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Zayn swears the first time it happens, it’s honestly an accident.
They’re all leaving Advanced Charms together, Louis lamenting about his Poor on his last essay.
“Told you I could’ve looked over it for you,” Harry laughs, stuffing his own Exceeds Expectations paper into his bag. There’s a strand of hair that’s escaped from where his blue and bronze Ravenclaw tie is holding back his curls, and it’s flopping uselessly over his eye.
“I want to get my grade on my own,” Louis huffs, and Zayn suspects the beginnings of a proper strop, “not because you rewrote my paper. And plus, you probably only got that grade because Professor Winston wants to bend you over his desk.”
Zayn rolls his eyes, already tired of hearing Louis’s endless ramblings on this topic. Harry for the most part looks unfazed, and Zayn suspects he’s gotten his own earful about it by now. Liam goes into a coughing fit though, and Niall crinkles his nose in disgust, blurting out a, “What the fuck, Tommo?”
Louis just shrugs in response. “You all know it’s true. Man’s a genuine sleazeball.”
Zayn’s bag splits just as an argument starts up about whether Winston’s good enough for Harry or not and he groans in frustration. It’s about the third time it’s happened this week. Damn his shitty bag and his shitty professors for assigning so much shitty reading.
“‘S okay, I got it. You guys go on to lunch,” he insists when Niall and Liam stop to help.
“You sure?” Niall asks, looking torn.
“Yeah, it’s nothing. I got it.”
Niall nods reluctantly, following Harry and Louis to the Great Hall, but Liam still stays behind because, of course he does. He’s Liam.
“You’ve got half the library stuffed into this bag. I’m surprised it didn’t give out sooner,” Liam teases, gathering Zayn’s books where they’ve scattered across the hall while Zayn uses a simple Mending Charm on his bag.
“Oh shove off, Liam,” Zayn laughs, not wanting to admit it’s already happened before. “Isn’t my fault the professors assign this much reading.”
They stuff Zayn’s books back into the bag together, fingers brushing occasionally and sending small flutters through Zayn’s stomach. It’s ridiculous really how Liam still makes him feel this way after so long.
Both of them are smiling a bit stupidly for no reason when they stand, and Liam looks like he’s about to say something when he stops, eyes focusing on something above Zayn’s head.
“Oh, um, mistletoe,” he murmurs, cheeks turning a dusty pink.
Zayn’s not particularly surprised. The castle’s been decorated for weeks now to celebrate the holiday season, but he still feels his face warm a little.
“Suppose you’ve got to kiss me then, huh?” he asks, a teasing smile on his face, trying to keep things light and not wanting to make them awkward. “Can’t break tradition.”
Liam’s face flushes deeper but he presses a quick, dry kiss to Zayn’s mouth, ducking his head with a shy smile afterwards.
Zayn can’t wipe the grin off his face for the rest of the day.
--
The second time is definitely just a coincidence.
Liam’s sneaking Zayn into the Gryffindor common room where they’re supposed to be meeting the others, except there’s a problem.
“What do you mean the password’s changed?” Liam pouts up at the Fat Lady. “It was still ‘Saint Nick’ like twenty minutes ago.”
“I mean, I changed the password,” the Fat Lady repeats slowly like she’s talking to a child, and Zayn can’t help but laugh at the deepening frown on Liam’s face.
“Can’t you just let me in? You know I live here,” Liam insists.
“No password, no entry.”
“I’m sorry,” Liam sighs. “Times like this I wish I still had my mobile. Could’ve just texted Lou to let us in.”
“Your what?” Zayn asks.
“Nevermind.”
They stand around for nearly ten minutes, Liam trying different holiday related words in attempt to guess the password.
“Um, fairy lights? Garlands? Pudding? Mistletoe?”
“You may enter,” the Fat Lady finally says, and Liam lets out a small cheer before remembering it’s after hours and they’re not meant to be out of bed.
Zayn’s eye catches on something as their passing through the portrait hole, and he grabs onto Liam’s wrist, stopping him in his tracks.
“Mistletoe,” he grins.
“Yeah, ‘course that was the password,” Liam rolls his eyes. “Should’ve guessed that first, to be honest.”
Zayn giggles, shaking his head. “No, like, I mean mistletoe.” He points to the top of the portrait hole where there’s a small twig of it hanging.
Liam’s eyes widen in surprise, but he grins. “Well, someone once told me I shouldn’t break tradition.”
He bends down to kiss Zayn again, this time a little deeper. Zayn smiles into the kiss. Liam’s not much taller than him but he presses onto his tiptoes anyway, arms thrown around Liam’s shoulders.
--
Zayn’s in the library with Louis and Niall one afternoon when they come across the spell.
“Dunno why you don’t just get Harry to look these over,” Zayn mumbles, scratching his way through Louis’s Transfiguration essay. “He offers at least ten times a day.”
“Because I trust you more,” Louis says simply. “And because Harry’s shit at editing.”
Zayn can’t deny that. Harry’s definitely the type that’s too nice to point out what’s wrong with Louis’s essay - everything - even if he’ll discuss with Zayn later how many mistakes he’d found in it.
Niall’s ignoring both of them, head bowed over his own essay, face so close to his parchment that he’s got a smudge of ink across his nose and so deep in concentration that he doesn’t even realize his yellow and black tie’s dipped into his inkwell.
“Horan, you’re a mess,” Louis says fondly and with a softness he usually reserves only for Niall. He lifts up Niall’s tie and siphons away the ink with the same charm Zayn’s seen his mum use a thousand times growing up. “What are you working on anyway?”
“Charms,” Niall mumbles. “Extra credit essay. Was hoping it’d bring my grade up a bit. Da wasn’t too happy when he got an owl the other week that I was close to failing.”
“You’re only failing because you never turn anything in,” Zayn snorts, “you’re ace at the tests and I’ve never seen you have to try a spell more than twice before getting it right in class.”
Niall makes a humming noise in the back of his throat that could mean agreement or frustration. Zayn’s not exactly sure.
“What’s this essay on then?” Louis asks, snatching Niall’s essay from him and reading over the first few lines while Niall complains, trying to get it back.
“Mistletoe charm?” Zayn asks, reading over Louis’s shoulder. “Is that even a real thing?”
Louis’s cackling as he hands the essay back to Niall who’s turned a soft pink. “It was the only topic left because I picked late.”
“You could put that to good use,” Louis teases Zayn, a sparkle in his eye that usually means trouble.
Zayn scrunches up his face in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“Mistletoe charm. Maybe if you get Liam to kiss you a few more times, he’d get it through that thick skull of his that you actually fancy him.”
“I’m not putting a Mistletoe charm on Liam,” Zayn splutters. “Louis that’s -”
“Brilliant? Thanks, Zayn, I thought so too.”
“I’m not doing it,” Zayn deadpans. “I’m sure that Liam knows I fancy him. It - this won’t change anything.”
“Might not be a horrible idea,” Niall mutters, not looking up from his essay. “Maybe Payno just needs that push. He definitely fancies you too. We’ve all been wondering why you haven’t hooked up yet.”
“Go back to your essay, Niall.”
Louis keeps insisting the rest of the night that the charm’s the right way to go until Zayn’s closing his Potions book in frustration, a headache starting to press against his temples. Louis follows him to the Ravenclaw common room though, still tittering about the charm until Zayn finally turns around and snaps.
“Fine, Lou, fine. We’ll try the bloody charm. It’s not going to work though. If Liam really did you know, like me, he’d have done something about it by now, wouldn’t he have?” Zayn says.
Louis shrugs. “Honestly, he’s probably wondering why you haven’t done anything yourself. But I guess we’ll see.”
--
It’s an easy charm to cast. Zayn corners Liam under an arrangement of mistletoe on purpose the next morning, grinning into the kiss that Liam places on his mouth. In his mind he says the incantation until they part, both of them bright-eyed and smiling goofily.
He’s not sure if it works until he sees Liam next outside their History of Magic class, a sprig of mistletoe appearing seemingly out of nowhere as they walk through the door. It disappears right after Liam kisses him, and if Liam’s noticed, he gives no indication of it.
Zayn will never admit it, but maybe Louis was right. Maybe this isn’t such a horrible idea.
--
“Funny isn’t it?” Liam says, a couple days after Zayn firsts casts the charm. “Feel like there’s mistletoe wherever we go.”
It’s just the two of them at the Three Broomsticks during the last Hogsmeade visit of the year. Mistletoe is growing right above the small table they’ve managed to grab as they wait for the others to come back from Zonko’s.
Zayn’s stills a little, wondering where exactly Liam is going to take this. “Oh, um, suppose there is. I’m not really complaining though, I guess.”
Liam eyes him, an eyebrow raised in question as Zayn shifts uncomfortably in his seat. It’s a bit much, having Liam’s gaze on him like this all intense like. Zayn has a feeling Liam knows exactly what’s been going on and something twists in his gut as he imagines Liam storming off, beyond angry that he’s been charmed.
Instead Liam’s gaze softens, and he reaches out across the table, laying his hand on top of Zayn’s. It’s soft and warm and his touch makes Zayn’s heart skip a beat.
“I’m not really complaining either, to be honest,” Liam grins and Zayn relaxes, interlacing their fingers together.
--
“I want to kiss Liam,” Zayn blurts out two days before they’re all set to go home for Christmas break.
Harry doesn’t even look up from his reading, his eyebrows just furrowing slightly as he mumbles, “You’ve been kissing Liam every day for the past week.”
“I want to kiss him without the mistletoe though,” Zayn explains. It’s the only thing that’s been on Zayn’s mind since the Hogsmeade visit, and it’s absolutely driving him insane.
“Reverse the charm,” Harry says, still not looking up from work, “and then kiss him. Not that hard, Zayn.”
“I don’t know how.”
Harry puts his quill down at that, grin spreading wide across his stupid face. “What’s that?”
“Um, we didn’t really like, look into how to reverse the charm? Or if there is a way to reverse it?” Zayn says, smiling a bit sheepishly.
“Well, I do like a challenge.” Harry’s grin widens further, and Zayn swears, sometimes he’s even more trouble than Louis.
They take to the library, because that’s the Ravenclaw way to do things, isn’t it? It takes hours of pouring over outdated texts, but they find the reversal eventually, Zayn groaning when he sees it.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Is this the only way?”
Harry shrugs, opening up yet another dusty old textbook. “‘S the only thing we’ve got so far. It’s this or live with the charm forever.”
Zayn resists banging his head down on the wooden table in front of him. He really never should’ve listened to Louis in the first place.
--
To reverse the Mistletoe charm, the charmer must avoid the charmee for a period of at least twenty-four hours. Any less, and the charmer will be indicating that he wants the charm to continue and he will not have another chance for reversal until the next holiday season. Full reversal requires the charmer to not only avoid physical contact with the charmee, but to also stay a minimum of ten feet from the charmee at all times.
--
Avoiding Liam is, unsurprisingly, difficult.
It’s not difficult during meals when he can hide out in the library or on the grounds or in his common room, but classes are a different thing. Zayn’s got a handful of his Thursday classes with Liam, and it’s the absolute worst, coming into the room and taking a seat as far from Liam as possible while Liam sends him confused looks that he resolutely ignores.
Seeing Liam’s puppy dog pouts from across the room makes Zayn’s heart physically hurt, but what’s worse is when he walks into his last class of the day and Liam’s face slips into a steely expression, avoiding eye contact and making guilt settle deep in Zayn’s stomach. As soon as they’re dismissed, Zayn bolts from the class with his head down, walking past Liam without a word.
“This sucks,” Zayn pouts, pushing food around his plate during dinner. He glances up occasionally to where Liam’s sitting with Louis at the Gryffindor table, but only when he’s sure Liam’s not looking.
“‘S just twenty-four hours, mate,” Niall consoles with an arm around Zayn’s shoulder and Zayn sighs, tucking his face into the crook of Niall’s neck. “Time’s almost up too. It’ll be okay.”
“But Liam’s upset with me,” Zayn mumbles against Niall’s skin. “He probably thinks I hate him or something.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t,” Harry says through a mouthful of food. “Liam knows you could never hate him.”
Zayn chances another glance at the Gryffindor table, and of course he locks eyes with Liam. It’s just for a second, and then Liam’s turning away with a blank expression to say something to Louis. Zayn watches them whisper furiously to each other before Liam sighs, pushing his plate away and walking out of the Hall. Zayn’s never felt worse in his life.
--
There’s no classes on Friday, and the morning’s spent last-minute packing and rushing onto the train. Zayn and Louis are almost the last ones on, luckily managing to nab a compartment in the back of the train to themselves.
“No word from Liam yet then?” Louis asks once they’re all settled in.
Zayn shakes his head with a sigh. “Haven’t seen him at all today. This is all your fault. Shouldn’t have cast that stupid charm in the first place.”
Louis actually looks sorry when he gathers Zayn in a hug. Zayn settles against him comfortably for a second, reveling in his warmth and familiarity.
“Listen, I’ll fix this,” Louis says, giving Zayn one last tight squeeze. “I’ll be right back, eh?”
He’s out of the compartment before Zayn can say a word, leaving Zayn all alone confused and upset. Zayn just shakes his head, pulling a book out of his bag and settling in with it until Louis comes back with whatever solution he has to this problem.
Zayn only gets through a few pages before the compartment door opens. Zayn looks up, expecting to see Louis. He’s surprised though when it’s Liam being pushed through the door, struggling with Louis on the other side.
“Louis, what the hell are you doing - stop.”
“This is for your own good, Payno. You’ll thank me for this later,” Louis says with a sharp grin. He shuts the door forcefully once Liam’s all the way inside.
Liam lets out a huff of frustration, already turning to leave. “I’ll just uh - get out of here,” he mumbles, determinedly not looking at Zayn.
“No, Liam, wait, I need to talk to you.”
Zayn grabs Liam’s arm, letting go immediately when a sprig of mistletoe appears in the doorway of the compartment.
Liam looks up at it guiltily as Zayn scowls.
“What the fuck? This stupid bloody mistletoe,” he groans.
“Is this what this is about?” Liam says, paling a little. “The mistletoe? Are you - fuck, are you upset with me because of that?”
“Why would I be upset with you?” Zayn asks. “This isn’t your fault.”
Liam’s still avoiding his eye. Zayn traces his face carefully. Liam’s always been an open book to him, even when they were young and just learning about each other, and the guilt in his expression is evident.
Zayn grabs one of Liam’s hands, his other going up to cup Liam’s face. “Liam, what’s wrong?”
Liam looks torn but he must make some sort of decision because he’s blurting out, “I sort of cast this stupid charm that makes mistletoe appear whenever we’re together and it’s been going on for a few weeks now and I don’t how to make it stop. I just wanted to kiss you like all the time but like obviously you don’t want to kiss me anymore and I’m so sorry, Zayn, fuck I’m so stupid -”
Relief like Zayn’s never felt in his life floods through him and he smiles, cutting Liam off with a fond, “Oh, babe.”
Zayn leans in, kissing Liam firmly and with much more purpose than they’ve ever kissed before. It’s soft and sweet, but it’s with intent, Zayn sucking on Liam’s bottom lip briefly like a promise of more.
“What would you say if I said I cast the same charm on you?” Zayn laughs when they part.
He can’t seem to stop giggling, especially when Liam goes slack-jawed and wide-eyed.
“Are you serious?” Liam asks. “But then you, like, didn’t talk to me yesterday? I thought you were upset or something?”
Zayn kisses him again quickly. “Harry and I found a way to break the charm. Gotta avoid the person you cast the charm on for twenty-four hours or summat. Real dumb stuff. I wanted to get rid of this stupid charm so I could kiss you for like real. Just because I wanted to and not because of some plant hanging above our heads.”
Liam’s answering grin is so bright that Zayn thinks it could rival with the sun. He’s laughing too, peppering Zayn’s face with feathery kisses that makes Zayn start giggling again under his touch.
“God, this is the best thing I’ve ever heard,” Liam smiles, just holding Zayn for a second. “But does that mean I can’t like talk to you or anything for twenty-four hours again to break my side of the spell? Like obviously it’s still not properly broken.”
The mistletoe around them seems to have multiplied, spreading around in twisting garlands all over the compartment. It’d be pretty if it wasn’t a bit terrifying.
“Suppose so,” Zayn shrugs. “Though think of it this way. We have all of break, so it’ll be easier. Then when we get back to school you can kiss me whenever and wherever you want.”
“I’ve changed my mind,” Liam laughs, kissing Zayn again, and then a second time probably just because he can. “That is the best thing I’ve ever heard.”