If I Say Yes [UNFINISHED]

Chapter 14 - The Penny Drops

"Well aren't you the brightest wand in the box."

Draco looked at Harry angrily from his position against the tree. The blood had begun to revive his body and he could feel the life return to it. He flexed his hands and the shivering that had wracked his body for many hours had finally subsided. He looked down at his hands and could see the colour return to his once pale skin.

Standing on shaky legs, Draco looked at the boy in front of him. Harry mirrored Draco's movements.

"What kind of idiotic Gryffindor hero are you, Harry?!" Draco exploded, fists clenched by his sides.

Harry avoided his eyes but knew that they were flashing an angry shade of silver.

"You decided that the best possible solution to all of this is to go on a suicide mission? What an utter, stupid, idiotic, pompous git you are!" Draco was breathing heavily. "You decided that out of every life you could have chosen, you chose to sacrifice yourself? What kind of Gryffindor heroism is this, Harry?!"

Harry's head snapped up at Draco's outburst and his eyes rested cooly on him.

"It wasn't the best solution, it was the only solution," Harry grit through his teeth, his nostrils flaring. "I wasn't just going to leave you to die!"

"You're an idiot, Potter," Draco shook his head and let out a short laugh.

Harry tried not to let Draco's words sting, but he couldn't help it. He knew Draco would be angry but he was just trying to help. He didn't want Draco to die. He wouldn't allow it.

Draco rounded on Harry once again. "How dare you let me drink the blood before telling me the consequences! How dare you choose to sacrifice yourself out of everyone else on the entire planet!"

"I wasn't just going to let some innocent person die in your place, Draco! That wouldn't be fair-"

"THIS ISN'T FAIR, HARRY!" Draco roared, storming over to his mate, inches away from him now. "How could you do this to me?" Draco's voice wavered as he looked deep into Harry's eyes.

Harry swallowed and tried to force his tears down. "I'm sorry, Draco, I-"

"You're sorry!" Draco scoffed, turning away from the boy, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair. "This isn't something you can just apologise for, Harry." He turned back to face him. "You... you're going to die," Draco choked out the last word.

"Draco, I..." Harry didn't know what to say. What could he say? He'd just told his Veriae he was going to die. Draco would have to live with this for the rest of his life. But there had been no other way.

"Don't you know that once a Veriae's mate dies, that they're subject to an endless suffering and painful turmoil?!" Draco yelled, panic settling within him. He couldn't go through that kind of pain, not again... Not for eternity.

"The Higher Ups told me it wouldn't be that way," Harry said calmly. "They told me that that can only happen when the mate has accepted the Veriae, not after. This way, it'll just be as if I never existed..." Harry trailed off, whispering the last sentence, feeling sick.

Draco looked at him, horrified. A life without Harry? As if he never existed? No.

"I'm going to see them," Draco said decisively, cutting Harry off. "I'm going to see the Higher Ups. They'll be able to fix this. They'll listen to me, I'm one of them."

Walking on unsteady legs, he brushed past Harry forcefully.

"Draco, no!" Harry grabbed Draco's arm to stop him. A shock ran up both boys' arms, but not the painful electric one before, this was different. Like before.