"Um..."
Draco looked quite upset, then. "I'm sorry." Without saying anything more, he closed the wardrobe doors and sat down on his bed.
He really must be, Harry thought. Draco didn't apologise very often, and right now he looked... well, pretty disturbed, actually. "Look, it took me ages to figure out the names thing--"
"Yeah, and you told me it was none of my business what you called Severus, so stay out of this," said Draco. "I really am sorry, sir. I'd say Dad now, but you'd probably just think that I want something again. Or still. Or..." Draco's voice seemed to break over the last syllable.
"Draco," said Snape in a deep voice as he sat down next to the boy, "I wouldn't have mentioned it if I didn't think it would help you to know. To understand yourself better."
An awful gulping noise. "I'll talk it over with Marsha tomorrow."
"Do that. Yes."
"It's just..." Draco suddenly sighed. "You know. Lucius wasn't the kind of father you are. Not that I called him Dad, anyway. It's just that I'm used to... I don't even know how to explain."
"You don't have to explain." Snape smiled, a little bit wryly. "Though if you would like to, once you think yourself able, I shall be more than happy to listen."
"Thank you," whispered Draco.
By then, Harry was feeling like he should have left the room five minutes earlier. He started to move toward the door, only to see Draco shake his head. "It's all right, Harry. I think you've seen me in worse straits than this."
Venetimorica, right, thought Harry, though he kept his expression carefully blank.
Draco's expression was still troubled as he went on, "So, Severus. With that lot all wrapped up, I don't suppose you'd... er, take us out to Diagon, now? Or let me go alone? I'll be back in three shakes of a dragon's tail, and--"
"I do believe that the purchase of anything from a wizarding shop would be ill-advised until you know for certain that the young lady is aware of our world."
"I am certain--" Draco broke off. When he spoke again, he sounded resigned but resentful. "But you're not, and residual magic and all that. Fine. Though I will note for the record that you're taking Harry's side."
"The side of caution, I would term it."
Draco scowled.
Snape looked more amused than annoyed by that. "Perhaps we an reach some sort of accommodation. I'm a bit surprised you haven't thought of one, already. Though I do realise that your mind at present is filled with... other matters." By the last few words, his voice was filled with mirth.
Oh. Harry felt like a light bulb had just turned on inside his head. Snape was finding Draco's crush amusing. That made Harry wonder if the whole thing was reminding the man of a romance in his own past. Or maybe Snape had never been in love at all, and that was the source of his sympathy.
"Accommodation," said Draco, a little suspiciously. "What do you have in mind?"
"As you mentioned, we're due in Surrey tomorrow. I've no objections to visiting a few Muggle establishments there."
Harry had objections. Plenty of them. This was going to turn out badly, he just knew it. Even if Rhiannon was a witch, Draco had clearly fallen for her on the rebound. He was either going to get his heart broken, or he was going to make an arse of himself when he found out she was a Muggle. Either way, Harry didn't want to stand by and watch it happen.
"We're supposed to visit Dudley," he reminded his family.
Draco sniffed. "And we have so much else to do on a Tuesday. Yes, it's entirely impossible to go shopping and visit your cousin before we drop by Marsha's office."
Put like that, it did sound ridiculous. And Draco had just said your cousin, not your Muggle cousin, at least. "Yeah, I know where the shops are," Harry admitted, trying not to sound grudging about it. "We'll go early and have a look around before we have dinner with Dudley. All right."
Draco nodded, clearly cheered. He didn't even say anything rude about the prospect of eating dinner with a Muggle. That was something, Harry thought. Now, if he could just get Draco to accept the facts about Rhiannon Miller.
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Draco, unfortunately, was being far more emotional than factual. Harry had proof of that the very next afternoon.
"A diamond necklace?" hissed Harry as he stood beside Draco in a jeweller's. "You're joking!"
"It's a pendant," said Draco in a snooty voice. "And no, I certainly am not. Rhiannon's worth every carat."
"Look, when you said you wanted to buy her a gift, I thought you meant a music box or something!"
"Please. As if they even sell those at Fiery Gems."
How would Harry know what they sold? He didn't visit jewellery shops! He turned in appeal to their father, standing close alongside. "You put your foot down about the buttons he likes, remember? Tell Draco he can't buy something like that for a girl he barely even knows!"
Snape shrugged. "The buttons were different. A public lack of discretion. A private gift like this is another matter entirely, and up to your brother. It's his money, after all."
No, it's mine, Harry almost said. He knew that would be a bad idea, though. "Fine. But this is a mistake. It really is. You're not supposed to give diamond pendants to people you've just met!"
"She'll love it," snapped Draco. As if to show Harry, he nodded to the clerk who was hovering. "And she'll need something to hang it from. Let me see a selection of your finest chains."
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"Oh, relax, why don't you?" Draco seemed in good spirits by then, his gait brisk as they made their way to Privet Drive. "What's it to you if I buy my girl a trinket?"
"She's not your girl and that's not a trinket!"
"Are you sure you don't want her for yourself, Harry?"
Harry snorted. "Not my type."
"Then who is?"
"I don't know, all right?"
"And there I had thought we were past quite so much squabbling," remarked Snape in a dry voice.
Harry held in his retort and said nothing more until they were coming up the walk of the newly rebuilt house at Number Four. "Perfect manners," he said then, with a meaningful look at Draco.
His brother nodded, the gesture almost regal.
"Harry!" cried Dudley the minute the door opened. He grabbed Harry in a hug, then let him go just as quickly. Then he was smiling at the others. "Draco. Professor Snape. Good to see you again."
Harry almost gaped, he was so astonished at Dudley's appearance. He'd lost a lot more weight since he'd visited them before Christmas. A tonne. Well, perhaps not literally, but still... "Dudley! You look brilliant!"
"The diet's done wonders, yes," added Draco, with a look towards Harry as if to gloat, See? Perfect manners.
"I started to stall, so I switched to a low-carbohydrate approach," said Dudley. "You know, no sugar, no bread, no noodles, that sort of thing. It got me right back on track." He waved for them to come into the house.
"You'll want to watch that you don't become deficient in niacin," said Snape as he swept inside.
"Yeah, Marsha's got me on some supplements. Don't worry."
Snape's raised eyebrow announced that he was hardly worried about the matter.
"So, the tour first, or dinner?" asked Dudley. "You want to see your old room, Harry?"
"Oh, we stopped by here one night," Harry said. "I noticed there was no more cupboard under the--"
Dudley flushed. "God, Harry. I didn't mean that place. But yeah, I thought you might feel better about visiting me here if that was just gone, so..."