Parkinson had vanished?
When Snape hurried back to Hogwarts after receiving the news and heard Amycus Carrow speak of Parkinson's disappearance, his face grew even gloomier.
"When was Parkinson last seen?" Snape asked with a frown.
"Friday afternoon. He was still teaching fifth year students as usual, but no one saw him again after that." Amycus summoned Vincent Crabbe, captain of the Special Operations Team, and had him report the information they had gathered to Snape.
Neither the portraits, ghosts, nor students in the castle had seen Parkinson after Friday, so there was no way to determine whether the Dark Magic Professor had disappeared inside the school or elsewhere.
The main reason was that Parkinson often left the school on weekends. Aside from Dark Magic gatherings, he rarely appeared before students during weekends, and unfortunately, this weekend's Dark Magic gathering had been cancelled.
"Keep investigating."
After dismissing the members of the Special Operations Team, Snape turned to Amycus and said, "I'll contact Yaxley and have the Ministry of Magic send someone over to substitute for the students."
"You seem certain that something happened to Professor Parkinson?" Amycus found that rather surprising.
"I'm merely preparing for the worst."
Snape stared expressionlessly out at the churning storm clouds. It looked as though it was about to rain again.
"The worst?"
"You must have heard certain unpleasant rumours about the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor."
"What rumours?"
"That position is cursed. Every professor who takes up Defence Against the Dark Arts encounters trouble each year and cannot continue in the post." Snape said expressionlessly, "In fact, it isn't a rumour. It really has happened every year, but no one has ever known why. I..."
"So you think Parkinson's disappearance has something to do with that ridiculous curse?"
Amycus cut him off impatiently.