Amycus Carrow and the Rice Sock
Written for The Great 2021 Prompt Compendium
Prompt 42: write about rice
Written for The Bad Guy Challenge
A/N: Thank you Lair for your inspirational stories and streams. Sorry you killed a baby Yoshi in the process, but at least it gave me an idea for this story.
The sun was setting, another day coming to a close as the trio of Death Eaters approached the gates of Malfoy Manor. It was such a gorgeous scene, the sky lit with rosy pink and scarlet hues, the fiery streaks matching the fluid that stained their robes.
Amycus was more than happy to lick the blood off his sister's face. But when he unrolled his tongue, he was met with a series of complaints.
"Noooo! Stop it!" Alecto whined in her typical baby voice. "My back hurts, my feet are aching and I'm in no mood to be licked." She slapped his tongue. "No licky licky!"
"But licking is most pleasurable," Amycus cooed, his wife picking up her adopted child and carrying her into the house.
"She's just tired, Amycus," said Maisie, depositing her daughter on the couch. "The both of you have been out since noon. And while I'm all for Alecto getting some fresh air and exercise, she needs her rest too."
"She appears to be in need of a bath as well," said Amycus, noting the way her bloodied robes left stains on the furniture.
Under normal circumstances, the mention of bath time would have caused Alecto to shoot off the couch and hide under the nearest piece of furniture. But she was far too tired, and so she decided to whine about it instead.
"Good gracious," said Amycus, plugging his ears with his tongue. "She sounds like a deflating waterfowl." He then looked at his tongue and frowned. "Alas, earwax."
"Amycus, would you mind preparing a fresh rice sock for your sister?" Maisie asked. "It'll help ease some of the soreness in her muscles."
"Rice sock?" Amycus echoed, confused by this strange term. "What the devil is a rice sock?"
"It's exactly what it sounds like, Amycus," Maisie calmly explained. "You start with a clean sock and you fill it with rice. Then you add a little water and cast a warming charm on it."
Amycus scratched his head with his tongue.
"Think of it as a heating pad similar to a hot water bottle," Maisie continued. "But your sister prefers rice socks over water bottles, for obvious reasons."
"Very well then. I shall prepare a rice sock." And with that Amycus swept from the living room, his tongue gracefully flung over his shoulder to keep it from dragging on the floor.
.oOo.
Making a rice sock seemed simple enough. All he needed was a sock and some rice. And since this is Alecto we're talking about, there was rice scattered all over her bedroom, the hallway leading to her bedroom, and various locations throughout the manor.
But if Amycus took some rice, would his sister notice? Was she going to go all Mary Lou on him, sensing a disturbance in the rice the moment a single grain had been touched? He knew the Leaf Queen could tell if her baby peas were in danger, but surely his sister didn't have a sixth sense when it came to rice.
Using his tongue, Amycus plucked a sock out of his sock drawer and gave it a sniff. It smelled clean and it was still a bright shade of purple. Good enough for his sister's rice sock. Next came the tricky part, the removal of rice. If his sister started crying and throwing a tantrum, then he would have to leave the house and purchase some rice at the store.
He stepped out into the hallway, eyeing a mound of rice at his feet. Alecto had left it there during play time, the trail of rice stretching down the hall towards the kitchen.
His eyes darted left and right, his tongue quivering with nervous anticipation. Carefully he scooped up a handful of rice, pausing to listen for any sign of a disturbance. There were a few soft noises coming from downstairs, some sniffling sobs and muttered complaints, but that was normal for Alecto when she was in a bad mood.
He shoveled the remaining rice into the sock, gripping the fabric with his tongue and hurrying downstairs. A few grains of rice escaped as he took off running, his robes rippling in the breeze. If his sister could sense that her rice was in danger, then it was best to get a move on before the reality of it all sunk in.
Moving as quickly as he could, Amycus lassoed the faucet with his tongue as he rounded the corner, the drippy appendage soaring through the doorway before Amycus entered the kitchen. Water was already pouring into the sink by the time he reached counter, summoning a measuring cup and filling it with water.
One cup should be enough. Just the right amount of water so the sock didn't get soggy. He added the water, cast a brief warming charm, then flicked his wand and conjured a ribbon.
Holding the rice sock with his tongue, Amycus tucked his wand behind his ear and tied a neat little bow around the sock, preventing its contents from spilling onto the floor. Everything was going well until he stopped to consider the steaming sock, the rice heated to perfection inside the soft fabric.
It was such a lovely fragrance, the warm aroma wafting from the sock. Amycus liked the smell of rice, so he held the sock under his nose and took a sniff.
The result was instantaneous, a burning tornado of steam scorching the inside of his nose.
Alecto's head jerked up off the pillow when she heard her brother scream. Her mother bolted from the living room, thinking there had been some sort of tongue related incident. But instead of finding her husband with his tongue tangled in the tapestry of a tomato, Maisie saw that he was bent over with both hands covering his nose.
"Maisie," Amycus groaned, his eyes watering from the pain. "I think I just uncovered the method of destruction which vanquished the Dark Lord's nose."
His wife sighed. "Come on, Amycus," she said, picking up the rice sock that had been dropped on the kitchen floor. "We'll get Alecto settled with her rice and then we'll work on making you feel better."
"Merlin, I'm such an idiot," Amycus stated, gritting his teeth and allowing his wife to lead him out of the room. "I doubt if my nose hairs will ever grow back after that delightful little fireball ignited my nasal passages."
Maisie couldn't help but chuckle. "It's alright, Amycus," she said, removing a small glass bottle from a pocket in her robes. "I have just the thing for it."
She offered the rice sock to her daughter, who immediately snatched it and held the overstuffed sock against her aching back. A sigh of relief followed, and Alecto closed her eyes, the deep heat penetrating her sore muscles.
Curious, Amycus examined the bottle in Maisie's hand. "Essence of dittany?" he queried, wondering why his wife kept a bottle of dittany in her pocket.
"Of course," Maisie replied. "When your daughter chews on every living thing within a hundred miles, you learn to carry a little something in case of puncture wounds. Now, you might want to move your tongue, Amycus. And tilt your head back so I can administer the drops."
"Now wait just a minute," Amycus began, backing away from his wife. "You know what that does, Maisie. I'll look like a bloody dragon!"
"Do it, Mommy!" Alecto cooed, grinning and snuggling her rice sock
After much struggling and slapping of the walls and furniture due to Amycus' flailing tongue, Maisie was able to sit on her husband, holding him down while carefully administering a few drops of the healing essence. This resulted in a steady stream of white smoke pouring from his nose for a good fifteen minutes.
"I fail to see the humor in this," Amycus grumbled, his sister pointing and laughing as though it were the most hilarious thing she'd ever seen. His wife smiled and patted him on the back.
"Amycus, look. You've made your sister so happy," said Maisie, motioning with a nod towards her adopted daughter.
Indeed, Alecto was peaceful and content. A wide grin spread across her face as she softly burbled, "Baby bother funny."
Amycus couldn't help but smile. Yes, he had scorched his nostrils and puffed smoke like a dragon, but it had amused his sister. And now that she had her rice sock, she could relax and recover from their Muggle hunting escapade.
Altogether, it was just another ordinary day in Malfoy Manor.