YokaiAngel - that was like the fastest review ever wow

AnimeNerdX - If you're tense, just imagine how Vlad feels! Try not to fall off your seat!

Guest - it was an angry rant for me, I'm a delicate marshmallow. And yes you can state your thoughts, but I can also answer them as others may have been thinking the same. As for progress... yeah, I didn't want it to all happen in one chapter after four years of story. Just seemed mental.

You may have noticed last update was early, and that is because I was nearly done with this chapter before that one was due, so I decided to move the new chapter day to a Friday - hoorah for productive weeks!

-YDHP-

"It vould really help if you tell him. I'm still finding the block."

Vlad shook his head, unable to find the words to openly say Harry was his. That he and Vlad were perfectly matched.

"Tell me what? Please, someone tell me what's going on here because I am really confused."

Harry pleaded, and Vlad hated himself for making his mate look so upset.

"I convinced Vladimir you needed a jolt to understand how you felt about him. He disagreed, but I can be quite persistent vhen I vant to be proved correct."

Bats, Vlad wished Viktor would stop talking because every sense of guilt and shame he had about being complicit in trying to mess with Harry's feelings was bubbling up inside his stomach.

"Wait. You fake-dated Vlad to prove I had feelings for him? Vlad... you agreed to this?"

There weren't really words that could make that ok, he knew that. But he had to try.

"No! I mean, yes I agreed to it but I didn't think it would work."

"You didn't think- wow."

Harry turned away, scrubbing a hand through his hair and Vlad could feel the other boys turmoil - meaning it was a particularly strong feeling. He ached to reach out and comfort Harry, but common sense said it would not be welcome.

"So you have this... I don't know, mate thing for me. You know we're best friends, and closer than most as it is, and you still thought there was no chance it would work? That's what you're telling me?"

Despite his inside knowledge, Vlad would rather not be having this conversation with Viktor present but Harry didn't seem to care.

"Yes. As far as I ever knew, you were straight as an arrow and only saw me as a friend. If you read that, you would know there's no guarantee these bonds are mutual, reciprocated. Hell, they aren't even supposed to happen with humans! You're literally uncharted waters, why would I assume anything?"

Vlad jumped when Viktor placed a hand on his shoulder, jogging him out of his elevating emotional turmoil. He couldn't risk lashing out magically - he would never hurt Harry, but he might break the silencing ward and shield charm, announcing far too much to the outside world. He nodded to show he understood, then went right back to staring at Harry.

"Then why agree to this? I mean, no offence Krum I know you're a good friend to him, but I couldn't have imagined Vlad doing this... to anybody."

Harry was right. His idea or not... Vlad had certainly been complicit and watched for signs Harry was affected. A deep, selfish part of him had almost hoped Harry hurt over it, hoped for even a tiny sign Harry could feel the same about him.

"It vas my idea. I'm fairly certain he only agreed to shut me up. It vas eating him up not talking about this, I offered him that vith no judgement. Naturally, I expect you vould be his first choice, but that vas not an option for obvious reasons."

"That isn't the point. Vlad, you should have talked to me?"

"When? You have freaked out about every single implication our friendship was anything more, from anybody. What would I have achieved other than losing my best friend? Why didn't you talk to me if it was bothering you?"

Vlad realised his mistake as soon as he said it, bolstered by Harry turning and indicating their audience - Viktor, still with a hand on Vlad.

"Because as far as I knew, you had a boyfriend and I respected that too much to risk... damnit. I can't be mad at you for doing the same thing I've done. I still wish you hadn't lied... who else knew about this?"

"Does it matter? I asked them not to say anything."

"Hermione sent me after you. I was just waylaid by Ingrid, then him."

That explained Ingrid... wait. Hermione sent Harry?

"She did what? What did Hermione say?"

"Pointed out I was a bit blind not to notice... is it strictly necessary he be here?"

Vlad turned to Viktor, unsure what to say without alienating his friend.

"Yes."

Harry looked hurt, but Vlad had to consider the wider picture for just a second.

"I don't know where you intend for this conversation to end up, but he's a part of this. He's been kind of invaluable as a friend through all of this."

"You've only known him two months, and you've told him more about how you feel about me than you've told me in four years."

"Actually, Vlad told me very little. I am just annoyingly persistent, and perhaps observant to a fault vhen it comes to vampires."

"Then why not focus on Ingrid?"

Even Vlad was surprised Harry asked that, as if that answer wasn't kind of obvious. And maybe a little hurt by it - was he forever to be compared to his sister?

"I consider Ingrid a friend, but she is... vell, female."

"Oh. Right. So you were... interested in Vlad?"

"Yes, but I understood very quickly he..."

Viktor's words stuck, and Vlad knew what that was - he had to vamp up and tell Harry straight.

"He what?"

"I cannot say."

Harry turned to Vlad, needing answers more with each second.

"He isn't lying, he physically cannot say it. I don't know what Hermione said to you, because she shouldn't have been able to say anything. Ignoring that I begged her not to say anything to you anyway..."

"Why?"

If Vlad actually explained, it was as good as admitting it. But then Harry was definitely smart enough to work it out. At this point Vlad was just being a coward about it.

"Only the vampire in question can reveal it to their mate. Otherwise nobody else can tell them. Sort of... it's like inbuilt magic to make sure you have the choice. That's what this was always about Harry. I never wanted you to feel like you didn't get the choice."

Harry had stopped looking at him by this point, pulling his glasses off to rub at the bridge of his nose and his face scrunched up in thought. In any other circumstance, Vlad would describe him as adorable.

"How long?"

"How long what?"

"Have you felt this way? Or... known you would, I guess."

Vlad could never forget the day, even when he was trying to ignore it, to fight it and deny it was possible between vampire Vlad and mostly-human Harry. He couldn't say too much in front of Viktor without betraying Harry's privacy, which made it a little difficult.

"The day I told you about your grandfather. Second year."

The green eyes widened so fast Vlad was concerned about a magnification spell for a minute until they stopped, Harry's face darkening as he searched for the memories. The bond pulsed anxiously, Vlad's fear of rejection powerful as he tensed in preparation of that pain.

"What happens? To you I mean, if we just stayed friends?"

"It isn't going to kill me if that's what you're asking. But you need to decide you can stay my friend, because I don't know that I can take another hit like last year."

If Harry couldn't do it, Vlad would eventually be able to function again without his mate. It would hurt, he would always be missing half his soul and losing a best friend would suck on any level, but he would get past it. However Vlad was fairly sure he only had one more go-round left in him.

"I gotta... I need to think. I'm gonna go talk to... mmm.?"

Harry cast one last look at Vlad, then turned and walked away. It wasn't a total rejection, but it still hurt.

"Are you alright?"

"Peachy. I'm still mad at you about that" Vlad indicated the book Viktor showed to Harry "because you forced my hand, and you made me hurt him. But..." he drew on the forgiving nature his father had not yet scared out of him "your heart was in the right place, and I can't fault you for that."

He knew where Harry would go, the first person he would turn to when Vlad wasn't an option. Or rather, persons. Samael and Lily, the only ones who could be told absolutely anything and not a single person in the entirety of Hogwarts would ever know, as nobody else spoke Parselmouth.

"Vlad?"

Rubbing his sore chest ineffectively, Vlad turned to his pseudo-boyfriend.

"What?"

"Told you so."

Dropping into the trunk was both a massive relief and a heady reminder - Vlad had done this for him.

"Wizard?"

Lily spent a great deal of time down here with Samael herself now, knowing it was more imperative than ever Harry's parseltongue abilities be kept a secret. Upon Harry's arrival, she slithered up and wound around his leg, now long enough to make the trip up his body fast and slink around his neck. Feeling her rub her head on his cheek affectionately, Harry felt better already.

Samael wasn't far behind her, his enormous head a welcome sight as it bumped Harry's chest gently and both snakes made non-word hisses, just murmurs of happy sounds for Harry's presence. They were bonded to him... just like Vlad was. Merlin, that was a harsh truth to absorb, but also a bizarrely appealing one.

He could make Vlad this level of happy. That was completely within his power, but he had to come to terms with a few home truths. Vlad had lied to him - with the best of intentions, but it wasn't heaven's road paved with good intentions. And clearly, Harry was not as straight as he thought. He knew that ultimately didn't matter - Vlad and Viktor's high-profile coming out had mostly only incurred the wrath of jealousy, there was very little homophobia in the wizarding population itself.

Seamus not-withstanding.

"Are you alright wizard?"

"It's been a mad couple of days."

Samael picked up Harry with his tail, slinking into the 'outdoor' space that was truly an incredible feat of magic and Vlad had done it just so Harry wasn't missing Samael. He really had been blind. Forming a wide coiled shape, Samael let Harry settle against the scales and relax for a few minutes before prompting him to talk about what troubled him.

Harry explained, hissing for what felt like forever as he basked in magically created sunlight against cool scales and with his two reptilian familiars.

"If you are open to reciprocating his feelings, what is the problem?"

"It's so... final. We're fourteen years old, Vlad is immortal and going by what I read, the closer I let Vlad get to me the worse it would be on him if I change my mind."

"Why would you change your mind?"

Samael and Lily both fixed him with beady eyes, awaiting his answer and flicking tongues out to taste his emotions on the air.

"I don't know. I just know I couldn't hurt him like that. And it would never be slow - Vlad is basically madly in love with me, I'm still finding my bearings in all these feelings so it would be nought to sixty straight away. That's... its a lot to get my head around."

Lily rolled her eyes, slithering down to sit in Harry's lap and looking rather comical as she balanced herself upright in that position. However, it was Samael that spoke.

"You think your vampire would rush your feelings, after he has hidden his own for so long solely to ensure you never felt forced into anything?"

That was a very good point.

"No. No, I don't."

He needed to have a serious conversation with Vlad, he knew, but suddenly it all seemed to lay out so simply before him. Vlad would never hurt Harry, he would rather die. He couldn't really ask for anything more of the vampire who had sacrificed a great deal for him, simply to see Harry happy. Had taken a killing curse just to keep Harry alive, and never faltered no matter how bad a friend Harry had been sometimes.

"Wizard?"

"I need to talk to Vlad."

Harry was about to get up and go in search of the vampire, but then wondered if he could just bring Vlad to him. Strong emotional fluctuations... how close had Vlad gotten to him, if it was supposed to be an all or nothing deal?

Closing his eyes, Harry tried to choose something that would cause a sudden surge of emotion. An obvious contender came up - watching Vlad almost die in the First Task... had that really only been just over a month ago? The familiar terror rose up, and now Harry waited.

Samael noticed before Harry did, head turning to the side of the doorway as a voice called out from the central room.

"Harry? Are you in here? What am I doing... it's not like the snakes can answer me if he's not."

Apparently a little flustered, Vlad babbled to himself as he looked around before spotting Samael. The look of relief when he saw Harry unharmed was so pure and brilliant, it made Harry's heart tighten and Vlad's face reacted accordingly. Merlin, how had he never noticed the perception Vlad had? He slid down off Samael's coils, walking slowly over to Vlad.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine. I was uh... testing to see if I understood this right. You thought I was scared... right?"

Vlad nodded, eyes downcast as though his shoes were the most fascinating thing in the world.

"Right."

"What else? Can you feel, I mean?"

"Happy, sad, scared, angry... hungry. In pain. Sick. Nightmares. Any sudden or intense surge of emotion really."

"Can you really always find me?"

Vlad looked up, clearly debating how to answer.

"Not through Hogwarts warding spells. If we are both inside them or outside them, yeah. That's how... that's how I found you in Little Hangleton."

"Wow."

Harry had one more burning question, one he had been thinking about since he saw 'would take a stake for their mate'.

"Did you really know the curse wouldn't kill you?"

Vlad's eyes became turbulent oceans of emotion, and Harry knew the answer before he said it. A hand drifted to his chest absent-mindedly, rubbing the scar left from the curse in question.

"No. I didn't care, I just knew I couldn't live in a world without you."

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

"About the curse? Or... the mate thing?"

"Uh, both I guess."

Vlad looked away, biting his lip and momentarily distracting Harry because despite all of the things going on in his head, Harry couldn't help noticing Vlad, feeling the new and terrifying attraction.

"Honestly, I don't think about the curse thing much. Now I know it can't kill me, I mean. The other thing... I don't know. I never wanted you to feel pushed, so much of your life has been pre-set or chosen for you. I didn't want to be another thing you had no say in."

Damn, Vlad made it really bloody difficult to be angry at when he put it like that.

"Who else knows?"

"Uh, Viktor. I didn't tell him, he straight out asked. Ingrid and Bertrand... so probably Snape too, they worked it out. Hermione... she overheard Bertrand talking to me about it last year when I was... y'know, sick. That's it. I've never actually told anyone, it's just very hard to deny."

They had drifted closer unintentionally, and it felt very strange in the 'outdoor' space because it felt public, but really there were few places more private. If they ignored the snake-y audience.

"You're going to have to stop keeping secrets from me."

"You might have noticed... I can't lie to your face."

Vlad still had a couple of inches height on him, but he was clearly feeling wrong-footed by Harry's proximity and the tension in the air and seemed to be trying to shrink in on himself, eyes mostly on the floor.

"I don't want to tell anyone... you're right, my life is such a bloody free-for-all."

"Tell anyone what?"

He wasn't even looking at him, and Harry still knew there would be a desperate sort of hope in his face regardless. Heart pounding, Harry placed a hand on Vlad's cheek and ducked his own head to press his mouth to Vlads. He yielded instantly, letting Harry lead and making a soft sound in the back of his throat, a sound Harry wanted to hear again and again.

He expected to feel awkward again like before, when he had been sufficiently panicked enough to turn into a bird in a snowstorm. This time though, Vlad was smiling and his cheeks were tinged pink, usually dark eyes lit up and Harry felt utterly at ease - like he always did around Vlad.

"That."

"Damnit."

Harry knew a moments confusion, watching as Vlad's face clouded with what could only be described as a sulky pout.

"What?"

"Oh! No! Not you. Just... Viktor was there when I left to come here and said he thought this would happen, and that he was happy to cover for us if you wanted this to stay quiet. On one condition."

Still confused, but less scared Vlad was pulling some elaborate prank, Harry tilted his head.

"Which is?"

"We have to both hang out with him so he can irritate his headmaster even more. There are good reasons he and Ingrid get along... including that they love winding people up."

"Vlad?"

"Hmm?"

"Shut up."

Before his friend could think too hard, Harry kissed him again. Just because he could.

-YDHP-

AT LAST! And that's the end of Chosen Two...

Just kidding! Put down the pitch forks...

I had written and re-written and scrapped and re-planned so many ways that this part would go and I'm not sure I did it any justice but a grand total of... what, ninety seven chapters in? It's happened!