Severus stood up and began making his way back to the pool steps, again moving with that precision that even water didn't seem to disrupt. Rhiannon looked as though she'd like to stay and chat with Draco, but when she glanced back at the pool office, her uncle was standing at the window with his arms crossed. He was too far away for Draco to really see if his eyes were beady, but Draco decided they were.
"Free swim's more trouble than it's worth," muttered Harry as Rhiannon moved off.
"It's not her fault."
Harry started following Severus. Sighing, Draco got up to follow. It was going to look a bit weird, all three of them returning to the changing room at once, but there was no help for it. Severus was the one with the wand.
"You're not leaving?" asked Rhiannon, turning around and coming back, her forehead wrinkled. "Don't, please. I tried to be as tactful as I could."
"Er . . ." Draco tried Occluding his mind, so he could come up with a decent lie about why they were all going back to the men's changing room, but it didn't seem to be working. Whether that was because he didn't want to lie to her, or because it was harder to Occlude without his wand on him, he didn't know.
Thankfully, Harry helped him out. "We're not leaving. None of us showered, that's all."
Rhiannon's forehead smoothed out. "Oh. Well, like I said, it doesn't really matter. My uncle's in high dudgeon today, not sure why--"
Draco shook his head, and managed to follow Harry's lead. He thought he did tolerably well at it. "Severus can be a stickler for rules."
"Figures. Chemistry teacher and all."
"Yeah, when students don't follow his instructions in class, things can explode," said Harry with a straight face. "Any road, we'll be back in a bit. Maybe Draco'll be willing to show you one of his fancy dives. He's ace."
Draco waited until they were in the changing room to punch Harry on the arm. And not lightly, either. "Keep out of it. I don't need any help making Rhiannon like me. I'm doing just fine."
"Though it would make up for the trunks." Harry wrinkled his nose. "Crimson's not your colour."
"Really," drawled Draco. He waited until Harry had whispered something at the locker, then grabbed his swim bag and kept it as his feet as he sat down to wait for Severus. Harry did the same. Not that they were expecting trouble, but it was just better to be prepared. Or maybe it was something else. Draco needed to know that he had access to magic if needed. Otherwise, he felt almost . . . naked.
Harry didn't talk until a couple of other teenagers cleared out of the changing room, and then, he spoke in a low voice. "Wonder what Dad's using? He didn't bring along any shampoo."
Draco shrugged. He was pretty sure Severus would just conjure some from his stores either at Hogwarts or Devon. Though he'd have to have some stores in the first place, to make that work. "Maybe he's just using soap," he whispered. "Gives a dreadful result, but it does the trick."
"Maybe he's using the same kind of thing he once did to you," said Harry. "He's alone in there; nobody would see."
Comalavare, Draco thought, easily following the reference.
"I can hear every word you say," called Severus from a nearby stall. Now that Rhiannon wasn't around, he sounded more than a little annoyed.
Draco wisely shut up, and noticed that Harry did the same.
------------------------------------------------------
They didn't leave the pool until free swim closed at five. Draco had spent the rest of the afternoon alternately swimming, laying out, and executing dives filled with compact twists and turns. He knew his form was good. He could tell that Rhiannon was impressed, though at one point her lips twisted, and Draco wondered if she was realising that he must have had private lessons.
Expensive private lessons.
Draco stopped diving then, and grabbed a sinking stick from a bin near the diving board. He'd noticed them being used earlier. Long plastic rods in jewel-bright colours, they sank very slowly into the water. The trick was to follow one down and try to get it before it hit bottom.
He took it over to where Harry and Severus were treading water and talking. "Game?"
Harry looked a little unsure about the idea, but then he glanced at Roger and smiled a little. "All right. I'm supposed to practice going under the water, though I can't say I much like the idea."
"Severus?"
"I'll throw."
Draco thought that was just a way for him to not have to plunge underwater, but he nodded. He was lucky enough that Severus hadn't insisted on leaving the pool entirely after what had happened earlier. The man's hair had dried by then, and it looked positively hideous. Frizzy, and curling in odd ways.
Maybe Severus let it get so oily to begin with because at least that way, it hung more sleekly. But really, all it needed was a spot of deep-conditioning. That would set it to rights.
Harry and Draco dove after the stick, time and again when Severus tossed it. Draco probably could have got to it first every time, but he thought that might not do much for Harry's confidence, so he didn't try his hardest.
After a while, when they came up for air, Draco shook his head, thinking he'd had enough. Harry swam over to him and poked him in the shoulder. Hmm, probably payback for that punch from before.
Or perhaps not. "Don't you dare do that when school starts."
"Do what?" asked Draco, trying for an innocent tone.
"Throw matches. Not try your very best."
"I told you I'm going to wipe the pitch with you--" Draco sucked in a breath as he understood what Harry hadn't said. "Aha. You've made up your mind. You're going to play again."
"Yeah. Feel a bit bad for Ginny, but this is my last year, and she has one more. Besides, she'll still be on the team, I think--"
"She'll get over it," said Draco, dismissing the entire matter from mind.
It looked like Harry had more trouble letting it go, which made Draco wonder how much of Harry's dithering had been Ginny Weasley-based to begin with. Harry never liked to disappoint anybody. Probably related to his saving-people thing.
When it was time to go, Draco made a point of going up to Rhiannon to say good-bye to her. "I'll meet you tomorrow, then? Outside the theatre?" he asked. He wanted to attend another rehearsal, but didn't want to be pushy about it. "What time?"
"We're usually done by two on Saturdays. Though if Adrian's in one of his moods there's no telling." Rhiannon grabbed a towel from the back of her chair and wrapped it around her hips. "Hang on a second while I find a piece of paper, and I'll write down the number to your mobile."
Draco was glad that Harry had explained those. "I don't have one."
"Oh." She looked rather startled at that. "Well, your home phone, then."
Again, Draco was ready. He'd thought about this in advance, since if they got closer, she was bound to want his phone number. And address, and such. He still wasn't sure what he was going to do about the fact that he couldn't invite her to Devon. But for now, he knew what to say.
He leaned closer, wanting to take her hand. With the uncle lurking about, though, it probably wasn't a good idea. "Severus is a little bit eccentric. We don't have any sort of phone in the summer. He cherishes his holiday and says that if people from the school want to talk to him, they can go to the trouble of coming to see him personally."
Rhiannon looked flummoxed at that. No surprise; Harry had explained that most Muggles couldn't imagine being without a phone.
"It's no problem," he said, leaning forward to drop a kiss on her cheek. By then, he couldn't resist, uncle or no. "I'll just come at two and wait for you."
"Bring a book," said Rhiannon dryly. "Just in case."
Draco didn't have any books that he could let her see. Or at least, not yet. But soon. He just had to introduce her to magic by doing a little show for her. She'd think the tricks were nothing but Muggle nonsense, but once he put his wand in her hand, she'd know better.