Potter, the Suspect Seeking to Prove His Innocence (III)

"Creating terror?" Ron's voice tightened slightly.

"Making people afraid," Hermione said, her quill pausing over the parchment. "Making them suspect each other. Throwing all of Hogwarts into panic. When everyone is afraid, no one has the mind to investigate the truth."

She looked up at Harry and Ron. There was something in her gray eyes—not fear, not anger, but something colder, heavier, a clarity that said, I finally see it.

"And every attack happened when Harry was there. That isn't just a coincidence. It's a strategy. To cast suspicion on Harry, to make everyone think he's the Heir, the murderer. That way, the real attacker can hide in the shadows and keep doing what he wants, while everyone's eyes stay fixed on Harry."

A chill ran down Harry's back. Not cold exactly, but the kind that came when you had always believed you were the victim, only to suddenly realize you were actually a tool. He had not been the chosen target. He had been the chosen shield. He happened to be at every scene not because he was unlucky, but because someone had deliberately lured him there—or struck along a route they knew he would take.

"So... the person we're looking for," he said hoarsely, "hates Muggle-borns, hates me, and isn't afraid of being seen because he has a way to make everyone think I did it."

"A pure-blood supremacist. That's the most likely motive. Colin is Muggle-born. Mrs Norris wasn't, but her owner, Filch, was a Squib who had recently become a wizard."

Hermione stared at Harry and spoke slowly, one word at a time. There was something unreadable in her eyes.

"In the eyes of some extreme pure-blood supremacists, Squibs and Muggle-borns are the same—both are 'unworthy of magic.' And Filch, a Squib, actually daring to become