Scars of Time

Scars of Time

Chapter Three - The Serpent from the Sea

* * * *

Draco was definitely not prepared to witness what he seeing. He could not take his eyes off the majestic creature. Its head was soaring above him, as if to tell Draco that it was more powerful than he was. The monster was a sea serpent, its scales were of brilliant blue, and its emerald eyes were gleaming ferociously. "Malfoy! Watch out!" Hermione shouted. The monster was leering at him with an expression of disdain, and its mouth suddenly opened, revealing its many long, sharp teeth.

The passengers were screaming, shouting, "Sin! Sin!" while Hermione was ordering them to get to the other side of the deck.

It gave a loud screech, and suddenly, Draco lost control of himself. He stood up and stepped forward. "What the Hell are you doing?" Hermione yelled frantically. 'I don't know,' he wanted to say, but he could not find his voice. The serpent launched itself at him, but right at that exact moment, Hermione jumped in front of him. She pointed her wand at the serpent, shouting, "Crucio!"

The serpent fell back with an anguish cry. It twisted and turned, and plunged back into the ocean. "Malfoy, what were you thinking?" Hermione yelled, her eyes flashing. "You could've gotten yourself killed and I had to use the illegal Cruciatus Curse because of you. I can't believe this."

Draco's face was as white as sheet as Hermione droned on about his reckless act. "Just thank me for not letting the passengers witnessed what I did. I actually had the sense to tell them to retreat to the other side of the deck. And what did you do? You just stared at that--that serpent and merely stared!"

He did not hear a word she was saying. His mind was spinning, and his vision suddenly blurred. He landed on the wooden deck with a thud.

* * * *

When Draco came around a moment later, he saw that Hermione was standing up with her back on him. "Have we arrived yet?" he asked in a hoarse voice. She turned around, surprised to see him awake. Draco was beginning to have a throbbing headache--it was probably from the fall. He could not remember everything that had just happened--except for the fact that he felt sick. But he also remembered the serpent that had leapt out of the water. But he did remember the serpent that had leapt out of the water. He shuddered at the memory. The serpent somehow brought him fear--the sort of fear he could not explain.

"You're awake!" she said. "Finally. We're almost there."

She doesn't sound very worried about me, he thought resentfully. Hermione was looking at him reproachfully, and he wondered what was going on. "What is it?" he asked nonchalantly. She shook her head and turned away from him, a disgusted look on her face. What's up with her? Draco thought, rolling her eyes.

Hermione held out a glass of water at him. "Here. Have some water. It'll cheer you up."

"I thought chocolates were supposed to cheer people up," he said, arching an eyebrow.

"Oh, shut up and drink," she snapped.

Draco tried to drink the water, but as soon as the cup reached his mouth, he choked. "This tastes awful," he said, making a face. "Where did you get it?"

She gave him a surprised look. "It's plain water. I drank it, and it was all right."

"Well, people like you can drink anything," he said beseechingly.

"Suit yourself," said Hermione, shrugging. She was now immune to his taunting.

The wind suddenly blew, and Draco felt that tingling sensation sweeping over him. His silver blond hair got into his face and he swept it a way with a gesture. "Why are the leaves joining the wind?" an old woman beside him murmured. "This does not happen very often."

Sure enough, hundreds of green and golden leaves were floating above him, surrounding the ship and then falling gently on the water. Draco looked up, and to his amazement, the leaves was falling from the sky. Hermione was observing them, a thoughtful look on her face. "Can you guess what's going on?" he asked her.

"I don't know, but what I do know is that this type of thing certainly doesn't happen in our world--or in this world either. Look at their faces," she motioned at the passengers. Sure enough, they looked as bewildered and confused as they were.

"Mommy! It's raining leaves!" said a little girl to her mother excitedly.

"It'll be raining goats, frogs, and dung next," said Draco, surveying the scene disapprovingly. "What a cursed world."

"Malfoy!" Hermione gave him a furious glare. "I actually think it's pretty."

"Yeah? Well, everything's 'pretty' to you," he said sneeringly.

She gave him a withering look. "You're simply amazing," she said sarcastically.

"Thank you," Draco said solemnly, bowing.

* * * *

Once Hermione and Draco had entered the city, its utter beauty and indescribability immediately enchanted them. There were four tall towers looming at the center part of the city, and the architecture was simply exquisite. The structures of the buildings could beat the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal. "Wow," she gasped, enticed by the sight.

The buildings were shining underneath the sunlight, looking rich as if it was lighted. Hermione wondered how it would look like at night. "Wow indeed," said Draco, without much emotion. She turned to him and glared. Draco ignored her; he was now quite used to people glaring at what ever he was saying. The atmosphere of the city was friendly and pleasant--it was apparent that Bavelle was a harmonious place.

"Should we explore?" asked Hermione, a little too hopefully.

"Aren't we here to find Luna, Puna, Juna or whatever her name is?" Draco said in a careless voice.

"I think we should examine the way the people here live. Who knows? When we get back, we'll win the Magi Nobel Awards," she said ecstatically.

He rolled his eyes. He knew that Hermione would not pass up the chance to learn something new. "Whatever," said Draco without much enthusiasm. "Do you want me to go with you or should we meet at a certain place at a certain time?"

"Um, well," Hermione put a finger on her chin, looking contemplative. "Can you accompany me?"

"Scared, Granger?" Draco smirked. "I thought Gryffindors were very noble and brave people."

"Gryffindors aren't foolish and reckless either," said Hermione in a 'you're-wrong-I'm-right' voice, give him the most intimidating look.

He rolled his eyes. "All right, all right."

Draco followed Hermione to the Potions' Shop, where they found lots of remedies, elixirs, and tranquilizers. There were no customers, to their surprise. Its walls were painted in a very bright yellow color, making Draco squint, and the heavy fumes of the potions could be smelled even from outside the shop. Shelves and mantles were attached on the wall, with many types of potions and numerous books stacked on it.

"Hello," said the shopkeeper, an old man. He flashed a wary smile at them. "What can I do for you?"

"We are just browsing," said Hermione distractedly. She went off to the back of the shop while Draco stayed with the shopkeeper.

"Why are there no people shopping for potions?" asked Draco. "People from where I come from would die to have the remedies you have."

"Ah..." the shopkeeper smiled. "No one pays attention to potions or remedies these days. They are all confident that they will lead a healthy life ever since Sin was defeated. They've become careless and impudent. There are many shops such as mine in Spira, but... well, we're not really making any good Gils."

"They sound like Muggles... wait, they are Muggles," Draco murmured.

"Sorry?"

"Oh, er, nothing," he mumbled. "So... what type of potions do you have?"

"Well, we have--"

"Malfoy! Oh my God--you won't believe it!" Hermione shrieked from behind them. "There are so many good remedies and elixirs here! I cannot believe they also have the Regen Elixir! It's a really powerful potion that will cure you whenever you're sick. Isn't that amazing? Wow, I can't believe that most of these stuff are almost the same as our wor--I mean--home!"

"The Regen Elixir is only sold here--you can't find it anywhere. Nobody seem to be interested into buying it, though... Only the mayor comes here. He buys Petrification Potion for his poor old father and does he usual research," said the shopkeeper, obviously delighted that Hermione actually cared about his potions.

"And Ether! Wow... did you know that Ether can restore a person's magical powers if it gets weaker?" she exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Would you like to buy them?" asked the shopkeeper hopefully.

"Hell yes!" said Hermione, enthralled.

"Not too many, please, Granger," said Draco dryly.

"Spoilsport--don't worry! These vials are small!" she said, waving one at him.

"Oh, all right," he mumbled.

While the shopkeeper was calculating the amount of Gils for the items she was going to buy, Hermione asked, "Is there a library here?"

"Granger..."

"There is one, but it's a very useless place if you want to find out any information," the shopkeeper said. Then, his tone changed into business-like. "That'll be eighty-five Gils,"

"Is this good enough for you?" asked Hermione, placing two gold Galleons on the counter.

His eyes widened. "This is worth two million Gils, girl! Are you sure you want me to have these?"

"Please do," she said earnestly.

"And get some other job if you're not making any money." Draco added critically, slightly annoyed at Hermione's benevolence.

"I will, I will. Thank you very much," he said happily. "I hope you will enjoy your stay in Bavelle!"

Once they were out of the shop, Draco knelt down, feeling sick. "Malfoy, are you all right?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he whispered. His throat felt dry.

Hermione dug a hand into her satchel and handed her the Regen Elixir. "Drink this, and don't spit it out," she told him. Draco took the vial and drank it, ignoring the bitter taste. He felt decidedly better after that, and got up.

"Well, I suppose its useful after all," he said, pocketing the vial.

She sighed. "Oh, I give up."

"What?" Draco blinked at her, puzzled.

"Malfoy, have you ever said 'thank you' before?" she asked.

"No, why?" he said, shrugging.

"If you don't understand, then why should I tell you the reason I asked you?"

"Granger, stop twisting your words."

"Right." Hermione rolled her eyes. "So where to, now?"

"Let's go and play with the white bunnies. Pink if you're in a whimsical mood," Draco said sarcastically. "I don't know, Granger."

Suddenly, a young woman bumped into Draco ran past them as fast as a bullet. Draco managed to catch the woman's face. She didn't look very old--probably around two years older than them. She had blond hair (Is everyone blond in this world? Draco wondered) and a cheeky face. She was wearing a sleeveless yellow tank top that revealed her stomach and her hair was half-braided, half-loose. She was also wearing a very short yellow skirt. Shorter than Hermione's, even. "That was rude," he said, frowning.

"Perfect resemblance of you," said Hermione without much concern in her voice.

"Look, Granger, I am going to spend every single Galleon I have unless you're going to shut up--" Draco placed a hand on his own satchel--but it was gone. Hermione's eyes widened.

"That damn whore stole my money!" Draco howled.

"Calm down!" said Hermione, alarmed.

"What? Calm down? I'm a Malfoy and I refuse to let some pickpocket steal my money!" he began to gather his energy and dashed off.

"Oh, honestly!" she said irritably, watching Draco run after the female.

Half way down the street, he lost her. He sighed irritably, kicking a pebble off the curb. "Is that some kind of new sport?" asked an elderly woman, arching her eyebrows at him.

"Bugger off," he snapped, walking away.

He found Hermione relaxedly sitting down on a bench eating chocolate chip cookies. "These are quite good," she said, smiling as if nothing happened. "Freshly baked. Want some?"

"Yeah," he said grumpily, taking one from her. He bit into it. Yes, it was certainly delicious. "Where did you buy these?"

"At a bakery, silly," said Hermione, rolling her eyes. "Did you catch her?"

Draco scowled. "No, and don't gloat, Granger."

She stifled a laugh. "I wasn't going to gloat,"

"Aren't you at least concerned?" he demanded.

Hermione put down her bag of cookies and looked at him coolly. "Why should I?" she asked in an equally cold voice.

Draco gritted his teeth and bit into another cookie. "Never mind, Granger."

She smiled in satisfaction and he groaned. What a pain! He thought. Draco wondered how he was going to survive with Hermione by his side. He shook his head. The sooner we get to the Summoner, the better. I wish that pickpocket didn't steal my satchel... I know Granger won't let me use any of her Galleons. Actually, her Galleons are mine, he thought. He made a mental note to tell Hermione about it.

"Come on, I want to check out the garment store," she said, jumping up.

"Why?" he blurted out, staring at her with wide eyes. "I mean--you've already got clothes..."

"I've got all the Galleons I need," she said slyly. "Come on!"

"You're not being funny, Granger," he said, gritting his teeth.

"I know," said Hermione, with a canny smile.

They made their way to the garment store, with Hermione skipping along the way as if she had won herself a million Galleons. Draco shook his head. What had caused her to act like this? Perhaps it was because of his loss. My loss. Was everyone having pleasure of seeing him losing so many things in his life? Draco clenched his fists. He had lost so many things--his mother, father, the Manor, the riches he had...Self-pity wrapped his heart like a string, and he tried not to lose his temper on Hermione, although it was hard.

They were out of the store, and Hermione was looking quite excited. "Stop tormenting me," said Draco pleadingly. "Why are you acting like this, Granger?"

"Stop being pathetic," she snapped.

Draco stared at her--hard. What was her problem?

"I'm sick of you and your selfish self," she continued.

Excuse me?

"If you don't want to go back home, Malfoy, I suggest you leave."

"Granger, what the hell's wrong with you?" he yelled.

"Why should I tell you?" she said, giving him a withering stare.

"You're suddenly bitchy and rotten," he said harshly. "Stop acting like a brat, Mudblood."

"Well, you should stop acting like a total pervert! I know you were chasing that pickpocket because she was wearing revealing clothes--"

"Oh for God's sake just go in and buy your damn clothes, you're acting like Pansy Parkinson," Draco cut in, pushing her into the store. "I'll wait for you outside." With a huff, Hermione entered the store without another word to him. Draco wondered vaguely why she was so upset.

"I know you were chasing that pickpocket because she was wearing revealing clothes--"

Draco shook his head. That was probably the reason she was so mad at him. Apparently (or so he heard) Hermione had something against men who thought that the most important thing in a woman was to look sexy. Well, he had to admit that it was kind of important, but she didn't have to go over the edge because of it! Women, he thought. Strange things, they are.

He was thinking deeply about this, and did not notice screams coming from inside the shop. "Malfoy!" he heard Hermione shrieking. Whatever, he thought. I'm not gonna help you, Granger.

"Malfoy! Are you deaf?" she shouted.

"Shut up!!!" another female voice squealed.

Draco looked up and saw that Hermione was on the roof with another woman--the woman who stole his money! The young woman was smiling and was putting her palm on Hermione's mouth. Yech, the saliva of a Mudblood, he thought.

"'Elp ee!" Hermione said in a muffled voice.

The young woman's eyes were shining. "I must admit, you people are pretty rich! If you want her back, gimme your money!"

Draco rolled his eyes. "No," he said promptly. "I don't have any money. You stole it from me, remember?"

"Eh, well..." she paused. "You can't have her!"

With a smart jump, she was on the ground, with Hermione, who looked as if she was about to faint. "Bye, bye!" she said, winking at Draco. She began to run away from him, and after a moment of hesitation, he decided to run after her.

He could not use his wand--the people around him might get suspicious. He followed her into an alley, but decided to stay back. Maybe she would harm Hermione--but it wasn't like Draco cared. Well, he needed her to help him get back to bloody Hogwarts anyway. The woman was with another woman with long black hair and beautiful complexion. Her outfit was sexy and almost made Draco jump out of his hiding place.

There was also a man with them--he was rather strong-built and had a goofy face with spiky brown hair. He was also wearing a blue band on his forehead. He looked kind of like an older-version of Ron Weasley--it was almost irritating. "Rikku, who is this?" asked the sultry woman. Rikku loosened her grasp on Hermione.

"Who are you?" asked Hermione, looking afraid.

"I am Lulu," said the sultry woman calmly. "Rikku, would you mind telling us what's going on?"

Rikku looked at them sheepishly and scratched her blond hair. "Eh--well--I thought she might be useful 'cause she's rich, see? She's got gold, Lulu!"

The man put his hands on his hips. "We are not here to kidnap people or steal their money, Rikku!" he said sternly.

"But Wakka..." Rikku began in a whiny voice.

"Let her go, Rikku." Lulu commanded. Then, she suddenly looked up. "Ah, someone is hiding there," she stared directly at Draco's hiding place and met his steel gray eyes.

Rikku jumped forward when Draco showed himself. "You're the guy with her, right?" she asked.

"Er, right," he said.

Hermione ran to him. "Thank God you're here," she said, sighing in relief.

"You're so adorable! How old are you?" asked Rikku interestedly, looking at Draco.

"Seventeen," he answered.

"Oooh! Not so young... but young... Hey--that's good!"

"Rikku! No flirting!" Wakka said warningly. "You know why we're here."

"So, well, we'll be going then," said Hermione, looking pointedly at Draco.

"Right..." he muttered. "C'mon, Granger."

As they made their way out of the alley, Draco heard Rikku whining. "Wakka! You're no fun at all! I know I'm twenty-one this year but I need some relaxation, you know? I mean, I know we're here to find Yunie, but--but--"

"Rikku, we understand, but we need to worry about Yuna..."

Both Hermione and Draco stopped dead on their tracks. They turned to each other, their expressions the same. "Did he just say Yuna?" she exclaimed.

"Well, I'm pretty sure it's not Luna," said Draco sarcastically. "What are you waiting for, Granger?"

They hurried back to the alley where they fortunately found Rikku, Lulu and Wakka, still talking. "What do you want?" asked Rikku, looking hopefully at Draco.

"My money," he said bluntly.

"Agh," she grumbled, holding out his satchel. "Here you go."

"Good," he said, taking it from her.

"You're rude," said Rikku. "No 'thank you'?"

"Why should I thank a thief?" asked Draco nonchalantly.

"Don't mind him, he's like that," said Hermione dryly. Then, she turned to Lulu. "Why are you searching for Yuna?"

"We shan't tell you," said Wakka suspiciously.

Hermione sighed impatiently. "Look, Tidus wanted us to meet her, all right? Now please tell us where she is!"

They stared at her as if she had sprouted an extra nose. "Tidus?" Rikku shrieked. "Girl, are you insane?"

"I am not," said Hermione stoutly. "Malfoy can tell you that."

"She's not," said Draco hesitantly. "I saw him too--he wanted us to see Yuna."

"Why?" asked Lulu, eyeing him curiously.

"Because..." he paused. Telling them they were from another world would be bogus.

"You can't--he--Tidus--" Wakka spluttered.

Hermione began to explain how they met him, but she left out the part about them coming from another world, so that they would not be too suspicious. She told them how he looked like--and it was all Draco could do to resist himself from covering her mouth with his hand. Why does she have to tell them everything? He thought, annoyed at her for being so naïve.

"I think that's enough, Granger," said Draco, noting the strange expressions on their faces when Hermione had finished. He took her hand and was about to lead her out of the alley. He ignored her protests but stopped on his tracks when Rikku called out for them. "Oy!" she said. "Come back!"

They walked back to them, Hermione looking hopeful. "Do you believe us?" she asked carefully.

Wakka and Lulu looked at each other thoughtfully. He turned to them, and said, in a reluctant voice. "Yes, we do. The part about him coaching blitzball is believable enough," he paused. "Where is he now?"

"He's in Schmaera," Draco answered.

"What?!" Rikku exclaimed indignantly. "He could've taken a ship ride to Bavelle and find Yunie! Or us!"

"He said he had reasons for not coming with us," Hermione reasoned.

Rikku made a disbelieving sound and Wakka nudged her. "Can you tell us where is Yuna, then?" asked Hermione optimistically.

"To tell you the truth," Lulu began. "We don't really know where she is. That's why we're here. We need to find her!"

Draco and Hermione blinked. Draco groaned. "Please stop! I can't take it anymore. Just tell us where that damn woman is," he said, frustrated.

Wakka put his hands on his hips, looking exactly like Ron Weasley's mother. Draco rolled his eyes. "Look here," he began, glaring at Draco. "Don't you use that type of words for Yuna."

"Whatever," said Draco, waving his hands dismissively.

"Where did she go?" asked Hermione to Lulu and Rikku, with a pleading glance at Draco. He subsided.

"Well, she's been missing for three months now. The last time I met her was at Besaid Island. She was boarding a ship to Bavelle because she had to do some things," Lulu explained, a finger on her cheek.

"What things?" asked Hermione curiously.

"Well, let's see..." Rikku paused. "She read a letter from the Mayor of Bavelle and boarded for Bavelle the next day... so I suppose it has something to do with him."

"We were going to find her at Bavelle Temple--it's one of the places she would usually go," said Wakka. Draco remembered Tidus telling him about Summoners praying at temples. "But she wasn't there."

Hermione sighed. "You're wasting your time, really," she said in her usual know-it-all voice.

"And why's that?" asked Rikku, looking miffed.

"It's obvious that Yuna would meet the mayor once she's here. You can easily find out her whereabouts by asking the mayor!" she said triumphantly.

"Way to go, Granger. Your brain cells are immortal," said Draco dryly.

Wakka gave him a funny look and opened his mouth to say something nasty, but Lulu nudged him. "Quiet, Wakka," she scolded him. Then, she turned to Hermione. "You're right--we never thought of asking the mayor. He's a friend of us. Hmm..."

"My wife never seems to let me say what I want to say," said Wakka in an injured voice.

Draco stared at Wakka with revolt. "Wife?" he exclaimed.

"Yes, wife," said Wakka pointedly.

"Damn--how can you get married to such a lame ass?" said Draco, shocked. Hermione threw him a dirty look.

"We shouldn't be wasting any more time," said Lulu, throwing Wakka a warning glance as he opened his mouth again. "Let's go to the Mayor's Building."

"Wait--what are your names? Surely you have one?" asked Rikku, batting her eyelashes at Draco.

"I am Hermione Granger," said Hermione, forcing a smile.

"Draco Malfoy," he said, winking at Rikku.

"Well, we're actually friends of Tidus and Yuna. I'm Rikku, that's Lulu and that lame ass is Wakka," said Rikku, giggling and punching Wakka playfully on the shoulder.

"I resent that," Wakka said, throwing her a death glare.

* * * *

Rikku, Lulu and Wakka stopped walking, and so did Hermione and Draco. "Where is the Mayor's Bulding?" asked Hermione in a tired voice. They had been walking for the past thirty minutes, and already she was tired. Women, Draco thought, shaking her head. He glanced at Rikku and Lulu, who looked unruffled even though it was a scorching hot day.

"We're right in front of it," said Lulu, nodding. Draco looked up and was amazed to see one of the four towers looming above him. It was so tall and he wondered how they were going to meet the mayor. Wakka pushed open the redwood door that revealed a beautiful lobby. The tiles were of pure white marble, there were counters and even couches and coffee tables for the visitors.

"This looks quite elegant," said Hermione, marveling the lobby.

"Isn't it?" said Wakka in a proud voice. "Come on now, we can ride the elevator to the sixtieth floor. That's where the mayor's office is."

"You have elevators?" asked Hermione, surprised.

"Of course," Rikku chimed in. "Technology is pretty important nowadays."

"Not that important," Wakka interjected in a slightly resentful voice as they stepped into the elevator. It looked like any common Muggle elevator with numbers written on the buttons. Lulu pressed number sixty and about three minutes later, the door opened and they were outside a big, carved oak door. Hermione fingered the pattern on the carving. There was a carved picture of a woman, but she could not make it out clearly; and the word 'Spira' was carved on it in a beautiful flowing script.

"What do you want?" asked a voice. Hermione jumped back when she heard it. A green-dressed guard was looking at them suspiciously.

"We're here to see the mayor," said Lulu.

The guard looked up and down at her. "You must be Lulu. I've see you before with the Summoner."

"You know where she is?" asked Rikku excitedly.

He paused, looking frightened for a moment. He opened the door. "You must be her companions. The mayor is expecting you," and without another word, he went away, walking a little too fast. Rikku stared at him, frowning.

"What's up with him?" she wondered out loud.

They entered the office, and Draco felt decidedly uncomfortable. He did not know why. He was quite used to such an extravagant atmosphere, but he felt strangely uneasy being in the office. A brilliant red carpet stretched out before them. There were also several portraits and sculptures. The office looked more like an art gallery. "Icarus, are you here?" Wakka called.

Icarus appeared suddenly out of thin air, smiling at them all. Hermione and Draco were surprised--did he just Apparated? "Hello," he said pleasantly. "Wakka, Lulu and Rikku--how nice to see you again," he gave Hermione and Draco an amiable look. He didn't look like a bad person. He had a friendly face with wide blue eyes. His hair was brown and curly; it was obvious that he was a strong man because of his built.

"Icarus, we need to know where Yuna is. We know that she was with you," said Wakka directly.

"Ah... Lady Yuna..." Icarus paused. "She has been arrested."

Rikku stared at Icarus, shocked. "But why?"

"I am sorry to tell you this. My father sent her to Corel Prison three months ago when she came. He was absolutely furious about the new Sin..."

"Corel Prison?" Wakka shouted. "That's the worse place she could ever land herself to!"

"I tried to stop him," said Icarus, looking apologetically at them all. "I really tried, but the old man is too stubborn."

"It's all right, Icarus," said Lulu calmly. "Thank you for telling us."

"You're welcome," he said.

"I suppose we'll be going now," said Rikku, already dragging Wakka out of the room. It was plain to see that he was about to explode. "See you later!"

They went out of the office, but Draco stayed. He eyed Icarus carefully. "Yes?" said Icarus, looking at him with a puzzled expression on his face.

Draco shook his head and walked out. Pretty boy, he thought, smirking.

* * * * *

"I can't believe they sent her to Corel! It wasn't her fault that Sin revived itself!" Wakka shouted, enraged. Lulu was trying to calm him down, while Rikku was staring down at the ground, looking miserable. They were outside the Mayor's Building, and Draco could hardly believe that their meeting the mayor had lasted only fifteen minutes.

"What are we going to do?" Hermione wailed in a low voice. "We'll never get back."

Draco sighed. He had no idea.

"We can't abandon her," said Rikku firmly. "We just can't. She doesn't deserve to be in Corel--that horrible place--where they torment you with weapons..." she shuddered.

"What are you trying to say?" asked Draco.

"We have to save her!" she said, a determined look on her face.

"Good idea," said Wakka, nodding. Lulu looked approvingly at her.

Hermione and Draco looked at each other, hesitating. "Well... I suppose we'll be going then," said Draco.

"Malfoy!" said Hermione, glaring at him. "We have to help them!"

"Why?" he asked lazily. "They don't need our help."

"Come with us," said Lulu. "But it's your choice."

Hermione gave him a death glare. "Oh all right!" said Draco, irritated.

"I'm so glad you could join us!" said Rikku, smiling sweetly at him.

"Where is Corel Prison, anyway?" asked Hermione.

"It's at the North of the Thunder Plains," said Lulu. "Quite far away from here. Rikku, do you think Cid could lend us an airship?"

"Of course!" said Rikku excitedly. "We're finally starting another adventure."

Another adventure... Draco looked up to the bright sky. I don't want to get involved, but I have to. I have to go home. I wonder how father is handling the execution. He simply could not imagine the execution to be painless for his father. He looked around him, tuning out his companions' voices. There is something about this world that I cannot place a finger on... He was determined to find out what it was sooner or later.

~* End of Chapter Three *~