Hermione's reaction to the news that dead Unicorns were being thrown and discarded into the Great Lake was outrage.

Ron's was disgusted, so much that he turned green.

When Amy looked to him in inquiry, he shook his head. "I can't describe it. It's like. Killing babies. Drowning kneazles. Kicking Hagrid. But ten times worse."

This lit a fire in Amy and both girls ended up dragging Ron to the Library. The uses of unicorn blood was the first thing that Hermione pulled out.

Hermione read faster than all of them and turned as green as Ron.

"Yeah, that's bad," Amy signed, looking pale and wan. "What do we do?"

They couldn't very well ask a teacher. While swimming in the Great Lake wasn't prohibited, Amy was still an undercover mermaid. Telling people other than her friends that she wasn't entirely human didn't make her comfortable.

But...her discomfort took a backseat to having an entire eco-system poisoned by unicorn blood.

"We can tell Hagrid," Hermione said. "He's good with all sorts of magical creatures."

Unsaid was that if it was more serious than dead unicorns, he could tell Professor Dumbledore.

"Yeah!" Ron agreed, calming down. "And I'm going to ask Charlie and Bill. They'll know what to do."

.


.

Classes continued on despite Amy's earth-shattering realization that there was something of a murderer walking around Hogwarts.

It made going from different classrooms a tense affair.

Hermione and Ron flanked her, all of their eyes watching, alert and cautious.

There was, after all, only one thing evil enough in the whole world to go after unicorns and there was an entire castle full of them.

"Hagrid didn't know," Hermione said, hair looking incredibly bushy, making her look flustered. "He looked shocked. He said he's the Caretaker of Hogwarts Grounds and he's supposed to know how everyone's doing."

Amy digested that. Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, Hagrid had told her was his official title. She didn't realize that Keeper of Grounds meant everyone outside of the Castle was under his protection. She wondered what Keeper of Keys meant.

"Is he doing anything about it?" Ron asked, skeptical. "Because Charlie told me that the merfolk in the Lake are in a contract with the Headmaster. In return for residing there, they would keep it clean and watch out for dangerous creatures that would harm the children. The headmasters are bound to protect them in return."

There wasn't much reciprocation at the rate everything was going.

"Did your brother Bill have any suggestions? He's a cursebreaker, right? He might have some wards to prevent things from being tossed in the lake," Hermione asked.

Ron shook his head.

"Let's wait for Hagrid to tell Professor Dumbledore," Amy signed decisively. "If nothing happens in three days, we'll write your brother again."

.


.

The next day, the Lake was cordoned off with glowing ropes and if you approached it, the sign "Lake being cleaned of Contaminants, come back later," rose up from the earth and shoved itself on your face.

"Well it's all good for the merfolk and Himself," Hermione grouched, referring to the Giant Squid. "But someone is still going around murdering innocent unicorns for their blood. Do you think they've solved that?"

"Well, we can't exactly know, can we?" Ron said testily. He was short tempered form lack of sleep, waiting for Bill's owl. "Unless you want to go to McGonagall and ask her, 'Hey Professor, seen any murderous bastards recently?'"

Hermione eyed him, scowling. "I just want to know," she sighed. "It's so interesting."

"We can ask the Twins if they know something," Amy volunteered, trying to keep them from arguing. "I heard they know this castle better than Professor Dumbledore."

Ron made a face. "That's just a rumor they made so they can look cool in front of Ginny," he muttered. "Ugh."

But since he followed them to the Common Room, Amy let that go. Grumpy Ron was not a good person to be around since he tended to pick fights with anything moving. Especially Hermione, who's temper was even worse than Ron's once goaded.

.


.

"You haven't seen anyone suspicious?" Ron asked. "Because there's a murderous pedophile going around the castle. It's the reason why the Lake's closed off."

Hermione stifled a giggle into her fist hastily.

Amy's eyebrows were going up. "Pedophile?" she signed to Hermione.

Hermione laughed harder.

Fred and George were staring at Ron.

"Ronniekins," Fred said. "How much sleep have you gotten? Because that was positively snarky."

George looked around, spotted Percy and signed, pointing to Ron. BSL was really making its rounds to everyone ever since Amy arrived.

Percy took one look at Ron's face and bundled him to the sofa with a conjured blanket and then sat on him. Ron was out like a light. All this took about three minutes.

Amy's eyes were wide with wonder.

"What was that about a pedophile?" Fred continued as though nothing happened.

This made Hermione laugh again.

Amy sighed and took over, signing, "There was someone killing unicorns, draining their blood and then throwing the dead bodies in the Lake. That's why the Lake's closed."

George dug around for a piece of parchment. "I don't know exactly about murderous bastards, but there has been a suspicious person here."

George spread the parchment and Fred cast a spell that made everyone's eyes turn away. Amy admired the silent spellcasting before realizing that the parchment had ink that was moving.

"Both of you don't tell Ron or I'll make your lives miserable," Fred said sternly. "This is the Marauder's Map. We nicked it from Filch's office in our first year. We figured out the password in our second year."

"It lets you see everything in Hogwarts," George explained with a flourish. "Including people. And it hasn't lied yet."

Hermione's eyes were wide and Amy was sure hers were no different.

"And there has been a suspicious bastard wandering around the castle," Fred added. "Look at the Defense Classroom."

Both of them automatically found the classroom, having been trying to figure out everything. And there, where Quirrell's name was supposed to be, was a blur.

"Is that...like a smudge?" Hermione asked.

"We have no idea," George said, frank and without hesitation. "No one else has that. No one."

"Not even Snape," Fred continued.

Amy and Hermione exchanged glances. Finally, a clue!

.


.

Finally!

Last of the pre-written chapters are finally out.

We will be back to our regular schedule of, "IDK when I will update, maybe when inspiration strikes."

Reviews are going to lovely.

~hallen