The Doctor Will See You Now

Written for Shipping Week on Morsmordre
Prompt: stethoscope
Pairing: Aberforth/Chilindrina (platonic)

It was bound to happen. Dragon, with her fascination for medical practices, had gone out and purchased a pretend doctor kit for her granddaughter. She wanted to encourage Chilindrina's interest in studying medicine, and what better way to do that than by offering some playtime activities that involved caring for her patients?

At first, Credence thought it was an actual doctor's bag when he first laid eyes on the curious object. This didn't sit well with him, reminding him of his own traumatic experience as a child. He shied away from his mother, turning his head and whimpering beneath the blankets on his bed.

"It's alright, baby Creeds," said Dragon, speaking gently to her nervous son. "It's just a toy. Or rather, a couple of toys for your daughter. I thought with Aberforth feeling sick lately, she might want to examine him and see if she can make him feel better."

There was a mischievous smile curling her lips when she said this. She thoroughly enjoyed her granddaughter's antics. She also enjoyed teasing her prospective husband. That little girl reminded her of herself when she was younger, so naturally she was going to give her a little nudge, helping her along the path to becoming an accomplished doctor.

.oOo.

Aberforth was currently resting on the couch, a damp washcloth draped across his forehead while he slept. His hands were wrapped in a layer of bandages, starting at his wrists and covering his knuckles, leaving his fingers exposed. A few more bandages covered the sores on his left arm, higher up towards his elbow. Recently, the surly goat breeder had come down with a case of farmpox. It was a mild illness that would run its course in a couple weeks, but for now he was feeling rundown, feverish, and itchy.

Dragon had brought him some pillows and blankets, preparing a comfortable place for him to sleep. He'd been sleeping on the couch for about an hour, snoring and muttering in his sleep, when Dragon tapped him on the shoulder. The snoring paused momentarily, followed by a snort. His eyes fluttered open, only to close immediately when he saw his granddaughter grinning at him from ear to ear.

"Oh no," Aberforth groaned, lifting a hand and using it to cover his eyes. As if blocking out the image of Chilindrina would make her vanish completely. "What do you want?"

"It's time for your check-up!" Chilindrina announced. "Mommy says you don't feel good, so I'm going to help you get better."

Aberforth's fingers parted, revealing a single blue eye. He peered at Chilindrina for a moment before lowering his hand, placing it on his lap and glaring at Dragon. Obviously, he was annoyed at having been woken up. Especially when he wasn't feeling good in the first place.

"It'll only take a couple minutes," said Dragon, who wanted to stay and watch the scene unfold. This was bound to be entertaining, despite the fact that Aberforth had been grumpier than usual lately. She had also charmed a few of the objects in the doctor's bag so they would actually work. If their granddaughter asked questions, she could always say they had better toys than when she was a child.

Chilindrina looked down at her chart, which was really just a notepad and a crayon. "First, I'll need to get your height, weight, and blood pressure."

Dragon looked at him. "How tall are you?"

"Six feet," Aberforth grumbled. He paused, taking a moment to scratch his head and think. "I haven't gotten weighted for a couple months, but the last time I did, the scale said one hundred and seventy-two."

"You're such a good sport for playing along." Dragon's comment was met with a series of muttered grumbles. She felt certain he was swearing under his breath, though it didn't seem like Chilindrina noticed. If she did, she had little to say about it, giving him a cheeky smile with the tip of her tongue between her teeth.

"So what are you supposed to be then?" Aberforth queried, looking up at her from his place on the couch. "Are you supposed to be her assistant? A bit of fluff and all that, dressed in a proper uniform that might be a little on the short side."

Dragon giggled like an infatuated teenager while Chilindrina slipped the blood pressure cuff around her grandfather's arm. Maybe, if she could keep him distracted during the examination, Aberforth wouldn't be so grumbly.

"I think his blood pressure is a little high," said Chilindrina.

"And you're surprised by that?" Dragon said, playfully teasing him of the goats.

Aberforth opened his mouth to complain, which gave his granddaughter the perfect opportunity to stuff a thermometer under his tongue. Chilindrina and Dragon laughed, enjoying the look of surprise on his face.

After a minute had passed, Chilindrina pulled the thermometer out, adjusted her glasses, and read the number. "One hundred!" She gasped dramatically, unaware of the fact that she was using one of the charmed objects. "That's too high! He's going to be all roasted up and burned and die like a shriveled sausage at my Daddy's barbecue." She quickly grabbed the washcloth that had been draped across his forehead and ran with it out of the room. "Out of my way! Emergency!"

Aberforth sighed. Yes, he had a fever, but it wasn't anything serious.

She returned a few minutes later with the washcloth now dripping wet, thanks to a generous donation of water from the vase of flowers in the parlor. Before Aberforth had time to react, his granddaughter unceremoniously dropped the soggy washcloth on his face. Thankfully, the wet fabric muffled his furious cries. Otherwise, Chilindrina would have learned some new swear words from her favorite grandfather.

"I'm helping," Chilindrina said with a smile, just as Dragon rescued Aberforth from the washcloth.

The last part of the check-up was using a stethoscope to listen to his heart. Though only after Dragon had dried off the unfortunate wizard and brought him a dry pajama top to put on. Most of the water had gone straight down his neck, soaking the front of his clothing. After several minutes of muttered complaints and obscenities, she finally got him changed into some warm, dry clothes.

Only now Aberforth was confused by the appearance of the bizarre Muggle artifact. Dragon told him to unbutton his pajama top. That way, Chilindrina could show him what it's for. Their granddaughter, however, was a little puzzled as well.

"Hunchback Grandpa, don't you ever go to the doctor regularly to get check-ups?" She planted her hands on her hips, looking for all the world like she was speaking to a naughty five-year-old.

"Of course not!" he snapped at her. "My family doesn't believe in all that nonsense. When I was growing up, my mum always complained about parents who rushed their children to the healer every time they got a fart up their arse sideways. Completely unnecessary. And besides, you throw someone out on their arse and it's bound to squash the farts right out of 'em."

Dragon immediately burst out laughing. Even Chilindrina found this amusing, joining in the joyous laughter.

At the end of the day, Aberforth was given a prescription for an avocado and told to drink plenty of fluids. Needless to say, it had been quite the experience.