As first kisses went, it had been bloody fabulous.
Still the same droll tone from Severus. "What can you tell me?"
Draco lowered his voice a fraction more. "Well, she took me out for fish and chips. And she paid. I thought that was very strange. Especially as she knows I'm very well-off."
Severus gave a small shake of his head. "Oh, Draco. You told her about your money?"
"No. Well, yes, but only after she mentioned it," exclaimed Draco, though quietly. "She said she could tell. And she hates it. She's got money issues." He thought better than to mention the questions she had asked about Severus' motive for the adoptions. "Big ones."
"Well, no relationship is without its problems," said Snape lightly. Like he was trying not to express either approval or disapproval.
"We ate in a park. Sitting on the grass," said Draco. "And if Harry ever asks to get Diet Coke when we go shopping, be sure to check the ingredient list. It tastes like it's based on coal tar, honestly."
"Half the products in the market seem to be chemical stews."
"Well, at least the produce area is probably safe. Though I do wish they had more varieties of things. I like those frutilla strawberries you can get from Chile if you know where to shop, and--"
He stopped talking because Rhiannon's uncle had come up to her and was gesturing vaguely toward Severus as he spoke. Draco strained, but couldn't hear anything, not over the splashing and voices between them. Rhiannon gave a sharp nod, then hopped off her tall lifeguard chair, her gaze seeing out Draco's.
Obviously, her uncle had told her to come say something to him.
And just as obviously, she didn't want to do it.
But she did want to keep her job, even if she hated it, Draco knew, so after a moment's hesitation, she was walking forward, her stretchy swimsuit pulling tightly across her hips as she moved. Draco had to remind himself that staring was really very ill-mannered.
And licking his lips was definitely out.
She came around the corner of the pool, heading straight for him. Except, it seemed it wasn't Draco she needed to talk with. Crouching down on the other side of Severus, she fixed her gaze on him.
"Mr Snape, sir?"
If Draco hadn't been worried by then, wondering what the matter was, he would have thought it amusing that even without being in class with Severus, she knew to call him sir.
As Harry noticed her approach and stood up in the middle of the shallow end, water streaming off him, Severus turned his head to the side to look at Rhiannon. "Yes, Miss Miller?"
She cleared her throat and looked like she could think of a hundred things she'd rather do than what she was doing. Draco wasn't sure if that was because Severus scared her or because her uncle had told her to say something truly awful.
"I'm very sorry, sir, but there's a . . . er, there's a rule against wearing long hair loose in the pool."
Draco almost choked.
"Ah." Severus raised his shoulders slightly. "Well, one must follow the rules, I suppose."
Draco appreciated that comment, more than he could say. Severus was trying to help her feel more comfortable, even though she'd just rebuked him. He didn't want Draco's girl to be anxious around him, any more than Draco wanted her to feel that way.
"Yes," said Rhiannon, still obviously ill-at-ease. Well, no wonder. She thought of herself as a Muggle, and Harry had already explained that where he'd grown up, long hair on men was a little bit unusual. He'd never once seen a Muggle man with hair as long as Dumbledore's, he'd said. So no wonder she hated doing this. It was rude, informing any man that his hair was too long. Let alone a man twice her age. She obviously knew that.
Not to mention, she'd felt intimidated by Severus even before this. Her voice was wavering as she went on. "If you could just tie it back, then?"
Severus' own voice was smooth and calm, almost as though he was casting some sort of spell. Draco doubted there was any actual magic involved, but he knew that Severus could do a lot with voice alone. He had the knack. "Have you something I might use for that?"
"Oh."
By then, Severus' voice was clearly amused. "Yes, I usually prefer to let it hang loose--"
Rhiannon winced, actually winced. Draco wasn't sure why until she went on, her voice very low that time, "I've also been asked to tell you that . . . Oh, God." She leaned sideways to look Draco full in the face. Sorry, she mouthed, and then she returned her attention to Severus and spoke quickly. "I've been asked to request that you shower before getting into the pool. It's actually one of the posted rules, but he hardly ever singles anybody out to actually do it. Please do forgive me--"
And with that, she was rising to her full height. "I'll see if I can find something for you to use for after your . . . er, shower."
She walked around the pool to say something to Roger, then quickly headed toward the pool office.
"I think we can safely assume that shower is a euphemism for something else," Severus remarked, very dryly.
Shampoo, Draco thought. That's what she had meant. Merlin, how completely humiliating, that his girlfriend should have to come over and critique his father's bathing habits.
He couldn't even imagine how Severus felt.
Except, he should have known that Severus didn't often care what people thought of him. Case in point: right then, he seemed to be thinking only of his son.
"If I've set you back with the young lady, Draco--"
Draco waved a hand. "It's all right."
Severus frowned as though he didn't think so, but didn't reply.
Meanwhile, Draco had sat up straight to watch Rhiannon, who had reached the pool office by then. Through the window, he could see her fishing in a drawer. And then she appeared to be having another argument with her uncle. A more heated one, this time, but perhaps that was because they weren't out in the middle of the pool complex.
Rhiannon threw her hands upward, and whirled on a heel, her features tight with anger as she made her way back to where Draco was. By then, Harry had joined his father on the wall, but instead of relaxing against it, he was grasping it with both hands as he floated on his belly and practiced kicking.
Severus was getting splashed all over, but he didn't seem to mind.
Harry stopped kicking when Rhiannon crouched down again to speak to Severus. "I couldn't find anything. But here, you can use mine." With that, she was quickly tugging off the elastic band at the end of her loose braid. Her hair spilled free, the sight glorious. "Uncle Stanley will just have to live with it if I have to jump into the pool to help someone."
Severus pushed off the wall and stood up in the shallow water, his fingers brushing hers as he took the bright red band. "I'll just go see to matters, then."
Rhiannon started chewing on her lower lip, her voice barely audible. "Er . . . I am so, so sorry. He never makes me pester customers like this, but now he's saying that you'll have to keep that out of the water." She made a gesture toward the bandage on Severus' arm. "In case it's infected."
Severus raised an eyebrow. "Were it a wound, I feel certain that the heavy concentration of chlorine in the water would see to such concerns."
"You're definitely a science teacher." Rhiannon fiddled with the ends of her hair. "But it's not an open wound, you mean?"
Draco wanted to cringe. Severus had already answered that, and he had a habit of verbally ripping students apart when they asked him to repeat himself. Rhiannon wasn't a student, though. The moment Severus replied, Draco knew he should have had more faith in him.
"Tattoo, I'm afraid. One I'd rather my sons not see," he blithely lied. "A youthful indiscretion. I'm sure you understand."
"Oh . . ." All at once, Rhiannon sounded intrigued. Then she appeared to realise that was inappropriate, and shook it off. "All right, then."