The room fell quiet as Robards called his final witness to the stand. All eyes were on Draco as he sauntered down to the witness area and took his assigned spot, before being magically sworn in.

He refused to look at either of his parents. He didn't need to actually see their faces to feel the disappointment and betrayal radiating off them. He'd seen their particular expressions one to many times throughout his life and he'd be buggered, if he was going to give either one of them another chance to make him feel like an utter failure.

"Lord Black, please tell the Wizengamot your parents reaction when you were assigned Hermione Granger as a Ministry-mandated spouse?"

"They were displeased."

"And you?"

"Shocked at first, and I will admit I didn't quite handle the news well myself."

"Why was that?"

"My parents had arranged my marriage to Astoria Greengrass in my fifth year. When the Marriage Law came out and the mandate made it so all betrothals were vacated, my Parents were still convinced that they held enough sway to find me at least a Half-Blood match."

"And your response?"

"I didn't want that."

"And why was that?"

Draco glanced at his wife and she nodded.

"Hermione and I had an intimate relationship prior to our graduation from Hogwarts. I had developed feelings for her during that time."

"Even though you were betrothed to another?"

"Yes."

There were a few mumblings coming from the crowd at his confession.

"Did you intend to vacate the betrothal contract due to your affair with Miss Granger?" Avery asked, and Draco shook his head.

"No." He paused and then forged on. "My parents have always made it clear what was expected of me. I was expected to be top of my class, I was expected to take the Dark Mark and serve the Dark Lord to bring honor to my family, I was expected to marry a Pureblood witch and sire a Pureblood Heir. Anything less than this, I was viewed as a disappointment."

The crowd quieted at the confession and Draco just stared at Avery mutinously.

"I loved my parents, but that depth of feeling didn't extend the other way I'm afraid. When I told them I intended on marrying Hermione and acknowledging the children she was carrying as mine own, at first they seemed reluctantly supportive. It was only later on I realized that was not the case."

"Tell me about the betrothal contract Miss Granger had you and your parents sign."

"It was a fairly standard contract with several caveats. There was some Old Black Family language in the contract too, which I assumed she'd been privy too due to her proximity to the library at Black Manor. There was protections built into the contract that forbid a direct member of the Malfoy or Black families from harming her or our children. The derogatory term for Muggleborn could also not be used."

"And what would happen if this term was used?" Avery demanded with a cruel smile.

"The offender would receive a scar on their person temporarily. I do believe it was meant as a deterrent and nothing more."

"And did any of your family members break this taboo?" Robards smirked and Draco nodded.

"My Father. Just before the wedding."

"How long did the scar last for at that time?"

"A few days."

Robards nodded and moved over to block Draco from the direct line of his parents.

"Were you surprised that your parents agreed to sign the contract?"

"Yes. They both signed it without much fuss, which I had thought odd at the time but didn't give it anymore thought until a few weeks ago."

"Tell me, Lord Black? How was your parents demeanor from the time of your wedding to the time you left Malfoy Manor?"

"They basically ignored me," Draco swallowed heavily. "I had spent weeks drinking myself into a veiled stupor, and it had gotten so bad that my personal House Elf sought out Hermione who came and took care of me."

"How long did this period last?"

"I don't know exactly but maybe five weeks."

A few gasps were heard and Draco tilted his head down to get his warring emotions under control.

"What happened then?" Robards asked kindly.

"Hermione and I had a frank conversation and it made me realize for the first time in my life, what my actions and inactions had wrought upon me as a person. I had spent my whole life letting my parents choose for me, and never questioning why my previous views were wrong. The War had changed me, but I still couldn't disappoint my parents and their demands for my future. I'd already been made to feel a failure for not killing Dumbledore, for not finishing top of my class, for not seeing the prejudices of their Pureblood doctrine as truth."

"On Christmas Eve, when you went to speak with your parents, could you tell the court what happened that day?"

"I hadn't spoken to them at that point in nearly two months. They'd avoided me, hadn't sought me out at all during that time. I had come to the startling realization that morning as I was sitting in my Family Library that there had been a loophole in the contract. It didn't forbid another not of our family line to harm Hermione or our children. I contacted my House Elf, Mipsy and asked her who—if anyone—my parents had been in contact with. I knew the terms of our probation forbid direct contact with anyone other that immediate family and the Aurors."

"And what did you discover?"

"Mipsy told me that my parents were spending an inordinate amount of time in my Father's study and the elves were forbidden from entering. Mipsy did tell me that Lucius had been corresponding with Gringotts through his personal House Elf Tinker. Mipsy then told me that Tinker had also been corresponding with Pansy Parkinson."

"Did the former Miss Parkinson, now Mrs. Finch-Fletchley ever openly discuss helping you deal with your marriage in any way?"

Draco nodded. "The day of my marriage, she offered to help me remove Hermione from my life. She didn't exactly give specifics, and I told her to leave it alone."

"Did you tell your parents of Miss Parkinson's help?" Avery asked.

"No, I didn't."

"Did you see Miss Parkinson speak with your parents at your reception?" Robards asked firmly and Draco thought about it and shook his head.

"At the end of the reception everyone was saying their goodbyes, but my parents were the first to leave so I don't believe they ever talked with Pansy, at least not that I could tell."

"What did you do once you realized that your parents were likely violating their probation and why?"

"Objection Minister," Avery bellowed, "that is supposition, as there is no way Lord Black could've known what was in his parents minds at that time."

"Sustained."

Robards shrugged but carried on, "What did you do once you had learned of the contact?"

"I had Mipsy contact Auror Potter."

"And then?"

"I decided to venture downstairs and talk to my parents."

"And what did you discover?"

"When I entered Lucius study, my Father ignored me and my Mother was sitting stiffly. Both didn't seem particularly pleased to see me."

"Did they offer you to join them?"

"No, they did not." Draco replied coldly. "I wished them a Happy Christmas, and Lucius reminded me it wasn't Christmas yet. I made a comment about being unsure if I fit into their holiday plans and they didn't offer any consolation that they'd cared one way or the other. It was then I noticed movement near my Mother and saw Rita Skeeter in her animagus form. It was then I made the connection that something wasn't right."

"And how did you know it was Rita Skeeter, Lord Black?" Avery asked condescendingly.

"I had some experience with Rita Skeeter back during my fourth year at Hogwarts, slipping stories to her as an animagus."

"Did you know she wasn't registered with the Ministry?"

"No."

"Was anyone else aware of Miss Skeeter's status as an animagus back during your time at school?" Robards inquired and Draco gasped and nodded.

"Pansy." His eyes widened. "She was the one who told me about Rita being an animagus."

"What happened then?"

"I had Mipsy contact my wife, which she did. Hermione and Auror Potter came and I told them what I'd discovered. It was at this point I made the decision to file the necessary paperwork with Gringotts to dissolve my ancestral claim to the Malfoy line and take up my rightful title as Lord Black. Later that evening I confronted my parents, and they admitted their partnership with Pansy, their desire to remove Hermione and my children from the Malfoy Family. It was then that I returned the Malfoy Family ring and denounced my status as the Malfoy Heir."

"And took up the title of Lord Black?" Avery spat out.

"Yes."

"Miss Granger made sure that neither one of your parents could disown you, but made it possible for you to disown them, or in part disown the Malfoy name while retaining the Black legacy?"

Draco stared at Avery and replied haughtily, "She allowed me the freedom of choice, which is more than my parents ever afforded me." At this point, Draco glared at his mother and father who were staring at him with anger and betrayal written all over their faces, and it made him fume.

How dare they act as if they'd been betrayed!

"I've spent my entire life trying to please you both. To live by your set of rules. I sacrificed parts of myself, allowed myself to be placed under so many crucios, I lost count. All I ever wanted to be was a good son to you both, but no matter how much I sacrificed, it was never enough." He then removed his arm from his outer robes and pulled up his shirt sleeve and exposed the Dark Mark on his left forearm, causing many within the Wizengamot to shout. "This is what I took upon myself at sixteen to save you both from Voldemort! And yet, it wasn't enough! It's never been enough for either one of you!" He shook his head in anger as he glared out over the Wizengamot with ire. "You all should be very ashamed of yourselves! Many of you sat back and did nothing when the Dark Lord rose to power, but now you sit in judgment of children who had to live on the front lines of a War that you brought upon us all with your cowardice, prejudices and inaction. Then you foist a Marriage Law on those of us who suffered and fought as child soldiers, so you could make it seem as if suddenly, there isn't prejudice anymore!" Draco then stared morosely at his parents and sighed. "But as long as there are ignorant people like Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy...prejudice will never die. I should've let you both rot for your own mistakes, instead of trying to save you from them."

The entire Wizengamot and the rest of the congregation was silent. When Draco looked over at his wife, tears were streaming down her cheeks and he smiled ruefully at her.

"Are we done here?" He glared at both Robards and Avery, daring either one of them to ask him another pointless question and Kingsley cleared his throat and gave him a proud nod.

"I think we are Lord Black. Thank you for your help today."

Draco stood immediately and walked over to his wife, not giving either one of his parents the satisfaction of looking their way. He took Hermione's hand and led her out of the court chamber, not caring what would be speculated upon nor written about his words.

They could all go hang, as far as he was concerned.