The Unknown of the Order (Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery

Recovery

"Perhaps you could ask the others how many eggs they'll be wanting," said Penny quickly. 

Elena glared at Sarah another moment. Sarah stared unflinchingly back. 

Elena tossed her hair over her shoulder and exited the tent just as Merula entered. Merula knocked into Elena's shoulder as as she passed. It could have been an accident, but Sarah knew her too well to be fooled. 

Merula chuckled as she took a seat at the kitchen table. 

"Looks like you and I are finally in agreement on something. I'm not a fan of our little stowaway either."

"You're both being unfair," said Penny, scooping cooked egg from her pan to a plate. "She's obviously been through a lot."

"We've all been through a lot," said Merula. "That's what gives us the right to be such unpleasant gits, right Spellman?"

Sarah didn't meet her eyes, she just turned over the bacon in her frying pan. "What are you in such a good mood for, anyway?" she asked. 

She knew from experience that Merula's satisfied smirked never boded well. 

"I suppose because you're in such a fowl mood? I take a lot of enjoyment from your unhappiness. It also amuses me to see you acting like a cow to someone other than me."

"Merula, if you're not going to be helpful, you should wait outside with the others," said Penny. 

"I was under the impression you didn't need any help."

She gave Sarah a wink as she stood. Penny levitated the slightly burnt bacon Sarah was neglecting from the pan to another plate as Merula strode across the tent floor. 

"This has been fun. I almost missed you people."

"You mean while you were off becoming a Death Eater?" Sarah asked. 

Merula halted in the tent's entrance. Sarah braced herself to be hit by a spell, or at least a tirade of shouting, but Merula just turned to look her in the eyes. 

"Yes. While I was off becoming a Death Eater."

She let the tent flap fall closed behind her on her way out. 

**********

The two groups remained segregated for breakfast, and for the rest of the day, much to Penny's disappointment, but Sarah was relieved. She had no interest in speaking to any of the others. 

She spent most of the day napping or sitting by the river watching the ripples in the water as Diego and Tulip skipped rocks. She was still recovering from losing a vast amount of blood, and found she got tired after only a few minutes of pacing back and forth. 

When she wasn't sleeping, Talbott informed her on what had transpired when they'd all met in Jacob's tent.

"Your brother's quite tight-lipped," he said. "But in exchange for nearly everything I know about the Auror Office, he confirmed that he and the others have spent  months searching for some dark objects. Apparently, they have to be destroyed before You-Know-Who can be killed."

"And have they found any?"  

"No. Which is why Merula suggested we join them in the search."

Sarah stared over at Merula. She was talking with Jacob in front of their tent. It looked like they were arguing. Sarah almost didn't believe Merula had asked them for help. The "Most Powerful Witch at Hogwarts" she remembered would never have admitted to needing assistance. What was she planning?

"We can't trust them," she said. "I mean, two of them are Death Eaters. And Merula's betrayed us twice before."

"They were Death Eaters," Penny corrected. "And you yourself told us we needed to let go of Merula's betrayal in our seventh year."