"We're here!" Cuthbert said nervously, swooping down from his broom into a dark alleyway. He pointed to a dummy, who was dressed in a torn up dress robe. He looked down at his dirty clothes. "We need something a bit more formal," he muttered. Aliena stepped forward with her wand. She waved it around my head, and my pajamas were replaced by a dress. It was a bright crimson that sparkled even in the dark. My hair, which had been tangled by the wind, was soft and twisted up into a formal bun. The dress fell to my knees, and was cut so low that you could see most of my pale chest.

Cuthbert waved his wand too, and he was instantly dressed in a formal suite. "You two go ahead. I'll keep guard," Aliena said, winking at me. Seriously? Not the time to be playing matchmaker! I thought angrily.

Cuthbert walked up to the dummy. "Firewhiskey," he said loudly. The dummy creaked as it moved, knocking the wall behind it. A door appeared, and Cuthbert held it open for me.

My mom always told me the story of the Blind Pig. About how her and my dad needed information about one of Dad's beasts that had gotten loose. This was the closest I had ever seen to the description of the blind pig.

The bricks had been painted a dull yellow, but it was peeling and covered in mold. Wanted posters hung everywhere, and I couldn't help but notice that some of the criminals on the posters were standing not too far away. A band was playing... was that racket supposed to be music? It was lousy. House elves were just banging on the instruments with their fists, which made it sound like a herd of cats were dancing across the instruments. There were a few tables, but Cuthbert offered a chair at the main bar, which was much less crowded than the rest of the place.

"Pretty girly!" the bar tender house elf said, pointing at me, clearly drunk. "Two butter beers!" Cuthbert growled thought his teeth. A pair of filthy glasses appeared, which were instantly filled with something murky that only slightly resembled butter beer. Cuthbert took a swig, but spat it right out. He wiped the corners of his mouth. "Disgusting," I heard him mutter.

"Cuthbert? What exactly did you mean by, 'the bar owner owes your dad?'" I asked slowly, shoving the glass away. He looked at me for a second. "Just... don't tell anyone, okay?" I pretended to seal my lips, and he gave a shaky grin.

"My dad lent him some money to start this luxury cruise ship. But when his debt wasn't paid on time, Dad doubled the debt and threatened to kill his family. Poor guy made this bar in the hopes that this would help pay off the debt," Cuthbert said, his face suddenly very grim. I didn't know what to say, so we sat in silence for a few moments. "My dad's never really been the nicest person. He forced my mom to marry him. He-" Cuthbert stopped himself, wiping tears away. I reached out and squeezed his hand. "You're the nicest person I've ever met, Dawn. You're different from most girls," he whispered. I froze. "You're smart and funny and pretty and kind. I mean, who wouldn't like someone like you?" "The whole school, apparently. I'm not the most popular person out there," I said slowly. "Oh. Well, I like you. I don't really care about what the school thinks of you," he said with a shrug. I felt a blush creep up onto my cheeks, so I removed my hand from his to hide my face.

"C-C-Cuthb-b-bert! How w-w-wonderful t-t-to see you!" a man stuttered. "Hey, Mr. Siamese!" Cuthbert said happily. "Could you do us a favor? I'll help you pay off that debt in exchange."

"Of-f-f-f c-c-c-course, C-C-Cuthb-b-ert!"

"Could you get three first class tickets on your next cruise to Romania for my friends and me?"

"St-st-straight away, C-C-Cuthb-b-bert!"