Chapter Fifteen: Quality Time
It was four in the morning. The loud chiming of the great-grandfather clock pulled Lucius from his dozing back into a fully awake state. He quickly rubbed his eyes, re-shifted himself in the arm chair and then refocused upon the book that he was holding in his hands.
Chapter 12: Dealing With the Rebellious Teenage Wizard
One of the most common mistakes made by wizarding parents is believing that their teenager's rebellious behavior is merely an attempt to break away from their authority, to challenge their rules, and to blatantly disregard respect for their parents. However, the rebellious actions taken by most young magical adolescents are in fact a cry for attention or help.
Lucius raised an eyebrow at this sentence. A few hours ago, as Lucius sat by the blazing fire in his room, pondering what course of action to take in dealing with Draco's disobedience and really having no clue as to what to do, he remembered how Narcissa had bought every wizard parenting book and magazine she could find once they had discovered that they were to have a son. Narcissa had read them religiously. She had tried to get Lucius to read them as well but he didn't want anything to do with it. After all, how hard could it be to raise your own child? If anything difficult arose he would just leave it to his wife or the nannies. But now Narcissa was away and the nannies were long gone. Lucius was faced with the prospect of having to deal with his disobedient son alone and he really didn't know the right way to go about it. So he decided to search for the parenting literature that Narcissa had so faithfully acquired and read.
It had not taken long for Lucius to find the stack of magazines and the pile of books. They were in the section of the library that Narcissa had reserved for herself. It was only a couple of shelves but they were full of what Lucius termed "women's" books. Romance novels, self- improvement, home decorating, and, of course, parenting. Lucius spent a few minutes looking through the different titles; trying to find the right book that would help him deal with this particular situation. After all, he wanted to change. Before he would have simply punished Draco by taking away privileges and sending him to his room, but now a more diplomatic approach seemed best suited for this type of situation, so he searched through Narcissa's parenting books.
So, You're Expecting a Little Wizard!, "No, already got him", What Happens When Magical Babies Throw Tantrums, "As I recall pieces of furniture either went flying across the room, smashing into tiny bits, or burst into flames". As Lucius recalled Draco had had quite a few tantrums as a baby. However, Draco was no longer a baby, so he had skimmed ahead until he had found what sounded to be the most fitting book, How to Survive Your Teenage Wizard. "Perfect."
So now, at four in the morning, Lucius sat, learning about all the do's and don'ts of dealing with teenagers. He was halfway through reading about the different attention-seeking techniques used by young teenagers when he heard a sort of muffled shuffling sound coming from the hall outside the library. Lucius lowered the book and looked curiously at the shut door, outside of which the sound was coming. It was far too early for the servants to be bustling about and a house elf certainly couldn't make that much noise. Lucius slowly rose out of his chair to investigate but soon rushed to the door after a loud crashing sound. He quietly opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. He squinted his eyes slightly as to focus his sight in the dimly lit hall. Only a few yards away he could make out the shapes of two hulking figures who held a much leaner figure between them. Lucius immediately recognized the leaner figure to be that of Draco. His arms were swung around the shoulders of his two bulky companions, his body hanging limp.
"You idiot, Greg!" hissed one figure, "That noise could have woken Mr. Malfoy up!"
"I didn't mean to knock over the vase, Vince." Gregory Goyle said defensively, "It was an accident, I tripped. Draco's not as light as he looks."
"If Mr. Malfoy catches us with Draco in this state he'll skin us alive."
"Well then let's hurry up and get him to his room." Goyle said as he re-shifted Draco's arm around his shoulder. As he did so Draco began to mumble undiscernibly.
"That's right, Draco, we're taking you to your room." Vincent Crabbe said as they began to move. Draco mumbled again. "God! He's pissed out of his head!" Crabbe laughed. "No more drinking for you, boy. You can't handle it."
None of the boys noticed the dark figure which angrily stalked up behind them.
"Just what the hell is going on here!"
Crabbe and Goyle spun around to look up at the infuriated eyes of Lucius Malfoy. Unconsciously they both let go of Draco who promptly fell against the wall and slid down to the floor. For a second both boys were stunned and unable to move or think, petrified at the sight of the seething father.
"Well?!" he barked, "Why is my son drunk?!"
Neither boy answered.
"Run away!" Crabbe yelled as they both took off at a run down the hall.
Lucius decided to deal with them later. Right now he had to deal with the mass that lay moaning on the floor and smelling pungently of alcohol. Lucius knelt down, grabbed Draco by the shoulders, and pulled him up to a sitting position. Draco's head lolled limply to the side. Lucius took his son's head in his hands and lifted it up; he then began to tap the sides of Draco's face with one hand while he kept his son's head up with the other.
"Draco.Draco.Come on, wake up. Open your eyes and look at me." Draco just groaned. "Draco, come on!" He shook Draco's head slightly and tapped his face a bit harder. "Draco!" Finally Draco began to respond. His eyes opened into tiny slits and Lucius could see that they were completely glazed over and unfocused. "Draco, you really are out of it aren't you?!" A sort of grunting sound came as Lucius' reply. "Come on, let's get you upstairs." Draco mumbled something that sounded close to being, "No, I want to stay here." "No, Draco, you can't stay here." With that Lucius grabbed Draco under the arms and hoisted him up to a standing position. This proved to be rather difficult as Draco was as limp as a rag doll; a surprisingly heavy rag doll at that. Lucius then threw Draco's arm around his neck and placing his own arm around his waist in order to hold him up. He then proceeded to move, having to practically drag a moaning and groaning Draco along with him.
It was very slow going. It seemed to take years before Lucius managed to reach the stairs. He stopped for a few moments to rest before the long haul up the steps. He then proceeded to ascend the giant stairway, taking each step at a time. By the time he had reached the top He was completely exhausted, however, Draco had seemed to begin to regain his feet under him. He was no longer hanging onto Lucius like a limp rag doll, but was putting some of his weight onto his own legs. Lucius thanked God for that.
Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Lucius made it to Draco's room. "Great." Lucius thought as he made his way across the dark room. "I'll just deposit him in his bed and let him sleep it off." However, it was not going to be that simple for poor Lucius. He had just reached the side of Draco's bed when suddenly Draco's body lurched and Lucius heard the unmistakable sound of vomiting. Lucius stood still and just closed his eyes. He could feel warm liquid beginning to seep through his shirt. Lucius opened his eyes and let out a deep sigh of frustration and annoyance. "Great, just great. Thank you, Draco. This evening just wouldn't be complete without a bit of vomiting." At that precise moment Draco gave another lurch. Lucius was just able to move out of the way before it hit him. Draco gave a few gagging coughs. Lucius quickly turned around and led Draco to the bathroom before anymore vomiting could occur. As soon as he ordered the lights on in the bathroom, Draco began lurching and coughing again.
"Hold on!" Lucius managed to get Draco to the toilet and down on his knees before the fresh barrage of vomit could come forth. Lucius sighed in relief. Having left his wand in the library, Lucius had to pick up a towel that lay at the sink in order to clean himself off as best he could. His face contracted into a look of pure disgust as he wiped at the wet spot on his shirt. Draco sat on the cold, tiled floor, wrenching his guts out. In between pukings, Draco would rest his head in one of his hands and rock slightly back and forth, groaning as if he were dying a painful death.
Lucius stood there, looking apprehensively at his son. He had never dealt with anyone who was sick or drunk before. Even when Narcissa had morning sickness while she was pregnant with Draco, it was the servants who attended to her. With this thought, Lucius was about to step out and call for a servant when he heard Draco beginning to whimper, his face contorted as if he were about to cry, his hand clutching his stomach. Lucius walked over and tentatively knelt down by his son. He had no idea how to deal with this. Maybe there was something in Narcissa's parenting books that would tell him how to deal with an overly drunk, and miserable teenager. He was about to get up to retrieve the book when he heard a very low and unmistakable, "Dad." Lucius looked back over to see Draco gazing directly at him, a look of complete misery on his face. "Dad." Draco was unable to continue as he promptly wrenched again into the toilet. He coughed and spat and groaned. Lucius slowly put a hand on Draco's back and patted it lightly. "Okay. Okay then." This was very uncomfortable and very strange feeling as Lucius had never consoled or comforted anyone in his life.
Draco drew back his head and laid it down on the cool toilet seat; a place where no face should go. Lucius pushed back the hair that hung in Draco's face and thereby noticed just how hot his cheeks were. He quickly felt his forehead which was very warm indeed. Lucius quickly stood and grabbed a small towel which he soaked in cool water. He then proceeded to place it on his son's forehead and dab it around his face. Draco seemed quite content with this. His eyes were closed and his vomiting seemed to be calming down. In fact, Lucius would have thought that Draco had fallen asleep on the toilet had it not been for the occasional moments when his eyes would open and he would shift his head or mumble something unintelligible.
"This isn't exactly what I had in mind when I decided that I would like to spend more quality time with Draco." Lucius thought as he refreshed the wet towel. "However, it's not so bad. There's no bonding experience quite like getting puked on."
* * *
Okay guys, I finally got the chapter written. Sorry it's not that thrilling. In the next chapter Draco wakes up the next morning with a mother of a hangover. Why exactly did Draco get drunk? What did he do while he was drunk? What kind of drunk is he? How's his father going to deal with his rebellious son the next morning. Flashbacks and facing dear old dad all in the next chapter.
I would like to apologize for this chapter not appearing sooner. College, traveling, and a serious lack of wanting to sit at a computer and write caused me to procrastinate on this chapter. For that I am truly sorry. However, I am back, and I promise many laughs to come in the upcoming chapter. Thanks guys for remaining so patient.
It was four in the morning. The loud chiming of the great-grandfather clock pulled Lucius from his dozing back into a fully awake state. He quickly rubbed his eyes, re-shifted himself in the arm chair and then refocused upon the book that he was holding in his hands.
Chapter 12: Dealing With the Rebellious Teenage Wizard
One of the most common mistakes made by wizarding parents is believing that their teenager's rebellious behavior is merely an attempt to break away from their authority, to challenge their rules, and to blatantly disregard respect for their parents. However, the rebellious actions taken by most young magical adolescents are in fact a cry for attention or help.
Lucius raised an eyebrow at this sentence. A few hours ago, as Lucius sat by the blazing fire in his room, pondering what course of action to take in dealing with Draco's disobedience and really having no clue as to what to do, he remembered how Narcissa had bought every wizard parenting book and magazine she could find once they had discovered that they were to have a son. Narcissa had read them religiously. She had tried to get Lucius to read them as well but he didn't want anything to do with it. After all, how hard could it be to raise your own child? If anything difficult arose he would just leave it to his wife or the nannies. But now Narcissa was away and the nannies were long gone. Lucius was faced with the prospect of having to deal with his disobedient son alone and he really didn't know the right way to go about it. So he decided to search for the parenting literature that Narcissa had so faithfully acquired and read.
It had not taken long for Lucius to find the stack of magazines and the pile of books. They were in the section of the library that Narcissa had reserved for herself. It was only a couple of shelves but they were full of what Lucius termed "women's" books. Romance novels, self- improvement, home decorating, and, of course, parenting. Lucius spent a few minutes looking through the different titles; trying to find the right book that would help him deal with this particular situation. After all, he wanted to change. Before he would have simply punished Draco by taking away privileges and sending him to his room, but now a more diplomatic approach seemed best suited for this type of situation, so he searched through Narcissa's parenting books.
So, You're Expecting a Little Wizard!, "No, already got him", What Happens When Magical Babies Throw Tantrums, "As I recall pieces of furniture either went flying across the room, smashing into tiny bits, or burst into flames". As Lucius recalled Draco had had quite a few tantrums as a baby. However, Draco was no longer a baby, so he had skimmed ahead until he had found what sounded to be the most fitting book, How to Survive Your Teenage Wizard. "Perfect."
So now, at four in the morning, Lucius sat, learning about all the do's and don'ts of dealing with teenagers. He was halfway through reading about the different attention-seeking techniques used by young teenagers when he heard a sort of muffled shuffling sound coming from the hall outside the library. Lucius lowered the book and looked curiously at the shut door, outside of which the sound was coming. It was far too early for the servants to be bustling about and a house elf certainly couldn't make that much noise. Lucius slowly rose out of his chair to investigate but soon rushed to the door after a loud crashing sound. He quietly opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. He squinted his eyes slightly as to focus his sight in the dimly lit hall. Only a few yards away he could make out the shapes of two hulking figures who held a much leaner figure between them. Lucius immediately recognized the leaner figure to be that of Draco. His arms were swung around the shoulders of his two bulky companions, his body hanging limp.
"You idiot, Greg!" hissed one figure, "That noise could have woken Mr. Malfoy up!"
"I didn't mean to knock over the vase, Vince." Gregory Goyle said defensively, "It was an accident, I tripped. Draco's not as light as he looks."
"If Mr. Malfoy catches us with Draco in this state he'll skin us alive."
"Well then let's hurry up and get him to his room." Goyle said as he re-shifted Draco's arm around his shoulder. As he did so Draco began to mumble undiscernibly.
"That's right, Draco, we're taking you to your room." Vincent Crabbe said as they began to move. Draco mumbled again. "God! He's pissed out of his head!" Crabbe laughed. "No more drinking for you, boy. You can't handle it."
None of the boys noticed the dark figure which angrily stalked up behind them.
"Just what the hell is going on here!"
Crabbe and Goyle spun around to look up at the infuriated eyes of Lucius Malfoy. Unconsciously they both let go of Draco who promptly fell against the wall and slid down to the floor. For a second both boys were stunned and unable to move or think, petrified at the sight of the seething father.
"Well?!" he barked, "Why is my son drunk?!"
Neither boy answered.
"Run away!" Crabbe yelled as they both took off at a run down the hall.
Lucius decided to deal with them later. Right now he had to deal with the mass that lay moaning on the floor and smelling pungently of alcohol. Lucius knelt down, grabbed Draco by the shoulders, and pulled him up to a sitting position. Draco's head lolled limply to the side. Lucius took his son's head in his hands and lifted it up; he then began to tap the sides of Draco's face with one hand while he kept his son's head up with the other.
"Draco.Draco.Come on, wake up. Open your eyes and look at me." Draco just groaned. "Draco, come on!" He shook Draco's head slightly and tapped his face a bit harder. "Draco!" Finally Draco began to respond. His eyes opened into tiny slits and Lucius could see that they were completely glazed over and unfocused. "Draco, you really are out of it aren't you?!" A sort of grunting sound came as Lucius' reply. "Come on, let's get you upstairs." Draco mumbled something that sounded close to being, "No, I want to stay here." "No, Draco, you can't stay here." With that Lucius grabbed Draco under the arms and hoisted him up to a standing position. This proved to be rather difficult as Draco was as limp as a rag doll; a surprisingly heavy rag doll at that. Lucius then threw Draco's arm around his neck and placing his own arm around his waist in order to hold him up. He then proceeded to move, having to practically drag a moaning and groaning Draco along with him.
It was very slow going. It seemed to take years before Lucius managed to reach the stairs. He stopped for a few moments to rest before the long haul up the steps. He then proceeded to ascend the giant stairway, taking each step at a time. By the time he had reached the top He was completely exhausted, however, Draco had seemed to begin to regain his feet under him. He was no longer hanging onto Lucius like a limp rag doll, but was putting some of his weight onto his own legs. Lucius thanked God for that.
Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Lucius made it to Draco's room. "Great." Lucius thought as he made his way across the dark room. "I'll just deposit him in his bed and let him sleep it off." However, it was not going to be that simple for poor Lucius. He had just reached the side of Draco's bed when suddenly Draco's body lurched and Lucius heard the unmistakable sound of vomiting. Lucius stood still and just closed his eyes. He could feel warm liquid beginning to seep through his shirt. Lucius opened his eyes and let out a deep sigh of frustration and annoyance. "Great, just great. Thank you, Draco. This evening just wouldn't be complete without a bit of vomiting." At that precise moment Draco gave another lurch. Lucius was just able to move out of the way before it hit him. Draco gave a few gagging coughs. Lucius quickly turned around and led Draco to the bathroom before anymore vomiting could occur. As soon as he ordered the lights on in the bathroom, Draco began lurching and coughing again.
"Hold on!" Lucius managed to get Draco to the toilet and down on his knees before the fresh barrage of vomit could come forth. Lucius sighed in relief. Having left his wand in the library, Lucius had to pick up a towel that lay at the sink in order to clean himself off as best he could. His face contracted into a look of pure disgust as he wiped at the wet spot on his shirt. Draco sat on the cold, tiled floor, wrenching his guts out. In between pukings, Draco would rest his head in one of his hands and rock slightly back and forth, groaning as if he were dying a painful death.
Lucius stood there, looking apprehensively at his son. He had never dealt with anyone who was sick or drunk before. Even when Narcissa had morning sickness while she was pregnant with Draco, it was the servants who attended to her. With this thought, Lucius was about to step out and call for a servant when he heard Draco beginning to whimper, his face contorted as if he were about to cry, his hand clutching his stomach. Lucius walked over and tentatively knelt down by his son. He had no idea how to deal with this. Maybe there was something in Narcissa's parenting books that would tell him how to deal with an overly drunk, and miserable teenager. He was about to get up to retrieve the book when he heard a very low and unmistakable, "Dad." Lucius looked back over to see Draco gazing directly at him, a look of complete misery on his face. "Dad." Draco was unable to continue as he promptly wrenched again into the toilet. He coughed and spat and groaned. Lucius slowly put a hand on Draco's back and patted it lightly. "Okay. Okay then." This was very uncomfortable and very strange feeling as Lucius had never consoled or comforted anyone in his life.
Draco drew back his head and laid it down on the cool toilet seat; a place where no face should go. Lucius pushed back the hair that hung in Draco's face and thereby noticed just how hot his cheeks were. He quickly felt his forehead which was very warm indeed. Lucius quickly stood and grabbed a small towel which he soaked in cool water. He then proceeded to place it on his son's forehead and dab it around his face. Draco seemed quite content with this. His eyes were closed and his vomiting seemed to be calming down. In fact, Lucius would have thought that Draco had fallen asleep on the toilet had it not been for the occasional moments when his eyes would open and he would shift his head or mumble something unintelligible.
"This isn't exactly what I had in mind when I decided that I would like to spend more quality time with Draco." Lucius thought as he refreshed the wet towel. "However, it's not so bad. There's no bonding experience quite like getting puked on."
* * *
Okay guys, I finally got the chapter written. Sorry it's not that thrilling. In the next chapter Draco wakes up the next morning with a mother of a hangover. Why exactly did Draco get drunk? What did he do while he was drunk? What kind of drunk is he? How's his father going to deal with his rebellious son the next morning. Flashbacks and facing dear old dad all in the next chapter.
I would like to apologize for this chapter not appearing sooner. College, traveling, and a serious lack of wanting to sit at a computer and write caused me to procrastinate on this chapter. For that I am truly sorry. However, I am back, and I promise many laughs to come in the upcoming chapter. Thanks guys for remaining so patient.