Harry decided to put his suspicions of Snape to the back of his mind for the time being, as he needed to concentrate on his studies. It wasn't until two weeks later that the incidents in the forest came rushing back into full focus.

Harry, Hermione and Ron were in a Care of Magical Creatures lesson with Hagrid, learning about Wurms. Hagrid himself had some baby Wurms, they looked like dragons with no legs and no wings, but the things were harmless. It was a bit like an interesting, scaly, colourful version of a Flobberworm.

The three Gryffindors were crowded round their Wurm, studying its teeth, when they heard three things from the forest: A man's cry, a shrill scream and a heavy thud.

"What in the name o' flamin' horseradishes was tha'?" Hagrid asked, surprised. Everyone looked towards the forest. A cloaked figure limped out, looked cautiously around and then broke into a panicked, stumbling run.

There were bloodstains down the front of the cloak. The figure was carrying a knife. There was blood on the knife.

Hagrid took Ron, who was a fast runner, and sprinted towards this stranger, with Harry and Hermione close behind. The figure stopped still, regaining breath, and Hagrid pounced, landing the man a powerful punch to the side of the head.

The cloaked person dropped like a stone and the hood came loose, exposing the bloodless face of Severus Snape.

Hermione examined the unconscious man, pointing towards the numerous bleeding cuts on his face, the nasty looking spread of blood around his left ankle and then indicating the bloodstained knife.

Harry had already formed a conclusion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Hospital Wing~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a good half hour before Snape came round in the Hospital Wing, surrounded by Lupin, Dumbledore, Hagrid, Hermione, Ron and Harry. The knife lay on the table beside him. Dumbledore's eyes were like twin blue fires as he looked at his Potions Master.

"Harry, will you please give your suspicions?" He asked, turning to the boy. Harry nodded.

"Well, Pansy said that a cloaked man had... had... attacked her and when I was in detention with Professor Snape, he was muttering something about the 'rape being bad enough, shouldn't have killed her.' And when that first year came running in screaming about murder, Professor Snape looked panicked, like he had been discovered. But when you said that the identity of the murderer was unknown, he looked very relieved, as though he was glad he had not been exposed."

Snape looked shocked and confused. Hermione's hands flew to her mouth and she gasped. Dumbledore peered over the top of his glasses at Snape, an accusing expression on his face.

"Severus, the evidence does point towards you. Is this true?" He asked gravely. All eyes were on Snape as he sighed and ran a hand across his scarred face.

"In retrospect, I suppose I have been acting suspiciously in recent weeks, but I couldn't risk anyone finding out.

"The Potions Supplies had been running quite low, and I reordered from the Apothecary in Hogsmeade, but they didn't have many of the less-used ingredients. I ordered from that Apothecary in Diagon Alley and obtained all but one substance. You see, the prices they charged for it were abominably high. I couldn't afford it. At 15 Galleons for a gram of Unicorn Tail Hair, I would not be able to eat during the holidays. The Headmaster was kind enough to pay me for this year in advance so I could afford the extra Potions Ingredients. Unfortunately, I am in the middle of a money crisis, with no more than 20 Galleons to my name.

"Unicorn Tail Hair is widely used in Potions included in the Curriculum for OWLs. I didn't tell the Headmaster of my financial troubles. Maybe I should have done, but I was too proud. I thought I could sort it out myself.

"There are plenty of Unicorns in the forest, September is the month of foal- birth, especially in this area. The foals are easy. I used a sharp Shrivelfig Knife to cut some hairs off each Unicorn I came across. It was a tricky business, as I could not let the Unicorn bleed and I didn't want to agitate them.

"All was going fine and the Potions Stores were replenishing until two weeks ago. Then it all fell apart. I was out one evening, the evening before I gave Potter a detention.

"I came across an injured Unicorn. It was enraged and trampling everything in sight. It was a young mare and her dead foal was nearby. Maybe that was why she was so angry. I tried to back away but she had seen my knife and came towards me at breakneck speed. I fell over a root and in an instant she was on top of me, goring me with her horn. I couldn't think clear. All I could see was my own blood spattered everywhere.

"Without any clear idea of what I was doing, I reached for my knife and tried to fend her off. She came back with even more determination and I was sure she was going to kill me. In a simultaneous decision I thrust upwards with the blade and the next thing I knew, the injured Unicorn fell on top of me. My vision was blurred and I was terrified. I stabbed wildly with the knife before I was so weak I could not move my arm.

"I passed in and out of consciousness. While the Unicorn had been attacking me, I had been in great pain and was interested only in getting away alive. With my dead opponent lying on top of me, though, I felt a great sense to just give up... to sleep... to let it all go and not worry about anything anymore, not to worry about where food was going to come from during the summer... Drifting in and out of consciousness was like a dream, the pain was gone. I felt sure it was going to end.

"It didn't. I came dropping back down to reality with a thud. I realised what I had done. I cleaned myself up as best I could, and tried to hide the wounds that mare had inflicted on me before burying both Unicorns and heading to the school.

"I should have told you, Headmaster, but I panicked. I thought I might lose my job. If you fired me then I would have not got any money and would have become a beggar starving on the street before Christmas.

"But I had a horrible recollection of it that night and was terribly distraught in the morning. I tried to ease myself of by giving Potter a detention but by 9 I was in a state of nervous collapse. What if anyone found out? What if I DID lose my job? The possibilities were rushing through my mind. Killing a Unicorn is counted as murder.

"Then my fears were confirmed. That first - year prat Gryffindor Norton came running in screaming that there had been a murder. I thought I had been discovered. I managed not to lose my head completely, but I think maybe my panic showed on my face.

"When I discovered that it wasn't my victim that had been discovered, I was so relieved. I should have felt bad for Bulstrode but her father had murdered many a Muggle in his time so I felt she had it coming.

"This morning I went out to get some more tail hair. I was doing quite well when I stumbled into a fully grown stallion Unicorn. It seemed angry. It wasn't hurt so I was at a loss to what had bitten it. Then I realised. Unicorns mate for life. It was the injured mare's mate.

"It charged without warning. I spun to one side to try and dodge, but slipped on some wet rock. I fell heavily on the knife, which was from then on embedded in my side. The Unicorn leapt and its horn made contact with my ankle. I heard the snap and felt a dull pain but I couldn't do anything about it. The Unicorn continued attacking me until I could not move without disturbing some injury. So I lay still and it assumed I was dead. It left.

"It was then I noticed how much I was bleeding. There was blood from my broken ankle, blood from my chest, blood from my face, blood from my side... I pulled the knife out and staggered to the fringe of the forest. I wasn't sure if the stallion would come back so I looked before running as best I could towards school.

"I was nearly at the main gate when a big heavy unmoving object snuffed out my troubles for that time."

"Ah...that would have been my hand, Professor. I didn't know it was you." Hagrid apologised.

"It's my fault, I didn't realise I had a cloak on." Snape sighed, wincing as one of the cuts on his face bled afresh.

Harry, however, was confused. Now that Snape was clear, who was it lurking in the forest raping and murdering the students who dared enter?

Who was the next suspect?