A week later, Hermione was finally able to analyze the most recent. Narcissa Malfoy had been murdered two weeks ago, her body left in the Spore Forest. Named after the numerous magical spores found on magical mushrooms which grew prevalently there, many magical greenhouses were located nearby and it was a popular place for herbologists to research. In fact, it had been a herbologist who had found the dead body of Narcissa Malfoy, drenched in blood.

Hermione glanced down at the file once more. The case of Narcissa Malfoy was a bit problematic. The unknown subject, or "unsub" called colloquially by aurors, had seemingly diverged from his or her typical pattern in this specific killing. Perhaps the most chilling aspect of the case was the typical dump site of the murdered victims: the Forbidden Forest. Hermione had felt a peculiar chill run down her spine at the thought that the killer had access hundreds of children. The bodies of many Neo-Death Eaters and formers Death Eaters had been found— Crabbe, Goyle, McNair, Avery, Runcorn—the last was vast and expanding at a disturbingly fast rate. So many murdered— yet no one in the ministry seemed to care. Narcissa had been the eleventh victim of the killer's yearlong spree.

Hermione glanced at Harry while pulling her bushy hair into a sloppy ponytail. It seemed strange that they had only graduated seven years ago. Harry's face looked like one of a much older man— the crease between his eyebrows was ever-present and the bags beneath his eyes only grew larger. An entire year without progress on a case the ministry wished to brush under the carpet took its toll on poor Harry. Hermione only wished he had asked for her help sooner.

They trudged through a patch of tall grass reaching Hermione's knees before entering the thick of the forest. Mushrooms of varying sizes surrounded them, ranging from the size of a fingernail to almost the size of Hermione.

Harry swore under his breath, "Bloody hell, why are there so many of them?"

Unable to control herself, Hermione found herself reciting Goshawk's Guide to Herbology, "A forest with a thick canopy facilitates the perfect environment for magical mushroom and bacteria, specifically spore to grow. The trees prevent sunlight from penetrating into the environment causing a coolness that prevents the evaporation of water. With the combined cool and damp atmosphere, this forest is the most perfect location for magical mushrooms to grow."

Harry blinked, "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

Walking about half a mile further, Harry finally stopped in front of a particularly large and purple mushroom and nodded his head toward one of the most violent and horrendous sights Hermione had ever seen. Narcissa's body had been brutally shredded. Angry gashes cut through what once was a white dress, dying the whole dress a dark brown. The crusty blood seemed almost black and the air smelled vile. Hermione felt the urge to throw up. Harry finally spoke up as Hermione crouched down near the body.

"I think the spell used on her was sectumsempra or a variation of it," her murmured.

"Yet there's no evidence of cruciatus like the other victims," Hermione frowned. "I think, judging by the amount of blood on her clothing, she must have instead died from blood-loss. Perhaps she was paralyzed whilst the unsub used sectumsempra?" she asked while turning to look at Harry.

Harry nodded, "That sounds like my theory as well."

"Also, notice the disproportionate lack of blood pooling around her. The amount on her clothing and the amount needed to die of blood-loss would be vastly more," Hermione squinted. "Harry, Narcissa's body was moved to this dump site."

Leaning in closer, Hermione took a q-tip and swabbed the corners of Narcissa's mouth to test for poison. Next, she examined for additional bruising, noticing odd shaped marks around the base of Narcissa's neck. It was when she went to examine it closer, she noticed a long strand of red-hair trapped in Narcissa Malfoy's dangly diamond earrings. After extricating the red hair from the jewelry, Hermione held it up and grinned at Harry.

"Looks like I caught the killer."

"Hermione, I know this honestly goes without saying but everything here is completely confidential. You can't tell anyone— even the victim's families— about what we find. It could compromise the integrity of this case and if the press gets a hold of it," Harry sighed, "They'll have a bloody field day."

"Have I ever been one to break the rules?" Hermione sniffed primly.

"No, it's just that these families are quite," he paused. "Slytherin. They'll use any tactic to get information out of you."

"While I thank you for your concern, it's really nothing I can't deal with," Hermione frowned.

"I'm sure it isn't, you're right. This case has just been stressing me out," Harry said as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Harry, you go back to your family. Honestly, spend time with Ginny and James. Merlin, Ginny's pregnant! Please, just spend time with them I can finish up out here and start the preparation for the result analysis tomorrow morning."

Guiltily glancing over his shoulder, Harry dutifully made his way back to the apparition point, leaving Hermione alone.

When she was finally finished taking samples from Narcissa's body, Hermione noticed the air had gone from chilly to freezing. While the shadiness of the forest hadn't been bad before, the forest was almost pitch black. Whispering a quiet lumos, Hermione's vision was limited to directly in front of her. Her footsteps sounded loud and clumsy against the deadly silence. There was a heaviness in the air, one that caused the tiny hairs on the back of her neck to raise. As she approached the apparition point of the forest, she heard a snap of a branch and an arm wrapped around her waist.

"Who killed Narcissa Malfoy?" A low voice whispered into her ear.

Twisting around violently, Hermione pulled her wand out and pressed it against the side of the firm body behind her.

"Let me go, or I'll make you regret it," she hissed.

Surprisingly, the arm disappeared from her waist. Whipping around, Hermione cast a lumos only to gasp at the face staring down at her.

"Malfoy?"