I drank everything, seen everything doubly

In the morning, Charlotte felt better than she deserved.
She skipped the breakfast because, to be completely honest, she wasn't sure that she will be able to look at the food.
She tried to realize how she felt.
It wasn't bad as she expected. Just a headache, but that will pass after few pills. Maybe it was really good idea to went this party when she did, she would be much worse if she continued with that game.

Charlotte tried to recall everything that happened before and unwelcomed redness cover her cheeks once when she realized she actually kissed Christian Zabini. She really did that.
Molly would be proud.

Since she felt really bad she decided to skip first classes. At least first two.
It was something really unusual and new for her but again, she felt really bad.

After the first few classes, it was time for the lunch and that was when she saw Clair. She can't see him now. He would make her feel even worse about herself.
So, like all immature kids, she tried to hide behind the book in hope he won't see her there.

@Clair Sauvage

He'd seen it at breakfast and now he was seeing it again at lunch.  The fallout from the party last night was obvious for anyone who knew to look.  People talking in whispers, winces. Clair even spied a couple of people resorting to carrot or tomato juice.  Good Lord.

He was actually pretty fine.  His dad was a prick, but he was a French prick and that meant Clair had been brought up with the whole wine at meals thing.  He knew how to pace himself.  Oh, he'd been smashed before (mostly to piss off his dad, to be honest) but the fun of lowered inhibitions wasn't worth the pain of the hangover in the morning.  Especially as Clair's inhibitions were already so low.

So last night, he'd only had two and a half drinks, total.  Chased with a litre of water before he went to bed, and compared to everyone else today, he was looking positively chirpy.

He spied Charlotte Waldorf trying desperately not to be noticed.  It wasn't that odd that she had her face in a book; she usually had her face in a book.  It was the way she was holding it, not the casual studying-while-eating pose, but more an if-I-don't-see-you-maybe-you-can't-see-me one.  

Why would Charlotte not want people to see her?  It could only have something to do with last night, so Clair walked across and slid onto the bench next to her.

"Hi, Lottie," he greeted, keeping his voice low since she had that whole muggle obsession and probably wouldn't have known to take a hangover potion.  

"You and Christian left in a bit of a rush last night."

Of course, Clair knew they'd left to stop Ace breaking up the party, but he was willing to let her think he thought they'd been looking for somewhere more private than a closet.

Charlotte was determined to spend her day reading. It was the great exercise for her brain and maybe, just maybe she would be lucky enough to escape from that terrible headache. She tried to stay under the radar today.
She skipped all classes and breakfast as well as dinner in hope people would just leave her alone.

It's not like she had big enough ego to think other people suddenly became really interested in her life, but because that terrible feeling of shame she wasn't able to get rid of. She got drunk. She kissed Christian. She was standing in front of the door in Ravenclaw tower for more than 10 minutes because she was drunk enough so she wasn't able to say right answer to the riddle. She was the mess and she wasn't able to see people whispering about that.

And she knew enough about her generation to realize they would whisper about her in Christian in the closet.
That is why she was keeping her face in the book, literally in hoše that Clair wouldn't see her. But of course he did, he always finds a way to succeed what he wants. And it's not like her cover was the best solution ever. She would probably have more luck if she gets under the table, but now it was too late for that because he was already making his way to the place she was sitting.

"Hello Clair, " she said without the will to correct him about the nickname. She wanted, but she realized that f he wants to call her Lottie, he would probably do that no matter what she says.
"I really don't know what you are talking about. I left the party so I can go to sleep" she was able to actually feel redness covering her face when she heard his words. Is that really what people think? That they left because they wanted the private? God help her when she finally goes to the class.

Oh, blush. He'd obviously hit a nerve, but Clair didn't think that meant much. He suspected Charlotte was the kind of person who'd blush regardless of what he said to her.

"I guess Christian was in a rush to go to bed too," he said.

God, that actually was awful. Clair chuckled to lighten the mood.

"Before you start," he added, before she really could start, "I don't believe that and nor will anyone else. Even if someone starts the rumour nobody's actually gonna believe that's what you were doing."

"But I was wondering what the deal with you and Christian was last night. What was so urgent that you had to speak to him about it in a closet?"

Charlotte frowned and actually tried to kill him with the look.
Too bad even witches can't do that.
"What the hell are you talking about?" She said angrily.
"I hoped you would know better than that" she shook her head trying to look like his words didn't affect on her but she didn't fool anyone.

"I..." she tried to think about something. She really did, but words just didn't want to left her mouth.
She was saying him that she would like to join the Potter's Army. And she kissed him.

But the thing was, she couldn't say any of that to Clair.
First one was secret, at least Christian said that to her and second... Well, that one was just embarrassing.

"It's something private. But it's not actually anything important." She looked at him seriously.

When she gave him that look, Clair knew he really had hit a nerve. And private? Not really important? He had a pretty good idea of what must have been going on. Especially since Charlotte was so drunk last night. Clair would have placed money on it being the first time she'd ever touched alcohol.

"You really were making out in there, huh?" he jumped to the conclusion, stunned.

Clair wouldn't have expected that of Christian, after the way Apollo had behaved last night, he'd started thinking of Christian as the pureblood gentleman stereotype. Because clearly, Apollo wasn't living up to that.

"I don't know why you don't want people to know, Lottie," he feigned confusion. Charlotte was odd, of course she wouldn't want anyone to know.

"Christian's a nice guy. Bit of a catch."

Clair had no idea what the girls of Hogwarts thought of Christian, but he figured there was no harm in implying Charlotte should be proud of her new position.

"No!" she wasn't aware of the fact she actually yelled. But he was making the completly wrong conclusion and she couldn't help herself but yell. It was something really bad.
And the worst part was the fact that she couldn't say the truth. Christian would be really angry and she didn't want that. She didn't want him to look at her like a little gossip girl who can't keep secrets.

"It really isn't what you think it is. I just can't speak about that" she frowned and shook her head.

"Fine!Think whatever you want!" she said angrily and started to reading her book again. Or at least she was pretending to read since she wasn't able to see any single letter.

Charlotte's outburst took Clair so unaware that he actually cringed.  What the hell?

There were rumours that Charlotte was crazy, but Clair had never really credited them.  He just put them down to her muggle obsession which was weird, but not, like, hearing voices insane.  Now, he was starting to have second thoughts.

"Whatever," he stood up, giving her a talk-to-the-hand gesture. "I don't care what you do with Zabini."

"Just stay the fuck away from me."

Getting into fights where everyone knew the deal was one thing, but Clair wasn't about to hang around near witches who might curse him for something they'd made up in their own heads.

She looked at him once again and then she closed her book a little too much aggressively and gave him one more look while she stood up.

"Fine!" she said just to hide how much Clair actually hurt her.
It was silly, though, because she thought that she hates him and now she was all pathetic about the idea he hates her as well.

"You are the one who approached me after all. Why can't you just be nice?" Charlotte looked down at her hands because bo be honest, she was broken.
Maybe it was because of alcohol and terrible hangover she has now, or it was the fact she actually started to like Clair, but she was really close to starting crying and she definitely didn't want him to see her crying because of him.

Clair, who'd already started walking away, spun round to face her. The last time, he promised himself. Just get this last bit in and leave.

"I am being nice," he snarled at her.

"Do y' know how many people think you're a total fruitcake, Charlotte?"

He gestured round the common room, but it was clearly meant to encompass the rest of the school as well.

"At least half! Probably more."

"Being seen anywhere near you when it could get me branded as friends with the muggle obsessive weirdo is pretty damn nice, I think, so get off your high horse for once."

He turned back around and left the common room as calmly as possible. He wasn't going to sink to her level.