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Despite the opinions of his family, Cormac was excited to being his first day of training to be a Curse Breaker for Gringotts. His uncle had arranged a job for him at the Ministry, but he knew it was not the right fit. Cormac wanted to travel; he wanted adventure. A Ministry job that left him stuck in London pushing paper for the rest of his life just had no appeal.
There had been a heated row at the McLaggen Estate the evening before Cormac left. Words were spoken that he was certain were not intended. Yet, he still had not heard from either of his parents in going on a week's time. As always, though, he knew they would come around. This was not the first time they had expressed disappointment in his choices.
During his last two years of school, Cormac's mother had tried to encourage him to take interest in Lavender Brown. While he thought she was a nice enough young woman, she just was not his type (nor he hers, so he thought). He also found himself against the idea since he knew it was simply his mother's subtle attempt to ensure he paired himself off with a pure-blood witch of status. Cormac's parents were not blood purists per se, but his mother was always worried that her little boy would fall into the hands of some gold-digging girl in search of elevating her own status within wizarding Britain. It made Cormac smile sometimes when he thought of how silly it all could be.
Cormac sat up in his chair as their first presenter stepped up to the front of the room. He recognized the man from somewhere but he could not seem to place him. He scrambled through his memory and fell upon the ones upon which he did not care to dwell. It was at the Battle of Hogwarts.
"Bill Weasley." Cormac mouthed the name as the man introduced himself to the assembled training class. "I have a feeling we will get to know each other quite well over the next few weeks. It is my job to oversee your training as you work to become some of the next Curse Breakers for Gringotts Bank. Make no mistake, this training will not be easy. The classes here do not run like those at Hogwarts. You will be quite lucky if even half of you make it through and receive an offer for a permanent position. But you needn't be too fearful; it's been a few years since a prospective Curse Breaker died during training exercises."
There were some gasps and murmuring throughout the room. Cormac did a quick estimation as he glanced at his fellow trainees. There were forty of them present - so less than twenty would make it to the end. He knew he would need to stay on top of his game if he was going to get through. Cormac returned his focus to Bill. There was something about him that Cormac found fascinating.
"The first part of your training is going to involve a great deal of reading, so those who are illiterate - there's the door." Bill paused, apparently hoping for laughs. The only one he got came from Cormac. He gave Cormac a wink before continuing. "As you leave, please take one of the manuals from the table. You will be allowed to retire for the rest of the day and are expected to arrive tomorrow morning having read the entire training manual. I know it is a lengthy assignment, but you'll quickly learn that the goblins are quite demanding. With the way they compensate, however, they have every right to be. You are dismissed."
It took Cormac a moment to register that everyone around him had stood from their seats. He was still focused on Bill. There was just something about him that Cormac felt drawn to. He was intriguing and Cormac had a desire to get to know him better. This type of feeling had only happened to Cormac once before - with Hermione Granger.
Cormac rushed down to the front of the lecture hall and grabbed a book off the table. He had figured out what it was that had him so fixated on Bill during his brief speech, but he refused to believe it. There was no way he could be attracted to a guy - especially a guy so much older than he. Trying not to look at Bill again, Cormac sped out of the room and into the washroom.
Setting the manual on the sink, Cormac stepped over to make use of one of the urinals on the wall. As he closed his eyes to try to gather his thoughts, he heard the door open and someone step up to stand at the urinal next to him.
"McLaggen, isn't it?"
Cormac was startled and his eyes flipped open. He was glad that he hadn't jumped at all - that could have led to an embarrassing spot on his pants. But he knew that was Bill's voice. Which meant Bill was standing next to him right now.
"Cormac, yes," he replied, shooting a glance over at Bill and working hard to focus on his face.
"I've heard a bit about you from Ron," Bill said with a laugh. Cormac noticed that Bill didn't look at him when he spoke. He chalked it up to men's room etiquette.
"Well, I know that's not a good thing, then." Cormac tried to focus forward, but it had just occurred to him that not only was Bill talking to him - he was standing next to him with his cock exposed. Trying to be inconspicuous, Cormac shot a glance down and a bit to the left.
Bill zipped up, pulled the flush handle, and made his way over to the sink. "It wasn't all bad, you know. I mean, he thinks you're a bloody arse - his words, not mine - but he had some good stories to tell, too." Bill turned back toward Cormac after washing his hands. "But if you want to correct any errors or omissions, you're welcome to stop by my chambers after dinner. I'm up on the third floor of the training dormitories. It's been a while since anyone from Hogwarts has been in a training class, so you would be welcome company."
Cormac realized that he had been done for a few minutes but was still standing in front of the urinal. He zipped up his pants before he replied. "That would be great. I don't know anyone else that was in the room there, and based on what you said, it might not be worth much to try to get to know too many of them."
Bill smiled as Cormac joined him by the sink. "Well, on average ten percent of a training class gets hired. The MOST we've ever had in the history of Gringotts is half of a class, but that's quite rare. It's not completely unheard of to have a class where no one makes it."
"Guess I've got my work cut out for me." Cormac gave Bill a concerned look as he washed his hands.
"Well, if even half of what Ron has told me is true, I doubt you'll have much trouble." Bill pointed toward the book by the sink. "Just make sure you give that a careful read this afternoon. And I'll see you after dinner."
"Thanks for the advice. See you then." Cormac gave Bill a nod as he watched him leave the room.
As soon as the door closed, Cormac rushed into one of the stalls and closed the door. He leaned his back up against the wall and tried to keep his breathing steady. He had no idea what had just happened and there were so many thoughts rushing through his head.
Was he actually attracted to Bill? He hadn't even had time to try to figure out what he was thinking before he was suddenly confronted with Bill's presence. Face-to-face (well side-to-side, really) with him in the washroom of all places. So close that Cormac could feel his presence before he even opened his eyes. Bill had been close enough that Cormac could smell his cologne - a scent he suddenly found appealing. And did Cormac really sneak a peek at his cock?
What in Merlin's name is wrong with you, Cormac? Why would you do that? That's not something you're interested in. Eyeing another bloke's cock? And what if he saw you? Oh, he probably did. But then why would he invite you to his chambers after dinner? Maybe because he didn't want to freak out on you right here where someone could walk in? But then again, he seems like a reasonable person. Maybe he could sense that you were freaking out and wanted to give you some time? Oh, why do you always seem to make a fool of yourself?
Cormac's legs gave out and he slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. He had hoped he would have overnight to sort out his feelings and get his head back on right before he would see Bill again. He wasn't sure that the afternoon offered enough time to calm himself down. He had considered declining Bill's invitation, but he didn't want to seem rude.
Everyone at school had always seen Cormac as someone who was very well put together. In fact, he was so together that he came across as an arrogant prick. He was aware of this and went with this perception because it made it easier to mask any insecurities he did feel. But he had never felt so insecure in his life. For a moment, he considered going to his room, gathering his things, and returning to the estate. His mother would be pleased, for certain.
Cormac stood up and opened the door to the stall. He would not be leaving. Not only did he not want to see the smug look on the faces of his parents as he entered the reception hall of their lavish home, he was doing this for himself. He had wanted an adventure and on his first day of training, one was already presenting itself. It certainly was not the type of adventure he had been expecting, but it was something new and worth exploring. He wanted to figure out what these feelings meant. He doubted Bill would reciprocate - Cormac seemed to recall something about him being married to Fleur Delacour - but that didn't mean Cormac was going to run from this opportunity to learn more about himself.
After scooping the training manual up off of the sink, Cormac glanced at himself in the mirror. He could see confusion in his eyes but there was a hint of excitement in his face. Forget a boring job at the Ministry. Cormac knew he had made the right choice. Focus, he told himself. That's what he was going to need to get through his training. And as a practice exercise, that's exactly what he was going to need to get through the evening, as well.