Draco suddenly felt disgusted with himself. What was he doing? What was his body doing? These were Muggles!
"If it's any consolation, I was somewhat shocked by the attireóor lack thereof--when I came here this morning," said Severus dryly as he turned toward a building and gestured for them to enter. "Harry, stop chuckling. You need to appreciate that this is not the kind of environment Draco and I would ever have encountered before."
Harry laughed again, the total prat. "It's just a pool."
Draco rounded on him as soon as they were out of sight of all those girls. "And what would you know about a pool, eh? I thought your sodding relatives were too cheap to ever take you to swimming lessons!"
Harry stiffened. "Oh, they were, sure. But I got to go sit at Dudley's sessions and watch him learn! And when the staff started wondering why I never had lessons of my own, I got to listen to my aunt tell the swimming teachers that I was allergic to the chlorine they put in the water!"
"Oh," said Draco, feeling dreadful. He wasn't even sure why he'd said such a terrible thing. He knew better than to make jibes about Harry's childhood. Then again, Harry had started it, making fun because Draco couldn't believe that Muggle girls actually walked around with practically nothing on. In public! It couldn't possibly be considered normal. After all, Draco couldn't imagine someone like Granger parading herself --- oh no, he could imagine it after all. Merlin, what he'd give for the discreet use of his wand right now!
Fortunately, something else snapped him out of his musings. Chlorine? Draco had heard of it, but only as part of some fairly rare potions. "You're not serious about the water, are you? Chlorine, honestly? That stuff's caustic, it is--"
"It's very dilute," said Severus. "I verified that earlier when I smelled its presence here."
Draco didn't care. He was still horrified. Well, at least now he had an excuse to stay out of the water. He'd never wanted to go swimming with Muggles, and now he wouldn't have to. "You aren't getting me into water that's been mixed with chlorine. I'd sooner dive into a cauldron!"
Severus took him by the arm and squeezed. It wasn't exactly a fatherly touch. "Discretion, Draco."
Ha. Harry hadn't been manhandled like this when he'd broken the rule about not mentioning anything magical. Then again, perhaps Severus expected more of Draco, who, after all, had been raised to consider the impact of his words before he spoke. "Let go. I'll remember."
"See that you do."
"I'm still not getting in the water, though. I'll sit on a lounger, thank you very much."
"Since you already know how to swim, I suppose that's up to you."
"He just wants to ogle the girls walking past."
"Shut up," snarled Draco. "Is it my fault they're making a spectacle of themselves? Well, is it?"
"Look, I'll get you a swimsuit magazine and you'll see there's nothing even all that unusual about what they're wearing--"
"I get enough magazines at Marsha's--"
Severus sighed. "You two are really being quite tedious. I hadn't thought to spend my summer listening to you squabble."
"Well, is it any wonder I'm a bit put out?" Draco planted his feet. "This whole summer so far has been about nothing but Harry. His obsession with that mirror. His friend with the dread illness. His swimming lessons. His lexicon. His lessons with the hoop, for that matter. What about me? Do I even exist?"
"Of course you exist," said Harry.
"Wouldn't know it," said Draco, sniffing. "When do I get to do something I'd like to do, eh?"
"You'd like to write lines, apparently."
Draco crossed his arms. "Oh, wonderful, Severus. Make the whole summer be about him, and when I dare to mention it, threaten to punish me. Now I really feel like a part of this family, don't I?"
Draco was a little irritated to see Harry tap Severus on the arm. "Look, we're all still adjusting. To loads of things, right?"
Yeah, you just be the good son, thought Draco. The reasonable one, so I'll look even worse.
Severus spoke in a heavy voice. "So what did you want to do, Draco?"
"This!" Draco walked to the bulletin board on the opposite wall, and snatched a notice off it. One that had caught his eye as they'd walked in. "An Evening with Mozart, see? Selections from The Magic Flute. Of course it's just a local production and not likely to be very good, but we can give it a try, can't we? It's tonight. And while we're in town I can pick up some papers and see what's playing in London."
Severus took the flyer and studied it. "Very well, Draco."
Harry tried to look enthusiastic, and failed. Well, he didn't have much culture to speak of. He probably didn't even know that Mozart's music was so magical because the man himself had been a wizard. Not that knowing that would make much difference. Harry just didn't have an ear for fine music.
But Draco did, and he'd been starving for it lately. He was smiling as they left the pool, and this time, it wasn't only because the girls there were wearing so little.
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Coming Soon in A Summer Like None Other: "Balcony View"
Comments very welcome,
Aspen in the Sunlight and Mercredi
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Author's Notes:
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Chapter 4: Balcony View
http://archive.skyehawke.com/story.php?no=13093&chapter=4
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A Summer Like None Other
by Aspen in the Sunlight
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Chapter Four: Balcony View
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They'd gone shopping when they left the pool. Draco had insisted. He'd said that if they were going to an opera, they were all going to be properly attired, even if it was just a local Exeter production and as awful as one could expect from such things. Opera was still opera, which meant that one wore a suit at the very least, he kept saying.
Not that he managed to get Severus to buy a new suit. He did badger Harry into it, though. Harry found it hard to say no, particularly once Draco offered to pay. Sharing money . . . that meant something to Draco. It meant they were family. So Harry followed Draco into the store the other boy had picked out and even managed not to comment when he imperiously sent Severus off to Gringotts to change more money so that he'd have enough.