Apologies for the mistake in the previous chapter, like I said the previous chapter was not exactly correct, I had no idea how to properly further that chapter. Anyways hope you enjoy this one!

Also I am aware that my updates have become rather sporadic, sorry but I'm kinda unable to put the story into correct words :(

Betrayal and escape

chapter 17

Sirius surveyed the man in front of him with frosted eyes. Right now he wasn't sure if there was anyone else who he hated more.

Maybe wormtail.

He flicked the thought away before digging the wand further into his cousin-in-law's throat.

"Let's get down to business shall we dear cousin?"

Lucius thankfully kept silent, his self-preservation coming to the forefront stating his voice would only cause more trouble for him.

The dogman observed him for a few more minutes before twin ropes shot out of his wand and bound his hands.

At the same time, Remus conjured five candles and levitated them around Lucius.

Silencing Lucius, Sirius stepped back. Removing a ceremonial knife from his robes, he slit open his palm, letting out a few drops of blood and moving them to mingle with the flame of the candles. The flames flared, in response to the magic of the caster. A silent hum of energy resonated in the room, the very atoms vibrating with energy, the call to magic clear in intent.

Panicked eyes looked at Sirius, Lucius realizing the particular ritual Sirius had started. Unfortunately for the blonde, he was bound and silenced and had no way to interrupt his fate.

Words of power in Latin fell from Sirius's mouth, strands of pure magic connecting the five candles in a pentagram, the energy reaching a high pitch as he spoke. As the words stopped so did everything in the room, the energy pausing suddenly, the high strung tension reaching new heights.

Taking a deep breath, Sirius pushed through with the ritual, the weight of magic cloaking him with an indescribable power.

Switching to English, he spoke the last words to finish the ritual.

"In the name of Narcissa Druella Black, daughter of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, I, Lord Sirius Orion Black, Head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black ask Lady Magic to strip Lucius Malfoy of his title and house in reparation for the injury he caused Narcissa Malfoy. I beseech thee, Lady Magic, to impart vengeance on he who has hurt and betrayed a daughter of my house."

As his words died down, the pentagram glowed brightly, energy resonating from them. Lucius's struggle to leave increased. Just as the light reached a blinding height, Lucius's struggle paid off as he hit a vase beside him, which started a very weird chain reaction that somehow ended in a curtain falling on the candles and catching fire.

"Shit!" Sirius cursed, his exhausted core unable to conjure water.

"Sirius!" Remus exclaimed as he hurriedly cast a water charm, directing it towards the fire. Steam engulfed the room as the fire slowly died down as did the visibility of the room. Urgent spell casting followed hurried steps as the steam dissipated and Astrid's worried gaze fell on the two men in the room.

Two?

"Where is Lucius?" She asked urgently.

Sirius looked up from where he was half-kneeling on the floor. Cruses left his mouth when he realized that in the pandemonium Lucius had escaped.

"Did the ritual work at least?" Remus questioned.

A grimace made its home on Sirius's face.

"Partly."

"Partly?"

"Partly, he no longer has any access to anything of the Malfoy's, but I couldn't finish the second part, since he is no longer part of the family, the previous binding on his magic vanished."

"Okay. Okay. That's...That's fine. We can work with that." Astrid breathed out.

"Get Cissy and Draco. They're coming to the manor. I don't want them here where Lucius can reach them." Sirius stated once he had partially recovered.

Astrid nodded and left to get the others while Remus helped Sirius stand up. Once they had packed and Narcissa had ordered the elves to various black properties, Draco warded up the house as the last of the Malfoy line now that his father was out.

The next few days were spent in a slump as everyone tried to get over the events of that day. Narcissa hid away in her rooms, only coming out for meals, Astrid spent the majority of her time with her, putting her numerous projects to the side for a while. Draco too was in a similar slump, he moved around the manor, spoke, and ate, but the self-confidence he seemed to carry before was now completely lost.

It was one such morning where the two youngest of the house sitting in the library, focused on their summer homework when the blonde finally broke.

A strangled cry left the pureblood's mouth as he threw his eagle quill across the floor. Frustration coating his actions.

"Draco?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"I can't- I can't do this! How do you even-How do you do this? Be so - so normal after everything that happened to you when I can't even do it when what happened to me is literally nothing compared to you?" He asked, his voice lost, so unlike the overconfident drawl of before or even the vacant tones of the past few days. He tugged at hair, his composure crumbled leaving behind a broken boy whose life view had shattered and who was now adrift with no lifeline in sight.

Harry sighed as he set down his quill and turned his green eyes onto his companion.

"Draco."

"Draco look at me." He stated firmly.

With the dazed grey eyes gazing into his own, he spoke in a calm voice which made the words spoken appear just that much more chilling.

"I am not normal Draco. I never was. I never will be. I was, am being hailed for something I don't even remember, something that made me not normal, something that cost me a normal childhood, normal family, a normal everything. For the first ten years of my life, I was called boy and freak, I was hit, starved, neglected, and worked worse than a house-elf. The second I found out about the wizarding world I thought at least here I will be normal, I will be where no one will look at me like a freak, but no. Even here I am not normal. No matter how prettily people and everyone dresses it, call me a savior, a miracle, it's not true. It. Is. Not. True. People don't survive the killing curse, I was again not normal, something out of the ordinary. Never mind the fact that not even a single year has passed at Hogwarts where it has been normal for me." A broken smile that seemed to change the whole atmosphere of the room graced his face.

"The thing is Draco no one is normal, because normal doesn't exist. Everyone has parts of themselves they don't consider normal, all we can do is survive, and live. Your father is a horrible person and till now you did put him on a pedestal, but now you are forming your opinions making your own name. And you will survive because you are Draco Malfoy and sure you're an arrogant prat but you are also intelligent and resourceful and you should be proud of yourself."

The blonde sat in silence, letting the words of the dark-haired teen wash over him, finding no comfort but a kind of resonance. The words looped around in his head, searing into his brain.

Looking at his gaze focused intently on the parchment in front of him, Harry smiled softly at Draco before getting up and leaving the blonde to his further musings.