Hi, I just want to quickly apologise for the long delay in putting this chapter up; it was ready but technical problems meant I couldn't get it up!

Best wishes,
loony.

Just as Stone had said, questioning started the next morning. The same questions were asked over and over to the, now, four suspects.

'Do you know this knife?'

'When did you last see Colin?'

'When did you last speak to Colin?'

'Was he acting unusual when you saw him?'

'Can you think of anyone else who might wish to harm him?'

'Did Colin hint that he might have known the murderer's identity?'

'Where were you between the hours of five and six yesterday evening?'

'Can anyone confirm you were at that place at that time or saw you around this time?'

Each person was pulled from lessons and interviewed rigorously; Stone and Fox had to get the culprit before they struck again or before the case was handed onto higher services. The interviews took as long as they had to; some were an hour others two. But the same reason appeared in each interview, not one suspect had a full alibi – at some point between five and six, each student was alone or had a big enough window to murder Colin and tidy up.

It seemed they were getting nowhere.

Even interviews with Colin's few friends yielded nothing but Dennis, the younger brother, did say that his brother had hinted at knowing who had killed Harry but had said that it couldn't have been them and refused to let anything more go. Colin didn't even say if it was a she or a he – which would have at least got rid of two suspects either way.

Speaking with the professor did, however, get the identity of the knife's owner; Professor Flitwick owned a small pen knife which was always kept on his desk and, just to help the detectives, any of the suspects could have had access to it. And the last time he had seen it was twelve o'clock yesterday afternoon – the culprit had amble time to take the knife. And to improve matters, each of the four students had charms yesterday so it was not as though they had to sneak in without being seen. Students had been all over his desk since the knife had gone missing so finger prints would not aid them.

This murder seemed to not help them in any way but to learn that the motive had probably been knowledge of the first murderer.

'Oh shit,' muttered Stone as he sat in their temporary incident room in Hogwarts.

'Boss?' Asked Fox without lifting his eyes from his notepad in front of him; Stone cursing was common and could mean anything from a murder to a broken quill.

'We've got a problem, a big fucker at that,' this time Fox did look up.

'Sir?'

'Who says the first and second murder were done by the same person? An accomplice could have found out that the identity of the first murderer was found out and then killed Colin to keep him quiet.'

'But why?'

'A number of reasons, love, friendship... anything! With the first murder, it has to be one of those five but now, it could be anyone!'

'But murder, sir? I might buy my mate a pint every now and again but kill?'

'These aren't rational adults; they're teenagers high on hormones and sex. And they think we'll not even look at them as we've been focus on these four.'

'Should we interview the close friends of our suspects?'

'Yes and get these alibi's checked and double checked! But,'

'Boss?'

'It need not be a close friend, we only know the friends that they have because they tell us or the professor say, but if they have kept this relationship hush hush.'

'Sir? You've got another angle,' Fox had gotten better at reading his boss over the years.

'This school is divided brutally into houses but mainly one rivalry rules. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Huffelpuff versus Slytherin. Now take that and give it a Romeo-Juliet spin. One of our suspects falls in love with someone from the rival house, say Gryffindor and Slytherin, and Mr Potter finds out about this. Not only will the couple lose each other but their house pride, family and friends... everything – they'll become the most hated people in Hogwarts. Then they think they're safe because only one of them is suspected or maybe both of them are, then disaster! Colin tells the murderer that he knows it was them or he knows their secret – remember Mr Weasley told us that he was Harry's own little stalker so he could have found out when Potter did. So to shut him up, the other one does it, that way the other party isn't even a suspect.'

'Or they could both be our suspects?'

'Of course but that would mean, either way, Malfoy is involved.'

'I told you he was sneaky sir!'

'He's a Slytherin, they're bred like that. But hmm, it could be a possible reason.'

'So what do we do about it?'

'Unfortunate, if they're willing to kill to keep this secret then they certainly won't tell us or give us even a hint at it. Right, they've got to meet sometime.'

'So we catch them discussing what to do next?'

'No, they, well one of them, must be smart so they are under any circumstance going to meet. At some point, they will have met up so we've got establish at what periods during, say, the last year our suspects have been alone or left alone with the enemy.'

'Sir?' Fox only said one word but Stone knew his query; how could they establish every time one of the suspects would have been left alone with a Slytherin or Malfoy with one of the other three houses? To him it seemed nigh impossible.

'We start with what we know; one of our four is involved.'

'We're going with this then?'

'Yes... I think so. It makes sense and fits this place; houses mean more than life in Hogwarts. Ms. Weasley?'

'Could be, she's had loads of boyfriends,' he commented, flicking through his pad.

'But if so, why would she kill for one of them? No, this motive doesn't fit her and she was dating Harry.'

'Cheating on him?'

'No, this kind of girl would just dump Harry and then get another.'

'Sir? What if it was Harry?'

'Huh?'

'Well, some students said that Harry was cheating on Ginny, most of them thought it was with Hermione, but what if it was a Slytherin?'

'No, that doesn't fit Potter at all. He was a die-hard Gryffindor. Never. Ah, Doc fancy helping?'

'What's the problem?' Smiled Doc as he walked into the room, Fox set about explaining.

'Yes, I have to say this fits. I agree with Jack here Taffy, not the female Weasley or the victim.'

'The female Weasley?' Smirked Stone. 'What you trying to say? Our little helper is sleeping with a Slytherin and murdered his best friend.'

'Surely Harry would have kept quiet if that were true?' Asked Fox. 'If my mate was fucking someone I didn't like, I doubt I'd blab.'

'Maybe so but our victim adored his house, it was his home. He would see that as a huge betrayal.'

'So it could work for Hermione too?' Fox began to chew the end of his quill. Doc nodded. 'So it was one of them two? Or Draco?' Both Stone and Doc nodded.

'It's seems like that son. Ms Granger?'

Fox almost laughed.

'No offence but she's a bit of a sap, more into books than penis.'

'Who says she straight?' Winked Stone. 'And, it was you who just said, that it was mostly like her who was cheating on Ginny with Harry.'

'So not her?'

'You never know, you must always be weary of the quiet ones. Malfoy?'

'I would say he is more likely that Miss Granger,' said Doc as he thought. 'His family would probably hate him the most for it, he would become disowned for it – he would have the most to lose.'

'But you said, sir, Malfoys didn't kill.'

'Malfoy's don't seem to fall in love but if this one did, he would kill. Right Doc?'

'I believe most definitely,' Doc came and sat on the edge of an empty desk. 'Now you're going to ask me what I think about Mr Weasley.' Both nodded. 'But firstly, I want to know what you think.' Fox was the first to answer this request.

'I quite like him, he's cheeky and he obviously loved his best mate. He's protective of both his sister and Hermione and he's trying to help us find out who did it. I wouldn't try to help if I'd done it.'

'Never assume that Fox, that's dangerous. He could be covering himself,' smiled Stone. 'Personally, I like the boy. But,'

'Jack?'

'I think I'm thinking about the same thing you are,' Doc gave a small laugh.

'I believe you probably are Jack.'

'How did he get Draco Malfoy on his side so quickly?'

'Because Draco did it and wants to look like he's helping.'

'Maybe but I don't think so.'

'You're trying to tell me that Ronald Weasley is fucking Draco Malfoy?!' Fox's jaw dropped open.

'Close it before something flies in,' Stone chuckled. 'We're not saying that but what if a Slytherin girl asked Malfoy to help Ron?'

'But I thought Ron was dating that blonde girl, what's her name... Lavender!'

'Cover or they're just friends. Doc?'

'I think that sums up my thinking but don't get too caught up in the theory of it all. Murder never follows theory; human beings never follow theory,' and with that, Doc smiled and left.

'How did you get all of this, Lav?' I asked surprised; I should never ever underestimate this girl again.

She just shrugged and smiled. 'I can't say.'

She had just, somehow, told me the new motive that the detectives had – that either Malfoy or I had a secret lover or that we were lovers! What a load of bullshit.

She'd also just given me the trans-script of all the interviews, including mine for some reason.

'That's all I've got for the moment.'

'That's all! Lavender, you've got loads. We know more than they do!'

'But you can't go telling them that we've got this.'

'Lav, I'm not that stupid,' I chuckled and gave her a thankful hug – what would I do without her?

'Have you spoken to Draco yet?' Since our new alliance, Lavender had been using the ferret's first name; I still refused too – for all I knew he could be Harry's murderer and sleeping with someone I knew (and trusted).

'No...Lav?'

'Yes, Ron,' she answered suspiciously.

'It's not you is it? Who's sleeping with Draco? Because you know I'd still like you if you were I-,' I had to stop talking because Lavender had slapped me round the face.

'Fuck no. Have you seen that nose?!' She began to laugh at the ridiculousness of her and Malfoy as an item.

'Let's look at these alibis,' I said as I rub my sore right cheek and spread the parchment over the table. We had acquired an empty classroom that only had a class in it once a month – it was our own private incident room. Lavender gave a small cough and when she saw I was ready to dictate down the main facts, she began.

'Hermione was, again, in the library from four until five thirty at which point that librarian woman saw her leave. No wizi-cams or people pick her up until dinner at seven, thus she has half an hour to stab Colin and then an hour to get cleaned up,' she paused as I finished off. 'Ginny was chatting to yours-truly until five and then we split, I stayed in the common room and she left. She claims she was with Luna then on until half six, but Luna has no sense of time so can't say when Ginny was with her but Hagrid said he saw Luna alone in the grounds and spoke to her between five and quarter past and then Ginny turned up. Which is long enough for her to leave me and then kill Colin and then claim she spend that time trying to find Luna. But everyone knows that Luna spends her time in the grounds so she wouldn't have had to spend a quarter of an hour wondering Hogwarts looking for Luna – have you spoke to her?' Lavender asked me.

'I haven't spoken to Ginny or Luna recently.'

'Then speak to Ginny!' I nodded that I had understood my order. Lavender shook her wrists and her bracelets and bangles clashed and jangled together; how could she have wrist pain when I was the one writing! 'Draco claimed he was with Snape for the second half an hour and then Pansy for the first half, the second bit is right – I saw them talking in the potions room... okay, so I, personally, didn't but I've been informed they were. But Pansy told me that they weren't together until after six and she's just covering for him.'

'Bloody hell, why? She should tell Stone!'

'Ron for the same reason I would give you an alibi in a murder investigation; she believes Draco is innocent and can't see any harm in getting him out of trouble. They're close friends, like we are, and you protect your friends. Anyway, back to Draco, I've started to try to find out where he really was but at the same time, this fits that new motive. Draco met up with his lover to check all went well.'

'He would have to be stupid to do that.'

'He's a Malfoy, what do you expect?' She rolled her eyes at me. 'And lastly you.'

'I was with you from half five onwards.'

'And before that?'

'I was in the library.'

'Oh, for fuck's sake Ron! You can lie to them but you can't lie to me! There was no way you were in the library because a, I doubt you even know where it is, b, no one bloody saw you in there and c, if you were in the library you would have sat with Hermione or said hello and you did neither. So where were you Ron? Because they'll find out you weren't in the library and you'll be screwed! So tell me Ron, tell me where you really were and who with!'