River made his way to his common room and lit the fire place. Once it was strong and warm, he turned into a dog and curled up in front of the fire. He didn't normally use his ability for anything other then his prefect patrolling, but he did use it for fun sometimes. I should have known better then this, he thought. I trust Trelawney and her prophecies, but I shouldn't've gone to her about my love life problems. He sighed started wagging his tail. Maybe Jacob is right. I need to try and imagine myself in the future with each one.
He closed his eyes and did his best to imagine his life with Penny and Chiara. With Penny, he could see them in a fairly large, nice place; similar to the burrow, living happily with a big family. With Chiara, he could see a secluded house, just for them. Safe and secure, a good place to raise a single child. He could be happy with both, and he could work a respectable job with each. There was another question he needed to answer. Who did he love more? Who did he want to wake up to every morning? River was a hopeless romantic, but now that he has two, very real, choices in front of him, he wasn't going to pick the route that would lead him to what he wanted quickest. Love was the only thing River ever considered cutting corners on. River was a hard worker, and he loved fair play. He was loyal to his friends and family, he had patience and tried his best to be honest no matter what the situation. These traits of his are what landed him in Hufflepuff. But there was so much more to him. He could have easily been put into any of the houses, and still excelled in them. He was brilliant, and he would never back down from a fight, even if he would get hurt worse then the other person, and he had dreams. He had strong ambitions, such as wanting to solve the cursed vaults. He also wanted to be one of the greatest Curse-Breaker in wizarding history; it was all he knew, but that came second to his friends and family. River always put friends and family first and foremost, he had a big heart and he was empathetic. Of all the houses, River mostly displayed Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. In fact, he was a sorting stall between the two. River wasn't prefect, still. He had flaws. He was stubborn, and couldn't be a follower for the life of him. He also felt a crippling responsibility for his friends, like he has to be the one they come to come to so he can help them with their problems. He had to be strong, and be the one others could always fall back on.
Get to the point, he told himself. Who do you love? Who do you want to spend the rest of your life with? He loved Penny. And he loved Chiara of course. He loved them both.
Penny was a very sociable person, a pleasant sort and she was someone you could approach. She was always happy and eager to help her friends, but she could also get easily distracted. She treated others with respect, even people who were considered outcasts. This was due to her highly empathetic nature, and she could be fierce and fearless when trying to protect her friends from trouble. She was also a huge Quidditch fanatic, and did follow River quite often as he played the game. River may not have been the captain of the team, but he was one of the best chasers to walk the school. However, Penny never reacted well when people stole her well deserved credit, and she often tried to brew potions as a solution. The prime examples of this were when she tried to brew a forgetfulness potion to remove her monitors of a bad werewolf encounter, and a hastily brewed calming draught when her sister had been trapped in a portrait. Penny was also very stubborn and rarely changed.
Chiara was a collected and calm person, and, like Penny, had a big heart and compassion. She was also extremely insecure and timid, due to her being a werewolf. She also testy and mistrustful, and she took a while to warm up to River. She enjoyed reading books, and like River, took divination seriously. She did bake as well, and music was one of her favorite things. She was often stoic, serene or nervous, with a small and timid voice. There weren't a lot of things that made her laugh, but River loved it when she did.
River had strong bonds with both, and he loved each for their own reasons. Enough! You're going to loose your mind. You need to make a gut decision. He turned back human and sighed. "I don't know what to do." He went to his dorm and sat down on his bed. He heard a hoot to his left and turned. His barn owl, Basenie, was awake and ruffled his wings. He had a perch on River's nightstand, where he would sleep whenever he wasn't off hunting mice or delivering letters. River smiled and stroked him. "Hey. Are you up for a delivery?" Basenie hooted and River rolled over his bed and grabbed his quill and some parchment.
Penny,
I have some things to say. First, I would ask you to brew me Veritaserum. You'll understand why later. Second, I need to tell you about me and Chiara. The night you told me that you liked me, I had just found Chiara in the courtyard, and I apologized to her. We also kissed and I asked her to the Celestial Ball. I'm sorry if I hurt you, but I didn't know that you liked me. I thought you considered me as a brother. But please, I really do care for you, and I care about Chiara. I need you to do this favor for me, so I can clear my own head and we can settle this. I love you both, but I can't have you both. Just know that no matter what happens, I will always love you and be there for you. Even if that's as a friend. Deepest Regards,
River. K
River sealed the letter and walked out the common room to the nearest window. He then gave the letter to Basenie. "Give this to Penny as fast as you can, please. Make sure she reads it." Basenie hooted and flapped his wings, taking flight. River gazed at the owl as it flew. 'I hope this whole things doesn't turn into a disaster.'
About a week or so after the dance, River was sitting at the Hufflepuff table in the great hall, eating breakfast. He sat alone, or at least, none of his Hufflepuff friends were beside him. As he munched on his toast, Tonks came up to him and sat down on his right side. "Hey River. Why the sad face?" River put his toast down and said, "I'm not sad. My face is perfectly normal, thank you very much." Tonks changed her face to an over exaggerated sad version of River's face. River laughed and said, "I don't look like that!" Tonks laughed and River said, "Why are you here?" Tonks shrugged. "Came to check up on you. See how things were going. Any luck with your situation?" River shook his head. "No, not yet. I wrote a letter to Penny, but she hasn't responded yet." Just as he said this, Basenie swooped down and landed in front of River, a letter clamped in his beak. River took the letter and tossed Basenie a piece of bacon. "Thanks! You can go back to the dorm and rest. You know how to get in." Basenie hooted and flew away. River opened the letter, and read it. "Blimey, it's from Penny! Wonder what she wrote." He split the letter open with a butter knife and read the letter.
River,
I think I understand. I'm sorry I haven't responded yet, but I couldn't until after the Ball. I know you didn't mean to hurt me, and I understand your reasons, but I did feel hurt. I've started to brew your potion, and it'll be ready in a month. I hope you know what you're doing, River. Your holding two girls' hearts in your hand. And River, the same goes for me. No matter who you choose, I will be there for you. Sincerely,
-Penny
River folded the note and put it in his pocket. "Well this is the best I could hope for. Now I just have to wait till bloody January to see who I decide to love." Tonks laughed and said, "Good luck with that! You better explain the situation to Chiara, though." River nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I should probably tell her in person though. I don't want her avoiding me again." River sighed and stood up, and made his way to Chiara. He tapped her on the shoulder and she turned. "Hey, can I talk to you?" She nodded and the two left the hall. "What's going on, River?" River sighed and said, "Chiara, you know I love you, and care about you?" Chiara nodded and River said, "I've got a lot going on right now. I like you, and I like Penny. The night we kissed, she came to me after and said that she fancied me. I like you both, and I don't want to hurt either of you. I honestly don't know who I should be with, but I have an idea of how to do it. Until then, I don't think we should see each other." Chiara eyes were shining with a hint of tears, but she nodded. River leaned in and kissed her. "No matter what the outcome of this whole thing, I'll never not love you." Chiara touched his face and said, "I love you too, River." She turned and walked away. River sighed and took his glasses off to clean them. "Well that went better then I thought." He carefully put them back on his face and pushed them up his nose with his middle finger. "Let's hope it's this easy when I decided who I'll date."
