Father, Can You Hear me?

Father, can you hear me?

'Tis I, your only son.

You've left me here to die, father.

I will before day is done.

Father, answer me, I beg,

Or have you forgotten that I live?

Why are you doing this to me?

What kind of a thing will the Dark Lord give?

Is it worth it?

Father,

IS IT WORTH IT?

There wasn't a sound in the mansion as Lucius walked through the hallways. He had not forgotten. As he approached the pit, he could hear Draco calling to him. He stopped for a minute, composing himself. He was close to tears.

"FATHER!" Draco was screaming.

"I'm here," Lucius said.

"Don't leave me in this pit! Why won't you let me out?"

Lucius willed himself to look over the edge into the black darkness. He saw his son stumbling around, clutching himself, screaming. Lucius couldn't help it. He sank to his knees and wept. "What did I do?" his son cried. "What did I do?"

"I....I cannot answer....." Lucius faltered.

"What will he give you?" Draco called. "What is it that is so wonderful that you would kill your son?"

"The love of the Dark Lord is the greatest gift of all." Lucius didn't believe it any more but that was the correct answer.

Draco had sunk down, leaning against the wall. "You would leave me here to die. So that the Dark Lord will love you?"

"It's a test," his father told him. "A test to see how far we will go to serve him."

Draco snorted. "So all my friends are being killed as well?"

"Most," Lucius said. "Some won't. They will be cast out from the fold."

"Oh, God." Draco writhed around. "Oh, God! I'm so hungry. Why father, why?"

"I don't know. I don't know." Lucius held his head in his hands. "I love you, Draco."

Draco didn't hear him. He had fainted from hunger.

Lucius heard Voldermort came into the room. "Growing soft, are we, Lucius?" he whispered dangerously.

Lucius turned. He swallowed and held beck his tears. "No...no, I am not, my lord."

Voldermort grinned evilly. "Good," he said. "The consequences would be great if you planned to save him."

"Yes, my Lord," Lucius replied, bowing his head.

Voldermort turned and left and Lucius was alone with guilt. He heard Draco murmuring, as if in sleep. He looked down. Draco was tossing and turning, muttering like some madman. "Draco!" his father said sharply. Draco's grey eyes opened slowly. "Here," Lucius whispered. He threw Draco a rope. "Use it," hissed Lucius, "Get out of here!" Draco nodded slightly. He had understood.

Lucius straightened up, wiping one last stray tear from his eye. Then he left.

****

At dinner that night, the death eaters were all silent. All of their children had died that day. Lucius was sure that Draco had gotten away. He was a smart boy, his son.

Just then, the doors burst open and two dementors glided in, holding a boy between them. Lucius just managed to stifle a scream. It was DRACO! His son! Draco was looking bewildered. When he saw his father he called to him. "Father! Father! Stop this! Get me away!" Lucius stiffened in his chair, trying not to look. "Father? Father, can you hear me?" Draco screamed. Again. Again. Of course he could hear. But he couldn't acknowledge him. Draco was screaming, crying. The Dark Lord spoke.

"Well, Lucius? Shall we be done with it?" Draco had given up his struggle and was lying limp, held up by his arms. He was sobbing.

"I......I...." Lucius faltered. Then, he caught the Dark Lord's eye. Lucius knew that his son would be killed, no matter what. "Yes," he whispered. "Be done with it."

The dementors closed in. "NO!" cried Draco. "No! Please, Father! Father, can you hear me?" Lucius stood up sharply, trying to get to his son. The dementors did not stop, they continued advancing towards Draco. Lucius raised his wand and sent one of them flying with a patronus. But in the struggle, a dementor got to Draco.

Lucius watched as the dementor swooped down to suck out his son's soul. He couldn't conjure a patronus. He couldn't think of a happy thought.

So here he was, awaiting his punishment from the Dark Lord. He imagined that his fate would be the same as his son's; the Dark Lord always did have something of a sense of humor.

Father, can you hear me? That was the last thing said. Father, can you hear me?