Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter is property of J.K. Rowling. This is in response to the 'Murder at Hogwarts Challenge' by 'dance-of-the-grindylows'.

Author's Note: This is a bit AU. Takes place during HBP. As stated above, this s my response to a challenge. Also my first attempt writing a mystery, so please be gentle with your criticism in reviews, if you have them. That is not to say pointers aren't welcome, they are. Hope you enjoy the story.

Flashbacks/dreams like this.

'Private thoughts like this.'

"Speech."

Summary: Severus Snape is found murdered and with a castle full of suspects, it is up to one Auror to find out who did it. But our Auror has secrets and ghost of her own to deal with. Will she let them get in the way of her duty? And could there be another victim?

The Murder of Severus Snape

Chapter 1: A Gruesome Discovery

A trio of sixth-year Slytherins set across the grounds on a gray morning that threatened rain. It was the beginning of May, so it wasn't totally unexpected, though slightly inconvenient if it stared pouring on the surly three.

"Where is Draco? It isn't like him to miss classes," a female voice said, though it was a bit deep in a sultry way. Surprisingly so, as the girl who spoke was slender and only reached about five foot five. She had long layered hair, which was of a quite dark auburn color, with long bangs she swept off to the left and covered a bit of her left eye. Her eyes were the green of moss, and her pouty lips were closed in a straight line giving no evidence that she ever smiled.

"He's been acting oddly all year. The pressure is getting to him," replied a tall, dark skinned boy with extremely fine features. He had lashes that seemed to last for days and curled in a way most girls would envy over honey-colored eyes. He was lithe of figure and towered a head taller than the girl beside him. "And since when do you care about Draco?" he asked, narrowing his beautiful eyes at the girl next to him.

"Your displays of jealousy bore me, you know," she huffed coldly back at him.

"You never seemed to mind before," he retorted.

"Because they were rare enough to be cute, and not so stupid. You know what I think of Draco," she replied.

"There's something going on over there," the third of the group said, suddenly stopping on a hill. Tracey Davis, and Blaise Zabini stopped arguing long enough to look at what Theodore Nott was staring at.

Theodore Nott was a very tall lanky boy. At sixteen, he was nearly six feet two, and he still had growing to do. However, he was not particularly attractive. He had a bit of a very pointed nose and mousy brown hair and watery eyes due to the fact that they were always irritated. However, what he lacked in looks, he more than made up for in smarts.

The trio of Slytherins stopped, facing away from their destination which was the Greenhouses, and stared. There was a large group of students gathering around something, while Hagrid seemed to be attempting to keep them away. From the looks of it, there were fourth years that took his class, and some of their own classmates.

"Theo, you should go have a look. You're the tallest, you'll see over everyones heads," Blaise said, turning his gaze to look over Tracey's head and at his other companion that morning.

However, Theodore shook his head. "I wouldn't be able to look over them. Tracey should go. She's small, she could easily slip through those gathered and shove her way through the rest to get a closer look."

"He has a point," Tracey said, before heading off, striding carefully to get down the somewhat steep slope. Once clear of it, she walked quickly to reach the group of students gathered. Theodore and Blaise watched as she slipped through the crowd and started making her way though the gaps. They lost sight of her once she got to the point were they were too packed together. However, Tracey really was the best for this. She was pushy, cold, could be very mean and completely unapologizing of it.

They watched for a few moments, neither one moving and watching the scene. It was hard to tell what was happening but for a lot of pushing. "She better hurry, here comes Dumbledore with Sprout," Theodore suddenly said after looking back at the castle. Blaise turned to look and saw Dumbledore and Sprout had just finished climbing down the castle steps and were rushing over. Their faces bore extremely grave expressions.

Blaise turned back to the large crowd and looked for Tracey. He felt some relief when he spotted her heading back. She got to them, just as Dumbledore and Sprout passed them. Her face was slightly blanched and she looked a bit out of breath from rushing. "Well, what is it?" Blaise asked a bit impatiently.

Tracey grimaced as she looked around as if to make sure they were alone. "Its Snape," she said, looking back at them. Blaise and Theodore stared at her with raised brows, wondering what their Head of House had done. "He's dead."

XX

Hermione Granger was easily amongst the smartest students of her year. More than that, she was possibly the most exemplary student. However, at the moment, she didn't look it. Her hair was wild and windblown and her cheeks flushed as she strode quickly through the length of the Gryffindor table where she expected to find her two best friends.

"We have to talk," she said, as she stood behind them. She didn't wait to hear their response as she turned on her heal and headed straight out of the hall. Both Gryffindor boys were in the middle of eating breakfast. They exchanged glances at the sight of Hermione, and were a bit slow to get up. They had to jog out of the Hall to catch up to her.

"Whats up?" Ron Weasley, a tall redhead asked as they caught up to her on the stairs and started heading up to the stairs. Hermione didn't reply for the moment and merely continued up the stairs, looking harried and distracted.

"Hermione... we have Herbology right now, shouldn't we-"

"Its been cancelled, I was there early," she explained quickly as she started heading up another flight of stairs with the boys on her heels. A great feat considering they were both taller than her, the redhead more so.

Harry Potter furrowed his brow. It wasn't normal for classes to be cancelled. Unless a teacher was for some reason or other not able to attend it and there was no one to cover for them. But Professor Sprout never missed class.

"Hermione, what's going on?" Harry asked his tone tinged with worry. Hermione didn't say anything as she pulled then into a nearby alcove.

"Professor Snape is dead," Hermione said without preamble, her voice trembling. Harry and Ron exchanged disbelieving looks.

"Are you sure?" Ron asked, licking his lips.

"Positive. I saw it myself," Hermione replied, looking even paler. "That's not the worst of it. He was cut, hip to shoulder in a slant. Like he'd been slashed with a sword," she said, turning to look at Harry at this.

"Someone murdered him?" Ron asked, a mixture between disbelief and not really sure he should be at all surprised. However, Hermione didn't deign to respond but for a nod. She was still staring at Harry Potter, whose brows were deeply furrowed. He seemed to understand the implication, but afraid to say it.

"Harry... this is a lot like the Prince's spell," Hermione stated slowly in a low voice. Harry looked like he was about to be sick, and had gotten extremely pale. However, he was still unwilling to comment. "Harry, only you know that spell," Hermione said slowly, barely above a whisper. If the three weren't in such a small alcove, the other two probably wouldn't have heard her.

"You... you think I..."

"No! f course not," Hermione said, not letting him go on. "But Harry, you HATE Snape."

"Everyone does!" Harry said defensively.

"Yes, but you especially. Everyone knows you're both practically at each other's throats since you got here first year. And you used that spell on Draco just two days ago and Snape gave you detentions for this Saturday precisely when Gryffindors big game is. And you said you hoped he would die this year-"

"I never-"

"Yes you did, at the start of term feast. Don't you remember? You said you were, 'Keeping your fingers crossed for another death', referring to Snape and his new appointment," Hermione explained.

"But I didn't mean it!"

Hermione gave him a slightly unsure look before shaking her head. "Either way, its very likely you'll be a suspect, if not the number one suspect."

XX

Draco Malfoy sat on the lidded seat of a toilet, locked in a stall. He had his feet resting on the edge of the seat. One of his long fingered hands, held onto one of his shins while the other was tugging on his hair. He had his forehead, pressed to his knees while his face was frozen in a look of anguish with his mouth hanging open in a silent sob.

He listened attentively as the door of the washroom opened and he heard two separate footsteps step in, one sounding more rushed than the other. Draco lifted his head for a moment, and held his breath as he listened to a stall door slam, followed by some shuffling and then the odd sound of someone alleviating themselves.

"Yeah, Megan's had a rough week. Do you think its because of her cat going missing?" a high-pitched female voice said, her voice echoing with the acoustics of the lavatory. Apparently, the pair that walked in were in the middle of a conversation.

"I doubt it, a person doesn't go all catatonic because of a missing cat. Besides, her cat's been missing for days. Why didn't she get all weird until this morning?" another female voice responded before Draco heard flushing sound and to a stall door happening. He then heard a tap and the sound of rushing water.

"Hurry up, you know this is Myrtle's washroom," he heard one of the girls whisper suddenly, something he only heard because sounds seemed to travel far in the washroom.

"Hold on, I have to wash my hands," the other girl said, probably the one that had to go to the washroom so badly that she had to run into Moaning Myrtle's washroom. "Hey... do you think that it might have anything to do with Snape?" the girl asked. Draco lifted his head at this and started breathing shallowly.

"What do you mean?" the other girl asked. Draco hear the sound of the water stop.

"Well... Megan seemed to kind of... like have crush on him?" the girl said, sounding unsure. Draco heard their voices getting father away before he heard a door open and close and then back to the silence.

His eyes looked around the stall wildly. "The whole school must know by now," he muttered to himself feverishly.

"You should know by now how fast news travel. When I died..."

XX

Albus Dumbledore sat in his seat heavily. Across from him were a group of witches and wizards primarily being his Headmistress, his current Potion's Master and an Auror with mousy brown hair and significantly plain features.

"Dawlish was on duty when the body was discovered. He's already informed Robard's," the Auror, a Nymphadora Tonks said, referring to a fellow Auror and the Head of the Auror department, respectively. "Robard will probably send another Auror to investigate the murder."

"But there are four others here that could do that. Do we really need someone else?" a scottish accented voice suddenly asked.

"They will need to conduct their own investigation with someone who hasn't been here for months. At this point, everyone in the castle is a possible suspect, even the Auror's stationed here," Albus Dumbledore said, not sounding particularly concerned. He turned his glance back to the Auror. "Tonks, do you have any idea who they might possibly send?"

"Robard's was the best along with Mad-Eye, but Mad-Eye's retired and Robard is Head of the department and he can't come himself. Kingsley is on assignment to the muggle prime minister. Beyond that-" Tonks trailed off and shrugged at this. She didn't know who they could possibly send. She knew many Aurors who were equally bright, and many Aurors like Dawlish, more suited to fighting then investigating.

Dumbledore merely nodded at this before turning his silvery-massed self to the one occupant in the room who had said nothing. "Horace, you're aware that I need you to take your old position of Head of Slytherin now as well?"

The man sighed resignedly at this. However, he didn't much like it.

TBC...

A/n: Well that was the first chapter. I hope that it was good. Please tell me what you think about it thus far. Please review.