keegan delaney has always been a part of george weasley's life. they were never close, though they both were always there for the important moments. it's only after hogwarts when keegan gets a job in a cafè right across from weasley's wizard wheezes...
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PROLOGUE: A SERIES OF EVENTS
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SHE WAS CRYING UNDER the dim lights of the Hogwarts kitchen. Her dark hair was tangled around her hands as she rested her head against the wooden tabletop, shoulders shaking with sobs. Tears stained her skin and left her eyes stinging, but Keegan Delaney did not care. The ache was nothing compared to the muted pain roaring in her chest, fighting against her rib cage and threatening to break free.
Cedric Diggory was dead. Her best friend was dead.
There was an awkward cough from the kitchen doorway but Keegan ignored the sound as she buried her head deeper into her hands. She couldn't find it in her to stop the tears. She didn't know what would happen when they stopped, what came after the loss of a loved one. No one Keegan loved had died before.
"Uh, are you okay?" George Weasley frowned down at the heartbroken girl. He winced at his choice of words. Why would she be okay? He knew who she was to Cedric Diggory. "Wait, don't answer that."
Keegan continued to ignore him. If this was any other time and the George Weasley, her crush of three years, was speaking to her, she might have blushed. But her heart didn't know how to feel anything but sorrow. George seemed to realise she wasn't going to say anything, so he stood there for a moment, unsure what to do. He slowly crossed the room to stand by her side, staring helplessly down at the girl he'd spoken to only a couple of times.
"Hey," he sighed, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder despite the awkwardness. "I know it may not seem like it, but it's going to be okay, Keegan."
Keegan never thanked him for his support, but George knew she was grateful.
The next time they really saw each other, they were in Dolores Umbridge's classroom. It was the first day back in their final year at Hogwarts, and Dumbledore had taken on a Ministry official as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Everyone knew she was going to be trouble, but no one quite realised just how much damage she could cause. It started with her teaching style, then it escalated quickly.
No need to learn magic, she claimed. There was no one out there that could hurt them. If that didn't set Keegan off, her claim that Cedric's death was an accident definitely did. Before anyone could react, the quiet girl who hadn't said a word to anyone since her best friend died clambered to her feet, screaming abuse across the classroom with a furious look in her eyes.
"How dare you?" she spat, ignoring Umbridge's expression of surprise as she slammed her hands against her table, forcing herself not to cross the room and smack the woman silly. "Cedric was murdered!"
"Calm down, Miss--" When it became clear that Keegan would not give her name, she sighed. "There is no need to raise your voice at me."
"No need?" Keegan scoffed. "My best friend did not drop dead of is own accord. He was murdered! Voldemort killed him!"
"Enough!" Umbridge shrieked. She was willing to let Keegan's rude behaviour go until she uttered You-Know-Who's name. "Sit down right now or you'll have detention for a week."
"That's not fair," George Weasley protested. He'd seen firsthand just how devastated Keegan was after Cedric's death. While he and the boy weren't close, he meant the world to Keegan. Ignoring his brother's half-hearted protests, he stood up alongside Keegan.
"Sit down, Mr Weasley, unless you want detention too?" Umbridge didn't need to ask for his name, recognising his bright red hair immediately.
"But-"
"Detention for a week! For both of you!" she crowed before Keegan or George could get a word out. "Now sit down and copy the syllabus."
Keegan glared at her, and if looks could kill, Umbridge would be six feet under. Ignoring the things scattered across her desk, Keegan shoved back her chair, allowing it to fall to the floor as she stormed from the room. She might've been a bit on the dramatic side, but all she could think about was Cedric's face, of the future that had been taken from him. She could feel the tears burning in her eyes as she slammed the door behind her, running through several corridors before she sunk to the floor in an alcove, the first sob racking against her body with ferocity.
George approached her before her next class, ignoring her red eyes as he wordlessly held out her bag for her.
"Thank you," she muttered, and he could hear the weight behind her words as clear as day.
"No problem," he mustered up a tiny smile.
Then they went their separate ways.
The next time she properly saw George Weasley, she was much older and none the wiser. Freshly eighteen and ready to take on the world, Keegan went straight from her house in muggle London to look for a job in Diagon Alley. She'd only been out of school for a week, but Keegan needed to make money while she studied to be a Healer. If that meant working in Diagon Alley, which had changed drastically with the return of Lord Voldemort, then so be it.
The bright lights of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes jarred her senses as she paused outside their shop, jaw dropped open in wonder. She like everyone else had known of the Weasley twins' plan to open a joke shop after Hogwarts, but she didn't think they'd go through with it so quickly, and so successfully either. They were dozens of people lining up to enter the shop, whispering excitedly under the glow of the store's purple and orange lights.
Keegan smiled at the sight before scanning the street for any vacancies. The first she spotted was a tiny café opposite the Weasley store. The sign on the door stated open but very few customers were inside, everyone drawn to the new attraction sitting a few feet away from the door. The door bell tinkled as Keegan stepped inside, and the woman standing behind the counter smiled happily at her.
"Hi, welcome to Emery's! How can I help you today?"
Judging by the name tag on her shirt that stated 'Emery' Keegan assumed she was speaking to the owner. "Hi, Emery. I was wondering if you had any jobs available."
And it all fell into place from there.
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A/N: Welcome to Bleed Out! I'm so excited to share Keegan with you guys, she's my first character whose story takes place outside of Hogwarts, which is gonna be new for me but I'm confident that I can do it. Anyway, let me know what you guys think about the prologue! Thank you so much for reading <3
