'So the murder weapon was the vase.' Anastacia said. 'It fits with the wound on Miss Weasley's head. Miss Granger was just knocked against the wall of the train compartment, there was no murder weapon involved.'

Beth and Brad nodded in agreement. 'So, what do we do now?' Brad asked.

'I want to talk to McGonagall and Snape – see what they have to say. I want to know more about this McGonagall and Ronnie Franklin thing… and I want to see if Snape knew that Ginny had been told about the Death Eaters.'

'Right.'

***

It was lunchtime at Hogwarts. Most of the students were in the Great Hall, eating, along with several members of staff.

'She's not in there.' Brad said to his two female colleagues after looking at the staff table to see if he could find McGonagall.

'We'll try the staff room.' Anastacia said, leading Beth and Brad back up the main staircase and along several corridors, until they appeared outside the staff room. Anastacia knocked on the door, and a few moments later the door was opened and Professor Molly Lewis, the school's fifth Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in as many years, stood before them.

Professor Lewis, dressed in deep blue robes, was a kindly woman of average build with short brown curly hair and shining blue eyes. She beamed at the three people on the other side of the door. 'Looking for someone?' She asked.

'Yes - Professor McGonagall. Is she in there?'

'Yes she is, I'll just go and get her. Wait a tick.' Professor Lewis bustled off into the confines of the staff room, and the door closed behind her. A minute or two later Professor McGonagall opened the door and appeared before them.

'You're looking for me?' She asked.

'Yes, could you spare us a few minutes?'

'Of course.' McGonagall replied, sounding friendly but looking somewhat uncomfortable all the same.

Anastacia, Beth and Brad led Minerva McGonagall back along the corridors to their 'interview room', which they entered. McGonagall sat on one side of the table, while the three detectives sat facing her.

'Ronnie Franklin. Mean anything to you?' Was all Anastacia said.

McGonagall looked even more uncomfortable. 'Yes. We're friends… good friends.'

'Is that all? It's just that I spoke to this said Mr. Franklin yesterday, and from what he said it sounds like you two are much more than good friends.'

'There's some romance.' McGonagall said stuffily, 'But I like to keep my work and private life separate.'

'Do you know that Ronnie is a Death Eater?'

A look of astonishment and anger passed over McGonagall's face. 'Yes, I know… but how do you know?' 

'I'm afraid that's strictly confidential information… did you know about him being at a meeting held at this school at the end of last term…'

'When Miss Granger accidentally stumbled across them, and was bribed by another member of the group.' McGonagall continued. 'Yes, I did.'

'And you didn't even think to tell us!?' Anastacia asked, trying to hide the annoyance in her voice.

'I… I didn't want to get Ronnie into trouble.' McGonagall said quietly. 'You won't turn him into the Ministry, will you?' Her tone of voice had changed completely; she was now begging them. 'I'll do anything, just spare him! He is trying to leave You-Know-Who, but that's not an easy thing to do, you know.'

'Luckily for you, and him, we have decided to turn a blind eye to the fact that he is a Death Eater, as he helped me when I questioned him.' Anastacia said. 'Now, is there anything else you can tell us which could be connected with the deaths of Miss Granger and Miss Weasley?'

'Well…'

'Go on.'

'Is this confidential… what I tell you, no one else will find out?'

'That's correct.'

'I helped Ronnie to get into the school a few weeks back… before Ginny was killed. We miss each other, you see, with me having to stay at the school during term time, and usually the Easter and Christmas holidays as well, so I promised he could come in… for the night, you know what I mean.' McGonagall looked slightly embarrassed about talking about her private life, but the three detectives smiled reassuringly. 'Well, after dinner that evening I got my invisibility cloak (A/N: She has one, alright, don't argue with me!) and went out to the school gates. Ronnie was waiting there, and I gave him the cloak. We went back up to the castle, and I led him to a deserted classroom down the transfiguration corridor – it hasn't been used for years, ever since it got vandalised by Peeves. Well, you don't need me to tell you what we did after that…' She looked even more embarrassed, but Anastacia, Beth and Brad gave her their reassuring smiles again, so she carried on. 'Me and Ronnie hadn't been in there 10 minutes when the door burst open, and a much younger couple entered the room; Miss Weasley and Mr Malfoy.'

'Draco?' Anastacia asked, surprised. 'He didn't strike me as the romantic type.'

'It was him alright, though I would have agreed with you. They were all over each other; it took them a moment to realise we were in there. When they did notice us, they looked extremely embarrassed and ran out. I just hope they don't get Ronnie into trouble…'

'Thank you, Professor, you have been most helpful. You may go now.'

'Can I have a word with you, Sergeant Titus?' McGonagall asked. 'In private.' Beth looked over to Anastacia and Brad. 'It's not to do with the investigations.' She added.

Anastacia still looked suspicious of McGonagall's actions, but waved a hand at the door. 'Go on, Beth.' Beth nodded, and followed McGonagall out of the door.

When they were out the room, and the door was closed behind them, McGonagall turned to Beth. 'This really isn't my place to say this, but his rambling is driving me insane.' She said.

'Pardon?' Beth asked, completely confused.

'You know Severus, don't you? The Potions master?'

'Yes…' Beth said, wondering whether she was about to discover some vital piece of information to do with the murders.

'Well, he's been going on and on about… you.'

'Me?'

'Yes. Oh, he'd probably kill me if he found out I'd told you this, but Severus has got a bit of a 'thing' for you.'

'A 'thing'?'

'Yes, a 'thing', a 'crush', call it what you like. But, well, you've seen what he's like, he's a proud, arrogant man, I don't think he's ever really considered love outside his family… he doesn't know what to say to you…'

Beth was blushing furiously by now. She had always been pretty, ever since she was a little girl, and she had never had any lack of male admirers. She'd lost count of the number of boyfriends she'd had, there had been a constant stream of them since her teenage years. The admirers had lessened as she grew older and joined the Ministry, but there still a few at the offices, at the pub after work, on the cases she worked on. She had been single for several years now, so to suddenly find that one of the main suspects in the murder case she was working on had eyes for her, and that she had secretly admired that person for a while herself, was slightly startling.

'Are you single?' McGonagall asked suddenly. 'I don't mean any harm if you're not.'

'No, no, it's alright, I am single. I was just thinking…'

'Will you at least talk to him, I've never seen Severus like this before, not that it's a completely bad change… it's just not him to be so quiet and reserved.'

'I'll talk to him. I think we're supposed to be interviewing him this afternoon, anyway.'

***

Beth and Brad hurried down the Hogwarts corridors. '5 minutes,' they had told Anastacia. '5 minutes, and they'd be back, ready to interview Snape', but Hogwarts had a habit of making people who were in a hurry lost. They had only gone to the toilets, but all the staircases had changed behind them. They had now been gone 10 minutes, and Anastacia was probably getting ready to murder them.

They burst into their interview room to find that they had actually beaten Anastacia, who had gone to find Snape, back. They sat down in their allotted chairs, trying to get their breath back. They looked at each other, and then burst out laughing.

They were both quite young – Brad was new to the Ministry, only in his early twenties, while Beth was reaching the end of her 20s, at 29. They always felt the need to be serious and sensible around Anastacia, who was a serious, sensible woman herself in her early fifties.

Their laughter stopped as the door opened and Anastacia appeared, leading the Potions master. She sat down in her seat between Beth and Brad, and gestured for Snape to sit down opposite. Beth caught Snape's eye as he sat down, and smiled at him. He kept eye contact for a moment, before quickly looking away, the slightest bit of colour tinting his pale face.

'Now, Professor.' Anastacia began. 'There are two main things I want to question you about. Firstly, did you ever think that Miss Granger had actually told someone else about her encounter with the Death Eaters?'

Snape looked blank, so Brad prompted him, 'Miss Weasley, perhaps?'

'Now you mention it, she has seemed slightly preoccupied since Miss Granger's murder.'

'Preoccupied?'

'Restless… distant… making stupid mistakes with her ingredients. It crossed my mind once or twice that perhaps she knew something to do with the murder…'

Anastacia nodded, showing that she was pleased with the answer he had given. 'Who would you say that Miss Weasley was most friendly with?'

'She seems to be quite friendless in lessons… but otherwise I would say Potter and all the other Weasleys.'

'Mr. Malfoy?'

'Definitely not! She's a typical "anti-Slytherin" Gryffindor.'

'Well, she put up a good front in that case.'

'What do you mean?'

'She has been seen, by a member of staff at this school, with Mr. Malfoy, in some rather… romantic situations…'

'What? You mean that she was in love with Draco Malfoy?'

'That's exactly what we mean.' Snape looked genuinely shocked. He had always been a typical "anti-Gryffindor" Slytherin, and had tried to pass that attitude through the members of his house. He had had high expectations of Draco, one of his favourite students to pass through the school.

'That's all we want to ask you, Professor. You may go.' Anastacia said.

Snape nodded, and got up from his chair. 'Um… can I talk to you for a moment, in private?' Beth asked, seizing her chance.

Snape eventually nodded, trying to calm his heart, which had just skipped several beats. Anastacia shot Beth a 'I hope you know what you're doing' look – she had cast a listening charm on Beth and McGonagall's conversation earlier, and had given Beth a long lecture afterwards about how you must not get emotionally involved with the suspects.

Eventually Anastacia got up, and she and Brad left the room, leaving Beth and Snape alone. 'This is nothing to do with the investigation…' Beth began, finding herself tongue-tied. 'Um… I was wondering whether you'd like to go for a drink at the Three Broomsticks sometime.'

'…All right, then.' Snape replied, after a long pause. 'Tomorrow?'

'Sure.' Beth said, and Snape left the room. Outside, he fell back against the wall, letting out a long breath. Tomorrow – it was then or never. He had to tell her his feelings tomorrow…

Beth stood in the middle of the empty room. Tomorrow – it was then or never. She had to tell him her feelings tomorrow…