Disclaimer: JKR owns everything.

He had a daughter- Chapter One

Argus Filch poured out a generous measure of fire whiskey and let the alcohol sooth him. It was the third night of the first term and his head was still pounding from all the noise the miscreants could make. And the messes!

It had only taken them three days to take the neat castle and turn it into a mess. Argus hated that. Just because he couldn't wave a wand and clean the floor they seemed to find extra joy in adding to his work load. Already a potions classroom needed a complete scrubbing.

"And it's not like Snape couldn't have waved his wand and fixed everything." He grumbled to himself. Despite appearance Argus had no real friends among the staff. Magic was a giant rift and it separated him from everyone else at Hogwarts.

"Except for you." Argus lovingly petted the old cat on his lap. She probably wasn't going to live much longer and the thought saddened him greatly. He loved the grey cat. As a kitten she'd bounced and pounced after him in throughout the school.

As she aged he found that when he talked to her she actually seemed to understand. And at times he could've sworn she spoke to him. "This must be what it's like for a wizard and familiar." Argus crooned into his cat's sensitive ear.

Mrs. Norris, like her human counterpart never judged him. Both of them loved him unconditionally. Mrs. Julie Norris had named the cat for him. She given it to him too. He still remembered.

It was their first wedding anniversary. He'd missed it. Argus never took time off during the year. He did, once in his very first year as the caretaker. And when he'd come back from Christmas break the castle was in such a mess that he'd had to stay late that summer tiyding up. Now he worked all year and took the entire summer off.

But Julie never minded. She worked hard in her family's bisness. Neither of their positions paid well and once Julie had become pregnant Argus had wanted more than anything to stay with her and be there at his child's birth. But Amanda was born during the school year and he missed most of her life.

He was more of a house guest than a husband and a father. But they understood. Amanda worked part time at a muggle store until this year.

Julie hadn't thought that their daughter would be involved in his world. After all the daughter of a muggle and a squib wasn't likely to have powers. But the blood in Argus's veins was magical. And so was his daughter's.

Her first incident of accidental magic was to activate an emergency portkey. Argus had been given it by Dumbledore. It was only to be used if Julie and Amanda were attacked by Death Eaters. Amanda was playing with it and managed to get the old litter box to bring her to her father.

Argus had nearly passed out. But they'd figured out that there were no Death Eaters and everything was fine at home. Argus left for summer a month early that year. He needed to see his family.

But they weren't here now. Amanda wanted to stop by. She told him she'd try and visit. Mrs. Norris liked her and she knew that her father wanted to see her.

Filch hadn't gone to the sorting that night. He'd skipped the feast too. Breaking down and crying in front of the entire school was not a good thing. And Amanda didn't want to be known as his daughter. He knew what the students called him and what they thought of him. He didn't want her to have that burden.

He drained the last of his fire whiskey and shifted in his old chair. Soon it would be time to prowl the corridors. How many students would test the wrath of a tired man who wanted more than anything to be in bed. Filch wasn't an old man but the years of work built up and gave him the appearance of a much older man.

"Time to go, my sweet." He lovingly placed Mrs. Norris on the floor and took his warm sweater off the kettle where it had been warming. Even this early in the year the castle was cold. It was always cold and it matched his sadness and lonelyness.

But today things were different. A knock came from the door before he opened it. Argus's head jerked up. No one ever knocked on his door. Even the Weasley twins left him alone when his office door was closed. They waited and ambushed him in the castle.

"What do you want?" Argus opened the door and stood in the entrance way. Mrs. Norris stayed behind him.

"P-P-Professor Dumbledore said you had a list Sir. A List of forbidden items." A first year stuttered in horror in front of him.

Filch almost smiled. Every year the Headmaster stood the school at a list of all the forbidden objects could e found in his office. No one ever came to look at the list. Until today.

"Could I look at the list, please Sir?" The first year asked him timidly.

"Al-right." Argus let the girl in and rooted around on the top of his desk. On the first day of term he'd added three of the Weasley twins new inventions. It was a record for the list day of school. Usually he only had to add one item and he prefered that.

"Thank you Sir." She smiled at him and accepted the paper.

"Take a seat." Filch pointed to the chair in front of his desk. It was an ugly old one that students he wanted to punish usually had to sit it. I should get some better furniture. Maybe give this place a paint job. He looked at the girl in the chair. Her presence brightened the entire room and he could have sworn she was giving off light.

She felt him watching her and glanced up. "Is something wrong?"

Filch smiled at her. A nice smile, it was the second time he'd ever smiled in Hogwarts. The first was when he'd found out she'd been born.

"I missed you." He took his daughter in his arms. "No one ever visits me."

Amanda hugged back. "Maybe because your office could use a little brightening up."

Filch laughed at his daughter's words. He'd dreamt of hearing her voice at Hogwarts. Seeming her have fun, play, and learn. It was all coming true now. "Is it really that bad?"

"Yes. But I'm sure we could fix it up. You're a good painter." Amanda smiled. Her father had painted their entire house and her bedroom was -in her opinion- the best room ever.

"What colour?" Argus moved her away from him so he could see her house tie. "Your house colour?"

"You didn't come to the sorting?" Amanda asked. She sounded let down. Father misses so many important things. He missed the school play, my first pay check, my birthdays. Why did he have to miss this too?

"No. I wanted it to be special for you. It's suppose to be a rite of independence. And I wanted your house to be a surprise." He told her. "Does that explain it?

"Yes." Amanda held up her tie for him to see. "What do you think?"

Filch tried not to gasp. He'd been expecting anything but those two colours. "Congratulations. It looks like your Mother owns me some money."

"That's why I did it. I wanted to see you win a bet for once." Amanda told him sarcastically.

"Well I can't say I'm surprised at your house if you always talk like this." Filch told her teasingly.

"Sorry." Amanda pulled out of her father's embrace. "So do you think green would make a good wall colour?"

I never planned to write a story about Filch. But I had a dream about it and I felt sorry for him. He always seems so sad and alone. And I wanted to know the truth behind Mrs. Norris's name.

There is going to be one more chapter. About Amanda a few years later. It's already with my beta.