Deafening Silence | George Weasley (COMPLETE)

23

Everybody's trying to be a billionaire
But every time I look at you I just don't care
'Cause all I wanna be, all I ever wanna be
Is somebody to you 

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August rolled in with a great news from Audrey.
"We're re-opening Hogwarts in September!" She squealed.
"That's amazing! I can't wait!" Iris hugged her friend.
"But this also means that I go back to my normal job after this!" Audrey frowned. She worked in the ministry in the department of magical catastrophes and accidents. She usually spent most of her time obliviating muggles who had seen too much or going to potioneers' houses and fixing the messes they had made.
Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley and Godric's Hollow combined was the biggest project they had taken on and so most wizards in that department had been assigned the job to restore the wizarding world to its norm.
Audrey quite enjoyed it but all good things came to an end.
"Well, you'll have more time on your hands" Iris tried her best to make it look better but both of them knew that Audrey didn't have the best job.
"I have the world's most awful job, luckily I won't have to go for long" Audrey shrugged and Iris looked at her in confusion, "Did you resign?"
"No, I'm pregnant"
"Really?"
"Did I not mention this earlier?" Audrey chuckled and Iris hit her arm, "no!" She then pulled her best friend into a tight hug, "You can't tell anyone yet, we want to tell everyone together"

It was an understatement to say that the family was overjoyed with their news. The two had announced it on a family gathering and Molly was already planning her knitted sweaters.
Everyone congratulated them, everyone except Bill. He went up to Percy and put his hand on his shoulder and sighed, "Good luck, you may not survive" Molly scolded her son while the others laughed at Percy's horrified face.

George stood with Fred and Lee staring at the sales woman in utter confusion. Who would've thought buying a ring would be so difficult. He wasn't sure what he wanted but the fifteen other ones that he had seen were definitely not the ones.
Fred and Lee were the worst helpers and had no idea what they were doing. Making jokes wasn't helping George much and he wasn't too happy with them.
"You need to lighten up" Lee had told him. How could he lighten up with an hour wasted and no progress?

After giving up on Fred and Lee, George could only think of one person who could help him.
He stood in Percy's office at the Ministry as he signed some papers. 
"Why are you here? can't we talk after work?" He asked.
"No, this is important" George sat down across from Percy, "How did you pick a ring?"
Percy looked up at him in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"A ring, marriage, wedding"
"Oh, wait, you're going to-"
"Yes exactly"
"Then there are somethings you should know, one, you ask her parents first. Two, whatever happens, don't tell Audrey, she will tell Iris, they can't hide anything from each other"
George chuckled, "what about the ring?"
"I'll help you pick one"

Talking to Iris' parents shouldn't have been so nerve wrecking. They were so nice and always joking around, so why was he so nervous? He stood with the magical paper that was floating around him. They was no way he could hear anything they said without it. They asked him to come in and offered him tea but he refused for the latter. 
"I want to marry her" He said, "I mean, if she wants to- I want to ask her to marry me" 
The two looked at each other and then at George in confusion, "And?"
"Well..I wanted to ask you for your permission-or blessing-or-"
"You want to ask Iris to marry you, not us." Mr. Menkem said. 
"It's completely up to her, and you" Mrs. Menkem added, "You don't need our permission, you're adults and can make your own decisions. We're happy if you both are happy"
George smiled and thanked them, his nervousness washing away with those words.   
"One person you might need permission from though," George's face fell, "would be Audrey. They're best friends, she won't marry you if Audrey says no" Mr. Menkem chuckled and George wasn't sure if he was just pulling his leg or being serious. 




Percy sat in the shop with George as the looked at ten different rings all together. 
"This one is out" Percy moved one of them aside. 
"This isn't it" George took another on and put it next to the rejected one. 
Lee and Fred were there too, looking at other things. 
"What about this one?" George asked, picking a ring up and showing it to Percy but before he could reply, Fred called them out from the other side of the room. 
"This one" He pointed out to one of the rings inside the glass cupboard.  
It was a silver ring with a circular diamond in the middle and two lines curving above and below it, giving the illusion of an eye. 
George chuckled, "Her name is Iris after the flower not the eye" 
"But it would make a great joke!" Lee sniggered. 
"Can you imagine it? 'an Iris for Iris, I can't take my eyes off of you! You look Iris'istible" Fred mocked, "All those puns you came up with earlier"
"Actually, I can" 





George was taking Iris on a date. They hadn't been on a date since forever which quite excited Iris. She didn't think much of it, dinner and ice cream right? everyday thing. But George told her that it was going to be a 'proper' date, as he put it. 
So, she put on a simple blue dress and let her hair fall over her shoulders. They decided to go to a muggle restaurant in London, a pretty nice one. 
George's palms were sweating as he waited for the right moment to do it. As far as he knew, she didn't suspect anything. His leg was tapping the floor as his heart pounded loud enough for Iris to hear. 
"You okay?" Iris asked him, his expressions going against him. 
"Yeah," His hand went to his pockets as he felt that box safe and secure. He sighed trying to calm his nerves as he took another bite from his plate. 

"Iris Menkem!?" Iris' head whipped around. A man, tall, with dark hair and a charming smile stood behind her. Iris smiled at him in surprise as she stood up and hugged him. 
George almost choked on his food when he saw him. He stood up awkwardly looked at Iris for an explanation. 
She looked back at him, "He's a friend from school"
"I'm George Weasley" George stretched out a hand out for him. 
"Sean McArthur" He shook hands with George. 
"How are you?" He turned to Iris and she looked at George for translation. 
"Good, I lost my voice in the war, you won't hear much from me, but" Iris looked at the red head, "I've been great"

George and Iris came home to a very excited Fred and Lee but judging by George's expression, they realized quickly that something went wrong. once Iris was surely a sleep, they apparated to Percy's. 
"Sean McArthur happened!" 
"What's that?" Lee asked. 
"Who's that?" Fred raised his eyebrow. 
"Oh! He's in town!? I had no idea!" Percy was pleasantly surprised, "He was in our year at Hogwarts but then he transferred to Beauxbaton after our fifth year. I didn't know him well, but Audrey and Iris were very good friends with him" Percy explained. 
"He completely ruined it! I don't know what to do now!" 



September was a busy month for Iris, Hogwarts was opening up and Madame Pomfrey had retired. She was rather traumatized after the war and working there was something she decided against, so until they found a replacement, Iris was requested to take over the Hospital wing in school by McGonagall. She wasn't sure why she was asked to do so, Iris couldn't say anything, she had a translator always trailing her and helping with the translations. It would make it complicated for the students but after much convincing from the now Headmistress, Iris had accepted the job till Christmas. 

This obviously completely ruined George's second plan to propose to Iris considering she was going to stay at school for three and a half months. But she really wanted to do it, to wash off the guilt that still lingered around her. That school meant so much to everyone, it was the least she could do. 

As she packed her things up, George stood there sulking. 
"Do you have to go?"
"I'll be back by Christmas, you can come meet me at Hogsmeade" The floating quill scribbled on the parchment. 
"I know but still..."
"You can help me cause trouble at school"She smirked, "No rules apply to me, I'm only the healer"
"You are my favorite person ever!" George laughed, "Don't tell Fred though, he'll get offended" 

It was two days before she had to leave for school, Iris walked up to George, "Sit there" she told him in all seriousness. He sat down on the chair in confusion. 
"Hold still" George was rather confused. Iris took something out of her pocket and fiddled with George's ear which made him jump, "What are you doing?"
"Stay still!" She continued to fiddle with his ear before stepping back and looking at him expectantly. 
"What did you do with my ear? It feels so weird!" his hand went to his ear but Iris swatted it off, "wait I can hear myself! That's weird!" Iris chuckled. 
"It's a hearing aid, muggles use it" Iris explained, "Wait" She walked out of the room and came back with Fred, "say something" 
"Say what?" Fred asked and George perked up. 
"I can hear him a little bit!"
"What?"
"I can hear you!"
After much explaining and no understanding, Iris took out a bunch of catalogs and informational flyers from her bag and handed it to George. They were from a muggle hospital and included more about what to expect wit the aids. George could only hear from one ear because he didn't have another ear, it was a false one, but regardless, the red-head was very happy to be finally hear something. 
It would take him a while to get used to hearing sounds louder but it was all worth it. Iris was overjoyed as well, she didn't think it would work in the wizarding world or cause problems but it did and that relieved her. 

George, Fred, Lee and Audrey along with the rest of the Weasley clan all stood at a pretty empty 9 and 3/4 station. Iris, Ginny and Hermione were the only ones returning to Hogwarts. Hermione and Ginny wanted to finish their seventh year and Iris was going as a healer. She felt her stomach twist as she saw a mixed group of people at the station. She knew some of them, the returning juniors. Some were new first years and some old. 
At that point she took a few steps back, away from the train. She wasn't sure how ready she was for this, for Hogwarts. She wasn't ready to sit in the trains she abducted poor kids from, she wasn't ready to sit in the train without her sister or Audrey. She wasn't ready to go to the lace where she saw so many die, so many she knew. 
"You'll be fine" George whispered to her, reading her expressions. 
"I don't know" She needed some reassurance, a small push towards her decision. 
"I'll visit you at Hogsmeade.." He told her, "We'll cause trouble again.."
He was convincing but not to Iris. 
She looked around the station at the first years, too nervous to go, the returning students, too nervous to go too. She was ready to turn around and leave when three very familiar teenagers approached her. 
"Iris!" The excitedly engulfed her in hugs and everything inside of Iris melted. Fred and Lee stod next to her completely confused 
"I know that boy...His name is John." George told them, "But I don't know how they know her"
"They are the three Hufflepuffs I found during the war" Iris signed it to George. 
"Oh.." George helped her translate so she could converse with the three teenagers. 
They were returning to Hogwarts for their third year, if they could do it, why couldn't she?

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