Chapter Two: Missing

Fred and George were normally up to no good, up to some joke. They ran a famous joke shop, after all. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was skyrocketing, and the crowd just wanted more. That, of course, is why they thought it would be a good idea to test a product or two out at the party. Nothing serious, and nothing potentially lethal, just a few harmless jokes would be sufficient.

The two twins were so focused on setting up their next prank, they didn't even notice their former headmaster walking up to them until he spoke, just a few inches away

"Ah, laughter. Don't tell Madam Pomfrey this, but I always found it to be the best medicine of all. Wouldn't you boys agree?"

"Certainly," Fred agreed while he slightly hid the small box of their product behind his back. George just shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"Curious," Dumbledore marveled at an unknown fact. "Not to break this up, but may I perhaps speak to George for a minute?" George was stumped, as was Fred. What could Dumbledore possibly want with George and not Fred? George nodded, though, and the two figured left Fred behind.

George followed Dumbledore out of the living room and began noticing all the people who were there. It was odd, George thought, how his house could fit all these people comfortably, and with all the decorations or entertainment, too! There were charmed instruments in the opposite corner, playing songs at request. Balloons flew through the air and confetti was magically bursting out of the walls in one-minute intervals. Dumbledore led George through the colors the party until the chatter was silent to their ears. They were up in George's old room that he shared with Fred. Funny how everything looked exactly the same as when they moved out.

Dumbledore sat down on Fred's old bed awkwardly as George casual conjured a chair to sit in. Dumbledore wholeheartedly laughed.

"I appreciated you agreeing to talk with me, Mr. Weasley, but that was before you decided to outsmart me."

"When will you learn that I just naturally outsmart you? I'm sorry Dumbledore, but you need to improve your skills." George grinned, eyes twinkling brightly. Dumbledore returned the smile as he helped himself up from the old mattress, conjuring a lavish, velvet armchair to sit in.

"I suppose so," Dumbledore agreed jokingly as he lowered himself down into his own chair. Both men smiled at each other, but both smiles then began to awkwardly fade. Small grins were all that remained as the silence took over the room momentarily. George realized that, for the first time, he was talking to Dumbledore alone. He shifted awkwardly, thinking of the fact. It was then he realized that this moment was significant.

"Difficult times these are," the old wizard stated conversationally. George, however, knew this wasn't a topic of small talk.

"It certainly is…"

"Oh, don't mistake me, Mr. Weasley, I know that the worst has come and gone. I can't express how grateful I am for Mr. Potter and the Order, but that doesn't make my job any easier."

"Your job?" George inquired. "You mean like restoring a sense of security to the Wizarding World?" Dumbledore shook his head.

"That's an entirely different problem. I am, of course, talking about my actual job as headmaster. As you can imagine, there has been an immense amount of work to be completed at Hogwarts. There were buildings I had to repair and parents I had to please. Hogwarts isn't only a school; it's a safe house for the students. I need help from each and every one of my staff members to keep Hogwarts running."

"I understand, sir," George contributed.

"I'm glad you do," Dumbledore continued. "Of course, with the recent loss of a few fine teachers, I've been having trouble finding ones I can trust more than ever. I need a few members to join my staff, but only members of the Order can assist me, essentially."

"That's why you hired Shacklebolt as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." George slipped out. Dumbledore's expression twisted into that of a slightly amused old man as he chuckled.

"Kingsley never could keep quiet. Well, I suppose that is no longer a surprise up the sleeve of my robe, now is it? Well, then I suppose you know about Slughorn as well?"

"All I heard was about how Snape has his old position as Potions Master back. Nobody exactly knew why when I heard, though."

"Ah," Dumbledore began. "Well, the I suppose I should inform you of the rest." George couldn't tell if Dumbledore was pleased or distraught about what he was going to say next, and George began thinking that it was a tiny bit of both emotions.

"Slughorn was the last one to fill the Potions position, as you know, but he didn't last very long. It was almost two years before he disappeared… many people don't know this, but right before the battle at Hogwarts broke out, Slughorn decided that it would be against his better judgment to involve himself in a cause he has no view towards. He packed his things away and left without a single trace of evidence left behind."

George couldn't believe a teacher would do such a thing to his own students; to abandon them right before they needed him most was essentially unforgivable. George had heard from Ron that Slughorn didn't have a great amount of honor or courage, but George was still taken back.

"So that's why you needed a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," George put the clues together aloud. "You made Snape take his old position again because you just wanted to hire Shacklebolt, right?"

"Not exactly, Mr. Weasley. It was more that Snape happens to be the best Potions professor I've ever seen at Hogwarts. The Defense Against the Dark Arts position was ill suited for him. I had no choice but to appoint him back to his old position."

"Why sir," Geogre replied, "did you then give the job to Shacklebolt?"

Dumbledore sighed wearily. "If I had another choice, I would have had another teach the position. Of course, it would have been more convenient if he had prior teaching experience, but we both agreed that this was best. An Auror at school will certainly boost security as well. If we at Hogwarts have learned anything these past few years, it's that there is always a way to penetrate the impenetrable.

"I can only hire those that I know will remain loyal to me," Dumbledore added bluntly. George fidgeted slightly, his hands tracing the contours of his wand, but he never stopped looking his old headmaster straight in the eye.

"I understand, Professor. What I don't understand is why you wanted to talk to me in the first place. Don't get me wrong, sir, I find this all interesting… but I'm assuming the first person you've told in the Order about half of this. I don't think I'm exactly the right person for you to talk to."

"Ah, but you're exactly the person," remarked Dumbledore, eyes twinkling dimly with hope. His robin blue eyes began turning a more remorseful gray with these next thoughts.

"I'm sure you're aware of the constant struggle against the Death Eaters, even now." George nodded slightly, and Dumbledore continued. "After the war was fought, some teachers volunteered themselves for the Order's next mission, you could say. To help put an end to the large amount of terror lingering, of course. Professor Flitwick was among them.

"Professor Flitwick volunteered most willingly, you know. Quite avid to help the cause… he began working with others, and eventually, he fought alone." George felt the panic slip through Dumbledore's protective aura, alarming him greatly.

"Sir?" George edged Dumbledore's words along.

"One day, I sent Professor Flitwick out on a difficult ambush. I insisted time and time again that he take backup, but he wouldn't listen; he may be incredibly clever, but he is just as hardheaded. I eventually gave in to his requests.

"The mission was supposed to last for about three days, Mr. Weasley. I expected him back, but he never came back that day. Days passed by unnoticed before I began worrying. It had been ten days before I knew something happened to him."

George was in shock; this was his former Charms teacher and one of the only teachers who Fred held high respect for. Flitwick all but encouraged his and Fred's practical jokes after he noticed the high level of charms put into it. As long as it had a intense charm work and nobody got hurt, Flitwick would always let the prank slide. He encouraged Fred and George to pursue their talent in Charms as well, no matter how they wanted to execute these talents. He practically pushed the twins into opening their joke shop, and now, something terrible had happened to him.

"Professor," George managed to choke out as calmly as possible, "What happened to Professor Flitwick?"

"That is the problem, Mr, Weasley. I don't know. We never found him."

George was overwhelmed; missing. That was a hard word to grasp. Was he alright? Was he charmed into believing he was a Muggle from Siberia? Was he hurt or captured? Was he still breathing? George's mind churned, doing flips and turns as he panicked.

"I know this is all very important, Sir, but I don't exactly understand the situation. How does this directly relate to me?" George mused aloud.

"Well, you and I both know that he was your favorite professor at Hogwarts. I thought the right was yours to know." George glanced away from Dumbledore's gaze.

"He was. But Profess-"

"I'm not quite finished, Mr. Weasley. Though that is a valid reason, it isn't exactly why I told you of these events. I feel as though Flitwick's replacement should know the full story before he takes his position."