Time ticked by ever so slowly for Elmund. He refused to arrive early to his meeting with Joren to show that he wasn't afraid of him so he made a point to wait at the corner of the hallway leading to the boys lavatories until 11:00 p.m. on the dot. As soon as the bell struck, he made a move to walk slowly down until he reached the door. At 11:05 p.m. he pushed the heavy doors open with all his force.

At first, it seemed as if the bathroom was completely empty. He couldn't detect Joren's presence but a hand sliding over his shoulder and a bit gently tripping him to the ground in a soft heap bespoke the lie forming in his brain. "You're late Elmund. What a naughty boy you are." Joren stood over Elmund with a strange expression on his face that Elmund couldn't read. His body was positioned so that Elmund couldn't stand up unless he wanted to put his face into Joren's crotch and he couldn't slide out first to stand up.

"Do we have to play this game Joren? Can't you just tell me what you want so that I can get it over with and go back to my room? I'm exhausted." Elmund lay still looking into Joren's face. He was pained that Joren had to be this way with him and it was flustering him to the point of breathing heavily. He knew his cheeks were probably enflamed at the usual harassment.

"Why are you so tired? Was it the undue amount of attention you paid to Potter today in class? Just like now, with a man standing over you, your cheeks were reddened and lust filled your eyes." Elmund's jaw dropped at the insinuation.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You must be mental. I must have been dreaming that it was you my father was torturing all summer, not myself, and you went crazy from it. You think I fancy Potter?" Elmund couldn't keep back the laughter. Joren couldn't have been more wrong. Elmund could never fancy Potter. To even want to have feelings for such a man would blemish him. Elmund wouldn't have ever dreamed to claim such feelings. The laughter died out abruptly as a fist slammed into the pavement next to his head.

"I know you fancy men. I can see it in your eyes. Maybe not Potter, maybe it's another boy, but I know you do. I don't know how your father hasn't seen it yet. And he thinks to marry you to my sister. Maybe I should tell him. He'll torture it out of you one way or the other if he even suspected it." Laughter now broke on Joren's face as Elmund squirmed below him. There was nothing in this world he had tried harder to hide than the fact even he suspected he might be gay.

"Please! Please don't tell him! You don't know what he'll do." His face was turning white and his breathe was coming in quick gasps as a panic attack was coming onto him. His squirming stopped as he gripped at his shirt on his chest, coughs tearing through his chest. Joren didn't look too concerned on the outside but his mind was fuming at how things were going.

"Will you do anything I say then? Anything at all? If you don't, I will tell your father Elmund." Joren had Elmund right where he wanted him although he wasn't sure where that was. Elmund couldn't blackmail him into submission by being the Grindalwood heir. At Elmund's wracking nods annunciated by his attempts to say the world 'anything', Joren leaned over and gathered him up in his arms in a type of awkward hug where he took great joy in play-comforting Elmund into stopping his sobs. A more curious thought had begun to form in his mind. If Elmund wasn't in love with Potter, who was he in love with? He would find out.

As Elmund calmed down, he wondered why Joren was doing this to him. He'd never done anything particularly attention arousing. He'd tried to keep a low profile. Now, as Joren had him under his control, he hated that he found comfort in Joren's embrace and his panic was slowly coming to a halt and resolution was setting in his mind. He wouldn't allow Joren to tell his father anything at all. He would do whatever asked of him to make it not come to such.

Joren let Elmund slip slowly back to the cold concrete as he placed both his hands next to Elmund's head and leaned forward. For fear of being hit, Elmund closed his eyes and held himself tightly together. A finger traced close to his left eye, wiping the tears away. Peeking slowly from behind his eyelashes, Joren's face was the closest it had ever been when Elmund felt a light brush of wet skin on his lips followed by a pair of lips. He closed his eyes completely as the kiss that had begun to form became deeper. Elmund didn't know what to do or how to react to a kiss. Why would Joren kiss him? As slowly as the kiss had begun to form, it ended and Elmund was alone on the floor of the bathroom to pick himself back up slowly and wonder what had just happened.

Elmund's fingers traced his lips in wonderment the whole way back to the Ravenclaw common room. His first kiss had been taken from him by Joren and he didn't know how to feel. It was so soft and gentle which was so completely different than Joren's personality. Joren still hadn't told him what it was that he wanted to discuss with him unless his sexuality was the question. He had a sneaking suspicion it wasn't and a note on his bed confirmed with a few words.

Elmund,

We did not get to discuss the intended topic. Show up again tomorrow at 11:00 p.m.

J.R.

Elmund didn't particularly want to go back tomorrow night but he had no choice in the matter. It was do as he was told or face consequences he couldn't even begin to imagine from his father.