The Suspect Potter Sought to Clear Himself (IV)

Hermione bit her lip. "For now, yes. Everyone had a solid alibi, or no motive that made logical sense. But that doesn't mean they're completely beyond suspicion. It's just that the evidence currently doesn't point to them."

"Then that only leaves the students." Ron's voice tightened again.

"Students," Hermione repeated, tapping her fingers twice against the tabletop. "And not ordinary students. They would need to be capable of casting a high-powered Petrification Curse—at the very least, that requires the magical reserves and spell control of a sixth-year or above. They would need to be able to move freely through the castle without anyone noticing—which means they might know some secret passages no one else knows about. They would need to hold strong pure-blood supremacist beliefs—which points to—"

She did not finish, but the three of them all knew whom she meant.

"So—the most likely suspects," Ron swallowed, "are people from Slytherin?"

Hermione did not answer at once. She stared at the few lines she had written for a long time, then used her quill to draw two thick lines beneath "Slytherin."

"Let's start with Draco Malfoy," she said. "He has the ability. At the Dueling Club before, he used Snake Summons—Professor Flitwick told me that it's an advanced biological Transfiguration Charm that only exceptional fourth-years and above are qualified to take as an elective. The fact that Malfoy can use that spell proficiently shows that his magical power and spell control far exceed those of his peers."

Ron snorted. "His father hired private tutors for him. He'd been taught since he could walk. Rich people's privilege."

"Regardless of how he learned it, the fact is that he has that ability," Hermione continued, not taking up Ron's remark. "He also has a motive. He hates Harry, hates Muggle-borns, hates everyone who