What a Mother Does
Lucius observed Sirius with a small crooked smile after the comment about his appearance. Though he did not really seem bothered.
"Oh, this… is a small price to pay for great power and proof of what I had to suffer in order to escape that horrible place," Lucius said naturally while tracing the deformed side of his face, though not with disgust, but with pride, as if he were touching a heroic medal.
"That sounds really metaphorical just to say you crawled out of a giant one eyed octopus," Sirius said with a mocking smile.
"I think its name is Gargantos," Harry said lightly.
"What? That thing has a name?" Sirius looked somewhat surprised.
Harry simply shrugged. After all, it was one of his mother's summons.
But the small conversation between Sirius and Harry did not seem to amuse Lucius very much, who merely gave them a glance before immediately ignoring them and turning his gaze toward Selene Greengrass and then toward Narcissa.
"So in the end, this is what you wanted. You destroyed the entire commercial empire I created, broke promises, ruined connections with the most elite houses, betrayed me, and joined blood traitors. Do you realize what our son has become because of you?" Lucius said while staring directly at Narcissa, who looked back at her former husband calmly.
"Of course. I've seen what he became and what he continues becoming as he grows. Because I'm always there for him. And as his mother, I couldn't be more proud," Narcissa said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, without changing her expression even slightly.
If there was any change, it was only the proud look in her eyes when she briefly glanced toward Draco.
Who could not help smiling, though he quickly forced his expression back into a calm one.
Lucius let out a faint sigh.
"You never change, do you, Narcissa? Caring more about useless things instead of raising our son as the next elite of the magical world. Luckily for you, I've returned. And I'll give you two choices. One is to return to my side as my family. Or the other is to reject the hand I'm extending toward you and suffer the consequences alongside those mudbloods, half bloods, and blood traitors," Lucius said as if he no longer had any interest in continuing the conversation.
"It really feels like going back to Hogwarts. You're still exactly the same even after your little transformation, Lucius," Sirius said while interrupting him, pulling out his wand with obvious irritation after hearing the blatant threat.
Lucius made an annoyed expression after being interrupted by Sirius again and looked toward Armand.
"Could you please shut up this filthy dog?" he said.
"Sure," Armand answered without changing his expression as he pulled out his own wand.
But the moment he grabbed it, a silver flash moved toward him at tremendous speed, as if it had been waiting for that brief moment of distraction.
It was Luciel.
Luciel appeared directly in front of Lucius and Armand, attacking with his sword directly toward Armand's heart in a lethal thrust.
Straight toward his father's heart.
But before the blade could pierce Armand's skin, Luciel's sword was stopped by a magical defense that did not even tremble, while Armand wore a calm smile as he looked at his "beloved son."
"You still have a long way to go, Luciel, if you want to hurt me. Last time you killed my puppet, a very expensive one, actually. Which is why I still haven't punished you for it. But now that we're here…," Armand said while raising his wand and simply pointing it at Luciel.
And without even using an incantation, a green flash formed in a thousandth of a second and shot directly toward Luciel.
But before it could hit him, a white mist flew at incredible speed toward Luciel and yanked him to the side by the back of his neck.
Even faster than Luciel's monstrous speed.
While the instant death spell flew past, barely grazing him.
Luciel's eyes widened slightly because someone had moved even faster than him.
And he realized Sirius was now standing beside him, with a strangely relaxed expression while looking toward Armand.
Still holding Luciel by the neck.
"Hey, I think that spell is a bit much for punishment," Sirius said with clear disdain in his voice. "Though well, I guess it depends on the family. In my family, my father used to punish me with Cruciatus," he added.
After hearing those words, both Draco and Harry glanced sideways at each other as if saying at the exact same time:
"That explains a lot."
"A Black. Your surname precedes you. I met some of your relatives. If I'm not mistaken, you're the abandoned pup none of them wanted, correct? Despised by your family. Must have been hard," Armand said while looking directly at Sirius.
"Honestly? Not at all. I found a much better family. They treated me like their son, like their brother. Being despised by the Black family couldn't have been better. It only proves blood isn't everything, especially when your parents are complete bastards," Sirius said calmly while patting Luciel on the shoulder.
"And seeing your face reminds me of the bastard who was my father. A disgusting man who only pretended, but whose heart and soul were even darker than his own surname. Makes me wonder how my mother ever managed to love someone like that. Though she was just like him, so…"
Before Sirius could finish speaking, Armand's expression turned dry, almost irritated by his words, and he raised his wand again.
Sirius reacted instantly and his body transformed into magical particles and swirling smoke that moved at tremendous speed, dodging several green Avada flashes.
But none of them hit. It was like trying to strike a shooting star.
With a sound similar to Apparition, Sirius reappeared right beside Draco and Harry, dropping Luciel where he had been standing before.
"Stay here. Don't worry, you'll get your chance," Sirius murmured in a calm tone only for Luciel.
Before his body transformed again into those particles very similar to Apparition. Except he could move through the battlefield like a comet instead of simply disappearing and reappearing somewhere else.
Armand raised his wand.
"Fiendfyre!" he roared while black flames burst from the tip of his wand, trying to consume Sirius.
But Sirius's speed was much faster than the spell, appearing in front of Armand in a blink while his hand appeared right in front of the other man's face before dragging him away and throwing him several meters back.
"Boom."
The sound of Armand crashing into a tree echoed out, the tree collapsing from the force with which he had been slammed into it.
"GRAAAAH!" Armand shouted full of fury, standing up almost immediately completely out of control from rage.
And without another word, he began firing Avadas wildly in uncontrolled bursts, not caring about magical consumption or who he attacked.
"Wow. You lose control really fast," Sirius mocked while weaving through the spells using his Apparition.
"You're just a filthy worm," Armand said while gripping his wand tightly.
And suddenly pointed forward.
"Fiendfyre!" he roared, and a massive wave of black fire shot toward Sirius.
Sirius smiled mockingly while simply crouching slightly and striking the ground twice with his wand.
Then an enormous wall of earth rose upward, stopping the infernal flames, which the moment they touched the wall began turning the dirt into molten rock.
But Sirius looked fairly relaxed and moved his wand, drawing several circles over the wall in front of him.
Then on the other side, formed from the molten rock itself, several lions still burning with flames appeared and charged directly toward Armand to attack him.
Draco, Luciel, and Harry, upon seeing this, could not help but feel he was using the same moves Harry used during the last trial, though with some differences.
Harry let out an amused snort, realizing his godfather was just trying to show off even while fighting with his life on the line.
Both Selene and Narcissa obviously noticed this, rolled their eyes, and let out faint sighs.
Before Narcissa looked directly toward Lucius.
"About what you proposed to me, Lucius… before answering, I'd like to ask you for something," Narcissa said calmly.
Lucius, with a proud smile as if he already expected Narcissa to surrender to him, simply answered:
"Of course. Anything for my beloved wife," he said, though the smile full of disdain never disappeared from his face.
"I would like a divorce," Narcissa said with absolute calm.
Causing the atmosphere, aside from Sirius and Armand's fight, to fall into complete silence while Lucius's arrogant smile slowly disappeared.