The Renegades

Chapter 24 : Bloodbound

Slytherin lost the rematch against Ravenclaw when their seeker overtook Penelope in the race for the snitch. Despite the defeat, Imelda's disappointment wasn't as profound as Penelope had anticipated. The most crucial match of the season would be against Hufflepuff in early May. Having secured victory against Ravenclaw in early December, their team was quite formidable.  Imelda, however, remained confident that the Slytherin team was more than capable of handling whatever challenges Hufflepuff might present.

Penelope couldn't shake the feeling that the loss was partly her fault. She had been so distracted lately. There was still no word about Anne, and the boys were starting to lose hope. Despite Penelope encouraging them to view it as a process of elimination, it hadn't quite taken hold. As for the artefact, they were at a loss as to where even to begin searching.

If Isidora could have offered her something tangible, anything at all, it would have greatly eased Penelope's burden. She had retrieved the amulet from her trunk, hoping it might guide her to the artefact, like how it had led her to Isidora. Yet, nothing came of it, leaving her feeling utterly hopeless.

One night, while in the library with Sebastian, Penelope stumbled upon a passage in a heavy tome that mentioned an ancient artefact hidden in Argyllshire County. The author hinted that one of Hogwarts' founders might have placed it there, but Penelope suddenly recalled the vision of Merlin in the grove.

"Sebastian!" Penelope called out, and he jolted awake in his chair.

"I wasn't sleeping!" he protested, startled.

"I found something, look," Penelope said as she slid the tome over to him and pointed at the passage. His eyes widened as he read.

"Do you think that's what we're looking for?" he asked.

"Could be," she said, thoughtfully. "We don't really have anything else to go off of, anyway."

"It's quite vague, though," he frowned, rereading the passage.

"The amulet showed me Merlin enchanting a grove, remember? Perhaps..."

"The library will close in ten minutes!" the shrill voice of Madam Scribner echoed through the room, interrupting them.

They returned the books they no longer needed to the shelves and proceeded to the librarian's desk to borrow the remaining ones. Madam Scribner glanced down at the tomes strangely, then met Penelope's gaze.

"You two read a lot of strange material," she wrinkled her nose in disapproval.

"Purely to satisfy our thirst for knowledge," Penelope replied calmly, not liking her tone.

"Hmh," Madam Scribner muttered dismissively, sceptical.

As soon as they left the library, they resumed their conversation. Penelope glanced around cautiously before speaking. There was no one around; everyone had had the good sense to go to bed instead of poring over old tomes in the library.

"I think we're onto something, and if what I saw means anything..."

"This will take months," he interrupted her, his tone filled with concern.

"Look, this is the only lead we have," she retorted impatiently. "You don't have to come with me."

His eyes widened in a panic. "No, no, of course I'll come with you! I'm just saying that... we might need a bit more than a hunch."

He was correct. Even if they limited themselves to only forested areas, the county was sizeable. She chose to table the topic for the time being. She had learned to somewhat manage her anger, a fiery rage simmering within her, ready to erupt at any given time. Poppy had swiftly forgiven Penelope. It wasn't in her nature to hold grudges, and once Penelope had provided her with a revised version of the truth, she even felt remorseful for bothering her in the first place, though Penelope assured her it was fine.