I'm not particularly excited with this one, so I might have to concede the loss to

lilith1631 this time. It was better before I had to delete 69 words, lol! But I shall prevail on the next one! *fires cannons excitedly*

Title: Like a Hole in the Head
Words: 500
Rating: PG13
Warnings: Fluffishness?
Summary: Draco does not want to be Harry's mate. What's new?

Prompts: Quakers and trepanation
Shared condition: Veela fic!

Like a Hole in the Head

Harry exited the cab and stalked up the path toward the front doors of Woodbrooke Clinic, nearly ignoring the man in a Muggle business suit struggling to keep up with him.

“Where is he?” Harry snapped.

A hand clutched at his arm. “Mr. Potter, sir… Mr. Malfoy does not want to see you…”

“I don’t care what he wants!” Harry thundered. “He’s not in his right mind! If Hermione is correct about your methods, he won’t be in his right mind ever again!”

Mr. Martinson drew himself up stiffly. “Our methods are highly effective.”

“If the patient survives!”

“That is a risk Mr. Malfoy is willing to take.”

“Well I am not! As his mate, I am here to stop this nonsense,” Harry snarled.

“Mr. Potter!” The man sounded outraged. “We are Friends! Commonly known as Quakers, as you know, but regardless of what we are called we believe in personal freedom. It is no man’s right to dictate the will of another. This procedure can eliminate your dependence on one another.”

Harry allowed himself to be ushered inside to a private office. Harry looked around for another exit to the room. He was nearly frantic to find Draco.

Martinson continued, “We believe this… Veela thing to be little better than slavery. Mr. Malfoy has no wish to be bonded to you and will do anything to rid himself of his… condition.”

Harry winced. He had been just as reluctant as Malfoy at first, but as he had grown to accept the inevitability of their bond, he had assumed Malfoy would do the same. It was a harsh blow to discover otherwise.

A bookcase slid sideways to disclose a man in a concealed passageway. Harry did not pause to think, but raced past the shocked fellow and down the corridor, questing with senses still new, but extraordinarily keen. Shouts followed him, but he did not slow. At last he slammed through a door to find Malfoy lying on an operating table. He looked still as death.

Harry threw himself at the blond, relieved to see the fair hair untouched.

“Malfoy, thank Merlin. Please, don’t do this. I swear I’ll do anything. If you hate being my mate this much, then I’ll go away forever. Just… don’t let them touch you.”

The thought of leaving Malfoy was crushingly painful, but it was far better than allowing anything to happen to him.

“You would leave me forever, Potter?” Malfoy asked softly.

“To keep you safe? Of course.”

“All right then. You can stay. I can’t believe you actually thought I would go through with this.”

Harry raised his head angrily. “This was a test?”

Malfoy snorted. “Honestly, Potter. Trepanation? Allowing someone to carve a hole in my head?”

“Then why?”

“I had to make sure you loved me enough to save me.”

“You are such a manipulative bastard!” Harry managed before Malfoy’s lips claimed his.

“But you love me.”

“Yes, I love you, idiot.” Perhaps this stupid Veela thing wasn’t so bad.

The War thus far...