Disclaimer: I might just as well have fishing rights.

Disclaim her: It would be nice if some people learned about a little thing called the shower.

Note: People are starting to get really out of character, yes?

Out of character currently with: Draco, Lucius, etcetera.

"speech" thoughts and/or Draco's thoughts

Minor note: I guess you can say this chapter gets a little…dramatic. (nervous chuckle)

Thanks to the people who decided to review.

Chapter 7: Cacophony

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Lucius pulled on his son's wrist and Draco slid his fingers into his father's hand as they walked down the hallway together toward Lucius' office. Draco felt almost calm now…there was not anything to bother him…

Draco swayed dangerously and Lucius saw him a split second before he was to make contact with the floor. Lucius' arms shot out and he caught his son right as he was about to make contact with the ground.

"Draco, what are you doing? Are you alright?" Lucius said sharply but saw that Draco's eyes had closed. The boy had fallen unconscious.

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It was as if voices were calling to him through a very long hallway because they seemed oh so very far away from him…He could see the light but it was growing fainter by the second. It made Draco to want to scream, to do something, anything.

I'm here, I'm here, he called out but found his lips moving and no sound coming forth.

This darkness was literally suffocating him as it had once tried to do before and he couldn't do anything about it.

"Draco…"

His father, his father was calling him!

Father, I'm here! Don't leave me, I'm here! Draco screamed in his mind but to no avail. No one could hear his cries.

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"Lucius, I don't know what to do. He seems to be in a coma of some sort."

"Do what ever you can! This is my son."

"I'll try Lucius, I swear I'll try, but I can't give you any kind of guarantee."

"Potter, just help him, damn it!"

"I'm trying Lucius, please be patient."

"About what I told you earlier, tell me you actually took that into account and checked."

"I did and I'm now waiting for the results to finish developing. Please Lucius, calm down. I'll try to do whatever I can."

"For God's sake, try harder!"

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His whole body was numb. It felt as if he had been out in the cold for far too long and now as a result, he had lost all use of his bodily functions. There was a mere glimmer of light at the moment and even it gave off no kind of helpful, saving power to help him through this madness that possibly was the reeling pathway toward death. He had waited far too long. He had been such an idiot for not saying anything. It was no wonder that his father held such dislike toward him. Draco felt like a fool and he knew deep down he truly was. A complete and utter imbecile.

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Lucius walked over to his unconscious son's bedside and sat down, his gaze not wavering from where it had been locked on the figure in the bed from the moment he had stepped into the room. The boy appeared paler than he usually was and it almost seemed that the younger Malfoy's lips had a slight tinge of blue to them but Lucius blamed it on the lighting.

"You know, Draco…this is one of those times that I was upset… that was to come. You're possibly dying…and all I can think of is..." Lucius bit his lip and dropped his gaze as Draco didn't stir. "I…don't know what the hell I'm doing here…Maybe it's because I feel guilty for…but…I don't…know…I'm going to leave now, alright…? You can't hear me…can you…? I…I'll leave now. Better for you to be in… p-peace."

Lucius slowly got up from his place at his son's bedside and walked out of the room, attempting to breathe calmly and thoroughly as he shut the door behind him with an inaudible click.

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He had been floating for a while in what seemed to be some sort of a void and he didn't mind much as his mind seemed to have wandered off to who knew where. The void was a somewhat empty place so no one could tell what went on in there since it was so dark but Draco still couldn't seem to care that the darkness was slowly pulling him down into a never ending chasm of blackness. In fact, he didn't even notice what was happening to begin with.

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The older Malfoy watched as his son flew through the air on his broomstick completing expert moves that not many people could accomplish. Lucius continued to watch his son and Draco, almost as if he could sense his father's gaze, glanced down as he whooshed past the older man and waved happily to his father. Lucius broke into a brilliant, genuine smile, something that he hadn't done in years, and waved back up to his son--

"Lucius!"

The man in question turned sharply back to the person who had spoken. "Yes?"

"Lucius, you haven't been listening to one word I've been saying, have you?"

"I have indeed, Prime Minister." Lucius said as he rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I have been listening to you rant for the last half hour about how Harry Potter needs to be exterminated." The older Malfoy remarked with a sneer.

"I have said nothing of the sort! Though…now that you mention it, something needs to be done about that Potter boy. Come there are more matters for us to discuss…" The Prime Minister walked off with a clear indication that Lucius should follow him. The blond haired man blinked and walked off in the opposite direction that Fudge had. This was not the time to deal with such absurd matters. He blinked again.

"Come on, father! You said you would come help me with my Potions homework!"

Lucius' features softened as his son tugged on his hand. "Alright, Draco, I'm coming." He smiled with clear satisfaction as Draco pouted when he made no move to follow him.

"Come on, father." Draco began impatiently.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming." Lucius murmured as he slipped off his cloak and hung it up. His gaze fell upon the family portrait as he looked at the wall. Only Draco and he stood within its frame. This caused him to frown. Hadn't there been someone else in its boundaries? He shook his head, dismissing the odd thought.

"Father!"

"Yes, I said I was coming. You need to have more patience, my son." Lucius said in amusement as his son crossed his arms and sat down on the ground with a "hmph!"

"I would if you would stop wasting all this time. Please, come with--"

Lucius hissed as he hit the wall in front of him. How the hell had that gotten in his path? He let out a muttered curse as he rubbed his forehead where he had hit the wall. Lucius couldn't fathom how that could have been in his way and he hadn't seen it. He wasn't blind.

Lucius glanced around himself to examine his surroundings and found that he was in the Dark Lord's Manor. Then all at once he remembered how he had come to be here in the first place. The Dark Lord had summoned him here for new orders and for another mission.

He gave out another muttered curse as his head began to pound in a headache. Lucius cursed again. Now of all times to have a headache?

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"Lucius, I have new orders for you." The Dark Lord began as He sat atop His dais. His partner was not present.

Lucius bowed down as was required and cursed in his mind. His headache began to beat with the force of his heartbeat.

"Rise."

"Yes, my Lord."

"As I said, I have a new assignment for you."

"As you wish, my Lord," Lucius replied as the silence in the throne room became deafening and Lucius swore he could hear soft laughter in his ears. He turned and saw that there wasn't anyone in the room except him and Voldemort.

"Is there something amiss, Lucius?"

"No, it is nothing, my Lord."

"Good, for I have orders for you, like I said…"

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As Lucius opened the door to his son's bedroom he gave himself an acute sense of déjà vu. This scene seemed so familiar for some reason.

Draco did not appear to have changed positions from where he had left him earlier; his chest still rose and fell with every labored breath he took. Again, as Lucius happened to glance at his son's features, he thought that he looked rather…pale.

With soft sigh he sat in the same spot that he had earlier and brushed a few stray hairs from his son's face, fingers lingering on the side of his face. Draco murmured something softly that Lucius was unable to catch, but sounded suspiciously like 'father'.

"I'm…back Draco. It…probably…makes no difference to you…does it? I know…that I should have stayed with you…all day…but somehow…I couldn't because…" Lucius dropped his gaze sharply. "…I'm such…an awful…" Lucius broke off suddenly as he heard footsteps approaching in the hallway. He stood and smoothed down his robes to make himself presentable as Harry Potter entered the room.

"Oh…Lucius…I didn't know that you were going to be here."

"Is that a problem? You're on my property, after all." remarked Lucius, as he somehow made no eye contact with the younger man. Harry caught this right away but said nothing of it.

"No, it's okay. I was going to try to find you later anyway." It was Harry who this time dropped his gaze to the ground. "Lucius?" How do you tell a man that his son is--

"Yes?" The older Malfoy had been utterly transfixed on watching his son breathe.

"I'm really sorry about this…but…"

Lucius removed his gaze from his son immediately and snapped his gaze to those of Harry Potter who was currently wishing that the ground would just swallow him up. "What is it?"

"Lucius, I've checked all that I could think of and of that other thing you wanted me to check that I thought wouldn't have any relevance because I didn't think what you told me would be possible with all the precaution that we've had to have after…Severus." Here Harry paused as he rapidly fought to find the words to put what he was going to say in a sentence.

Lucius had turned away. "…Go on."

"Lucius…I don't know how this could have happened. He's been…poisoned…just like you told me to check for and now…he's…dying…he's dying, Lucius." Those final words caused an awful silence where the only sound in the room was Draco's breathing. It was that sound that caused Lucius' whole world to come crashing down in front of his eyes… Passing… but… no… Draco isn't going to…he was going to stay with me …wasn't he…? Harry would never lie to me, so that means…

"I'm really sorry about this Lucius--" Harry began in a frightened voice but the older man cut him off immediately.

"I would like you to leave, now." interrupted Lucius curtly. He could in no way remember his emotions being in this much turmoil.

"Lucius, I still need to talk to you later, all right?"

"You've told me all that was worth hearing." There was an extremely unpleasant pause. "Now, I advise you to leave this room before I become violent and am forced to hurt you."

"But Lucius--"

"OUT! NOW!" Lucius roared as he turned to face Harry with eyes blazing with an icy fire. Harry's eyes widened and he backed away.

"O-okay! S-sorry about…I-I'll talk to you later about this." Harry finished quickly as he turned his eyes to the carpet. He walked to the door and hastily shut it behind him. Lucius stared at the closed the door so hard it was as if his gaze would burn a hole right through it. After what seemed to be an eternity, he went back over to his son and sat down by his side yet again. It was an hour later when he finally gathered up himself to speak.

"Did you hear him Draco? He said…he said…" Lucius bit the inside of his cheek so hard he almost drew blood. "…But it doesn't matter…I'll be with you…as long…as long…as you're…" Lucius averted his eyes wishing he could look somewhere else or be someone else, or even be somewhere else. This couldn't be happening. Draco wasn't going to…

"I'm…you know what…I mean to say…right…?" There was another pause where Draco stirred and happened to turn on his side, facing away from his father. "Are you…awake? No…I suppose you aren't…I'll stay…if you'd like that but you wouldn't be able to say anything about what you would like as you're not awake at the moment." As Lucius stood he slipped off his shoes and laid down beside Draco in his bed. He glanced at Draco and then back at the ceiling where there wasn't anything to cause him trouble. "Is this really…wrong as you said? Or is it just wrong when you believe something to be wrong? Then again…is it wrong because we think too much about things that they become wrong in our minds?" Lucius hadn't thought he was to receive a response.

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He was choking on the darkness and every breath that he could take was filled with the darkness that flowed through his body contaminating every pore, every vein that happened to be clean at the time. His right side felt oddly warm and he couldn't understand why he would be thinking about something like that when he was being close to asphyxiated.

He could hear someone speaking vaguely in his mind asking him why things were considered wrong in the first place and that same voice overlapping itself as hundreds of questions such as that were making themselves known. The voice itself was familiar, something that he heard before but couldn't quite recall where. The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't seem to remember where he had heard it. But then-

"Is it wrong to care for you in ways that a father shouldn't care for his son?"

I don't know who that is even though I feel that I should.

"Even though you feel that I don't care for you, I do."

Only one person ever made me feel worthless to have to say that… but…I can't remember…

"I wish you would wake up."

Wake up…? I'm…asleep…?

"I don't want you… to…"

Who is that speaking? I swear I know who that is…but I still can't remember…

"I'm sorry… for being such a bad father to you Draco."

Father?…wait…father! Where is he? How can I hear him and still be her? Where is he!

Draco choked again as he tried to breathe and not inhale darkness that he finally realized happened to dull his wits down so he was unable to remember certain things about himself and other people. He began to struggle against the shadows that held him in what seemed to be chains and the struggle to be free of the darkness ended up being a fight for his very life.

Draco fought again to be released and felt himself thrown out abruptly into something he hadn't ever fathomed.

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Draco's eyes snapped open and found that he was currently lip locked with his father. He moved his lips in response to the older man and saw Lucius' eyes immediately open and the man pull away completely.

"Draco?" Lucius appeared frightened of the fact that Draco had woken up so suddenly.

"Yes, father?" As Draco responded Lucius noticed his eyes were a dull gray.

"Are you okay? When you passed out…I was…then Harry told me that…you were…"

"What are you mumbling about father? Did I do something wrong again?"

"No…nothing is wrong." The older blond said as he laid back down against the blankets of the bed.

"I didn't…disappoint you as I did before?"

"No. I told you, you didn't do anything wrong." Reassured Lucius calmly.

"Okay." The younger Malfoy tilted his head back toward his father. "Father?"

"Hm?" Lucius had shut his eyes as he fought to arrange his thoughts.

"Will you kiss me again?"

"What?" Lucius said surprised as he shifted his position on the bed to face his son who had turned a pleasant shade of pink.

"Kiss me, please."

"Why? Why do you want this now? Before you said that this was wrong." And why was he objecting to it for Merlin's sake?

"I like the feel of your lips on mine. It makes me feel better." Draco reddened further.

"Draco…there's something you need to know…"

"If it is bad, then I really don't care. But I probably already know what you're going to tell me anyways. I knew I was right, but you thought I was just being stupid as usual, didn't you?"

"No, that isn't true."

"You can deny it if it makes you feel better, but I'll still love you regardless."

"Are we talking about the same thing?"

"I wouldn't know." Lucius remarked as he sat up and pressed his lips to his son's once again with a fervor that he couldn't hide with all the thoughts tumbling around in his head. Draco moved his lips in response and kissed his father back as well as he could with him being inexperienced.

As usual, it was Lucius who took control of the situation as he moved again so he was now straddling his son's waist as he continued to remain lip locked with Draco. They continued to move slowly until Draco broke away for breath. He tilted his head back slightly as he gazed up at the ceiling for a second and felt Lucius kiss the side of his jaw and then retreat further down as he pressed his lips to the base of Draco's throat. Draco could feel his father pause and then do something that the boy hadn't seen coming but should have foreseen after all the time he had known Lucius.

Draco winced sharply as his father bit down on the flesh that was at the base of his throat and was glad that he hadn't cried out.

"That didn't hurt?" Lucius remarked softly.

"It did, but not as much as I thought it would."

"I thought you would have at least given me a whimper."

"I'm not that weak father." Draco said in disgust.

"I know…I know that you believe that I think that you're weak but you're not. Not to me for that matter."

Is he just saying what I want to hear? Draco thought to himself idly while drawing a hand into his father's hair and intertwining it in the platinum blond locks before he caught what he was doing. But Lucius didn't say anything and Draco could see an uncharacteristic small but gentle smile on his features.

"No Draco, I don't mind." Responded Lucius to the boy's unasked question.

"Father…I…"

"It's okay…I mean it." Lucius still hadn't opened his eyes and would have been glad that he hadn't. Draco looked just about ready to cry again and was attempting to resist the urge. When he finally had gotten himself in check Lucius was looking at him in a way that he couldn't remember him ever doing before.

"…Draco?"

"Yes?" Why did his father's voice sound so miserable? Draco made to sit up but was enfolded into his father's arms instead.

"I wanted to tell you about…what happened when Harry came here after you fell unconscious." Keep yourself in check, Lucius; you are not going to turn into a blubbering mess, for Merlin's sake!

Draco tried to shift his position in his father's arms but they held him in a steel like grip that would not cease.

"Father?" Draco knew something was awfully wrong at the moment but didn't have quite enough courage to say anything about it in fear of punishment.

"Draco, I would like you to stay quiet, this is hard enough for me as it is and I don't even know…how to tell you…" Lucius felt a burning at his eyes and pushed it back viciously. I will not make a scene even if it is difficult to say! "…How to tell you that you were right…about what you told me earlier…"

Draco said nothing but his eyes widened. Did that mean-

"You were right…about being…poisoned and there isn't…anything…that can be done…about this so…you're…going to…" Lucius unexpectedly felt himself left entirely without the ability to breathe and didn't even notice that he had stopped in the first place. Draco could feel his father shaking violently and twisted around easily as his father's death grip loosened dramatically. As he faced Lucius he was horrified to see him obtaining a pale bluish tinge to his features while his eyes stared directly ahead into nothing. …No, he was going to never leave me…Harry was lying…

"Father, what are you doing!" Draco screamed but the man made no reaction. "Father, BREATHE, you're going to die from the lack of air of you don't!" Draco screamed again and felt panic rise in waves that washed over him again and again. Lucius still hadn't moved and Draco shook him roughly to try to get him to snap out of the trance he appeared to be in. Draco began to shriek and a number of house elves appeared with a pop as they suspected trouble. Draco was wild eyed at this point in time and told them to send for Voldemort and Harry Potter immediately and that it was an emergency. They all disappeared with another pop.

Draco turned back to his father and laid him down to try to resuscitate him. He had never thought that the revival techniques that they learned early on in the Quidditch/ First Aid class would have been any use but he was grateful at the moment. Draco tilted his father's head back pinched his fingers over the man's nose as he breathed into the man slowly and thoroughly and watched his chest rise and fall. He drew back. Lucius still remained as he was but his gray eyes had closed at some point during where Draco had breathed into him. His fear worsened and he tried once again on the resuscitation technique.

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Harry had been taking a slight nap when he felt something urgently tugging on the sleeve of his robe. He opened weary eyes and saw that it was a house elf bearing the Malfoy family crest and immediately woke up fully. As he sat up the house elf began to speak very quickly.

"Master Draco is requesting Mr. Potter to be coming to Master's house immediately. Master Draco says it is being an emergency and that he should also be bringing He-Who-Must-Not-Named with him. Quickly, Master Draco said, you must be coming now! Master Draco is being in his bedroom and is waiting for you--"

"I'm going right now." Harry said as he Disapparated with a sharp crack. You caught that I hope, Tom.

Yes, I'm on my way as well. What do you think is wrong?

I couldn't know except for Draco being as he is--

What happened?

I'll tell you later love.

As you wish.

Both men appeared in Draco's bedroom simultaneously and caught view of Draco giving his father mouth to mouth resuscitation urgently.

Both rushed over to him and the unconscious man when Draco happened to catch sight of them.

"Harry, thank God, help my father! Please, I don't know what the hell happened. He was talking to me and then suddenly started shaking and when I turned to look at him he was turning blue!" Draco nearly shrieked as he glanced at his unconscious father and quickly looked back at Harry. The Dark Lord was already examining the older Malfoy and muttering various spells that gave one the impression that they were illegal.

"Draco, calm down, we'll help your father."

"I really don't know what happened! He was trying to tell me something that he said was hard for him to say and I didn't understand why he'd say that." Draco was flushed and looked as panicked a serial killer does when he's killed his first victim of the next twenty-five.

Comprehension appeared in Harry's eyes. "Did he sound scared to say something to you?"

"No, just like he was worried, but father doesn't worry about anyone." Replied Draco as he frowned. He glanced back at his father who looked as if he was regaining some color and then back at Harry. "What, do you know something?" He asked shortly, voice hard.

"I think I know what your father was trying to tell you." Harry muttered uncomfortably as he averted his eyes.

"What does that have to do with anything!"

Harry felt nausea stir in the pit of his stomach. "It has to do with…everything. When I came here earlier today to talk to Lucius about your condition it was about something that he had had me check on impulse because he was worried about you. The thing he had me check was whether or not you had been poisoned." Harry swallowed nervously. He hated telling people bad things. It was just like how he was going to hate talking to Tom later about something that he knew he wouldn't like at all.

What won't I like? What is it Harry? Have you been keeping something from me?

I…I promise I'll tell you when we get home later. It isn't important. But from the way the Dark Lord could feel fear swirling around in Harry's thoughts and emotions he knew that it was just the opposite.

Harry returned his gaze to Draco who was looking at him impassively so he didn't know how Draco could possibly be feeling at the moment.

"And, what did you find out?" Draco said softly as he averted his eyes to the Dark Lord who was still working on his father. The man had appeared to regain some of his pallor but still wasn't breathing.

"You…have been…poisoned. There's nothing that I…or anyone else…can do about it since we still…haven't found…a cure for this disease… so…Draco…you're going…to die.

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A.O.T.I.F.: I'm sorry it took awhile to post. Stupid poetry…

I guess you can that a cliffhanger if it makes you want to know what is going to happen next…(frown)

Anyways, this chapter was a little odd as I usually don't write that many scene changes in one chapter. I know Lucius is really out of character but I'm not going to apologize to those people who don't like him that way. (I'd do a supposedly 'evil' laugh but my throat hurts right now.)

I bet half of you knew this was coming. Poor little Draco's going to kick the bucket. Such a pity.

I will attempt to update soon as I read this 248 page book in a couple hours.

Please review if you have any decency in yourself.

Dramatic irony