River Knotts woke up in his room in number twelve Grimmauld Place. He almost wished he hadn't, because it was a crashing reminder that what he was doing was the reason his girlfriend, Penny Haywood, had broken up with him. He pushed it to the back of his mind and pulled a shirt over his muscled and tattooed torso, put a jacket on and made his way to the kitchen. He found Mrs. Weasley, Lupin and Sirius Black at the table. "Good morning, River. There's a plate for you there," she pointed at the plate with two eggs and toast next to Sirius. River sighed, sat down and began eating his eggs glumly. Lupin gave River a kind smile and asked, "Still no word from Penny?" River didn't say anything, and Lupin said, "She will come around eventually." River looked up and said, "Will she? Will she really?" Lupin nodded and River scoffed. "How do you know that?" This time, Mrs. Weasley answered. "Because dear, love conquers all, doesn't it? If she really loves you, she'll come back." River sighed. "I don't know if she did truly love me. I mean, I joined the order to do the right thing, to stop the most evil wizard to have ever existed, to save innocent lives, but she turns her back." Mrs. Weasley cut his toast up and buttered it for him. "She accepted your proposal, didn't she?" River scoffed again. "Yeah, then she said she wants to hold off." River sighed and Sirius, who had been quiet until now, looked up with annoyance written on his face. "You know River," He said leaning forward, "You're being a bit pathetic." River looked up at him and Mrs. Weasley said, "Sirius, that's a bit harsh…" Sirius waved a hand and said, "I don't care. He needs to hear this. Especially if he's actually going to be part of the order." River grunted. "Say what you have to say then, Black." Sirius scowled. "Ever since you got that letter from Penny, you've been in a right state." This was true. River had grown his hair down to neck length and he had grown a rather large beard. "You need to stop moping about and actually do something if you want something to change between you and Penny!" River rolled his eyes. "I'm getting love advice from someone who spent Twelve years in Azkaban? Your social skills have obviously crashed when you were in there." Sirius stood up slowly, fury in his eyes. He was shaking with anger. "Don't," he said in a deadly whisper, "Don't you ever mention that hell hole. You wouldn't last two minutes. You don't have the mental strength, as you've shown over the past few weeks." River grunted and Sirius started to reach for his wand, but Lupin interfered. "Sirius…" he said in a warning tone. Sirius stared at River, then ever so slowly sat down. "If you want her back, really want her back River, then wake up and put the work in." River sighed. He stood up and started to walk away, "Where are you going?" River turned around and said, "I'm going to go clear my head and hopefully figure things out." Sirius looked at River for a few moments, then nodded. River turned and continued on his way.

As soon as he closed the door behind him, he looked around to make sure no one was looking. When he was satisfied that no one was around, River reached into his pocket and pulled out a muggle key fob. He clicked the red panic button twice, and a grey blur came zooming down the street and a Ford Contour stopped in front of the house. It wasn't technically legal for River to have enchanted his car, but all he had done to it was giving an undetectable extension charm, a summoning charm and the ability to navigate traffic. River was sure that if Mr. Weasley found out about his car, he would either give him pointers, or arrest him. River opened the door and got in the car. River put his hands on the wheel and sighed. Deciding that he could take his mind off things with his work at Gringotts, he put the car in drive and headed to the leaky cauldron. He parked the car, making sure to lock it before he went inside. "Good day, River!" Tom the barman called. "Can I get you something?" River shook his head. "No thanks, Tom. I'm just heading in for work." River went out the back door and tapped the bricks that lead to Diagon Ally. Once the wall opened, River transformed into a handsome brown dog. He, like Sirius, was an Animagus. Both men could turn into a dog at will. River, unlike Sirius though, was registered with the ministry concerning his ability. Penny owned a potion shop in Diagon Ally, and River was hoping to avoid the shop and Penny as of yet, so he planned on sneaking past as a dog. River trotted down the Ally, getting glances and looks, but nothing big. It wasn't unheard of for an animal to be doing unusual things. As River neared Penny's shop, 'Haywood's Elixirs', he walked right next to the wall. When River looked at the window, however, the sign said 'closed', and Penny was at her counter crying. River also saw Penny's sister, Beatrice, with her. Penny's just as upset about this, River thought to himself. He pushed the thought to the back of his head and continued on his way to Gringotts. When he got to the door, River sat down on the stone floor. The Goblin at the door wrinkled his nose and said, "Shoo mutt!" River transformed back into a human and said, "Good evening, Gronuok. I'm here for some work." The Goblin scowled. "You know I hate it when you show up as a dog, Mr. Knotts." River nodded. "Yes. Sorry about that, but I wanted to avoid unwanted attention." Gronuok sighed and opened the door for River. River nodded and entered the marble building.

When he stepped into the bank, he saw an unusually attractive woman talking to a goblin, and River walked up to her when she was done talking. It was his friend Bill Weasley's girlfriend, Fleur. As River approached her, he said, "Bonjour Fleur. Comment ça va aujourd'hui?" Fleur turned to him with a broad smile on her face. "Rivière! C'est bon de te voir. Es-tu ici pour voir Bill?" River nodded and said, "Oui. Sais-tu où il est?" Fleur nodded, "Oui. Je peux vous conduire chez lui, si vous le souhaitez." River smiled, "Ce serait super, merci." Fleur grinned and said, "En fait, je ne savais pas que vous parliez français. Où est-ce que vous l'avez appris?" River shrugged. "De retour au Canada. Pas au Québec, ils ont une version différente du français. Mais j'ai rencontré une non-magie qui vivait à Paris, alors il m'a appris votre langue." Fleur laughed and a voice behind them said, "What are you two talking about?" Both River and Fleur turned and saw Bill Weasley standing there. "Bill!" Fleur said, "River waz just asking about you. He waz also showing moi 'ow much French he knows." River chuckled, "Its not much. Your English is getting good though." Fleur giggled and Bill frowned. "I didn't know you spoke French, River." River shrugged. "I picked it up when Gringotts sent me to Canada when I started working for them after I left Hogwarts. Speaking of," River cleared his throat, "D'you have any work for me?" Bill sighed. "Sorry River. Nothing right now." River groaned. "Blast. I was hoping to take my mind off things." Bill gave him a knowing smile and said, "Still having problems with Penny?" River sighed and nodded. Bill then said in rough French, "Hé, ça va aller. Vous avez juste besoin de le battre hors d'elle." River and Fleur stared at Bill. Bill shifted uncomfortably, "What did I say?" River grinned and said, "You said I need to beat it out of her." River and Fleur laughed as Bill blushed and cursed himself. "What I meant was, you need to talk it out with her. Try and see her perspective, and then try and make her understand yours." Fleur have Bill a soppy look and said, "Zat iz my Bill. So sweet." River nodded. "You're right. I need to talk to her. Siri.. er, I mean Padfoot said I need to wake up and put the work in if I want things to change." Bill nodded. "He has a good point. Go get her." River nodded and said, "Thanks. I'm glad I ran into you two. Fleur, ne perdez pas cet homme. Il est très sage et pas trop mal." Fleur laughed and as River left the bank, he heard Bill say to her, "What did he tell you?" River chuckled softly to himself as he came out of the bank.

He walked down the ally again, and as he came up to Penny's shop again, he hesitated. Instead, River turned back into a dog and suck past the shop again. He made his way to the leaky cauldron. "Tom?" he called as he opened the door, "Is it alright if I use your fireplace?" Tom nodded, "Certainly, Mr. Knotts! There should be some Floo powder above the mantle." River nodded and grabbed a handful of the black powder from an ornate jar. "Thank you. I'll pay you when I get back." River stepped into fire place and shouted, "WINGER MANOR!" He threw the powder to the floor and the green fire appeared. River tucked his glasses in his pocket and braced himself and felt the unpleasant sensation of fireplace travel. River had never particularly fond of it, but he used it on rare occasions. River felt his feet hit the ground and he stepped out of the fireplace. "Talbott?" He called out, "Talbott are you home? Sorry I came unannounced, but I could really…" He stopped dead when he saw Talbott next to his wife, Chiara, who was laying on the couch giving birth. "River!" Relief swept across Talbott's face. "Thank goodness you're here. I could really use some extra hands here." River pulled his jacket off and ran to Chiara's side. "Merlin's beard, how long has she been in labor?" River asked. "About two and a half hours." River looked from Chiara, then back to Talbott. "What do you want me to do?" Talbott seemed to be breaking down at this point. "I… I don't know. Help me with the birth when it happens!" River rolled his eyes, "It is happening, Bird Brain! That's what labor means!" River turned to Chiara and she was groaning uncontrollably. "Not even my werewolf transformations are this painful," she groaned. River sighed and ran back to the fire place. "Where the bloody hell are you going River!?" River grabbed some Floo powder and said, "I'm going to swallow my pride and get some help!" He stepped in the fire and shouted, "HAYWOOD'S ELIXIRS!" A few moments later, he materialized in Penny's shop. "River?" Penny said bewildered as River brushed ash off himself. "What are you.." River cut across her. "No time! Grab your first aid potions, now! There's an emergency!" Penny hastily went to grab her potions and River looked around the fireplace, but didn't see any powder. "Penny, where the bloody hell is the Floor powder?" Penny called back, "Under the counter! Where are we going?" River grabbed the powder and practically ran into the fire as he shouted once more, "WINGER MANOR!" He came out of Talbott's fireplace again and ran to Chiara's side. "Penny's on her way here with some potions, don't worry." Chiara sighed with relief. "Thank you River. It's nearly time for me to push." River nodded and with a quick wave of his wand, vanished the spot from his clothes and sterilized himself. Moments later, Penny came out of the fire with a bag of potion bottles. Her eyes widened when she saw what was going on and ran over to the three others. "Okay, I was not thinking this is what was happening. I do have a few potions to help for after. I have Wiggenweld," she stated as she rummaged through her bag, "Blood-replenishing, ah! Here, I have a Girding Potion, it should help." Chiara took the potion gratefully and downed it in about three seconds. After a few moments, she said "Okay, I'm ready." Everyone braces themselves as Chiara started to push her child out. When the child's head started to come out, River had a disturbing thought occur. None of us are trained professionals, and we have no idea what we're doing. Nevertheless, River did his best to help with the birth, and after about an hour of struggling, Chiara was holding a very loud bundle of joy.

"He's perfect," Talbott said as Chiara passed the baby to him. "Little Aiden River Winger." River peered over Talbott's shoulder and asked, "River?" Talbott looked up at him and said, "If you're okay with that." River nodded with a grin. "Of course." Aiden was a cute little thing, silver hair like his mother and dark eyes like his father. "River, I was wondering…" River looked at Talbott, "Chiara agrees with this; actually it was mostly her idea. Would you be his Godfather?" River blinked, too stunned to speak. Then he broke into a wide grin. "Of course!" Talbott grinned and Penny glanced over at the two. "Congratulations River. I'm sure you'll make a great Godfather." Talbott frowned and handed Aiden back to Chiara. "Excuse me, I need to talk to River." Talbott pulled River into a different room and said, "What's going on between you and Penny?" River frowned at him. "How did you…" Talbott gave him a wry smirk. "You came here unannounced, you said you were swallowing your pride to get help and then Penny comes along. And she called you River. Last time I heard her call you that was before you two started dating. After that, she's always called you Riv. What's going on?" River sighed. "We had a fight. A huge one. About two months ago, I proposed to her and she said yes. But when word got out that You-know-who is back, Dumbledore re-assembled the Order of the Phoenix. He asked me and Penny to join. I was on board, but Penny wasn't." Talbott whistled. "Ah." River nodded. "Yeah. We both lived on the top level of her shop, but ever since I've been living at the Order's headquarters. Padfoot, he's a friend of mine, told me I had to work for her if I wanted to have a chance at reconciliation, and Bill said I have to see her side, and allow her to understand mine." River sighed and said, "I came here for advice from you and Chiara." Talbott thought for a moment. "You've already gotten some good advice from people. I don't know what else to say." River shook his head, "I just don't want to loose her." Talbott patted River on the back and said, "Do you love her?" River nodded. "Do you know for a fact that she's the one?" River nodded again. "She's my world. Ever since I met her, she's had my back and been there for me at every turn. She's my best friend, Talbott. I can't imagine a future where she isn't part of it." Talbott grasped River by both shoulders and said, "Then get in there and talk to her." He pushed River into the living room and said, "I'm going to take Chiara to St. Mungo's." River rolled his eyes with amusement. "Here, take my car. It'll get you there no problem." He reached into his pocket and tossed Talbott his key fob. Talbott thanked him and helped Chiara out the door.

Penny started packing her things and said, "Good to see you River." She started to leave but River grabbed her wrist. "Penny, wait…" Penny turned to him and said, "Please let go of me River." River did so and said, "Penny, I just want to talk." Penny didn't away anything, but she didn't leave. River took this as a good sign. "Penny, I'm sorry for how things went down. I love you, and I just want to talk things out with you." Penny sighed and said, "I just don't know why you want to be part of the order. Haven't we earned our happy ending?" River worded his response carefully, "The things we did at school do matter and we saved people, but I can't rest knowing that there is more I can do. More people I can help and save. Dark Wizards that I can help stop. Tonks is even part of the order." Penny dropped her bag, and the empty potion bottles smashed. "River, I can't take it. I love you, and I don't want you running off head first into danger and get yourself killed! I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to raise kids with you, and turn grey and old with you! You're constantly taking on dangerous assignments and we've been spending less and less time together. When you proposed, I accepted because I hoped you would take more time off. Now you're fighting a war against You-know-who? River, you're gambling with death, and eventually you're going to loose." Tears were now streaming down her face. River walked closer to her and gently held her face. His brown eyes meeting her blue. "Remember when we started dating? Remember what you said?" Penny nodded. "'We have adventures ahead of us, and we'll have fun times, as well as sad, angry and happy.'" River nodded and said,. "Penny, I love you. More then anything else in this world. I would die for you, and that's why I'm part of the Order. Not on a quest for personal glory, trying to relive the past or doing it for the sake of danger. I want to make sure that the world is safe for you, and our children." Penny looked down and River added, "You're the most important thing to me, so if you want me to leave the Order, I'll do it in a heartbeat." Penny looked up at him, surprised. "I'll do anything for you, Penny. I just want you back." Penny's heart melted at this, and River cursed at himself. Blast it, River. That sounds way to clingy and obsessive. Penny smiled and said, "I don't want you to leave the order." River frowned. "What?" Penny pulled River into a hug and whispered in his ear, "I don't want you to leave the order. What you're doing, it's a just cause. Your reasons are valid. I do have a question though." Penny backed away from him and dropped to her knee. "Will you marry me?" River blinked. He could feel the tears in his eyes. Penny reached into her shirt and pulled out a necklace. The wedding ring River had used to propose to her. "I thought you'd never ask." River pulled Penny to her feet and helped fit the ring on her finger. "I assume," River said as they both admired the ring, "That you'll join the order as well?" Penny laughed.