August 2nd, 1890 — Laurent Household
Clue Leverett / Bragi Holm

Summer was coming to a close and Narcissus found himself dreading it. It had been a sort of paradise being able to explore more freely the growing feelings between himself and Clue. Narcissus didn't know about Clue but for him, each kiss and laugh shared between the two over the summer had only deepened his feelings. His heart song now sang a melody that was only for the other boy.

It was going to be tough having to relegate themselves back to quick, secret kisses in the dorm room. If they even dared to do that. "I'm glad you were able to come over," he said as he held out a chocolate to the other boy. "When we go back to school, are you going to get mad at me again if girls try to drag me off?" Now that he knew it had been jealousy that day, Narcissus could not help lightly teasing the other boy.

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The Summer so far had been like nothing Clue had ever experienced. Quite as significant as learning about alchemy and succumbing quietly to some societal norms in the now-familiar Valenduris household, he had discovered romance and physical intimacy at the voice and touch of one Narcissus Laurent. All of this was enough to send Clue's sense of identity into a tailspin. He would return to Hogwarts a completely new person.

Having said that, he would always be strange. Narci, for all his uniqueness, seemed well-equipped with what he might call normalcy. He chatted, he laughed, he teased, he remarked, he wove stories, there was confidence in his movements, and global admiration for his Veela-esque good-looks. But Clue... he remained quiet, cold, dark, odd. Narci seemed to accept all this, almost as if Clue wasn't these things at all.

And as if to hammer home that point, the platinum-haired Slytherin replied simply; "yes", as he accepted a dark chocolate treat from his lover.

  

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Narcissus couldn't help but laugh in response to Clue's simple and short response. "Then I shall do my best not to stoke the fires of your jealousy over me," he said with a chuckle. The same strange oddities in Clue that seemed to repel others in Narcis company seemed to be exactly what drew the half veela boy in. They were not things he would ever seek to change.

"It won't be quite the same, will it? Being at Hogwarts and needing to hide what there is between us?" He remarked even as he let his fingers lightly trail the dainty jawline of the other boy.

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Fires indeed.

Clue did not mind if Narci provoked jealousy for his own entertainment, but he'd have to suffer the consequences. Or, at least, make it up to him.

It would prove difficult, he agreed, to show restraint at Hogwarts when they'd gradually become more and more familiar with each other over the Summer. "We'll just have to make the most of the present", the younger boy responded coolly, and stood up from his chair to join Narcissus in his, wrapping his skinny arms loosely around the part-Veela's neck and claiming a kiss.

  

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"That is a fine idea," Narcissus said with a grin as Clue joined him in his seat. Clue was still a hard puzzle for him to decipher but Narcissus did not mind in the least. As the other boy claimed a kiss, Narci pulled him more fully onto his lap. School was going to be difficult for him to deal with when he was now hyperaware of Clue's scent and the taste of his lips. "If I could write poetry, I'd write countless ones about your eyes alone."

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Feeling so physically close to Narci that they could just as well have been one being, Clue wrapped his arms loosely around his neck and they spoke intimately between kisses. Although the young bastard was relatively cool to the touch, he felt as if there was flame within him, licking him in various places as the older boy touched him, kissed him, looked at him.

"It should be easy enough", he muttered as Narcissus spoke of writing poetry about his eyes; "as they're always on you."

  

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Nari laughed, the sound low and rumbly in the quiet of them being lost in their own world. "Are they? I hadn't noticed," he teased gently, running his thumb over the boys cheek as he gazed into those cool eyes. They held mysteries and other such secrets Narcissus always felt. They were eyes that drew him in and made him to never want to look away.

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Still seated lightly in Narci's lap as if it was his favourite seat in the world (which indeed it was), he touched his lips to his once more, the slightest graze of a touch as if in response to the older boy's teasing. Then Clue leaned over to swipe up another dark chocolate from the platter on the side table. "So, what shall we do now", he asked softly, before biting off half the chocolate.

  

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Narcissus smiled in amusement as Clue swiped another chocolate, making a mental note that it was the dark chocolate his lover preferred. He thought on it when Clue asked what they should do next. "I know you enjoy making art but do you enjoy looking at the art of others? My father has many books about art in our library." Honestly, he didn't mind what they did so long as he was by Clue's side.

  

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Clue paused for a fleeting second to think about this, then consented. "Yes, alright. The Hogwarts library has little in the way of wordly artworks". He slid gracefully from Narci's lap, then held his wrist childishly as he led the way to the library (he had a vague idea of where it was).

  

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Narcissus was going to miss the both of them being able to freely touch once they were back within the confines of Hogwarts. It was a little daring even in his own home but most of the household staff seemed to be content enough to stay out of their way and stick to their duties rather than care what two school boys were getting up to. As they entered the library Narcissus gave Clue room to poke about, settling into one of the large leather chairs his father had placed in the room for reading comfort. "Anything caught your eye?"

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Clue was not the conventionally flirtatious type — so did not respond to "anything caught your eye?" with what other young lovers might say.

Instead, he took the question at face value, and drifted down the impressive rows of books, running his slender fingers over a few of the spines. Shortly, something really did catch his eye. A book called 'Alchemy: A Quest for the Eternal'.

He took it carefully off the shelf, struggling slightly (it was hefty in his skinny arms). He walked over to Narcissus, who was watching from an armchair, and showed him what he'd found.

  

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Narcissus was not at all surprised when Clue chose a book about Alchemy. "Of course you would pick out the most 'you' book in the place," he teased, pulling the other boy onto his lap so that they could peruse it together.

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