A lot of people say Draco didn’t have a choice, but in a way, he did have a choice. Everyone has a choice.
His choice just shows the difference between a Slytherin primary and a Gryffindor primary. Draco knew what he was doing was wrong, but he pushed that aside, because he wanted to live and he wanted his family to live. A Gryffindor primary wouldn’t do that, because they will always do what is right.. even if that means going against their family. A Slytherin primary is all about loyalty to those they love, not their morals.
That shows the perfect difference between Sirius and Draco. Sirius did abandon his family to do what was morally right, but Draco did not. His family and his own life were more important than anyone else’s.
I sympathize with Draco majorly, and I do not hold his choices against him. He was young, he did not want to die, and he did not want his family to die. He did everything he did for them, not certain values.
You can’t get angry at people just because they make different choices than you. You have to understand that everyone is different. I’m a Gryffindor primary, and I know I would be like Sirius, but that doesn’t mean I give Draco shit for his choice.
I understand where Draco was coming from, and when you’re young like that, of course you’re going to make that choice (especially if you are a true Slytherin primary).
You cannot say Draco didn’t have a choice, because he did. Everyone has a choice, but you can’t get mad at Draco just because his choice was different from what your’s would have been. You have to remember that Draco didn’t do anything he did to be a bad person. He did it to protect his family, and he did it because that is what felt right to HIM.