if one of them is dead.

chapter fourteen.

Hermione.

Hermione didn't know how to react to the news at first. She never really knew Lilith, but they would pass each other in the library occasionally. She would always see Lilith and Riddle together. They were normally working on essays together.

Most of the time, Riddle wasn't really doing anything. But Hermione would notice that Riddle would sometimes stare at Lilith when she was working. He would just watch her as if she was the most interesting thing in the world. Hermione could see it in his eyes. He was in love with her from day one.

If it wasn't that obvious, the murderous look he sent Cassius Warrington when he and Lilith were together was a dead giveaway.

Or the glint in his eyes when she laughed.

Yeah, he was definitely in love with her.

"Look, I'm not saying Chocolate frogs are better than Licorice wands," Ron said, sitting up against the couch on the floor, "But they are."

"I believe you, Ron," Harry said, putting his hands up in surrender from the chair near the fire.

Hermione continued scribbling away at the parchment on the table while she sat on the ground. Ginny was laying on the couch, picking at the skin around her nails.

"Hermione," Ginny said, "who do you think killed Lilith Snape?"

Ron made a scoffing sound. "Way to brighten the mood, Ginny," he grumbled.

"I'm being serious," Ginny said, leaning on her elbow to look at the other three. "She wasn't one to go and get herself killed."

Harry shrugged. "Maybe she was. We didn't know her very well."

"Maybe she decided to jump off the astronomy tower," Ron offered.

Ginny grabbed a book and threw it at his head forcefully. Ron groaned and glared at Ginny, rubbing his head while saying a 'I was just joking.'

"She was dating someone who loved her more than Romeo loved Juliet, Ron," Hermione said, shaking her head. She didn't stop writing on her parchment. "I don't think she would have done that."

"Romeo and Juliet?" Ron asked, furrowing his brows.

"Muggle play," Hermione muttered.

"Well, who do we think would do it?" Ginny asked. "What are the odds?"

Hermione shrugged, finally putting her quill down. She sighed and stood up, starting to pace in front of the fire. "Nine out of ten disappearances are connected to somebody known."

"So, what you're saying is," Harry said, looking at Hermione weirdly, "is that somebody we know could have killed her?"

Hermione nodded. "That's the idea."

"I think it was Riddle," Ginny says, laying on her back. "It's always the boyfriend. Every damn time it's the boyfriend. I wouldn't be surprised if he killed her."

"Ginny," Ron laughed, "I think you're jumping to conclusions here."

Harry shook his head. "No, Ron, I don't think she is. Don't forget who his father is."

Hermione shook her head too, stopping her pacing momentarily. "I don't think it was Riddle. You don't kill someone that you're absolutely head over heels in love with."

"I don't think he was in love with her," Ron mumbled.

"Really, Ronald?" Hermione asked, turning on him. "Have you not seen the way he looks at her? The way he looked at her when she was dating Warrington? I've never seen someone look at someone like they're the world. Like they're the stars. Like they're someone's everything. Every time she laughed it was like something clicked inside of him."

"How can you see that by just looking at someone?" Ron laughed.

Hermione shook her head. "There was this glint in his eyes. Like she was an actual star." She paused. "He's an asshole, but he still has some feeling left in him. No matter how much his father took it out of him."

"Blimey, Hermione, you've really thought about this," Harry said.

"I only saw the look on his face a few times," Hermione said.

"A look can say that much?" Ron asked.

Hermione nodded. "Of course it can, Ronald. A look can tell you everything."

"When did you see these looks?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I like to look around at mealtimes. I passed by them in the library a few times before the rumors of them—"

Ron put up his hands, putting a finger through his other hand that is in a circle. Ginny hit his head again and he groaned.

"Yes, Ronald, before the rumors of them being intimate came out. But even during that, I could still see it. And when they started dating, this year I could see it too. He hasn't lost that feeling quite yet."

"And what about her?" Ginny asked. "What if she didn't love him the way he loved her?"

"Oh, I think she loved him as much as he loved her," Hermione said. "She loved him long before either of them realized."

"So, who do we think did it?" Ginny asked after a moment. "I want to know. She seemed like a nice enough person. Even if she was a bitch to people."

"Who knows," Harry said. "She had enough problems with enough people. For all we know, it could have been her own father."