An Exo-mas Carol I:

an odd date and an evil trick

“He’s going down. That I can assure you”

Sehun gulped down his Butterbear in one big sip, tapping on his chest to swallow it all, while Jongin was still ordering his first drink. They were at the Three Broomsticks, sat at the furthest table from the exit so that they could talk in peace. Or, in Sehun’s case, curse at a particular Slytherin.

“Actually Hun, it was just a harmless joke, can’t you-”

“NO!” Sehun’s voice boomed in the room, making several heads turn in their direction. Jongin tried to blend in with the wall, but his white hair was giving him some problems. “This is war Jongin, can’t you see?”

“No, I don’t” muttered the Hufflepuff, but he knew Sehun was now in Luhan’s-a- Land and had stopped listening to him.

“If he wants a fight, a fight he shall have, but I’m not going to play safe. Not after the leeks”

His ears, Jongin could almost see it, were fuming angry smoke. It had been several years since he had seen his best friend so inclined to murder; last time it had been when his father had decided to send him to an advance course for “Pure-blood gentlemen”, as the man had described it. Two days later and his son had had to be taken home after the classroom had mysteriously caught fire.

“Sehun, no”

“Sehun yes!” replied the Slytherin with a dangerous smirk “He’ll be dead by the end of the week”

Jongin sighed, sipping his cherry syrup. Behind his back he could hear the other students, mainly females, giggling and pointing at him, their stares burning holes into his skull. He tried to ignore it, but it was stronger than him: he turned, glaring at them, but the gesture only seemed to fuel their talks even more.

He should’ve stayed at Hogwarts, taking a nap in the common room or a walk in the Room of Requirements. He hadn’t gone in several days and the pull was growing stronger by the day, dangerously leading him to reckless actions.

At night it was the worst: every fiber of his being longed for that place where he could run free, being himself for a few precious hours, but it was difficult getting there unnoticed, especially when the security had oddly grown more tight those days.

He shook his head and tuned in the soliloquy Sehun was having.

“… could hex the bludger so that it throws his precious little off the broom, that could be nice, or maybe…”

Aaaand… he tuned out again. Sehun could be pretty scary if provoked and he didn’t want to be there when the teachers would not find Luhan anymore, mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

He was so tired. He placed his head on his hand and began gazing outside the window, yawning loudly. It was nearly Christmas and snow was falling in big flakes, making every sound a little softer, every yell a whisper, every heart a little warmer. His eye began to close.

After a few minutes Sehun’s voice faded and Jongin felt a hand quietly patting his head.

“Do you want to go have a look for some presents?”

He smiled.

“Sure”

Even when fuming with anger, Sehun could be unexpectedly gentle.

***

Kris stared at the two sugar quills in his hand, one blue and one green, wondering. Which one was the cooler color? Adjusting the thick scarf around his neck he opted for the blue one, definitely cooler, and went browsing for more candies for his mother. She had always had a sweet tooth for Honeydukes’ candies and had asked him a basket for Christmas.

When he was finished, he got out of the shop with a bag full of multicolored sweets and treats, all differently magical and, he hoped, tasty. Without anything to do in particular, he entered Zonko to look at the new line of enchanted jokes.

He was searching for the price of a Sneakoscope when he froze: right in front of him, with mirrored shocked expression, was Tao, followed by an incredibly bored Luhan.

As soon as he saw him, the first Slytherin cracked a wide smile and whispered something into Luhan’ ear. The latter muttered a faint “Whatever” and strode off, leaving them alone.

“Well, hello there Captain. Enjoying your trip?” said Tao in a soft voice, looking up at him with amusement.

In many ways, he and Luhan were very similar: both could be very pretty and very deadly at the same time. Kris knew this, nevertheless, even if outside he kept his cool attitude, inside he was melting: Tao was so close to him he could see the mischievous glint in his eyes.

If seen from afar one could say the Slytherin was an average guy, that up-close Kris couldn’t deny what he already knew: he was gorgeous, with thin, deep eyes, hidden behind the rebellious blond hair. Everything in his tall figure was a little bit wild, from the jumper half tucked in his pants, to the crooked wool hat on his head, but it made him look even more handsome.

Kris was sure to be very close to fainting when the unexpected happened.

“Do you want to have a drink?”

Kris furrowed his brows, taking a deep breath. Surely, he must have heard wrong.

“A what?”

“A drink”

“With you?”

Tao snorted.

“Do you see someone else asking you out?”

The Gryffindor bit his lip to prevent a scream. Tao was asking him out. TAO WAS ASKING- oh, for Merlin’s beard, that was going to be a difficult day.

So it was true, he thought, Tao had been following him around for a reason. He knew.

Somehow, the moment they entered the Three Broomsticks he suddenly wished to be dead. Like very, very dead. He wasn’t prepared for a situation like that, never even dreamt about it. His love was destined to be one-sided for the rest of his life, he hadn’t considered the fact that Tao could discover that big secret he was carrying since year one.

“What will you have?” he was asked, and he was able to barely let out a “Butterbear, please” before being pinned to his seat by a pair of cat eyes.

“So” started Tao “Heard you got yourself a fair share of good players this year.”

But in Kris head there was now space for only the loud beat of his heart, drumming against his ears.

“Sorry, what?”

“Quidditch Kris, Quidditch. You look a little stressed, are you okay?”

The Slytherin leaned forward and pressed his hand on his forehead, checking his temperature, and sure enough, Kris felt himself on fire.

Their drink arrived with perfect timing, saving him from the embarrassment of being the shade of tomato sauce without even having taken a sip.

“Are you…” he tentatively asked, trying to sound casual “Are you perhaps still mad for the list thing?”

The other wizard looked at him, momentarily taken aback, then laughed.

“Of course not. We’ll crush you in the next match, so it’s okay.”

Kris oddly found himself laughing along. He could never tell if Tao was joking or being serious. Or both.

“Well, I’m sorry for you, but I’m pretty sure that by the time you’ll score your first ten points, we’ll have already found the Golden Snitch”

“Oh yeah, want to bet on it?” asked Tao suggestively.

“Maybe. What’s in it for you?”

“How about a day being my slave. In exchange, you can have a free prank ticket”

Kris’ scar on his buttcheeks sang “Vengeance!”, but his mind was telling him “Absolutely not, are you insane?”. But Tao had already held out his hand, so he just nodded, shaking it firmly.

“Prepare yourself to carry my books all day, Gryffindor”

“Prepare yourself for a new nose, Slytherin”

There was a moment of silence, then they both cracked up. It was rather nice: they spent the rest of the evening talking about Quidditch and exams, about friends they shared and families. How bizarre it was that two students so alike had never really enjoyed what the other had to offer? They had always been some kind of rivals, but that day something was beginning to change.

Maybe it was the snow, coating everything with its special quiet magic, maybe it was the nice atmosphere of the place, warm and comfortable, enough for them to open up a little, or maybe it was just two wizards coming on terms with the fact that deep inside, they were very similar.

When it was time to go, Tao got up first, shooting him a weird smile.

“It’s been a pleasant day. See you tomorrow, I think.” He bit his lip “I’m almost sorry now to have put a U-no-poo in your drink now”

Kris was still dazed, barely registering Tao’s words over the fuzzy happiness spreading in his body.

“No problem, I’m sure… Wait, you did what?!”

But the Slytherin was already gone, leaving him alone, confused, and now apparently constipated.

***

Luhan was bored. Incredibly bored. He had been in the best mood since his winning leek attack at Sehun, but after that his week had slowly gone downhill with the amount of homework he had to do. He almost would have preferred staying at the castle to finish his pending essays than coming to Hogsmead, but when Tao had asked, he hadn’t had the heart to say no.

His best friend was looking for two things: Christmas presents for his family, and revenge (something that Luhan dearly respected), so when he had asked him to leave him and Kris alone, he hadn’t really complained.

For a good hour he just wondered around the store, not thinking about anything. His presents were already wrapped and ready to be delivered once he got back home for the holidays and his mother had already told him that on Christmas day they would be attending a party thrown by the Minister of magic himself, so his plans were pretty much settled.

His thoughts, as always, drifted to Sehun, his ridiculous leeks coming out of his ears and the murderous gaze now reserved to him every time they encountered in the hallways. It was bloody spectacular.

When he had told his mother via owl what he had done, she had replied with a full letter beginning with:

Dear Lulu,

In the name of everything charmed, you are now my favorite son…

But alas, not even the thought of the Oh’s heir being ridiculed could cure his boredom. But just when he thought the day couldn’t get any duller, he found something rather curious: in the darkest corner of the shop stood a basket full of five-knuts products that weren’t on the usual display.

Some had their package damaged, some had a label saying “Dangerous, do not pet”, but some looked perfectly fine to him. One in particular stood out: it was a long rope bracelet, tied with several knots, without a name. On the rather anonymous packaging was written:

“The bond bracelet. Gift this hilarious bracelet to your target and he’ll be bonded to you for the night. Hours of incredible fun with your friends and enemies”

In any other circumstance it would have been too suspicious to pick up, but:

1. Luhan was done with being bored;
2. An idea was slowly blossoming in his mind, as evil and dark as it could be;

Five minutes later he was walking out of Zonko with the bracelet safe in his bag, a wicked smile blooming on his face. That was going to be an interesting Christmas.

***

That morning…

“For the love of butterscotch, Kyungsoo my life is over!”

The young Gryffindor glanced at Chanyeol with a rather bemused look. He was laying on the couch, feet over the armrest and head over Kyungsoo’s knees, his face buried in the wizard’s soft jumper. Dori was just as leisurely nestled in its owner’s pocket, watching him having a breakdown.

Kyungsoo had never been this intimate with a person since… well, since never, not even with his mother. However, Chanyeol somehow made everything seem normal, just with his bright smile.

Talking about his bright smile, in that moment there was none left on his face. He was pouting, distraught by a simple silly news: Christmas was coming and he hadn’t got presents for anyone. More importantly, that anyone included a certain other Gryffindor.

“I can’t face him without a gift! Oh Lord, he’s going to think I’m a troll”

Kyungsoo ruffled his hair and gave him a little nip on the cheek.

“Chanyeol, no one’s ever died for not having bought presents, it’s the feeling you put in it that counts. I have been cooking my mother cakes since I was a kid and that was my present for her”

The giant stopped struggling, looking up with big watery eyes.

“You think so?”

Kyungsoo cracked a smile. When he wanted, Chanyeol could become cutest than a real puppy. He wondered if there was a spell to make him grow doggy ears…

“Sure”

They both shot a glance at the oblivious wizard on the other side of the common room, panicking over his Herbology homework. Chanyeol had been eyeing the guy since day one and, even though Kyungsoo didn’t get it, was going through the typical phase one of teenage crushes: being paranoid over everything.

Over the course of those months them three had spent a lot of time together, Baek being the guide, them being the spectators of his long and hilarious monologues, but if Kyungsoo had found in him a really great (and often obnoxious) friend, Chanyeol had fallen head-over-hills (and possibly some other limb) for him.

As if sensing that they were talking about him, Baekhyun spelled his books away and chose to sit next to Kyungsoo.

“Are you two talking about me?” he asked with a suggestive eyebrow.

Chanyeol disappeared once again inside Kyungsoo jumper, leaving him to reply with a heavy sigh.

“You wish. We were thinking about Christmas presents”

The older Gryffindor lit up like a starry sky, beaming at them with a thousand watts’ smile.

“I hope I’m on your nice list this year because if not I’ll be thoroughly offended. And this is a warning, gentlemen” he bowed deeply, gaining a chuckle.

“You two are already on mine” he added with a wink.

Chanyeol finally emerged from Kyungsoo’s jumper with big surprised eyes.

“Really?” he asked, batting his eyelashes.

“Sure. Here, let me bribe you with something sweet” a mysterious chocolate cookie appeared from his pocket, still wrapped up in his plastic confection “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to my room and memorize the differences between nectar and ambrosia”

That said, Baekhyun tiredly got up and walked out of the common room, leaving them alone. Chanyeol immediately shot up, much to his ferret’s protests, his famous smile lighting up the whole room.

“Kyungsoo, I’ve got an idea”

***

Mama, check. Grandma and grandpa, check. Chanyeol and Baekhyun, check. Jongdae and Minseok, check. He had bought presents for everyone, but still, Kyungsoo found himself browsing the shelves of various shops, still searching for something. He didn’t know what it was nor who could it be for, but he still kept on searching.

His hands danced through the various items, not even sure if he was looking for something anymore. The first hour spent in the shops, surrounded by thousands of magical and absurd items had made him dizzy: there were candies changing colors depending on their mood, quills floating in the air, thunderstorms trapped in bottles, love potions that really worked… He’d had to take a minute and calm himself down because it was a little bit too much all together.

He and Chanyeol had parted ways in front of Zonko where the red-head went looking for something cool to send his parents, while he window-shopped some more. He had met Jongdae, fully immersed in a book about ferocious cats, immediately followed by Minseok, barely visible behind a full basket of multicolored wool balls, but they were in a hurry so they only had time for a brief greeting.

He was now alone, not even sure doing what. He looked outside and watched in marvel the snow falling down, covering the little village in crisp white. It was beautiful.

He wasn’t even looking at the shelves anymore when something caught his attention: it was a pair of earmuffs, covered in soft white fur. With a grin he took them in his hand. They reminded him of Jongin and his wild hair. On the tag was stated that with a simple formula one could transform them in a comfortable pillow, for every occasion.

“That would be perfect for him” he thought, looking at the item while biting his lip.

In those weeks after the bludger accident they had surely become closer, seeing that they shared so many classes, but every time he felt wanting to know something more about the Hufflepuff, he suddenly shut himself from the world, sewing his mouth shut.

And that was really a shame: Jongin was a really bright person, always finding the funny note in every situation, always lighting up the day with his laugh, but something was eating him up inside and Kyungsoo wanted to know. He had never been a nosy person, he highly valued his and everyone’ privacy, but he had grown to care so much about Jongin that seeing him in pain had become unbearable.

The earmuffs weighted in his hands.

Maybe he was better off not knowing. Maybe Jongin himself didn’t want to let him know, something far too personal to share with a simple friend.

His gaze once again went to the window, a sigh heavy in his chest.

And that was when he saw them: Jongin and his friend Sehun, strolling down Hogsmead’s main street. They were talking about something funny, Kyungsoo knew, because he could almost hear the Hufflepuff’s laugh through the glass. And just when a tiny grin was making his way on his face, Jongin turned in his direction, sporting first a surprised expression, then a huge smile.

Kyungsoo felt himself growing shyer, adverting his eyes but still waving at him, but Jongin was no longer outside the window. He searched for him left and right, but he seemed to have dematerialized, leaving Sehun alone with his usual neutral expression.

“Looking for me?”

Kyungsoo jumped in surprise, quickly hiding the muffs behind his back.

“Jongin! You almost gave me a heart attack”

The incriminated wizard laughed, crinkling his eyes in two thin crescents.

“Sorry, sorry. I just wanted to say hi. How’s it going?”

Kyungsoo searched for the right words, but he felt like they were jammed up in his throat. Why was he so nervous? That was a first.

“I… uhm… I’m shopping for some presents, that’s all”

Oh, he realized after an awkward pause that he should’ve added “And you?” at the end, but Jongin shrugged it off with a sweet smile.

“So are we, do you want to join us?”

The Gryffindor looked out the window and saw that Sehun was starting to get bored, tapping his foot on the snow filled floor and looking aimlessly around. He didn’t really know the guy, but he had heard some stories (he still didn’t know where the leeks came in). He confided in Jongin to have great friends, being a great guy himself, but Sehun somehow unsettled him.

“No, thank you. I have to get back to Chanyeol in a minute and I still have to finish here.” He lowered his head shyly “I’ll see you later…?”

“Sure”

They bid goodbye and Kyungsoo ce again to the shelves, turning the earmuffs in his hands. Five minutes later he was going back to the main square with a bright red package in his hands, one he was now sure he had chosen for the best.

***

“So he’s the guy you’ve been telling me about” said Sehun with a yawn.

It was time to get back to the castle and they should’ve normally been both exhausted, especially the sleeping extraordinaire next to him, but somehow Jongin was jogging two steps ahead in full energy.

“Yep. Isn’t he charming?”

The Slytherin arched an eyebrow.

“Maybe. I have no idea. The only thing I saw was him turning the shade of a tomato and refusing to come with us”

The Hufflepuff turned around a started walking backward, facing his best friend with his cheeks rosy because of the cold. Little flecks of snow had landed on his skin, dancing between his eyelashes and his lips, giving him a enchanted glow. He truly looked like a fairy.

“You have to give him time, he’s very shy. But he’s great. He even complimented my hair” Jongin proclaimed, underlining the fact like it was the biggest of the deals.

At that Sehun cocked his eyebrow, a faint smile upon his lips.

“Color me impressed”

Jongin grinned back, but with candid joy. He hadn’t felt that way in years, elated and light above the floor, even if his feet were trapped in those horrid shoes and couldn’t feel the ground. Being a pure-blood of one of the most famous wizarding families came with the cost of not making friends very often, but Hogwarts was turning out to be an experience full of surprises, Kyungsoo being the nicest.

He still was sorry for asking his mother to stay at Hogwarts that Christmas, but he had said he wanted the full experience, and that he shall have. Plus, he had some things he wanted to do and he wasn’t going to miss them for all the gold in the world. Not even Sehun’s party.

“Still bitter you’re not coming this year. Who am I going to talk to when my father says to go socialize?” Sehun said, as if reading his mind.

“You could actually socialize, for once”

“Last time I tried, the girl went home without half of her hair. I hate talking to new people Jongin, and people hate me, so what’s the point?”

“I remember her, she was one annoying brat” Jongin said, reminiscing the hilarious moment when Sehun had had to explain why the Park’s daughter was suddenly half bald “Maybe this year can be different. There are lots of nice people to talk to at parties”

“Name me one”

“Well, you idiot could be a lovely guest if you tried.”

“Sure. Before or after I set fire to the room?”

The two friends laughed, full knowing that the threat wasn’t really that far from the truth. Sehun had been living in the shadow of his father his whole life, training to be the perfect son, the perfect student, the perfect man to take up his position in the family business once it would come the time. the stereotype of Pure-blood sheltered kid couldn’t be applied to him as his father had made sure to make him shed his blood and tears for what he wanted.

The Slytherin had always been the playful but quiet type, letting the others talk before him, but opening up to his close ones. But that wasn’t what his father had in mind for him: he had to be strict, hard as concrete, never showing his flaws and emotions because someone could that as an advantage against him.

“I’m so tired” he had said once to Jongin.

They were hanging out in their family garden, sitting under the big oak. The scenery was so serene, so calm, they were almost falling asleep.

“Sometimes I think I just want to run away, you know? Take the train and go”

“Go where?”

“I don’t know. Anywhere but here”

After a long pause, Jongin had replied:

“I’ll come with you”

Sehun had closed his eyes, pushing back the tears. The apocalypse could happen, but he’d still be sure that Jongin was going to support him.

He watched him go, pirouetting in the snow with a dreamy smile on his face. He sighed, content.

“Hey, wait for me you pixie!”

***

Jongdae was falling asleep. In the comfort of the Ravenclaw common room’s couch, he had sat and began his Christmas assignments; began being a big word, because after half an hour, he was already at his limit. How many times could one flick his hand and say “Lapifors”, before a cup could transform into a rabbit? Instead, his had only grew a pair of long ears, curiously flapping up and down.

“Stupid cup” he muttered, trying the spell once more, but instead the ears turned blue “Stupid rabbit”

He was about to try for the millionth time when a steadier hand covered his, guiding the movement to a perfect flick. He was so surprised he still said the spell and the cup instantly transformed into a tiny rabbit. The fluffy creature tested the air with its little nose, then jumped onto Minseok’s lap, right next to Jongdae.

“Weren’t you taking a nap?” asked the wizard, glaring at the rabbit.

“Yes, but then I heard you shout something about our Charms’ professor having the brain of a peanut and I came to see what was happening”

Minseok caressed the rabbit’s fur, making it shiver in delight, then transformed it once again in a cup, placing it on the wooden table. Jongdae watched him with a grimace, threw his wand into his pocket and nestled his head in the crook of his partner’s neck.

It really wasn’t fair: why was him so good as a wizard while he was a total disaster? Yes, he could duel better, but the little spells like that were out of his reach for some reason.

As if reading his mind, Minseok patted his head, lacing his fingers with wild locks of his hair. It was something he had always done: when Jongdae was feeling annoyed or troubled, he would cuddle him until he was better until the rage was gone and the tears dry.

“You can always come with me, you know that right?” whispered Minseok, adjusting his glasses “My family adores you”

Jongdae smiled, but he could tell there was sadness behind it. He could always tell.

“No, grandma is coming to visit us and you know what that means” he suddenly straightened up his position, legs stuck together and a bored expression on his face “Jongdae, my dear, can you pass me some of that turkey? Oh, is that an uncombed hair I see on your forehead? You’ll never be a true gentleman Jongdae dear if you don’t start studying your etiquette. And why haven’t you settled up yet? A good girl would do you well”

Minseok was doubled over with laughs, immediately followed by Jongdae.

“Oh Lord, is that how she talks? For real?”

“I swear she’s always like this. And it’s always the same: she will be telling me how much of a disappointment I am and when she’s gone my parents will start laughing until they have cramps. They hate her so much it’s hilarious”

“Well, at least they support you”

Jongdae hid a smile, thinking about his parents. They were his exact copy if not a little older. Same humor, same cat lips. First time Minseok had come home with him, he had thought he was seeing triple.

“And by the way, it’s not true your family adores me”

“What? Of course they do”

“Your cat hates me”

“Oh God, not again”

And there it started, the famous “Thirty minutes long whine about Minseok’s evil cat” ™ he had heard at least twenty time before. When he finally finished, the Ravenclaw sighed.

“You’re lucky I like you” he said, leaving a kiss on Jongdae’s forehead “See you later”

Jongdae watched in silence as he went back to their room. His face was combusting, blood boiling under the spot where Minseok had kissed him, but what was new?

However, one thing was certain.

“If he doesn’t want to admit his cat’s wicked, I’ll make him”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I may have posted this chapter unedited for a couple of minutes, so I'm sorry. this is the right version, edited and a lot more decent. (Really sorry, I'm dumb sometimes). I will probably edit it some more later, but for now I'm burn out.

Anyway, here's the start of the Christmas Trilogy (and yes, I've skipped Halloween because I was feeling romantic <3) where a lot of weird things happen and I try to be funny, once again, failing:)))))))))))))

Oh well...

Let me know in the comments what you're liking or not liking about the story ^__^