"Why is it so hard for you to believe that she's a witch?" Draco wrinkled his forehead, wondering what was really going on. "If you ask me, you're the one who's fixated, Harry. You have some deep, dark psychological need for me to be involved with a Muggle." He huffed a bit. "You think it'd be good for me, I bet. But telling me that Rhiannon's a Muggle isn't going to change the facts of the matter."
"No, it isn't," said Harry in a heavy voice. "Well, you'll know soon enough. She'll tell you herself that she's not a witch, once she understands that you really do think she's one."
Draco frowned. "Hmm. You know, this might get a bit tricky. If she's passing as a Muggle, she might not be willing to admit that she's actually a witch. So she might claim she isn't one, even though she is."
Harry threw his hands upward. "Oh, for God's sake. Now you're convincing yourself that she's a witch no matter what she says! Don't you see that that's what you're doing?"
"And what are you doing?" Draco coolly asked. "Apart from trying to come between me and Rhiannon, that is? As if I'd ever be attracted to a Muggle!"
"Ha. You didn't have any problem finding Muggle girls attractive at the pool, did you now?"
Draco felt his lips curling. "Yes, well . . . they were flaunting themselves. And what's more, that was just physical. And a bit on the disgusting side, when you think about it. Muggle girls must be awfully hard up, to have to parade about with barely anything on, trying to entice every male in the vicinity. But what I feel for Rhiannon . . . don't you get it, yet? It's love, Harry. True love."
Harry rolled his eyes. Well, fine for him. He'd figure out, sooner or later, that Draco was serious. And that Rhiannon Miller wasn't a Muggle, for Merlin's sake!
Draco rubbed his hands together. "So, Exeter then. I do hope she's rehearsing this morning, but if I have to hang about the theatre and wait until she shows up, that's just what I'll do--"
Severus spoke then, his voice almost too quiet to be heard. "You appear to be forgetting that you aren't yet licensed to Apparate by yourself. Not to mention that Exeter may not be as safe as you assume."
Draco scoffed at both parts of that. "I've been competent to Apparate for years, and you know it--"
"Yeah, but Dad would rather we don't break the law," Harry put in, the little goody-goody. "Remember?"
Draco rounded on him. "Why don't you just throw those fairy cakes in my face, then? Again!"
"I wasn't, but--"
"Sure you weren't. You're just upset that I saw Rhiannon first!" Draco nodded, everything suddenly making perfect sense. "Aha! So that's why you want her to be a Muggle, isn't it? Because you think I wouldn't love her, then--"
"You don't love her--"
"Yeah, well, you sure won't. She's mine."
"You can't call dibs on a person, Draco," said Harry in a heavy tone. "And as for me being upset you saw her first? Please. I don't want a girlfriend, and if I did, it sure wouldn't be one that looked just like your mother!"
Draco stepped back, feeling almost like he'd been hit. His voice came out as a low growl. "You're an absolute troll, Potter, trying to put me off her like that. Well, it won't work, any more than your other ridiculous ploys will. Rhiannon Miller is nothing like my mother!"
"She's tall and blonde and looked pretty snooty to me!"
"She happens to be honey-haired," said Draco, flipping his own white-blond hair back as he spoke. "And Rhiannon's not that tall, I bet. That fancy headdress she was wearing just made it seem that way." He suddenly grinned, feeling wicked. "Besides, my mother's thin as a rail, isn't she? And Rhiannon . . . " A low, whistling sound escaped his lips. "She's nicely curved, in all the right places. Very nicely curved. Mmm, I can't wait--"
"You'll have to," interrupted Severus. "You aren't going to Exeter alone."
"You let Harry and me--"
"I allowed the two of you to visit a Ministry adjunct department by yourselves on condition that you meet me at a specified time and place afterwards. That's a bit different from having you wander the city all by yourself."
"You left us alone when we needed suits--"
"I left you briefly, and only after I had ascertained to my satisfaction that nothing in that shop could pose any danger to either of you."
Draco wasn't about to give up, not on this. "Yes, but you must have thought that Exeter was free of Death Eaters, right? Otherwise you'd never have left us at all."
"You aren't going to Exeter alone, and that's an end to the matter," said Severus flatly, his tone brooking no more disagreement.
Draco's heart felt like it was swelling and aching. He had to get to Exeter today, so he could start convincing Rhiannon that he was the one for her. "But Dad--"
Severus' lips twisted for a moment, which Draco found pretty upsetting, actually. The man never got that look on his face when Harry called him "Dad," but Draco was getting pretty used to seeing it whenever he used the word. No wonder he didn't use it very often. It wasn't fair. Severus was his father, too, but it seemed to Draco that he didn't want to be, much of the time.
Oh, but the man was always very happy to be Harry Bloody Potter's father. And that despite the fact that the other boy wasn't even a real Slytherin. Sometimes, it was all Draco could do not to scream.
Screaming wouldn't help him now, of course.
By then, Severus' expression had returned to normal. His voice was casual as he proposed a solution. "Perhaps we can combine objectives, Draco. It's time we stopped relying on the magic boxes for foodstuffs, so I suggest we visit a grocer's in Exeter. After our shopping is done, I'll be happy to accompany you as you see what we can find out about this Rhiannon Miller."
The last part of that was welcome, of course, but as for the rest? Draco rolled his eyes. "Are you confusing us with elves, Severus? First we have to learn to cook, and now you'd have us actually buy the food to cook with? It's so . . ." He shuddered. "Mugglish."
"It won't kill you," said Harry, a bit smarmily. "After all, if you're so determined to get involved with a Muggle girl, you'd better learn more about how they live. I can answer any questions you have--"
Draco was sure that Harry could. As if being raised as a Muggle had been such a treat. Draco knew it hadn't been. Not for Harry, at least. Hermione Granger didn't seem to mind her upbringing. But then, perhaps she was just too ignorant to realise what a huge liability her Muggle ways were.
Not that Draco needed to know anything more about Muggle customs. He set his teeth in a straight line and spoke through them. "Rhiannon Miller is a witch. A pure-blooded witch, and I don't want to hear you say otherwise, ever again!"
"She's as Muggle as they come--"
"That's it!" said Draco, raising his voice. "Do I insult the people you care about, eh?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact!"
That took Draco aback, but he rallied soon enough. "Oh. Well, they deserve it, don't they, coming down to Severus' private quarters and making all sorts of nasty, evil suggestions, not to mention making bloody brainless assumptions and dashing off letters to Family Services--"
"Look, if I never forgave people for the stupid things they did, I'd still hate you, too!"
Harry would have to have a point. "Oh, fine," muttered Draco. "But Rhiannon's still not a Muggle."
"Is so."
"Is not"
"Is--"
"Gentlemen," interrupted Severus. "Neither of you has anything more than guesses to work with. I strongly suggest we delay this discussion until one of you has actual information."
He sounded like he thought they were both idiots, Draco thought. All because they didn't have any facts. Except, they did. "Her magical voice! You must see that that proves--"