Draco stared open-mouthed at the chaos for a few minutes, before the captain's grin caught his attention once more. "Right, well, I'm glad ye be happy," he said, still fumbling his way around the lingo.

"And to whom do we own this debt," he asked with a leering flick of his eyebrows.

Draco realised he meant him. "Oh, um, my name's – I be Draco – Prince Draco." He figured he may as well throw in the title whilst he could still use it. "And, ye be very welcome." If he'd had known all it took to placate a band of blood-thirsty cutthroats was a second band of blood-thirsty cutthroats, he would have nipped on down to Pirate Land in the first place. "Yer sure ye don't mind?"

Bones kicked his foot.

But the captain shook his head and laughed again. "Ahh Prince Draco," he said respectfully. "This be a rare treat of a day for buccaneers." He bowed. "Cap'n Blackbeard, at yer service. Name yer price!" He snapped his fingers in front of Draco's face.

"Oh, no, that's okay," Draco stammered. "We'd just like to head back up to the next level. We, um, be lookin' for someone."

Blackbeard raised his eyebrows in interest as number of his crew ran past with their arms full of heavy metal balls, ready to load the cannons that lined the sides of the ship. "What sort of someone," he asked, leaning on the railing and resting his chin on his closed fist. "A wench?"

"A w-?" Draco stammered, before his memory sparked and he remembered what – or who rather – that was. "Oh, no, nay," he fumbled, heat rising in his cheeks as the truth of the comparison. "It's a friend of mine. His name be Harry, and he has a scar shaped like a bolt of lightning on his forehead." He traced the shape on his own face to illustrate. "I'm guessing he's not here, so we'll have to keep searching more lands, and-" He pulled out his pocket watch and felt his chest constrict. "We're running out of time."

The blinding sunshine had lulled him into a false sense of security. But it was in fact now evening time, and they had less than seven hours to find Harry and get them both home. Hold on, Draco begged silently, looking up to the clear blue skies as if Harry could hear him that way. Hold on, I'm coming, I promise.

Blackbeard though straightened up, pointing two jewel ladened fingers his way. "Ye be needin' help findin' yer matey. This, ol' Blackbeard can be helpin' with!"

A thrill of hope flared through Draco's chest. "Really?" he asked, breathless, but the captain had already turned away.

"One o ye dogs! Bring out me chest!" he roared at the hyperactive crew, and a handful of them jumped to comply immediately, disappearing below deck. They waited no time at all before one of the men was back, his bulging, tattooed arms being put to good use as he heaved up a large treasure chest for Blackbeard to inspect.

The chest was deposited on a table covered with nautical maps, and once the hulking crewman had retreated again, the captain pulled a key on a chain out from under his frilly shirt. "This be me personal, favouritest booty, Yer Highness," he said with a wink.

Draco coughed nervously. "Um, that's nice," he said, hoping he wasn't being flirted with. After escaping the plank once, he'd hate to be sent right back there for declining Blackbeard's amorous offerings. But the captain busied himself with first opening the chest onto a wondrous pile of trinkets, then carefully sifting through them.

Draco glanced nervously over to the door leading to the storage room he and Bones had arrived in. The pirates might have been eager to welcome the skeleton army, but Draco would rather be long gone before they arrived.

"Ah!" Blackbeard exclaimed, revealing a scrap of parchment with a flourish. "Here be the prize we after."

Draco leaned over as Blackbeard slammed the gold-trimmed, semi-circular lid closed, and spread the parchment out so he could see. Draco lifted Bones up automatically so he could stand on the table and get a better look too, which earned him a gruff "Thanks."

"It's a map?" said Draco, but it wasn't like any map he'd seen before, more like a patchwork quilt. The images shifted, like he would expect of a normal, magical map, and the ink-drawn compass on the corner swung left and right, like a physical one would.

"Te yer heart's desire," Blackbeard announced proudly.

Draco swallowed so fast he almost choked on it. "I, uh, what? I mean-"

"Ye want to be findin' yer pal, arr?" Blackbeard questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Draco coughed a few more times, then cleared his throat. "Yes, but he's just a friend, he's not, I mean-" He spluttered out a high pitched laugh. "It's nothing to do with my heart."

Blackbeard turned in bewilderment to Bones. "He be talkin' mighty strange this one."

"To be sure," Bones agreed with a nod. "He is mighty strange."

Draco scowled at him, but he was distracted as the map was pressed into his hands. "No matter," said Blackbeard good-humouredly. "Give this here a try. If the boy be here, in the third level of frivolities, ye'll see a star on the map. If not, he be on the second, or first. See?"

Draco nodded, his eyes roaming the map hungrily.

"If there be no such star, ye must ascend or descend. Only when ye both be on the same level, will the map be able to guide ye."