Word that River Knotts, Curse-Breaker and house Prefect, was dating Penny Haywood, the most popular witch in the school, spread like fire in dry grass. River was constantly bombarded with questions about their love life, and if he saw any changes in her, now that they were dating. It got the point where River couldn't walk the halls or eat in the great hall without an ounce of privacy. "Honestly, the rumors are getting ridiculous," Penny said as they walked along the shore of the Black Lake. She was wearing a white shirt, a jean jacket and a yellow skirt with daisies. It was one of her favorite outfits. River was wearing dark blue jeans and a Hufflepuff Quidditch shirt, as the day was warm for the month. Taking walks outside of the castle was one of the few times they had time alone together. The common room was one of their safe places because the other Hufflepuffs would be doing their own thing, and the questions that the two regularly received were meant for one or the other, not both; so they were mostly left alone. However, there will still others around and the two wanted a little more privacy. "Tell me about it. Ben and Talbott are the only two I know who aren't asking me questions. It's getting annoying." Penny nodded in agreement. "All Merula can ask me nowadays is if it's true you have a tattoo. What kind of question is that?" River blushed and said, "Well, actually…" Penny looked at him and said, "Merlin's beard, you do." River nodded. "Yeah, I do. Several actually. I've had them for awhile, but it's very personal so I don't tell a lot of people." Penny frowned. "Why didn't you ever tell me?" River looked down and said, "Well I wasn't sure if you liked me or not, and I didn't want to scare you off. Besides, I wasn't going to take my shirt off in front of you when we were just friends."
River took off his shirt, revealing his toned torso. He had tattoos etched anywhere his shirt had covered. Penny traced the tattoos on his chest with her finger, and River's skin tingled. "That tickles." Penny started to remove her hand, but River gently grabbed her wrist and looked her in the eye. "Don't stop." Penny looked at him, then back down at his chest. She traced the one on his right breast, two paw prints, and said, "What are these?" River thought for a moment, trying to find the right words . "It's… art, I think. Memories of what I have done, symbols of who I am, and tributes to the ones I care about. I thought they would be appropriate." Penny looked up, "For what?" River shrugged. "My Animagus ability. They're linked to it. I started to collect them in our third year, after we finished the process. I only got this one to start," he looked to the one Penny was tracing, "And I grew a fondness for them." Penny continued to trace the one over his heart. "Why paw prints?" River looked down and said, "Because it shows my Animagus form." She moved her hand to one below his sternum. "And this one?" Penny placed a hand on his right arm, and at the top of his upper arm was a triangle rune, with a line and a circle going through it. "That's a symbol for something I've looked into for a while, 'Deathly Hallows.'" Penny traced it and said, "That sounds like dark magic." River shook his head. "It does, but there isn't anything dark about the Hallows. At least, not in a crude sense. Have you read Beedle the Bard's 'Three Brothers?'" Penny shook her head. "I didn't think so. It's not one of his common stories." River pulled his shirt back on and they sat down on a nearby log. "
The story goes something like this; 'There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. In time, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade through and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, so they simply waved their wands and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water. They were halfway across it when they found their oath blocked by a hooded figure. And Death spoke to them. He was angry that he had been cheated three new victims, for travelers usually drowned in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their magic, and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him. So the oldest brother, who was a competitive man, asked for a wand more powerful than any other in existence: a wand that must always win duels for it's owner, a wand worthy for a wizard who had conquered Death! So Death crossed to an elder tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that hung there, and gave it to the oldest brother. Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate Death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead. And then Death ask the third and youngest brother what he would like. The youngest brother was the humblest and also the wisest of the brothers, and he did not trust Death. So he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And Death, most unwillingly, handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility. Then Death stood aside and allow the Three Brothers to continue on their way and they did so, talking with Wonder of the adventure they had had, and admiring Death's gifts. In due course the brother separated, each for his own destination. First brother traveled on for a week or more, and reaching a distant village, he sought out a fellow wizard with whom he had a quarrel. Naturally, with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the oldest brother proceeded to an inn where he boasted loudly of the powerful wand he had snatched from Death himself and how it made him invincible. That very night, another wizard crept upon the oldest brother as he lay, wine-sodden, upon his bed. The thief took the wand and, for good measure, slit the oldest brother's throat. And so Death took the oldest brother for his own. Meanwhile, the second brother journey to his own home, where he lived alone. Here he took out the stone that had the power to recall the dead, and turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and his delight, the figure of the girl he had hoped to marry before her untimely death appeared at once before him. Yet she was silent and cold, separated from him as though by a veil. The shed returns the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally, the second brother, driven mad with hopeless long and, killed himself so as truly to join her. And so Death took the second brother for his own. But though Death search for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he had to change a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life.'"
Penny looked at the sky as she thought. "That's certainly am interesting, and grim story." River nodded. "Yeah. There are a lot of people who believe that this actually happened. They call themselves 'questers,' and wear this symbol as a necklace to show themselves to others." River rolled his sleeve up and traced the tattoo, "The cloak of Invisibility," The triangle, "The Elder Wand," The line, "And the Resurrection Stone," the circle. He rolled his sleeve down and Penny said, "Are you a quester?" River shook his head. "No. They are actively seeking for these objects of death, because whoever is the rightful owner of all three becomes the master of Death." Penny looked at River and asked, "If you don't believe that they exist, then why do you have it as one of your tattoos?" River smirked and said, "Oh, I believe that they exist alright. I'm just not looking for them. And weather or not they were actually made by Death? I think it's more likely that the brothers were extremely gifted wizards who managed to create dangerous objects." They sat in silence and Penny asked, "Does anyone else know about your tattoos?" River thought for a moment. "Not a whole lot. I generally try to hide it, because It's kind of personal. Only people I trust know. The Quidditch team does, at least the boys do. They've seen me in the change room, though I did ask them not to spread it around. Rowan did, McNully and Diego do." Penny frowned. "Then why was Merula asking if you did? Didn't she see them at all when you two were dating?" River shook his head. "No. We weren't really dating, she forced me into it. Remember back in the buried vault, I had to fight that Horntail?" Penny nodded. "You almost got yourself killed doing so, and got yourself scars." River grinned. His left forearm has two long claw marks on it. "Right. Anyway, when that thing tried killing me with fire, it burned my shirt and my tattoo, right here," He tapped his left arm, "Showed a little bit. She only saw the corner of it before I fixed my shirt. Ever since, she's ben trying to get me to admit I have a tattoo, but I keep telling her she was seeing things." River laughed, and Penny joined in. "What other tattoos do you have?" She asked him. "Like.. I've seen most of the ones on your front, but what else do you have, and what do they mean?" River stood up and took his shirt off. "This might take a while, but I'll do my best to explain them all."
