Iris' morning had been one she never looked forwards to, not really. Once a fortnight on a Wednesday she had a two hour therapy session. It had been something recommended to her just days after the Battle of Hogwarts and one she wasn't sure she would ever not need. The lady she went to see was named Murli. Murli was a halfblood witch who specialised in Grief counselling. Something that Iris did admit to herself that she needed. 

Iris had struggled greatly at the lost of her sister and best friend. Getting to know a world without Lavender in it, had been something she never thought she would need to do. After all Iris was the older sister, even if it was by just an hour or so, and therefore, in her mind she would never have to get used to Lavender not being around. Her sister was always in her life, when she had thought of the future when she was younger Lavender was always there right beside her. The few times she had dreamt of her own wedding, Lavender was there as her maid of honour. When she had thought about having children, Lavender was there beside her as their aunt and godmother. 

And now, she was having to move on with her life, experience things like that in the future, but the one person she could have guaranteed to be there, she wasn't. Her sister wasn't going to be there, and adjusting to that theory had not been easy. Getting around to experience it was even worse. 

But her sessions with Murli had begun to help. Iris could see that the way she was living wasn't helping her move on. If Iris was to focus to much on what could have been, she was missing out on the most important thing. Remembering her sister and honouring her sisters memory. All Iris wanted to do now, was to live for Lavender, so that her sister could look over her and experience those things with her still. Just probably not in the way either sister expected. 

Despite, admitting these sessions were necessary and that they were helping. That didn't stop how bad they made her feel. Iris often found herself aching to the point she felt numb following the sessions with Murli. And it hurt to have to talk through everything, to try to understand what she was really feeling, really understanding of it all. And it often lead her to want to execute an unhealthy habit in order to numb the pain. Yet she knew that doing so would not promote the healing she needed to go through. Therefore, she went to her normal, probably not healthy in the long run, way to cope. She was going back to her favourite shop on Diagon Alley. 

As the bell rang on the door of the Ice Cream Parlour, Iris pulled herself through the door, knowing that by getting an order inside she should hopefully start to feel a bit better. She could ease the pain with the scrumptious desserts she was about to devour. 

"Take a seat inside for the time being, Iris. I'll bring you something in a moment." Fleamont greeted the girl without her even having to say hello. Iris supposed it was because he had started to get to know her pretty well, and had picked up that every other Wednesday she would have a much sadder, downer day much like this one. And he always seemed to accommodate her, knowing what to provide to bring her moral back up again. 

Therefore, when he handed her a sundae instead of her usual scoops of icecream, Iris wasn't 100 percent certain what to think. He had never made her something different before, but as he placed a ruby red cherry on the top and handed her a spoon with that sweet smile. Iris was willing to try it. After all, he had never once gotten it wrong before. Though he also handed her a spare spoon incase she dropped it. Not that she had ever dropped one before, but she would take it nevertheless. 

Taking her usual seat out the front of the house, Iris dug into the sundae she had been given. And she wasn't the slightest bit surprised to see that it actually was what she needed. Fleamont always did her a good service whenever she turned up, and it would appear this would continue as the longer she sat out their slowly going at the ice cream he appeared with a cup of tea for her. Made just the way she liked it, a little bit of milk and one sugar. His sweet smile, and knowing she had basically worked her way into the family and friends discount, would never have her denying him sending her anything like that. 

And for a while being on her own and processing the session, was working. Iris felt a little more in control the further she got through her sundae. Like she was accepting the work she had done, and was getting to move on with the rest of her day. Perhaps she would go for a bath, maybe she would enjoy a little more self care time. She could read a book or something. She wasn't sure. 

Until the chair next to her own was pulled out and someone took a seat next to her. Iris went immediately to look at them prepared to tell them to leave her alone. She didn't like to be interrupted during her ice cream time on her normal Thursdays. Yet alone on her sad Wednesdays, as she had come to call them. But the second Iris took a look at the person who had sat down next to her and she saw that red hair. She decided to not be too angry at him. After all he was reaching out this time. So much for not even wanting anything to do with her it would seem. 

"Strange combination you've got there Brown."

"Don't knock it until you've tried it Weasley." Iris shrugged and she supposed she knew what the second spoon was for. Not sure how Fleamont knew but nevertheless she offered up the spoon so he could try some of the now slightly melted dessert. The two sat in silence as they finished Iris' order and they were each brought a cup of tea. It wasn't one of those awkward silences, which Iris had expected considering they didn't really know each other very well. It was one that wasn't quite comfortable but it wasn't one where she felt as though she had to say something to ease the atmosphere. 

"I wonder how he just knows what you want and how you want it?" George questioned once the two of them had finished the remains of Iris' order. He had been staring at the shop owner for a little while a look of contemplation on his face. 

"I'm convinced he's some sort of seer." Iris responded rather quickly, she had been considering it for some time now. Knowing that there had to be something other than the fact that Fleamont was a really good people reader. 

"You might be onto something, or maybe he's a legitimens, reads your deepest thoughts to know what you want." George's idea was also a plausible theory. 

"Either or is a possibility we'll just have to keep coming to work it out." Iris threw the suggestion out in the open to leave the playing field open. Make it his decision whether they would do this again or not. 

"It's on. Want to place a bet as to who's theory is correct." George threw out a hand for Iris to shake. To pledge on their bet, and she knew that he had a way with bets. He always had a way with bets but she wanted to do it to bring them closer together. 

"I have the most experience as a customer here, so I take your bet." Iris shook his outstreached hand. Surprised to meet a rather soft hand, considering he used to be an avid quidditch player and obviously worked with his hands when creating new products. But nevertheless she shook his hand a smile on her face. The smile feeling as though it wasn't faked despite what she had gone through this morning. 

"So why are you here today? You normally come on Thursday's right?" George moved their conversation on, and Iris was confused as to how much notice he seemed to have taken of her. Either he had paid a lot of attention to her in the two or so weeks since they had been betrothed by the Ministry, or he had noticed her habit before he really knew who she was.

"I also come every other Wednesday at about 1:30. Have done so for about 8 weeks now." Iris smiled at him and she was sure George took an actual moment to study her this time round. She knew she looked quite a state in that moment in time. But she thought that there was no need to hide it. 

"Oh wow, can I ask why?" George seemed to not want to overstep any boundaries, and Iris wasn't sure he was really ready to hear what she was going to say. 

"Well, I go to see this lady. And she helps me to adjust to life you know as a single sibling. Life without Lavender and it hurts a lot to do. But I feel like slowly, just slowly I might be able to see my self as an individual and not one half of a pair." Iris watched on as he took in what she said, his eyes widened significantly. 

"You're trying to unlearn being a twin? Why would you want that. You want to forget being a twin?" He seemed to take it in the way she thought he would.

"It's not that I don't want to be a twin anymore. But I've come to terms that I can't keep living like there's a second me. Because there isn't anymore." Iris shrugged as she spoke, she knew he wasn't going to take her words well. She was sure had the roles been reversed she too would have hated to hear what she was saying. 

"There wasn't ever really 'two' of you. So why would you want to relearn to live as if you were an only sibling."

"Sometimes, George. Sometimes when I look in the mirror I almost think I see Lavender looking back at me. I know it will never be possible. I took after our mum, her our dad. But still I see her when I look in the mirror, and I feel that sudden urge that I am a twin. I might not have been identical but I was a twin, just like you were. And I don't know how to live without her. I need to relearn how to live now that she's gone and I've admitted to myself that I can't do this alone. That I need help. It's not a bad thing." Iris could feel where this conversation was heading and she didn't want to stick about for much more of it. That was if he went with what she thought he was going to. 

"Yeah well I think that it's stupid what you're doing." George's words had a strong cut to them. He was being harsh, Iris knew that he probably knew that. He was obviously, in Iris' opinion, not taking the idea that actually it was possible to learn to be an individual now. 

"And I think you're stupid if you think I'm going to sit around and listen to you speak to me like that. I'll see you around Weasley." Iris quickly brought out some change from her jacket pocket to pay for what she had consumed on the property, before she stood and left heading back in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron. She knew, somewhere deep down, that he was just responding. That he probably didn't mean what he said. 

But Iris knew better, she knew that in order for her health, her mental health to improve. She had to do these sessions, she needed to work out who she was, relearn how to live. And she also knew to preserve the progress she had made, which hadn't been a lot but it had been some, she needed to cut the conversation off. She didn't exactly want to completely cut him from her life, she really couldn't considering she rather enjoyed living as a free person, but she had to cut that conversation off. If she couldn't protect her energy she had to cut him off, for now at least.