At seeing the woman's clean hands, Septima breathed out, almost faint-headed in relief, but she didn't lower her wand. There were many ways to kill that left no blood.
But Miss Patil kept talking about the Death Eater, Bole, and about Miss Brown's unfortunate death. Parvati Patil then she decided, unless she was much mistaken. Miss Brown had been a Gryffindor, after all. She hesitated: should she try to talk Miss Patil into calmness, or remain on the business at hand of her rule violation.
A foolish thought. "Miss Patil," she said, gripping her wand a little too tightly, "while I sympathise, you are supposed to be in your common room. You are not there. I suggest you come with me."