Near the Forbidden Forest, Allen, who had used a bathroom excuse to slip away from the chaotic Quidditch Pitch, said goodbye to his eldest brother and stood beneath a tree, leaning against the trunk as he looked up at the clear blue sky. He was waiting for Penelope to come out so they could take the spider corpse to Hagrid. What was somewhat beyond his expectations, however, was that he saw two witches walking over from the distance. A fuming Penelope walked behind, while the pale-blonde witch in front of her came skipping along.
Penelope stood in front of Allen with her arms folded, her eyebrows raised and her mouth pulled downward as she suppressed her irritation. "Professor McGonagall went mad chasing her off. Crazy Girl saw me and asked me for help... I had no choice but to bring her over."
"Professor McGonagall seemed very angry about my question, so I told her maybe I should ask the girls a different question to balance things out—if their father and lover both fell into a river, who would she save first... As soon as I said that, she got even more worked up and started chasing me... She didn't want me touching the microphone anymore."
"Good thing dad didn't come... Where are Emily and the others?"
"My sister's house has its own celebration. Mrs. Harris and the others went back on their own first... Professor Snape didn't expect to win the Quidditch Cup again this year, and he seemed to have agreed to let them use the common room as they pleased."
The three of them followed the path toward Hagrid's gamekeeper's hut. In front of a carrot and artichoke patch that was in complete disarray, leaves scattered everywhere, Penelope bent down to examine the almost heart-shaped footprints spread across