Penelope didn't even realize what was going on until it was too late. A shriek died in her throat as nothing more than a quick gasp as the rope dug into her neck, closing off her windpipe. Her first instinct was to clutch at the rope, scratching futilely at the fibers. She knew within seconds that that was useless and cast her eyes around frantically, spotting her wand on the table next to the couch a good 10 feet away. Clutching the rope as much as she could between her nails, she attempted to yank her attacker off balance with a lunge in the direction of her wand.