In the end can they just pretend?
Ronald Weasley had hit rock bottom, his life as he knew it was over. He had lost everything. Well not everything, but it felt like the life he had imagined for himself was over. And his family wasn't helping him. Th...
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Claudia was dragged roughly through the mass of sweaty bodies and towards the direction of the club toilet. She had been out for a few hours now and was drunk beyond recognition. She wasn't even sure the reason for them heading in the direction of the toilets, she knew the music had been very loud and someone had probably shouted about needing to go. It wasn't her, but it could equally be either Astoria or Harper. She just wouldn't know until they piled into the toilets together.
There was always something magical about a club toilet, there was something about it which was uniquely different to any other experience. Claudia wondered if it was the same thing for the mens toilet but assumed it probably wasn't. The atmosphere inside the girls toilet was hard to replicate, the happy way of which everyone spoke to one another, the way they rushed to help to compliment. To make you feel better about yourself.
It was how Claudia had found herself talking to two random women she had never seen before in her life, and would never see again after leaving the toilets. She didn't even know their names, but in that moment it did not matter. As she tried to convince one of them that she deserved so much better than what her partner was doing, that was what mattered. She leant one of them the powder she had been carrying inside of her bag so they could fix their makeup. As the pair tried to change the topic of conversation away from one failing relationship.
"Are you dating someone?" The shorter girl asked. She stood looking at Claudia through the mirror adjusting the height of her top that had slipped down whilst out dancing.
"Kind of." Claudia went to respond "Yes she is don't let her lie to you." Astoria's voice would break through as she appeared from behind the stall door coming to throw her arms around Claudia. Who, had she been sober would have shivered in disgust about the lack of hygiene but as her surroundings buzzed that was not a focus.
"Yes I am and he's amazing." Claudia did agree at Astoria's words.
"Tell us more." The other girl who was just crying almost begged. Claudia felt as though she had to give the other girl what she wanted, a strong sucker for the way of which she didn't like seeing someone upset.
"Only if you're sure." Claudia waited before the two girls nodded, "His name's Ronald and we met at work and he's just amazing." Claudia smiled as she spoke more than aware just how emotionally packed her words were. "But we're not officially official."
"No way." "He so doesn't deserve you if he can't put a label on it." The pair spoke together and Claudia continued to remind herself just why being drunk in the girls bathroom of a club was something she enjoyed so much.
"It's okay one of these days I just know we will be together. But don't let me talk so much about myself this one here got married this year." Claudia let Astoria become the centre of the conversation for a little while as she drifted her attention back to the noise coming from outside on the main dance floor. She would allow them to continue talking as songs passed she either did not know or did not care for.
But there was one song she recognised instantly and knew she had to drag Astoria back to the dance floor for. As the notes to 'Keep on Movin' played she was quick to drag Astoria away from the conversation waving to the two girls she never caught the name of. And as they made it onto the busy floor she pushed and bumped her way through the crowd caring not for those she hit on the way through. Rather just laughing upon successfully reaching the middle in a space large enough for the three girls.
"KEEP ON MOVING ON ANYWAY." Claudia would scream more than aware her voice would be lost after the night, but knowing it would have all been worth it.
Claudia never could keep her drink down, and not even borderline well either. It was how she found herself feeling incredibly sorry for herself hunched over one of the many toilets in Malfoy Manor where she had been stuck for nearly two hours. She didn't think it was possible for her to continue to have to empty her stomach but her body would prove to her otherwise. And as she felt all sweaty and gross and just plain fed up, the thing that ran through her head more than anything was just how desperate she was to go back to her own house. Back to her home, where maybe her knight in ginger hair could help her feel just a little bit better. The plan had originally been to stay at Malfoy Manor prior to this moment. It was somewhere that Claudia had never actually stayed before and if she was being honest the whole place gave her the creeps, especially when she knew what had happened in some of the rooms during the war. And who had stayed there before her. She wasn't sure she wanted to sleep in a room where it was not shared with her who had been a guest in it before. Something about that made a cold shiver run down her spine, one which would jump her out of the sticky hot feeling she was overcome with.
"Hey Claudie, how are you doing?" Astoria's voice drifted into the bathroom as she came to join her friend sat upon the floor. Harper had done quite well for herself having found a muggle man she wanted to go home with so it was just the two childhood friends left. And because it was just the two of them Claudia felt incredibly guilty even thinking about wanting to head home to her own house.
"Not good." Claudia mumbled out before the urge came back over her.
"Yeah that's okay. Draco's called for Ron to come pick you up, I think it's best you sleep in your own bed tonight." Astoria's words caused Claudia to momentarily turn to look at her with a look of disbelief on her face. A look of guilty disbelief if she was being honest, for she did feel as though she was ruining the night they had planned out, and the following morning.
"But what about breakfast tomorrow?"
"We can do that another day don't fret." Astoria rubbed the girls back.
Time passed at a strange rate as Claudia remained sat upon the cold tile floor, she could have been there an hour, it could have been five minutes. She was unsure either way. Yet the next time the bathroom door open, she looked up to see three figures enter. The two of which lived in the house and the face she was pretty desperate to see. However, as she studied Ron she noted just how off he seemed, the colour had drained from his face and he seemed unable to truly look at anything around him. His attention was focused purely on Claudia and could not stray from her figure. It was almost instant the moment she noticed that something was wrong with him that that slightly drunk feeling she had washed away. She tried to pull herself up from the floor as quick as she could moving her way over to him.
"Is everything okay Ronald?" Her words were on the quieter side as she moved to take one of his hands into her own. He gave her one single squeeze and she knew instantly they had to leave. Her stomach thought it remained turning and twisting was no longer of an importance.
"Do you think you could take me home?" She changed her tone making it out that it was all still for her, that nothing was wrong on his side.
"Of course I can pretty girl, we'll have to use the floo system as I think apparating will be too much on your stomach."
