Ernie and Hannah went to see the Fat Friar again.
They no longer mentioned Snape. Instead, with stern faces, they solemnly relayed "Deputy Director Moody's orders regarding Castle security patrols" and produced a convincing-looking record form.
Looking at the special assistant badges pinned to their chests, the Fat Friar hesitated for a long time before finally stopping his pretense of knowing nothing.
His translucent body swayed, as though he were recalling something.
"That night... something was very wrong in the dungeons," the Fat Friar said, his voice a little distant. "I heard a very brief puff, like sparks in a fireplace being doused with water. Then there was a sort of... greasy, uncomfortable feeling left in the air."
He frowned, seemingly searching for the right words.
"Not a smell, but a sort of... residual magical fluctuation that even made my form a little unstable. Of course, I'm not saying Douglas did it."
The two exchanged looks, pretending not to have heard the last sentence.
They had heard about what Professor Holmes had done back then, after all.
Meanwhile, in the Kitchen, Hermione and two Hufflepuff members.
Found an elderly House-elf responsible for cleaning the dungeon area.
They did not ask about anyone, merely producing an environmental assessment form and asking whether there had been any "stains that were difficult to clean."
The old elf thought for a long time before speaking timidly.
"That night... there was a little pinch of red, soil-like dust on the floor outside Professor Snape's door. It was very dry, and even an ordinary Scourgify couldn't sweep it away."
That evening, at the temporary headquarters.
All the teams returned with scraps of information.
The enormous map was covered in little slips of parchment.
"Abnormal magical fluctuations."
"Red dust."
"Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, sneezed nearby that day."