The air was filled with a tense atmosphere, Luna gently stroked the restless Ailuo, while Rolf looked nervously at the professors, feeling as if he were suffocating.
Moody shifted his gaze: "There aren't many male wizards over the age of 60 in the school. Dumbledore, I suggest a complete inspection of the castle imdiately, including the outer areas... Boy, what's the matter?"
His magic eye twirled, staring intently at Vid, who had raised his arm.
Everyone else also looked over.
"I'm just a bit curious."
Vid said calmly, "I'm not too familiar with the effects of so magic, and I want to know... if the deceased had their appearance altered by Transfiguration Spell before death, or took a lot of Aging Potion, or Polyjuice Potion, and the like..."
The air suddenly froze, only Vid's voice could still be heard:
"What would the skeleton look like after death? Is it the true appearance from when they were alive, or the altered old person's bones?"
A night breeze blew past, causing several people present to shiver involuntarily.
They all understood, of course, that death cannot directly eliminate the effects of a transformation.
In fact, the murderer could even kill the person and then use a Transfiguration Spell on the corpse.
"Oh, rlin..."
Madam Maxi suddenly grasped her wrist; Karkaroff's skeletal fingers nervously fiddled with his cufflinks, his gaze drifting; Professor McGonagall's face was paler and more angular than usual, her lips pressed into a tense line.
Only Dumbledore's expression remained unchanged, though perhaps more solemn than usual, but Vid couldn't tell if he hadn't considered this possibility or if he had known all along and chose not to speak.
Although Moody and Snape had been discussing the possibility of the murderer hiding in the castle, everyone present understood —
As professors of Hogwarts, it wasn't sothing they could easily express: all mbers still at the Magic School could potentially be the targets of the murderer's disguise and transformation.
However, limiting the age to over 60 made the possibility from other wizard schools quite small, since they brought very few adults, and typically only the headmasters were over that age.
And if a headmaster could be easily replaced, then they wouldn't be headmaster.
But now, if the age range were expanded... then every student from each school would beco a suspect.
Adesso quickly stepped to the edge of the pit, reciting an ancient Uagadou Spell in a low voice, the tip of his magic wand emitting a bright yellow light.
The beam spread, encompassing the entire skeleton, and then slowly dissipated after a few minutes.
Adesso's face looked grim as he turned to the others and said slowly, "Can't tell if the age has been disguised... everything has been destroyed."
"Which ans... the murderer might also disguise themselves as a student..."
Professor McGonagall's voice was uncharacteristically shaky, and Vid thought that even during Voldemort's rampage, her expression would not have been this grim.
It was as if a chilling wind silently swept by, crawling up the spine, and for a mont no one spoke, instinctively holding their breath.
The castle lights remained warm and bright, and the transportation from several schools — carriages, boats — stood quietly by the lake, their lights reflecting in the water with a glittering effect.
But at this mont, this scene could not bring calm or a sense of safety, because everyone realized that behind those lit windows, there might be a pair of malicious eyes watching.
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