Moonlit Carvings

There was a collective intake of breath around the room, alerting Ginny to the fact that everyone was watching them.

On a spontaneous, spur of the moment, urge, she muttered a glamour spell beneath her breath, effectively concealing the symbol from sight. She just hoped not too many people had had the chance to get a good look.

Ginny caught the sideways look that Lilith passed in her direction, but shrugged it off for the time being. They set about photographing the body as quickly as possible, rigamortis had long since set in, and the body was beginning to swell, the skin becoming loose around the shattered limbs.

"Take her to the mortuary," Lilith finally announced, content that they had enough pictures of the body.

Two wizards wearing what looked like trefoil green tarpaulin covered the body, wrapping the girl up tightly, before carrying her away.

"Lil, look at this," exclaimed Ginny, crouching by the spot where Cassia had lain.

Burnt into the floor were scorch marks, blackening the stone. They depicted almost exactly the position she'd been lying in.

"Curious," muttered the blonde. "She didn't look burnt at all."

"Not even singed," agreed Ginny.

The two women shared a long look.

Blaise watched the proceedings interestedly, understated as ever.

"I didn't know the Potions Forensics were even aware of Express Owls. I mean what could be urgent in their department? An amoeba rebellion?" Draco's smooth sarcasm cut the air.

Potter snorted. Weasley looked somewhat indignant. "Watch you mouth Malfoy," he snapped.

"Oh yes, your sister works there does she not? Have they moved onto modern cases yet, like - oh, say, the 1900s?"

"Children, children," interjected Blaise, sensing the row. "We don't want to arrive at the crime scene with any black eyes or broken noses this time."

Harry nodded; "Last time neither of you were any help, mainly 'cause you were unconscious!"

Ron had the integrity to look embarrassed, but Draco just shrugged it off.

"Can I see the owl again?" the dark Slytherin asked.

The Boy Who Lived produced the notice from the PF department from beneath his thick woollen robe. He unfolded it and handed it to Blaise who studied it again.

"I thought Groppel wasn't fond of using Owls? We've never had one from them before," he asked Harry, studying the coat of arms embedded on the broken seal. It showed two vultures clasping a ring between them while a phoenix perched on the top. I wonder why the PF department likes birds so much?

"He's not," Ron replied instead. "Has a phobia of them actually."

"Ironic," Blaise remarked, glancing at the coat of arms again. "So I guess it must really have been urgent."

"I don't understand what it has to do with our case though," Draco wondered aloud. "I mean ok, yes, homicide, but there are other detectives they could have used."

Blaise shrugged. "At the bottom of the owl it just says 'all will become clear', so I guess we'll find out."

"I think we need to run a background check on our Miss Roberts, find out her timeline from leaving Hogwarts until now," Lilith murmured to Ginny as they continued to study the burnt stone. "But first I think we need to identify what exactly has done this to the floor."

The redhead nodded her agreement. Taking out her wand, Ginny sat cross-legged on one side of the mark whilst Lilith sat opposite her on the other.

"Identificius," Ginny commanded. A small puff of smoke rose from where her wand had touched the blackened stone. As they watched it went a deep emerald green.

"Natural causes then," the blonde pondered. "Unusual." But then the puff went a rich purple before dissipating.

Ginny frowned. "That means magical causes though?"

Lilith's expression mirrored her own. "Maybe it the spell got confused?"

"That's not possible." Ginny shook her head.

"So this is the crime scene?" Both women looked up at the loud approaching voices.

"Oh you've got to be kidding," Ginny rolled her eyes, scrambling to her feet.

Lil came to stand beside her. "Friends of yours?" she inquired. Ron's red hair came into view first, behind the camped out Clough and Campbell's equipment. "Ah, no - relatives," the taller woman corrected herself.

"And worse," the redhead muttered as Harry, Malfoy and Zabini came into view.

Clough and Campbell intercepted the four men before they'd seen either Ginny or Lilith, asking for identification and purpose.

"Quick, let's run now, and they'll never know." The shorter Gryffindor looked up hopefully at Lil.

"Hun, I think you're going to have to face the music on this one." The blond smirked at Ginny's downcast expression.

The redhead pouted. "Fine, let's get it over and done with then." With that, she turned and began to walk towards the small gathering of men.