Disclaimer:
I do not own the characters of Harry Potter, these belong to that wonderful author JK Rowling and the various publishing companies used to publish her works. I am however borrowing them, no not to make money but for fun and fun only. Only JK Rowling, her publishers, Warner Brothers and who JK Rowling says can make money and she has not given me permission for that, so no I do not make money off this, again it is for fun!
Summary:
Argus Filch is not all he seems, what the students of Hogwarts see is a cranky old squib with no magic of his own. But Filch has a family that wants the truth to come out, so he is convinced by them to write it down and so we learn a bit more of our cranky caregiver of Hogwarts…
My name is Argus Filch and I am writing this at the bequest of my family. Now I don't hold to all that hero stuff, never have, I do my job, always have, but my family, by two magical brothers and three sisters well they wanted me to do this, why they see fit to have a squib as a brother and be so good to me I will never know. Still there it is, they wanted me to write this so all would know what I have done in life, but lets get one thing straight, I am not a hero, far from it.
I am not a young man, I was not young when I started at Hogwarts as caretaker either, good reason for it, you see I was born near twenty years before the World War Two, it effected muggle and magical people alike, I was born to a great family, no not rich but full of love, its why they never did abandon me when it was clear I had no magic, they sent me to the best muggle schools to be sure, and I got a magical training of sorts from home, mostly defense against the dark arts, something a squib can help with you know.
I served in his Majesties army in the war and saw much that was plain evil and bad, maybe if the magical world would have seen what I did they would not hold to all this "pureblood" heap of dung as they do, they are human as a muggle, they just have skills muggles don't is all, as a Squib you live in both worlds and you see a lot, as I did. In the war I should great skill, I killed, I am not proud of it but yes I was very good at it, never did get wounded badly and it was at the end of the war I found myself in my true calling, hunting down Vampires and rogue werewolves. I did this for many years and made the world I hoped a bit safer for all.
But though I was, am a hale man in health time came I was getting older, much older than a man should be fighting evil creatures. I have the scars to prove it, but I digress don't I? My family as I said are great people, it was they would turned my attention to a job I never thought of getting, that of caretaker of Hogwarts, how could I stand a chance at that job? I had no magic, I was not particularly good at anything but I was surprised when I got the interview. I was not the only one, and was surprised when the other candidates were all squibs, so that explained that, the caretaker job went to squibs, it seemed.
Well I passed that interview and came that fall to Hogwarts to work, being a caretaker I soon found out was going to be good, I had, well have fine rooms of my own, a staff of one hundred house elves and I brought with me two cats, Mr. Robert and Mrs. Bella after two of my siblings. So here I was caretaker and it seemed a good job, but for the students. Now I like kids, I do my brothers and sisters married and I got lots of nieces, nephews and great-nieces and nephews as well, but these kids it seemed did not understand the dangers all around as I did, they saw only an old snarling man who wish to torment them, but I had to keep them safe and in line, its part of my job.
Well the years passed for me let me tell you, I got to know some students well, there were the four boys from Gryffindor, Remus Lupin, guess now everyone knows I can say I knew full well he was a werewolf when he came to the school, (could not keep that from an old hunter like me), then there was James Potter, Peter Pettigrew (that boy did not really ever have his head on straight as was found out when he betrayed his friends) and Sirius Black, oh he was a fighter that one, he and Severus Snape were at it hammer and tongs nearly from the day they started school, I had to pull those boys apart from so many fights I wished I could hang them in my office for a week to sort them out, but Dumbledore is a softy, a great man, I love him but a softy nonetheless.
Well those boys grew up, James Potter married the loveliest girl in his year, Lilly Evans, she tamed him she did but then she and James went and got themselves killed, I wept and I don't do that let me tell you. I knew Sirius Black did not betray them, I knew he could not but never could prove it so he spent his time in that horrid place Azkaban, he should have been raising Harry Potter not rotting in a cell for a crime he did not commit.
Speaking of Harry, that boy was a confusing one to me for a long time, where he was confusing to himself as well. I watched him struggle as tried to sort out who he was, oh he had his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger and others but he was a puzzlement and no wonder the poor boy had nearly been killed by you-know-who and lost his dear parents and so he had a right to be confused. I thought and I am ashamed of it now that in his second year he was the heir of Slytherin but I know better now, much better, he was just a scared boy who needed love not mistrust.
Well the years passed, he grew to a fine young man, but he had trials, I felt I should have guarded the cup myself after his name came out of it then well then he nearly got killed by the risen dark lord and came back and it was found Moody was not Moody but young Barty Couch. The next year was no better for young Harry, that wicked woman Deloris Umbridge, well I had to act as if I was on her side but I nearly cheered when the Weasley twins let off their fireworks in the school though the elves and I would be hard pressed to clean it up. Did I mention I used to fight dark beings for a living? It was a grand year for troublemaking the twins left the school and I could not keep the children from what they did, as if I wanted to that hateful woman deserved what she got.
Next year got darker, for me. I am a smart man and I hear things and see things and so it was I knew Dumbledore was dying. His blackened hand gave that away, I may be no wizard but I know a deadly curse when I see it. Seemed strange to me that Snape spent so much time with him but then of course Dumbledore trusted him completely. Still I was shocked when the boy killed off Dumbledore let me tell you. I wanted to kill him myself but well I got a shock when he came, Severus Snape and took over the school. That was not a good year, not at all, children began to disappear and I feared for them then in the spring the battle came to Hogwarts and I knew I had to fight.
I took out my crossbow and put on my goblin made armor and made my stand, I did get a few of them, those who dared come into my home, my school and though I am not a young man I chased one of those death eaters clear out to the edge of Hogwarts and into Hogsmead and I found myself at the shrieking shack. I heard something, a moan and maybe it was the wind but I went in and saw Severus laying on the floor in a pool of his own blood, he opened his eyes one last time and looked at me and could not speak, he was pale as death. I understood then, I knew he was on the right side and I took him in my arms and he died there and I carried him up to the school and put him with the others.
Then I witnessed the last battle, Harry Potter was trying to avoid killing, the boy was a good man and did not wish to kill the dark lord but in the end he did. I helped in rebuilding the school and I made sure or make sure that all who come to the school know the struggles and good things that happen here. Oh yes I am still here, so many years later, you see I could not leave, even in death and so here I stay, my home for when you read my tale I will be dead, but not gone, you can come see me any time you like, I am at Hogwarts, where I will be until I am called home. One more thing, you ever hear a scream, that is Peeves, I finally have got my revenge on him…