lighting up my blue-gray room.
Sleep came easily and I dreamt of seeing Beatrice and Holly again.
Draconis Viridans by pheonixflame
Chapter Notes: Once again, many thanks to my beta, Ms Weasley! *throws confetti* Enjoy!