Managing The Mischief ~ Sequel to A Master of Mischief

~ Chapter 10

**George’s POV**

All day I think about the conversation Alithea and I had last night. Somehow, the thing that sticks me with the most is the fact that she doesn’t care.

When I get home I go straight up to her room to tell her that I love her and that when I said that I was angry and not thinking right.

“Alithea?” I call after knocking. She doesn’t answer but I walk in anyway. The room is empty. I check the bathroom and the garden and the kitchen.

“ALITHEA?” I call. There’s no reply. I shrug it off. She often goes for walks and she’s always back before dark. Although she’d never admit it, she’s scared of the dark.

I decide to make dinner to give her a break. I’m a pretty useless cook, but I can make pretty good mashed potatoes and vegie burgers which are her favourite. Well, they were when she was eight, so I presume they still are.

When I’m done the sun has well and truly set.

“Alithea?” I call, walking upstairs in case I didn’t notice her get back. She’s still not back. I look around her room and notice that her book is gone. She is her backpack. Maybe she went to Maddie’s.

I send Maddie an owl asking if Alithea is with her.

No, we were going to do the swap the week after next, remember?

I get chills all over my body. I snatch up my wand.

“Lumos,” I cry, running out of the house, “ALITHEA! ALITHEA!”

I stop. I have no idea where she could be.

**Maddie’s POV**

“Goodnight precious,” I whisper, creeping out of Arianwen’s room. I check in on the other kids. Carmen is reading, but that’s okay. It’s too early for her to be sleeping. Fred and Teddy are talking. Olivia is reading too. Everyone else is asleep. I walk downstairs and into the kitchen to clean up after dinner.

“MADDIE! MADDIE!”

“George!” I hiss, running upstairs, “you’ll wake the kids!”

I meet him in the hall way and he grabs my arms.

“Alithea’s gone,” he says, looking panicked.

“What?” I ask, not quite believing it.

“She’s gone,” he repeats, his breathing hard, “she’s always back before dark, but she’s not home and I don’t know where she could have gone.”

“You let her out by herself? George, she’s thirteen!” I gasp.

“I know, I was at work!” he yells, “can we focus on the fact that OUR DAUGHTER IS MISSING?”

“I’ll get Dad,” I tell him, “get your parents, your brothers and Harry and start looking.”

“What about the kids here?” he asks quickly.

“Most of them are asleep,” I tell him, “I’ll let Fred, Teddy and Carmen know I have to go out, they can watch the kids.”

“Is it safe?”

“Safer than Alithea is right now!”

“ALITHEA?” I call, desperately hoping she’ll answer. I’m searching the Hogwarts grounds with all the staff. Hagrid is searching the forest.

“ALITHEA!” I check the changing rooms in the Quidditch stadium. I have no idea how she’d get here, but she seemed so desperate to stay her a few months ago.

“Any sign?” I ask McGonagall desperately as we meet in the Entrance Hall at dawn the next morning. She shakes her head, looking grim. I try to control myself, but tears well in my eyes. I know that right now Hermione is pouring over the Marauder’s Map and that the Room of Requirement has been check as has every corner of the grounds.

“Please keep an eye out,” I tell the staff, already hurrying towards the gates so I can disapparate.

“George!”

He turns around, hope in his eyes. It quickly dims when he sees me alone. I fall into his arms.

“We have to find her,” I tell him, “we have to!”

“I know,” he says, holding me tightly, “we will. We’ll find her.”

“Where haven’t we looked?” I sniff, wiping my eyes on my sleeve, “where would she go?”

“I don’t know,” George groans, “we’ll have to search the whole of England.”

“I’ve notified the Ministry,” Arthur says, “they’re sending out a search party.”

I feel my knees give out and fall to the ground.

“Where could she be?” I sob, “oh, Alithea!”

“Shh, honey, we’ll find her,” George says quietly in my ear, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I look up at Arthur.

“What else can we do?” I ask him desperately.

“You need to get some sleep and check on the other kids,” he tells me.

“No, I can’t, I have to keep looking!” I cry, struggling to my feet, “I can’t stop looking until I find her!”

“Maddie, Dad’s right,” George says, “the kids will be waking up and they’ll be worried when we’re not there.”

“You go then,” I say, backing away, “I’m going to keep looking.”

I run away, not sure where I’m running to and going over places she could be in my head. Bill, Charlie and Ron checked the fields around the Burrow. Dad checked his place. We’ve check Hogwarts. She’s not at home or at Grimauld Place, she’s not at Percy’s or Charlie’s or Fred or Harry or Ron’s. Where would she go? Where could she go?

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:( Poor Lith *tear*

So, this is my ask the author thing:

http://www.wattpad.com/3996817-random-stuff-ask-the-author?d=ud

Thanks to everyone who sent in questions :)