Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything occasioned with it.
Scavenger Hunt Challenge (29. A fic with the opening sentence: The thunder woke him/her up with a start.), Variety of Prompts Challenge (Relationship 5. Parent/child)
I would like to take a moment to thank all of you who have been reading/faving/following both me and my stuff. It means a great deal and I wanted to take a moment to thank you guys.
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The thunder woke him up with a start. Outside his window, the rain fell in heavy waves, lapping against the large windows in a taunting rattle. Draco, just barely at the age of four, clutched the thick comforter, feeling a bit of relief at the lavender smell that came from it. Silent tears of fear clung to the corner of his eyes as he fidgeted about, crinkling the sheets as he moved. The rain continued to fall, lightening etching across the sky, bringing a sick light over the gnarly trees that lived outside.
Climbing from the bed, his feet searching for the floor below, Draco kept a firm grip on the smallest of his blankets, drawing it close to his body as he moved. Lightening brightened his room, thunder shaking the floor of the Manor, and fear raced through the child's veins. He managed to get the door open, stepping out into the long hall just as the first tear fell from his eyes. Panic quickened his steps as he raced through the halls.
His feet caught in the hem of his pajama pants, nearly toppling him over. He never let loose of the knitted blanket in his hands, trailing it behind him as he moved. The deeper he got into the hall, the louder the thunder seemed to be, until the entire house was rattling around him.
Draco stifled his cries, knowing that there was no reason for him to be so scared. His mother had told him time and time again that he was safe in the house, that the thunder and lightning couldn't reach him. His father had informed him how disgracing it was for him to cry at the storm. He was no longer a baby, his father had said, he needed to stop crying like one. Of course, whenever the storm hit, Draco couldn't help but cry at it.
Standing before his parents' bedroom, he weighed the chances if entering would prove to be of no use for him. He knew his father wasn't one to be pleased when woken up, especially so early into the morning, but Draco had no other choice. He couldn't go back to sleep with the thunder rolling in the air. The four year old needed comfort, and the only source of it, lay behind that door.
Pushing it open, Draco stared into the black of his parent's room. The vast darkness settled over him, the only thing he could make out being the oversized bed his parents lay sleeping in. Allowing his mother's soft snores to guide him, Draco smiled slightly when his mother's face came into view.
"Mother." Draco whispered, reaching out with his free hand to wake his mother. His fingers cupped around her cheek, feeling the delicate skin that was the same pale shade as his. "Wake up, mother."
Thunder cracked through the air. A flash of lightening lit up the room. The light washed out his mother's features. From behind his mother, Draco could just barely make out his father's sleeping form, his back towards him. Draco watched carefully as his father stirred slightly, but didn't wake. Relief ran through him.
Pressing his fingers into his mother's cheek a bit firmer, Draco tried to stir her. She grumbled under her breath, but didn't awake. Another crack of lightening raced through the sky. "Mum. Please, mother. Wake up."
Thunder rolled through the night, shaking the glass French doors that faced outside. The glass vibrated, sending more waves of panic through the four year old. He gripped the green knitted blanket he'd brought with him tighter as he pressed his full hands into his mother's face.
"Please, mummy." Draco pleaded, tears mucking up his grey eyes. "Please, wake up. I need you."
Narcissa stirred, but didn't open her eyes. "What is it, baby."
"Thunder." Draco repeated, his voice a desperate whisper. "I'm scared."
Narcissa's eyes fluttered open. Oceans of blue slowly cleared, taking in the sight of her son before her. She smiled softly, reaching out a hand to cup his cheek. "It's okay my Dragon. Everything will be fine. Mother's here."
She sat up, patting the bed for Draco to join her. The child try as he may, couldn't climb onto the high mattress. He reached his arms up, motioning for his mother to lift him. Narcissa chuckled, doing just that, and sitting the boy on her lap. Brushing back the wild blonde bangs, she wrapped the blanket he had brought with him around her son's shoulders, and pulled him against her. The child snugged into her chest, hands gripping her nightgown.
"There." Narcissa spoke softly. "Now, what have I told about the thunder."
"I can't hurt me." Draco spoke, his eyes roaming towards the display happening outside the window. The rain still fell heavily, tress billowing and bucking in the wind. Thunder rolled in the distance shortly after a single crack of lightening danced through the sky.
"That's right." Narcissa smiled, trailing her fingers through her son's hair. "You're safe. The storm can't hurt you."
"Cissa." Lucius' groggy voice filled the air, causing Draco to worm himself closer to his mother. He watched as his father rolled over, dull grey eyes barely seen in the darkness. "What is going on? It's the middle of the night."
"Draco was scared." Narcissa replied, a tone in her voice one that her son didn't understand. "It's storming like crazy out."
"He's fine." Lucius growled, rolling so that his back once more faced them. "It's just a storm. No reason to coddle him. Send him back to bed. I'm trying to sleep."
Narcissa glared at her husband, before turning her gaze back onto her son. Tightening his blanket around his shoulders, Narcissa smiled down at him. "Let's get you back to bed sweetheart. Okay?"
Draco watched his father, fearful that the man would wake fully and yell at him for bothering them. Lucius didn't stir further, his shoulders rising and falling in sleep. Nodding, he turned his gaze back onto his mother. Narcissa smiled, patting her son's head, and helped him climb down from the bed. Gathering herself in a bathrobe, she stepped from the bed, taking Draco's hand.
"Come on, dear." Narcissa lead Draco out of the room, the toddler scrambling to keep up. The blanket around his shoulders shifted about, causing him to hold tighter to it with his free hand. Each strike of lightening caused Draco to cling tighter to his mother, who only smiled sadly, leading them towards the child's room.
Draco had left the door to his room open, making it all the easier for Narcissa to lead her son in. As soon as they stepped into the room, lightning struck outside, casting the shadows from the tress onto the walls. The toddler tightened his grip on his mother's hand, letting a moan of fear escape his lips.
"It's okay my little Dragon." Narcissa spoke, kneeling down to face her son. She reached out, taking the child into her arm. As soon as she made contact, Draco wrapped his arms around her, holding tightly to her shoulders as she rose. The toddler wrapped his legs around her, blanket dangling over her shoulder and down her back.
"There we are." Narcissa wrapped a hand delicately around the back of Draco's head as her son nuzzled his face into the crock of her neck. She sighed at how heavy her son had become. It was painfully clear that Draco was growing, and growing quickly. He was still small for his age, but from the rate he was going, it wouldn't be long before he was too large for her to carry.
Narcissa dreaded that truth. Lucius had long since moved passed the notion that Draco needed to be held, but she was holding onto moments like this as long as she could. She was aware that the day would come where the boy would no longer wish to be treated as the child he was (if Lucius had his way, their boy would grow up far too soon), but for now, Narcissa would comfort her son as the storm raged outside.
"Here we are." Narcissa whispered into her son's ears. "Now let's get you back into bed."
Narcissa pushed the covers back, and signaled for Draco to crawl under. Another set of thunder rolled by, tightening Draco's grip around her neck. "Come on, sweetheart. You need to let go, and get into bed."
"Don't leave." Draco mumbled.
"I won't." Narcissa replied. "But you have to get into bed."
"Will you sing to me?" Draco asked, glancing out the window where the lightning storm had subsided into just heavy rain. The expression in his eyes shifted to fear as lightening cracked once more, eliminating the room in a bright light. "Please."
"First you have to get into bed." Narcissa said firmly. Draco complied with her wishes, letting loose of his mother and fumbling to get under the blankets. He kept a tight grip on the knitted one in his hands, causing Narcissa to smile at the sight. The toddler wiggled under the blanket, looking at his mother eagerly for her to tuck him in. Narcissa did just that, tucking the heavy comforter around him, and waiting for the child to get ready before she began.
A flash of lightning came from outside, sending a flash of fear over the child's face.
"No need to be frightened." Narcissa comforted him. She moved across the bed, placing herself beside her son. Wrapping an arm around his shoulders, she leaned him against her side. Softly, she began to sing to him, singing a tune her own mother had sung to her years ago. Outside the lightening stuck again, causing Draco to fidget a bit. He stopped moving soon after, a yawn escaping his lips.
Narcissa could only smile down at her son, watching as sleep took over him, and the storm outside was forgotten. She continued to sing, pleased to hear the toddler mumbling along with the words, until he fell once more into the land of sleep. Narcissa stayed a moment longer, running a hand carefully through her son's thick blonde hair, before tucking him into bed, and leaving the room.
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