vratsababe

Title: O Son, Where Art Thou?
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: LuciusxNarcissa (Primary characters: Lucius and Draco)
Prompt: 078. Where?
Rating: G
Word Count: 796
Summary: Lucius brings young Draco to Gringotts, only to lose him in the crowd.



Gringotts was bustling as usual on a Saturday afternoon. All sorts of people filled the lobby, people from all ranks and corners of society. A woman with a wig containing caged tarantulas stood before them, messing with a pocket full of diamonds and strange coins. Lucius rolled his eyes, as she wasn’t the worst of the riff raff. A tiny tugging at the edge of his robes was thoroughly amused, however.

“Daddy! Do you see that? That lady has spiders in her hair! I want some too!” Draco announced loudly. His father looked sternly at him and hushed him with an equally stern hush. As the woman looked back at the source of the comment, the four-year-old pouted and sat down on the taupe marble floor.

Lucius rubbed his forehead impatiently. Narcissa and both of their mothers were going to a women’s luncheon, leaving him to take Draco with him about his daily business. It wouldn’t have bothered him so greatly if he hadn’t such a migraine and if Draco would keep quiet for any amount of time greater than five seconds. After Gringotts they would still need to make a stop at the ministry and pick up the gown Narcissa had ordered for next week’s ball. Thank goodness it wouldn’t be an actually busy day.

The line moved forward and the lady with the spiders stepped forward to the counter. Draco slid across the floor, rather than standing, accumulating a great deal of dirt and dust on his blue robes. The woman before them was taking more time than either of the Malfoys would have preferred, prompting Draco to embark on a lively chorus of, “I’m hungry! I don’t want to be here anymore! I want to go home! I want ice cream!”

Lucius looked down at his son with great annoyance, “Be quiet, Draco. You’re creating a scene. Keep yourself occupied, understood?”

He looked back up and focused his gray eyes on the back wall, doing his best to keep the throbbing pain in his head from obscuring his vision. At least Draco was keeping quiet now. It took just another two minutes for the business at the beginning of the queue to sort itself out and for Lucius to take the front of the line.

“Come, Draco,” He beckoned to his son. He heard no movement beside him and turned to reprimand the boy… but he had gone. Lucius blanched as he looked around him, but saw no Draco in his vision.

“Did you see which way the little boy with blonde hair went who was standing right before you?” Lucius asked a man standing behind him. He bit his lip, however, when he realized that the man was wearing thick bandages over his eyes and answered, “That’s likely, isn’t it? Perhaps you should keep a better watch over your son.”

He ducked from the line and walked swiftly across the lobby, looking high and low for his son. His pulse began to race as he searched the enormous room. He could have sworn that every small blonde child was at Gringotts that day just so Draco could get lost and be confused with a hundred other children. The crowd was dense as he pushed through it, causing Lucius to become as internally hysterically as possible.

He emerged from the group to see a tall, elderly man with a shimmering beard and half-moon spectacles speaking with his tiny son. Lucius breathed out heavily, glad for once to see his former headmaster.

“Ah, Lucius,” Dumbledore greeted the disgruntled father as he approached. “I thought this one might be yours upon first glance. He resembles you greatly.” Lucius didn’t respond, but scooped up his son in his arms, “Draco! Don’t you ever go running off like that again! Do you hear me?”

Draco looked at his father with big tears in his eyes and grabbed onto his neck. Dumbledore smiled, a tiny light in his eye glimmering. “I believe young Draco mentioned seeing a woman walking a crup, running to find the animal, and getting lost. I found him over by the far wall.”

“Well… I thank you for… finding my son,” Lucius thanked Dumbledore stiffly, offering his hand. “I truly appreciate it.”

“It wasn’t a problem,” Dumbledore replied, nodding his head. He then addressed Draco; “I look forward to seeing you at Hogwarts in a few short years, Draco.”

Draco didn’t respond, but remained with his face buried in his father’s cloak. Dumbledore disappeared in the crowd as if he had never been there at all.

“You know, I think this ministry business can wait until Monday,” Lucius said, putting Draco down on the floor, but placing a hand on the small boy’s shoulder to avoid another mishap. “Let’s go get some lunch, Draco.”