This has been written for the Happiest Moment in Their Life competition, for the second, or deciding, round. Hope you like it :) It's Argus Filch at twenty five.

'Argus, how come you're back so soon? I thought you had a job interview?'

My mother is standing in the doorway to the kitchen, arms crossed, wand out. A wand. Something I can never have. My Mum has always told me not to be bitter about the fact I don't have a wand, but I can't help it. I just feel like a bit of failure sometimes because no wand will ever choose me. My Dad left when I was little, so I guess he thought I was a failure too. Ever since I finished school at eighteen – Muggle school, that is – I've been half heartedly searching for a job. Because, even though Mum has encouraged me so much to immerse myself in Muggle culture and society, I can't. I should be a Wizard, I know I should.

'Yes, I did,' I reply, still standing in the doorway.

'But you didn't go?' she guesses.

'I didn't go,' I say.

'Argus Filch!' Mum exclaims. At her feet our tabby cat, Menna, appears, looking haughty as ever.

'I'm sorry,' I mumble.

'But you're obviously not,' she sighs. 'Argus, I need you to get a job. We can't live off my savings forever. I'm old, I won't be around much longer, I need to see my son working for a living. You've never had a job in your life.'

'Because I want to work with magic!' I almost yell.

At this a sad expression crosses my Mum's face.

'Argus, you can't,' she says quietly.

I take a step further into the house and say, 'I know, really I do. But I can't accept that right now. Maybe one day I will. But for now I'll keep looking. Who knows, somewhere might want a cleaner or something, no magic required.'

'You don't want to be a cleaner do you?' she moans. 'Argus, you could go to University, or you could of anyway, and if you had then you might be in some high paid office job right now. But no, instead you are standing in the doorway of your mother's house, with absolutely no direction in life. If you really wanted to be a cleaner anyway, why aren't you going around all the wizarding places you know asking if they require someone who can mop the – '

She breaks off and slaps a hand to her forehead.

'What's wrong, Mum?'

'I've just remembered a job my friend told me about, she thought I might want it,' she says. 'It's a caretaking job, but I didn't tell you because, well, firstly because I forgot, but also because I thought you were aiming a bit higher than caretaking.'

'Where is it?' I ask.

'At Hogwarts.'

'Do you… do you think they'd take applications from people who don't know magic?' I say, barely keeping the excitement out of my voice. A job at Hogwarts! That would be too good to be true, wouldn't it?

'There's only one way to find out,' Mum says. 'Oh Argus, I daresay I'll be lonely if you got this job, but if you really want to work with magic then, well, I think this is the best you can hope for.'

I smile at my Mum, something I haven't done in a long time. Menna flicks her tail and disappears back into the kitchen.

'I'll apply first thing tomorrow. Who knows, it might work, right?'