Cordelia Lyra Malfoy had always been different from the rest of her family. Her family were blood-supremacists who tried to teach their views to their children. Cordelia never believed with their views and would be punished for it.
She never felt a...
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The first few weeks of summer as a Hogwarts graduate were spent with Cordelia keeping her mind distracted while anxiously waiting for her NEWT results. She helped the twins open the shop by stocking shelves and taking care of the new Pygmy Puffs. She ventured to the other shops to buy supplies, catching up with the shopkeepers who took care of her when she was younger as she did so. In her downtime, she spent quality time with Tom, offering help when he needed it. She loved living in Diagon Alley again. The busy street was the first place that felt like home to Cordelia, and she was thrilled to have that feeling again. Being able to take care of those who helped her when she was younger brought her true joy. She felt the familiar feeling of being at home, just as she did when she ran away from Malfoy Manor years ago.
Fred and George hired a cashier named Verity. She was a young witch who was hardworking and fit in with their friend group. George's crush on Verity was instant during the interview, but he kept things professional. Cordelia was nervous about Verity at first, wondering if Fred would develop the same crush as his brother. The shopkeeper ended up being an excellent addition. She and Cordelia instantly clicked, talking about anything and everything as they worked in sync around the shop.
Despite their instant friendship; however, Verity often became flustered around Cordelia. Being the anxious person she was, Cordelia automatically thought Verity didn't like her. She thought that Verity was simply being polite in their multiple conversations that would start out friendly, but would end abruptly when the talks got personal. She brushed that thought off, reminding herself that Verity wouldn't be so nice to her if that was the case.
Fred, on the other hand, figured out that Verity had a crush on Cordelia. Instead of feeling jealous or threatened, he found it amusing and didn't tell his girlfriend, not wanting to ruin his own fun. Watching Variety become flustered and embarrassed around Cordelia (and Cordelia having no idea why) brought mischievous fun to his chaotic and busy days. He wasn't going to give that up for as long as he could help it.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Fred, George, Cordelia, and Verity were working in the shop a few days before opening when an owl swooped in and dropped a letter on the counter before taking off. Fred picked up the sealed letter and handed it to Cordelia.
"It's your NEWT results, love," he said in an optimistic tone.
Cordelia's hands started to shake as she held the letter, her eyes wide as she read her name on the sealed l envelope. "I - I can't..." She passed the letter to Verity, who read the envelope.
"You can't what?" asked Verity, skeptically.
"It holds my future. I'm too afraid to look," she explained, fiddling with her charm bracelet. "Could you open it, p-please?"
