He picked up his fork and separated a tiny flake of quiche from the slice. As he lifted it to his mouth, his nose wrinkled, he suddenly felt ill. The cook had probably touched his food.
"It can't possibly be worse than some things you've eaten," said Harry.
Prat didn't even begin to cover it, thought Draco, though part of him knew that Harry was trying to be helpful, referring to that horrible fairy cake. His brother just didn't have the slightest notion that sometimes it was better to say nothing. No sense of politics.
Hmm. The quiche was tolerably good, as long as he didn't think too much about who had prepared it. So, he wouldn't. Draco forced his mind off the matter of his food. "You should have seen the look Darswaithe got when Harry and I walked in! Of course he doesn't remember the incident in your quarters, but he obviously remembers the investigation that followed. The Ministry obviously told him just what he'd done. He practically tripped over his own tongue apologising!"
"It wasn't anything to laugh at. I felt sorry for him."
"You would," said Draco sourly. Harry was awfully soft-hearted.
His brother shrugged and started eating again. So did Severus, who had ordered a rather plain-looking salad. Draco glanced down at his quiche again, and then bracing himself, ate the rest of it.
When he actually wanted a dessert afterwards, he felt a little bit annoyed with himself.
------------------------------------------------------
After lunch, they wandered around Exeter a bit. Harry thought it very amusing that Draco wasn't comfortable using the Muggle money Severus had given them before they'd left the cottage. Their allowance, he'd explained, though of course Draco hardly needed one any longer. Not now that he had Sirius Black's vast wealth.
Draco had thought of protesting, but then he decided that with all their trips to Marsha-- rescheduled for Mondays during the summer--some Muggle money might come in handy.
And Draco certainly wasn't planning to go out of his way to procure any.
When they saw an ice cream shop, Harry decided that he just had to have some. This time, Draco managed to eat a Muggle product without much hesitation, but he might as well not have bothered eating it at all. Muggle ice cream was nothing to write home about. The flavours seemed awfully plain after the fantastic creations they'd made in potions class.
Still, Draco ate his without complaining once. He was a bit irked when Harry never even noticed his perfect manners.
"Here we are," said Severus, gesturing.
Northbrook Swimming Pool, Draco read on the sign.
"They have lessons as well as free-swim times, apparently. I signed both of you up."
Draco's mouth fell open. "I don't need lessons! I had the finest private tutors and a pool all to myself. With waterfalls," he added. Somehow that seemed important, that they know he was used to the best. Or maybe just that he wasn't used to . . . places like this.
"You aren't in a class," said Severus impatiently. "You've merely got what they call a swim pass. Harry has that and lessons both." He passed them both small cards.
Harry stared at his, blinking like it was an entrance ticket to Merlin's library, or something. "Thanks. Really, Dad."
"I'd prefer you not drown in future," drawled Severus. "Or in the alternative, send your friends to steal things from my stores."
Harry smiled a little. "You know I didn't do that. Well, not that time."
Not that time?
Whatever Severus might have said to that was curtailed by the fact that Harry's mood suddenly began to plummet. "Oh, God. I just thought of something awful. Did you tell them I don't know anything? I mean, not one thing?" He chewed his lip. "I hope I'm not with the little kids or something. That'd be kind of embarrassing."
"I'm sure it will be fine," said Severus. "I had words with them about your situation, yes. And if they place you with toddlers, I'll rectify the situation. You start next Monday."
"You don't need to come along," said Draco. "Isn't it obvious that Harry and I are perfectly fine on our own? I'll go with him to lessons and I'll sort them out if they forget he's sixteen."
Harry gave him a suspicious look. "You just want to make fun if I have trouble learning it."
"Well, yes." Draco smiled broadly. "But I promise I'll take measures to save you if you get in real trouble."
"I don't need saving--" said Harry at the same time Severus explained, "They do have lifeguards on duty, Draco."
How Mugglish, thought Draco. Lifeguards instead of flotation charms.
"Can we go in and have a look around?" asked Harry.
That was too much for Draco to take without comment. "No, we can't. It's bad enough that your burning need for swimming lessons is going to drag me into Exeter--" he glanced at the posted lesson schedule. "Three days a week! I've no desire whatsoever to go in now."
"Yes, let's go in," said Severus, narrowing his eyes. "I had a tour earlier of the changing rooms and such. I can show you both around."
"Changing rooms!" Draco could hardly believe his ears. Severus wasn't serious, he hoped. It was one thing to expect him to spend so much time in Muggle company, or get in water they'd probably fouled! Now he was supposed to disrobe in front of them?
"There are private stalls," said Severus dryly. "Come along, both of you."
Harry, of course, was grinning.
But Draco's shock had only just begun. When they reached the main pool, his eyes practically bugged out.
"Oh, for God's sake," said Harry impatiently. "You look like you're about to pass out. What's the problem, now?"
Draco wasn't so sure he'd term it a problem, exactly. He thought he'd known what to expect. Muggles everywhere, right? And there were, of course. But he'd never thought about it. He tried hard not to think about Muggles, no matter how often Harry liked to bring the subject up. But this . . . he was going to have a hard time getting this sight out of his mind.
"Er, no problem," he managed to croak. Clearing his throat helped him get his voice back to normal. His eyes scanned the pool again. The concrete areas surrounding it. The deck chairs scattered about. "There's just . . . er, an awful lot of girls here," he said in a faint voice. His brain told his mouth to shut up, but the message must have got lost en route. "And Merlin, they aren't wearing very much, are they?"
Harry looked around too. "Well, I'm not complaining or anything, but those are just average bathing suits, I think, most of them."
"Not where I come from, they aren't. I've never seen--" Draco felt himself getting hot. Suddenly a swim sounded just the thing. Not that he'd brought any trunks with him. And Severus wouldn't put up with him conjuring a pair. He'd given them a stern lecture about restraint, not to mention the Decree, just before they'd left the cottage. Draco tugged on his collar, wishing he'd at least worn a tee-shirt like Harry had. "You can see their navels," he whispered, unable to believe his eyes. "And they have practically nothing on up top, some of them! I mean, those suits are so thin you can see the outline of . . . er, everything!"
A girl wearing a tight, tiny two-piece suit walked close by and gave him a bit of an odd look, then.
"Shut up before we get thrown out," said Harry, laughing.
"Breathe, you idiot child," Severus said in a low voice.
That, of course, only made Harry laugh all the harder, even as he said, "Look, in a week or two, you'll take it in stride."
Draco shifted on his feet, not so sure of that. In fact, he suddenly decided it was good he wasn't dressed to swim, after all. Might be a bit humiliating, considering the . . . reaction he was having to seeing so many half-dressed--ha, tenth-dressed girls at once. And Harry would never let him live it down, considering these were Muggle girls, after all. So much for his theory about the Mugglish aura leaving him cold!