• Pupil's death spurs plea to PM
But instead King's College boarder James Webster (16) took an old bottle of vodka from his grandmother's liquor cabinet and went to an 18th birthday party in Grey Lynn.
The Thames-raised year 12 pupil was drinking outside the RSA hall in a car, but was later found extremely intoxicated by one of the host's parents.
"He was very ill and passing out," his uncle Donald Webster said.
"They [parents of teenager] did what they could ... They put him to bed and kept a watch on him."
He understood his nephew was checked on throughout Saturday night, but could not be roused in the morning.
When police and paramedics were called about 7.15am nothing could be done to save him.
Yesterday, pupils at James' prestigious college wore formal uniform as a mark of respect for their mate, known by many as "Webby", and flags were lowered to half-mast.
Principal Bradley Fenner said pupils were "grieving sorely at this time".
Tributes have poured into a special "RIP James Webster" page on social networking site Facebook, which last night had more than 900 members.
One was from Kate Thode, the mother of 15-year-old King's College pupil William Thode, who died in his sleep in February.
"How terribly sad for you all - our very deepest sympathy.
"We do know how you are feeling," she wrote, adding further on: "I truly believe William and James will find each other in heaven - their fun days and years not yet over."
A postmortem examination yesterday afternoon failed to shed any light on what exactly killed James.
Police are now waiting for a full toxicology report which could take several weeks.
Mr Webster hoped that would "tell us the story" of how James died.
He did not know why his nephew took the bottle of alcohol.
"This is totally out of character but this stuff happens.
"He had totally convinced my brother he was off to study with a friend, stay there the night and was off to a chemistry tutorial the next day.
"The bottle had probably been sitting there 20 years ... It was a time bomb waiting to go off. No-one drinks vodka in my family."
Mr Webster said the party was well-organised and James drank of his own volition.
"What James did was done outside the party, it wasn't done inside the party ... he brought a bottle of vodka with him."
He urged young people to learn from the tragedy.
"What I really want to reinforce is the story that I tell my 15-year-old," Mr Webster said.
"You can do anything you like but I'm sitting on your shoulder ...
If your parents were sitting on your shoulder looking at what you were doing and they would approve then carry on, if you don't think they would approve don't do it."
Mr Webster said his nephew was a neat, funny "extremely athletic kid".
On Thursday, hundreds are expected to attend James' funeral at the King's College chapel where he was learning to play the organ.
