The Gryffindor sixth and seventh years who had elected to not pursue Astronomy at the NEWT level had been exiled from Gryffindor Tower during their free period. The Aurors were searching the common room and dormitories for clues. Sirius had been up all night watching the map, and his eyes were darkened the next day as he hopelessly persevered, lost at how to help.
They were in the aqueduct courtyard now. Sirius was transfixed on the map, reluctant to turn it in but desperate to monitor it for any updates, also tracking the Aurors' movements around the castle. (It was clear by now, the girls were not in the castle.) Peter and Remus, who was gone for only about an hour in the fortnight, appeared to be reading their Potions text for the next period, but their minds too laid with the missing students.
Remus had wrestled over breakfast with his decision to lie to Dumbledore's face that he had been in the Shrieking Shack all night (false) and hadn't heard or seen or smelled anything on the Hogwarts grounds last night, the night of the full moon (true). Or that the cut on his leg was from a piece of broken furniture in a shack (false) and not from a protruding tentacula branch in the forest (true).
He had been on the grounds, with his three animagi friends, but nothing about that night was atypical. James was leaning against the podium to stand watch, deliberating the situation.
"Bones is heading towards us," Sirius muttered as a warning, wiping the map as Edgar Bones, Amelia's brother as well as Auror, rounded the corner, understandably looking very distraught.
"Edgar," James greeted as the young man came over. He was four years older than the boys, having just completed Auror training on the recommendation of James' father.
"James," he nodded. It was clear he repressing quite frantic feelings toward the maddening situation. "They won't let me near the investigation. Conflict of interest," he explained, huffing. "I couldn't just sit at my desk though could I?" He reasoned and James patted him on the shoulder.
Sirius sat up like a dog on the scent. "Who are the suspecting? Do they suspect Death Eaters?" his voice took a dark edge and was eager. He, too, with a loved one as a victim, had been excluded from briefings as authorities handled the sensitive information and he was starving for news about the investigation.
Edgar shook his head. "That's not was Auror Moody thinks. He's on this case as a favor to Dumbledore. Death Eaters usually claim their victims. They have a mark, goes up in the sky nowadays after an attack - I'm sure you've seen that grainy picture the Prophet published - and there's nothing here. Not to mention this wasn't a muggleborn attack. Two purebloods missing, not to mention a Slytherin. No...this is strange. " An odd shadow passed Edgar's face.
"We were hoping it was a runaway case when Dumbledore first contacted us. It would make sense, he wants to keep peace with the parents and would be obligated to report a disappearance like this. But so far, everything is in place. There are no indications of truancy nor foul play. We don't know what to make of it."
As if on a theater cue, another Auror, about the same age as Bones, rushed into the courtyard. If Sirius had been keeping an eye on the map, he would've seen the aggregation of Aurors into the 6th year Gryffindor girls' dormitory.
"Bones," he panted, out of breath from the quick descent of seven floors. "You'll want to see this," the other Auror explained.
Six floors up, in a room that had been torn apart, was a bracelet in the corner of Mary MacDonald's cedar trunk. Instead of beads were individual human teeth, seemingly, on a string, with carvings into the molars that read "DEAD GIRLS CAN'T SMILE."