author's note: well hello there. this is the hogwarts!au that i've been promising since before valentine's day. in fact, it was supposed to be up on valentine's day. yet here we are, five days later. oh well, life happens. it's here now, and i hope you all know how much i enjoyed writing this. i swear, the whole "amortentia" is the most over-used plot device in every hogwarts au ever, but i had to give it a go. i have a headcanon, where nick and jeff are really oblvious. i wanted to bang my head against a desk just writing it. but honestly, i am so proud of this and i hope you guys like it.

here's a game for you: the first person to guess who wes smelled in the potion gets a oneshot starring the pairing of their choice. if you do it, i'm gonna have to ask that you have an account so i can message you. or leave your tumblr, that works too.

disclaimer: lyrics belong to forever the sickest kids, from the song "same dumb excuse (nothing to lose)"

if i just saying nothing, you'll never know the truth,
i can't keep using the same dumb excuse
cause i've got nothing to lose,
i've got nothing to lose but you.

It starts out like a regular day.

Nick sits, half-dead, at the Ravenclaw table. He's got his usual breakfast in front of him—three strips of bacon, two eggs, and a piece of toast that Jeff has to butter for him because he's too tired to move his arms. Nick's eyes droop and his head starts to fall forward. Without even interrupting his conversation with Thad, Jeff redirects Nick's head to his shoulder. Nick sighs. "You smell like raspberries," he mumbles tiredly.

Jeff pats Nick's hand on the table and says, "Thanks, mate," like it's the most natural thing in the world. Maybe it is, for them. "No, but seriously, this is the Canons' year. I can feel it."

"You're full of it," Thad snorts, and Nick's eyes droop shut. "Canons' haven't won since 1892, it's all about the Falcons this year."

"You're thick in the head," Jeff shoots back, and that's about the time Nick tunes out of the conversation. It's not that he doesn't like Quiditch—he loves it, and if it was noon rather than seven in the morning, Nick would be participating in the conversation enthusiastically. But it's early and Nick is exhausted because he stayed up all night helping Jeff study for their next Charms' exam. Like he even needs it. Jeff is the best in their year. It's a fact that pisses Rachel Berry off to no end, and Nick's pretty sure that's the reason Jeff tries so hard to stay on top. It's really funny to see her face get all red.

Someone elbows him in the stomach and Nick opens one eye. Jeff's grinning down at him. It's kind of annoying, because Jeff went to bed the same time Nick did—three forty-two, AM—but Jeff is somehow frustratingly awake. Nick grumbles and picks his head up off of Jeff's shoulder, promptly dropping it onto the table with a thud. Trent just barely manages to move his plate out of the way. Jeff laughs. "C'mon, Nick, we have Potions."

Nick lifts his head just enough to squint at Jeff and ask, "That's supposed to motivate me?"

Jeff opens his mouth to answer when a stupid first year yells, "Morning post!" like they've never even seen it before. It's February, for Merlin's sake. Nick turns to glare in her general direction, before he realizes that there really are a lot more owls this morning than usual. An owl drops a box of chocolates in front of Wes and Nick frowns. Valentine's Day. Hogwarts is absolutely sickening on Valentine's Day. Last year, Professor Flitwick charmed the Suits of Armor to sing sappy love songs every time someone walked by while holding hands. Nick had been pulling Jeff by the wrist to their next class when the Armor had burst into song in front of their entire year and some of the fourth years. The couple jokes hadn't stopped for months. Trent still finds it funny to follow them around, singing Celestia Worback.

"Disgusting," Quinn says, shaking her head. She drops her books down on the table in front of them and squeezes in between Thad and David. She's staring a little over Jeff's shoulder, at the Gryffindor table. Nick doesn't have to turn around to know that Berry's hanging all over Hudson like a rag doll. Jones and Evans probably have their tongues shoved down each other's throats, while Hummel and Anderson are probably just holding hands.

Nick may not have been sorted into Slytherin, but he does have a fairly obvious dislike for most Gryffindors. It's not that they're bad people—they're just really, really annoying. Aside from Kurt and Blaine, Nick avoids them like they're the plague. "Amen," he agrees around a mouthful of bacon.

Nick's owl, Gizmo, swoops down and drops a large sack in front of him. It lands half in his lap, and half in Wes' syrup. Jeff grabs at it and starts pulling obnoxious pink and red cards out. Quinn stares at them disdainfully and takes a bite of toast. Nick's gotten a decent sized pile of Valentines every year since he became Ravenclaw's seeker in his fourth year. It's nothing compared to what the Gryffindor team gets, and for that, Nick's thankful. Jeff sticks his head in the bag and rummages around, until he lets out a little, "Ah ha!" and pulls out five boxes of Chocolate Cauldrons. He searches the box for a tag and says, "Thank you, Sugar Motta."

Nick grabs one of them and makes a face. Jeff bursts out laughing, and David takes it from his hand. "Sugar Motta? Good luck getting that one off your back." Nick throws a sausage at his face. From the Hufflepuff table, Sugar wiggles her fingers and winks. Beside her, Rory Flanagan slumps a little lower in his seat and shoves a forkful of eggs into his mouth. He's glaring at Nick like he actually did something. Nick shakes his head.

"How dare all these hussies try to make a move on my Nick?" Jeff asks dramatically through a mouthful of chocolate. He drapes an arm around Nick's shoulders and declares, "He's my Valentine, of course."

"Sure," Nick says.

Quinn smile turns kind of secretive and Nick doesn't understand why Jeff won't meet her eyes. Trent snorts. "And you wonder why people think you're together? Try to act like you're not shagging for five seconds and maybe people will believe you."

"Amortentia," Slughorn says, beaming, and Nick sighs heavily. He gestures to a cauldron in the middle of the table. There are little heart-smoke rings coming out of it. Nick slumps down a little lower in his chair and rolls his eyes. Beside him, Trent swats his arm. Nick makes a face at him. He and Jeff aren't allowed to sit next to each other in Potions anymore, not after their third year when Jeff decided it would be a good idea to stir the Draught of Living Death until it was blue instead of grey for 'House Pride'—that, and because blue is Nick's favorite color. It exploded and left Nick and Jeff asleep in the Hospital Wing for nearly a month. Nick thinks they're just lucky that the both of them are absolute shit at potions. "Can anyone tell me what—" Berry's hand shoots up. "Yes, Miss Berry?"

"Amortentia is a love potion. Of course, it's impossible to create actual love but the drinker will develop an obsession with the, shall we say, object of their affections and can become highly unpredictable towards others. Amortentia also has a very peculiar smell—it smells differently to every person that comes in contact with it. You smell what you find attractive, even if you're not completely aware of—"

"Yes, thank you," Slughorn cuts her off, eyes smiling. Jeff catches Nick's eye from across the room and rolls his eyes. Nick just smirks and tries to zone out. Slughorn starts trying to explain the rest, before he sighs and says, good-naturedly, "Since Miss Berry has very graciously taught most of my lesson for me," Berry's face turns bright red, "We'll just pass a few flasks around so each of you can get a good sniff of your soul mate." He beams and pours some of the liquid into a flask, passes it over to Kurt Hummel. Hummel breathes it in and gets this peaceful kind of smile on his face. "What do you smell, Mr. Hummel?"

"Coffee, sugar cookies, and roses," he says, and he's beaming. "Blaine."

Anderson takes his hand underneath the table, and Nick smiles a little bit.

Hummel passes it to Anderson, who passes it to Berry, who gets this weird look on her face and then turns to stare at Hudson. She squints at him, then back to the potion, and frowns. Slughorn fills another flask and hands it to Wes on the other side of the room. Nick zones out until Trent nudges him in the side and hands him a flask. Nick uncorks it and stares at it for a few moments, before he asks, "What'd you smell, Trent?"

Trent shrugs. "I don't know what it is, but it smells bloody amazing."

Nick smiles at him. "Your dream girl's in this bottle, mate," Trent rolls his eyes. Nick stares at it a little longer before he puts it to his nose. He can't help but smile—it's the most amazing smell ever. It's also strangely familiar, like he's smelled it a thousand times before. To be completely honest, it smells like home. It's not though, because home smells like his mum's baking and firewood. This smells like peppermint and rain and raspberries. "Wow," Nick says, because it's seriously the best thing ever and he really doesn't want to give it back.

Trent nudges him. "You recognize it?"

"Yeah," Nick says, absently, "But I can't place it, you know?"

Trent gets this look on his face, and it reminds Nick a lot of the smile Quinn gave him earlier. He's about to ask about it, but he gets distracted because across the room, Jeff looks fucking terrified. He's staring at the flask like it's the end of the world, eyes wide and mouth dropped. Nick frowns. Jeff's head snaps up and he's trying desperately to get Quinn's attention from across the room. Nick watches him crumples a piece of parchment up and throw it at her. Slughorn raises an eyebrow but doesn't comment. Quinn finally turns around, five parchment-balls later, and hisses, "What?" She catches sight of Jeff's face and her eyes go wide.

When Slughorn dismisses them, Quinn and Jeff are the first out the door. Nick tries not to feel too hurt, because Jeff always waits for him. He ignores Trent's knowing smile—and what the hell, what does everyone know that Nick doesn't?—and packs his bag quickly, before practically running out of the room. When he finally manages to get out of the dungeons, he can't see Jeff or Quinn anywhere. Nick rubs the back of his neck awkwardly and sighs.

Nick doesn't see Jeff until after lunch time because they've got a free period right after Potions and he can't find Jeff anywhere. He thinks that maybe he went to Hogsmeade, because they don't have classes for the rest of the day. Valentine's Day isn't even an actual holiday and there's a Hogsmeade trip scheduled for it so couples can snog in Madame Puddifoot's. The place makes Nick want to vomit. He's sitting in the sixth year boys' dormitory, trying to finish a Transfiguration essay when the door creaks open. Nick freezes—the curtains around his bed are closed, but Jeff's always been able to sense when Nick's in the room. He hears Jeff sigh. It sounds relieved, and Nick's not sure whether to feel offended or not. Frowning, he peaks his head out and says, "Jeff?"

Jeff jumps about a mile in the air. "Hell, Nick. Wanna give a lad some warning?"

Nick stares, decidedly unimpressed. "Yeah, no. Not really. See, what I really wanna know is, why were you so freaked out earlier?"

"What do you mean?" Jeff asks, and it's too quick to be the truth. Nick frowns.

"You smelled the potion, and you bolted out the door. Did you smell Quinn?" Nick opens the curtain fully and settles back on the bed. He pushes his essay aside and pats the spot next to him. Jeff's staring at him like he doesn't fully understand what Nick's saying. "…well?" Nick asks expectantly. He leans forward, carefully keeping his face blank. "Did you smell Quinn?"

"I—yeah," Jeff says, and something in Nick's stomach drops. He frowns a little, because what? "It was most definitely Quinn. Chocolate and…uh."

Nick's eyebrows furrow. "Quinn hates chocolate." I love chocolate, he thinks bitterly, and then his eyes go wide. Why does he care? If anyone's good enough for Jeff, it's Quinn. He doesn't notice the way that Jeff freezes, and he continues, "It seems like she likes you too, mate. She looked kinda spooked and then stared at you for a bit."

Jeff comes to sit down on Nick's bed, but there's a good foot of space in between them. Nick frowns a little deeper and moves closer. "I'm definitely not her type," Jeff gives a kind of wry smile, and there's something it in that makes Nick feel like he's missing something.

"And why's that?" Nick asks, forcing a smile. There's something awkward going on between them right now and he really doesn't like it. They've never been awkward, not even when they both got drunk off of Fire Whiskey in fourth year and tried to grope each other in the middle of the common room. Nick still maintains to this day that he mistook Jeff for Brittany Pierce, and Jeff always tells people that with his long hair, Nick looks like a girl. "Such a strapping young lad as yourself, she'd be lucky to have you."

He nudges Jeff with his elbow and Jeff's face gets red. "Don't I know it," Jeff says, and he tries to sound cocky but fails miserably. "You know what? Maybe I'll go find her. Yeah, I'll just go do that."

Jeff stands up to leave, and Nick finds himself reaching for Jeff's arm. He doesn't even realize he's doing it until his fingers close around Jeff's wrist and Jeff's staring at him expectantly. "Um," he says blankly. Nick really didn't think this through. "Um, I was thinking maybe we could go to Hogsmeade instead?"

Jeff frowns. "Nick, you hate—"

"I'll buy you a pack of Peppermint Toads," Nick says quickly, and Jeff's face breaks into a wide smile. Nick pauses, because peppermint. That means something, but he can't remember what.

"Deal," he says. Nick doesn't move. "Well, come on then. You owe me some sweets."

They walk back to the castle together, shoulders bumping. It's freezing and there's snow on the ground. It crunches under Nick's feet. They've got their heaviest cloaks on over about three layers of clothing. Nick's got a hat over his head, random pieces of brown hair sneaking out from underneath it. Jeff usually makes fun of him for having hair that's long enough to do that, but not today. Jeff was suspiciously quiet the entire time they'd been at Honeydukes. Nick stares at his sneakers and tries not to be too bothered by it. It's probably just because Jeff's upset about Quinn. Why would he want to spend Valentine's Day with Nick when he could spend it with Quinn? There's a bag full of candy swinging back and forth in Nick's hand. "So, uh, did you talk to Quinn?"

"No," Jeff says, "When would I have had the time to do that?"

Nick shifts, and their shoulders bump again. It feels different this time. "You guys kind of ran off after potions…I just thought…"

"Well we didn't," Jeff interrupts, and he sounds defensive, which makes Nick feel defensive.

"You really need to not do that," he snaps, and Jeff stops walking completely. Nick follows a few steps later. He turns around and glares. "I'm just trying to help you, okay? You're my best friend, I wanna see you happy. My bad."

"Well, I'm not happy," Jeff yells back, and woah. Nick really didn't expect that. He takes a step back. "The—I just really like Quinn, okay, and he—she'll never like me back. That's not something I can just get past because you ask me a bunch of stupid questions and buy me candy. It doesn't work like that, Nick, not when your heart gets bloody well broken."

It starts to rain, and Nick takes a moment to appreciate the dramatic setting. He tosses the bag of candy to Jeff and says, "Happy Valentine's Day, Jeff." Jeff's face is completely blank. Nick doesn't break eye contact, and they just kind of stand there for a few moments before Nick sighs. As he passes Jeff, they bump shoulders one more time. This time, though, he smells it.

Everything falls into place and breaks into a million pieces at the same time. Nick freezes, just a few feet away from Jeff. He flashes back to this morning, when he smelled the raspberry shampoo in Jeff's hair, and then to a few hours ago, when Jeff ate the peppermint candies and then to now. The raspberries and the peppermint and the rain. Everything Nick's attracted to, it's Jeff.

But Jeff smelled Quinn.

"Fuck," Nick whispers hoarsely, and he can hear the snow slush under Jeff's feet as he turns around.

"…Nick?" Jeff asks quietly, and he reaches out to put a hand on Nick's shoulder. Nick yanks it away.

"Fuck," Nick hisses, and he takes off running.

Nick runs into the library, soaking wet and dripping all over the carpet. Madame Pince turns to glare at him, but she stops cold when she sees him. Maybe it's the look on his face or the fact that she absolutely loves him—and most Ravenclaws, to be honest—but she lets him through. He hasn't stopped running since he started, stumbling across the grounds in the pouring rain and slipping through crowded hallways. He's tired and out of breath and he really needs to find his friends. Madame Pince takes one look at him and says, "Mr. Montgomery is in the Astronomy section."

Nick tries to smile and nods politely. He turns around just as she calls, "And please don't touch anything, Mr. Duval!"

When Nick finds Wes, he's got his nose buried in an Astronomy book. There are papers scattered all around him and four broken quills at his feet. Wes is the epitome of a true Ravenclaw—smart, determined, hard-working. It gets a little annoying sometimes. Nick clears his throat, because if he speaks, he'll start crying. Wes glances up, looks back down at his paper. His head snaps up again, and he squints at Nick. "What's wrong?" he asks, eyebrows narrowing. "Did you fight with Jeff?"

And of course that's the first thought, because fighting with Jeff is really the only thing he ever gets worked up about. "I…no. No, we didn't. Wes, did you recognize the scent from the potion earlier?"

Wes' ears go pink and he clears his throat. "Yes, but I'd rather not say."

"I did," Nick says blankly. "I know who it is, but—but, he likes Quinn, Wes. And I am so, so fucked."

"He…" Wes repeats, and then his eyes go wide. "You like Jeff!" He blurts out, and Nick shushes him instantly. He reaches across the table and claps a hand over his mouth. Wes makes an indignant noise.

"Shut up, please," Nick hisses, glancing around quickly. Madame Pince watches them disapprovingly from behind her desk. Nick's expression turns sheepish and he takes the seat across from Wes. He sits back, straightening his sopping wet cloak.

"C'mon, mate," Wes says, and he pushes his books away. He leans forward, rests his chin on his hands and adds, "It's not like we didn't already know."

Nick sits up a little straighter. "What do you mean you already knew?" he demands loudly, and Madame Pince shushes him. He makes a face and lowers his voice. "I only just found out twenty minutes ago!"

Wes looks unimpressed. "You don't expect me to believe that, do you?" At Nick's blank stare, his eyes widen. "Wait, you're completely serious? You've only just realized your head-over-heels for the boy?" Nick nods, and Wes hits him upside the head with a stack of parchment. "Are you daft?" Wes demands, and Nick winces, rubbing the side of his head. "Completely mental, the both of you! Can't see what's right in front of your eyes!"

"Wes!" Nick exclaims, horrified.

"Go find him, right now," Wes tells him hotly, "You go find him and you snog him senseless, you complete and utter prat."

"Are you not listening to me?" Nick exclaims, throwing his hands in the air. "He likes Quinn."

"Bollocks," Wes says immediately, "I don't believe it."

Nick stands up, and there's a split second of hope where he thinks that maybe Wes is right. But then he spots Quinn across the library, long blonde hair tucked behind her ear, pretty little nose stuck in a book. That's when Nick knows he doesn't have a chance. It's okay, he can get over it the same way he got over his crush on Santana Lopez in third year. Jeff's his best friend, and of course he wants what's best for him. Before he can realize what he's about to do and stop himself, his feet take him to Quinn's table. He can feel Wes watching him the entire way.

Quinn glances up from her book and smiles at him. It fades quickly when she gets a good look at him. "Nick, love, what happened?"

"You should go talk to Jeff," he says quickly, and Quinn looks startled.

"I…what? What's Jeff got to do with—"

"He likes you, okay? And you should go talk to him because he's a great guy and I think you're probably the only girl I'd ever approve of for him," Nick can't stop talking, and he feels nauseous.

Quinn's eyes go from confused to understanding to concerned in about five seconds flat. "Nick…" she says slowly, but Nick's already out the door.

Nick's walking back to the common room slowly when he hears them. He's not really sure how Quinn managed to get to Jeff before he did, but he thinks it's probably something to do with the fact that he's been wandering around the castle aimlessly for the past hour or so. Nick halts at the end of the corridor and peaks around the corner. Quinn's got Jeff backed against the wall and for a second Nick actually thinks they're snogging. But Jeff looks half sheepish, half sad and Quinn's just letting him have it.

"I can't believe you, Jeffrey Sterling," she hisses, and she punctuates her statement by smacking Jeff's arm. "You are better than this, and for Merlin's sake, you are not a liar."

"I know," Jeff says sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "But don't you see? I had to, or he'll hate me and I can't lose him. I can't."

Quinn stares at him. "You're kidding me, right? That boy, he loves you more than anything. And even if it was a platonic kind of love—and it's not, Jeff, you didn't see his face—this wouldn't tear you apart. You didn't have to lie."

Jeff stares at his feet, and Nick frowns. "I thought it was for the best."

"He thinks you like me, how is that for the best?" Quinn asks, crossing her arms. Nick's eyes pop open. What?

Jeff shrugs. "It seemed like a good idea at the time?" he offers, trying to give her a signature Jeff-smile, the kind that makes you melt and forget why you were mad. Quinn smiles a little, before she hits his arm again. "Oi!" Jeff says, indignant, "What was that for?"

"For being an arse," she says flatly. "Did you even think before you said it?"

"No," Jeff says meekly.

"What if—bear with me for a moment—what if he likes you back? What if you just crushed his heart and stomped on it because you didn't think?"

"He doesn't," Jeff says immediately.

Quinn lets out a frustrated noise and says, loudly, "Jeff, will you please just go tell that poor boy that you smelled him in the godforsaken potion?"

Nick can't move, can barely breath because holy fuck, Jeff likes him back. He watches Quinn push a reluctant Jeff down the hallway and towards the Great Hall. He leans back against the wall and takes a deep breath. A really, really big part of Nick wants to be pissed off, but an even bigger part of him wants to run after Jeff and snog the living hell out of him. Instead, he ducks around the corner and follows quietly behind them.

When Nick finally makes it to the Great Hall, he sees Jeff sitting in his normal spot—across from Quinn, who's eating her dinner nervously and glancing at Jeff every few seconds. The spot next to him is empty because it's Nick's, and Wes keeps staring at it like it holds the answer to life. Jeff's staring at his plate and pushing pieces of chicken around. The other boys are completely oblivious—next to Wes, David's making a snow man out of his mashed potatoes. Wes takes a moment to add two corn-eyes and then continues to watch Nick's spot like a hawk.

Nick takes a deep breath and throws the doors open. He makes his way down the walkway with his head held high, never taking his eyes off of Jeff. Quinn's eyes go wide and she kicks Jeff's leg under the table. Jeff's head snaps up and he looks confused, until Nick's right behind him and he freezes. "You lied," Nick says accusingly, narrowing his eyes. Sure, he's really happy that Jeff likes him, but that doesn't mean he can't make him sweat a little bit for lying about it.

Jeff doesn't say anything, only turns to look up at Nick with a deer-in-headlights expression. "What did you really smell in that potion, Jeffrey?" Nick asks, crossing his arms. Trent leans forward, completely enthralled. David just looks confused, until Wes starts to whisper and explanation in his ear. He's nodding, very seriously.

"I, uh," Jeff says smartly, "Ow, Quinn, seriously!" he hisses when Quinn kicks him again. Nick tries to hold back a laugh. "I smelled, um, I smelled chocolate, and strawberry lemonade, and sweat pea."

Nick gets a mock-surprised look on his face and says, "Really? What do you think those stand for?"

Jeff looks a little affronted. He stands up so he's facing Nick. Nick doesn't move an inch. "Well, chocolate cause you're a fat arse, strawberry lemonade because your mum makes it every summer and you never stop drinking it, and sweat pea because of that bloody shampoo you use that makes you smell like a girl."

Nick stares at him for a little bit, and then he punches him in the arm. It's not hard enough to hurt, but it's enough to make Jeff yell, "What the fuck was that for?" Quinn's biting her lip, looking nervous. They don't notice that almost the entire school is staring at them now. "Alright, I understand if you don't want a bloody poofter for a friend, but you don't have to punch me."

"You're an idiot," Nick tells him, and then he pulls Jeff down by the back of his neck and kisses him.

Jeff's arms flail out for a few moments before they kind of fall limply at his side. Thad helpfully reaches up and settles them on Nick's waist. Someone in the hall starts to clap, and Nick's fairly sure that it's McGonagall. In the next moment, everyone in the hall is clapping and wolf-whistling but Nick doesn't really care because he's kissing his best friend. It's both terrifying and amazing and Nick really doesn't want to stop. He pulls away and Jeff makes a protesting noise. "Know what I smelled?" he asks, and Jeff bumps his nose against Nick's.

"Me?" Jeff tries, smiling cheekily.

"Peppermint, because you're the fat arse, rain because you love to dance in it like a total spaz, and raspberries because of your girly shampoo," Nick says, half-smiling. They're so close, noses touching, and Nick's stomach is flipping like mad.

"I like your girly shampoo," Jeff offers, and Nick starts laughing.

"I like your spazzy dancing," he says. Jeff's eyes are bright and happy and Nick could stare at them all day. Why didn't he notice this before? He remembers all the times Jeff would get a girlfriend and Nick would instantly hate her, all the times that Nick's heart would physically hurt when he was near Jeff, and thinks that maybe he was just too stupid to notice.

"I like you," Jeff says, and then they're kissing again.

i should be brave, with nothing to lose;
that's how i was until the day i met you.