Time would always go much faster than Iris wanted it to. As before she knew it, it was December 24th and she was pondering just what she was going to wear for the gathering at the Weasley household. She had that morning woken up with enough time to wrap the present she had finally found for George, miraculously the day beforehand it was a close call but nevertheless. Rather she stood there in her dressing gown staring at her wardrobe for outfits. Iris had no clue how long she had been stood there, staring and wondering just what would be good enough to meet her other half's family in. It would have appeared that she did not need to be told the time, rather someone let themselves into her room and that was when Iris knew she had been stood there a very long time and was making not only no progress but also herself late for the event, what a wonderful first impression she would make.

"Rizzo."

"Through here." Iris replied indicating to the small sectioned off area in the 'room' which was dedicated to being her bedroom. In reality the room she rented was a studio flat just without the kitchen. A place separated into a living room and a bedroom and for what she was paying rent an absolute steal. 

"You're not dressed." George commented and Iris groaned at his blatant pointing out of the very much obvious state she was in. At least her makeup was done she supposed but still.

"I know. What do I even wear to something like this? I really want your family to like me." Iris' frustration was clear in her voice as she turned from her wardrobe to look at George. And all she got was a laugh in response. 

"They're going to really like you Iris, its practically impossible not to. Just wear something comfortable there's no need to dress up around my family." George tried to gently enourage Iris nodding in the direction of the jeans she had hung up.

"Are you sure? First impressions."

"Iris I promise being comfortable will be more important. Today is basically our big celebration I'm sure we'll be out in the garden having snowball fights and everything you can't be uncomfortable for that."

"Okay, I'll only be a couple minutes. Sorry about making us late."

"We'll still be one of the first ones there even if we're half an hour late. Bill and Fleur will be last I just know it." George soon enough turned on his heel and went back out into the living room area. Iris listened to him picking up her favourite pair of dark blue jeans and reaching for the oversized white Nike top and the lighter blue jumper she usually wore together. And all she had to find by the door would be her white chuck taylor's which would make her trendy but also warm. 

"You ready yet?" George called but Iris immediately noted there was something off in the way of which he called out to her.

"Nearly, why do you sound like you've done something?" Iris hollered back as she pulled the jumper over her head.

"I've not done shit."

"You sound guilty George." Iris finalised as now fully dressed she entered the living room section to spot a rather sheepish looking George sat on her sofa with what looked like a wine stained pillow in his hands. 

"I swear I only wanted a little glass to ease my nerves." George tried to reason his way though Iris only smiled at him. She supposed that at least if he was going to ruin some of her stuff that he chose the one item she hadn't really liked from the second she had purchased it. 

"It's fine I'm not mad. I hated that cushion anyways." Iris smiled before nodding her head at the unfinished glass whilst heading to put on her shoes. "Do finish the glass though." 

The pair were silent as they performed side by side apparition to the Weasley family household. Iris could feel her nerves setting in and George was trying to stay strong to prove to her that there was nothing to be worried over. However, he knew his mother and could only imagine what the woman was going to do. Iris was pretty much the only one who was joining the family, through the marriage law, the woman did not know everyone else had ended up with someone who had been to the family home before that the woman had met a couple times. Then there was Iris, who his siblings had most likely told their mother of what had gone on between Ron and Lavender a few years back. 

"Everything's going to be fine." George gave Iris' hand a squeeze before opening the front door to what Iris had been told to call 'the burrow'.

Everything was not fine. Rather the day had turned out to be absolutely dreadful. From the moment Iris had stepped through the front door, it became blatantly obvious that she was an outcast to the closely knit family. George had gone around introducing her to the different members, even if she did know a good chunk of them, to be polite. And at first it had gone well, Charlie seemed very nice and shook Iris' hand with so much enthusiasm that she was sure her arm would fall off, his partner could not make it to the family event today so he was flying solo. The man with the long hair and expensive looking earrings would not share any more about who he was supposed to be bringing only that they would be disappointed to know that Iris had attended and they had missed her. The departing message she had been left with was that Charlie was going to be drinking for two today and at any point if she needed someone to drink with he was happy to be her drinking buddy.

The introductions had started to go downhill when Iris had been reintroduced to Percy. Percy was in a long time relationship with a woman named Audrey, someone who Iris knew of from her time at Hogwarts. Audrey had been the prefect for Ravenclaw house when Iris had first started at Hogwarts and from what one would think, that would make it so that they had something in common. It was unfortunately rather the opposite. Considering Iris had many a memories of the hazing completed by Audrey and the other prefects that year, it was best that they avoided talking too much right now. Especially when the older woman had recognised the Brown girl and wanted very much to dive into what had gone on when they had first met. 

Finally the trip downhill spiralled very quickly the moment Iris and Ginny met again. Ginny Weasley was a girl the year below Iris and there were many rumours going around the castle from the moment the only daughter of the Weasley family had first started. Iris knew of Ginny, pretty well one might say, without the real need to talk to the younger woman. The one of which barely qualified to take part in the stupid law created by the ministry. Ginny currently stood there, hanging off the arm of none other than Harry Potter, and the aura she held was very much non inviting. The moment that George brought Iris over so the girls could properly say hello to one another Iris was given a rather nasty sneer and the cold shoulder. Ginny barely even managed to say hello to the older woman before she immediately turned to ignoring her focusing only on talking to her older brother. 

Iris had spoken to Harry Potter once or twice beforehand. Actually most of that had been whilst the girl had joined both versions of Dumbledore's Army. Yet in this moment in time Harry looked at her as though they had never met. He acted as though they had never met. Giving a polite 'hello it's nice to meet you' before following in suit with Ginny and ignoring her. And Iris realised that Harry was not really that much of a saviour or a hero. He was someone who had started to develop a rather serious ego problem. So much so for him being George's favourite person to go and see at this gathering. 

The group had soon been joined by Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, a pairing Iris really could not see working in the long term. Ron was someone Iris did know, he was not someone who would be able to ignore her considering the fact that Ron and Lavender had dated only a few years ago. But it would seem that without really wanting to get to know one another as who they were now that Ron had written her off. He had sneered a rather nasty sounding 'Brown' at Iris before taking his brother up into conversation. Hermione had at least the forefront to pretend to be nice to Iris, even though it was obvious the woman was pretending. And Iris really did start to wonder whether they were going to continue to hold this grudge over her for not even her own actions but due to what her sister had done three years ago. They were holding Iris guilty for Lavender saying yes to going on a date with Ron and then agreeing to be his girlfriend when she was asked. And because Lavender was no longer here to take whatever they thought was rightful for her actions it now landed on her twin. 

But all of this Iris could have taken. Sure it hurt to be so clearly an outcast to the family, even if Charlie had tried to make her feel more comfortable. There was more of a storm brewing. And the one person Iris had been overly anxious to meet, the person she had so desperately wanted to set a good impression to, hated her. For the moment Iris met Molly Weasley it was evident that the Matriarch of the ginger haired family hated Iris. She had voiced this dislike immediately, not caring that everyone in the room could hear nor that Iris was stood in front of her.

"I'm sure we can find you a safe and legal way out of this George. There is no chance I will allow you to marry such a woman." Molly had shouted as she spoke addressing her son and looking down her nose at Iris. And Iris felt the urge to cry, all she had wanted to do was introduce herself to Molly and slowly get to know her, show that she would be a good enough fit for her son and despite the horrible situation causing the pair to come together that something good could and would come out of it. But this was shot down immediately. 

"Mum come on. Just get to know Iris I'm sure your opinion will be swayed immediately. She's great Mum, trust me." George had attempted to defend Iris, of which she was grateful for. But Iris knew there was very little chance that things would go in her favour.

"Trust you? Absolutely not George. You must be out of your mind if you think that way." Molly continued on and Iris was stunned to silence. She never had met a partner's parents before and she was assuming that this wasn't necessarily the way things were supposed to go down. But she didn't know what else to do. All she could do was stand there and take the verbal pounding against her character and her worth. Even if she had only stuck her hand out to introduce herself. Perhaps that was just not the worthy way she was supposed to have introduced herself to this specific woman. She would never know. 

And as the day dragged on, Iris could only become more and more uncomfortable. As it became clear that she was outcasted from the family gathering as much as they could do without kicking her out of the house Iris could only watch on. She watched on as they decided to share the gifts from the parental figures to the children and every person in attendance other than her got something. Even Charlie's missing partner was handed a gift from Molly to be taken home. Iris could only allow a small, and very much fake, smile to grace her figures as each person opened up a hand made sweater from Molly herself. But Iris did not need to watch the others for much longer as her attention was very quickly moved to the man of which had invited her over. For George's parcel was significantly larger than the other's. And when he opened it, it was clear why. As for inside the one present contained not one but two handmade sweaters lovingly knitted in quite possibly the same colours Molly had always associated to each child. George pulled out the first one, to see it had a very clear black G knitted into the maroon colour. Yet it was the second one that shook the poor man. For when he pulled out a second one in the matching maroon colour his eyes were immediately fixated on the black F knitted in the middle. 

Iris wasted no time as she took George's hand and pulled him to his feet. She could see the tears that welled in his eyes and knew she needed to get him somewhere more private. Finding nowhere downstairs, and feeling as though she would not be welcomed to head upstairs Iris quickly moved the two of them to the back garden. Luckily there was a bench outside that she could usher them both over to. She gently tried to coax George down to sit on the bench and she waited for him to say or act in any particular way. Iris could tell that Molly did not mean to upset her son quite so much with the gift, probably thinking it would have been something nice, but Iris knew better that it was just too early for things like this. George did not speak nor make any real noises for a little while, rather he sat there almost frozen for a good percentage of the time from when they originally were seated. That was until, he was no longer able to stay that way, turning and throwing himself into Iris, who was very much happy to take him into her embrace. 

"Oh Georgie, you were so strong. You did so well, you opened that gift up you looked at both of those jumpers and you did not lash out. You did not break in front of them you were so, so strong." Iris comforted him by rubbing gently on his back as for the first time she properly watched him break down. Hearing George cry was not something Iris really ever wanted to hear again, it beat at her own emotions and she could feel herself tearing up just from how upset he was. 

"I'm sorry." George's words were very much full of the emotion he was feeling and Iris wanted more now than she had done to have said something at the time. 

"Don't be sorry George. I'm sure your mother did not mean any harm, she just didn't realise that it's just too early to do something like that. You're still healing and it's going to take you longer than everyone else because of who he was to you." Iris hoped her words were of some comfort but she couldn't be sure as George continued to cry and she felt the first tear of her own slip down her face.

"I miss Fred." George's weak voice continued to pull and Iris felt as they both cried over the events which happened inside.

"I know you do love. I know you do." 

The pair sat outside for a little while longer, and Iris was sure they would have been out there for maybe an hour more as George readied himself to head back inside. The only problem was that it was the height of winter and sure there was not much snow, but it was freezing cold outside. And the cold was making it so they had to go in much sooner than Iris knew that George wanted to. But she was not going to force him to make that decision anytime soon and would rather wait until he said something about it. 

"It's really cold out here." George commented not long after Iris finally felt her fingers go numb from the cold temperature. 

"It's okay take your time, we'll only go back in when you're ready." Iris didn't want him rushing back in because she said she was cold. After all she was adamant most of the family did not like her and therefore staying outside with George despite being incredibly cold was probably a better thing than knowing that every time she felt eyes upon her it was coming from people who held a distain for her. 

"Are you sure."

"100%." And with her confirmation they stayed outside just a little longer. Iris took her time to take in just how big the property was. The family had a full quidditch pitch set up on the green and still had enough space to have wooden furniture decorating the rest of the garden. But she supposed if you had 7 children there had to be more than enough space for them to play. Still it was much more on the childhood home of which she had grown up in Nottingham.