Squib Doors
a Harry Potter fan-fic
by Ozma
a sequel to "The Squib and The Death Eaters"
Chapter 4: Oubliette
Everything in this story really belongs to J.K. Rowling
"Yes, Ginny. This is very bad," I said.
"I suppose you must have seen something like this before, Mr. Filch?" Neville asked me
hopefully. "You've lived at the Castle for such a long time..."
I shook my head grimly. Things inside Hogwarts do tend to move about, but I had never seen an
entire passageway seal itself off from the rest of the Castle. There's a first time for everything. Ginny,
Neville, Mrs. Norris and I (as well as Trevor, who was in Neville's pocket) had just been trapped in a
double-dead end passage, in a remote part of Hogwarts' lowest dungeon.
Finding one's way around Hogwarts isn't easy. I'd be the first to admit that. And I know the
Castle very well indeed. From the lowest reaches of the dungeons, up to the highest towers. It had taken
me many years to learn the Castle so well. For a moment, it seemed as if all those years had never
happened. I felt as uncertain as I had during my days as an apprentice caretaker. As if at any moment, old
Apollyon Pringle would find me and give me a terrible clout for getting myself lost again.
The fact that we shared this trap with a deadly, foul smelling, magic-eating vine-creature that
was, even now, inching its tenacious, many-runnered way along the stone walls and floor of the
passageway behind us did not improve matters one bit.
"Why do you think the passageway sealed itself off like this?" Ginny asked me. "Do you think
someone ...outside the Castle... maybe You Know Who...?"
I shook my head. "I don't think so, Ginny. The Castle has more magical defenses than even the
Headmaster knows. This might be one of them. That ...thing back there has somehow managed to get a
foothold in the storeroom. Who knows how long it's been there, growing in the dirt. I'm the only one who
usually comes down here, and I can't do magic. The monster never reacted to me. It never left the
storeroom before. Perhaps when it did leave the storeroom the Castle defended itself by sealing off the
passage."
"Then the Castle isn't trying to trap us in here, just the monster." Ginny said.
"Unfortunately," Neville pointed out, wryly, "we're still trapped along with it."
The children and I turned to face back in the direction we'd come from. Mrs. Norris wound her
way around all our feet, hissing, while I lifted my lantern to examine the walls and floor near us. So far,
we had managed to outrun the vines.
But, their terrible stench filled the gloom all around us, and we had nowhere else to go.
"It would have been better if I'd simply chained both of you up in my office," I said, bitterly.
"Maybe Professor McGonagall is right, about it showing a lack of imagination. But, when all's said and
done, you can't go wrong by sticking to the basics!"
Ginny gave me a wry smile. "I'm glad you didn't chain us up. I liked restoring those paintings
much better. Do you think the vines will bother them?"
"Is *that* what you're worrying about?" I demanded incredulously
"We did do a lot of work on those paintings," Neville said. "And they turned out rather well..."
"The paintings were in that storeroom for a long while! And that vine-thing didn't just get there
yesterday," I said. "I'd imagine that the paintings will be all right. It would be much more sensible to
worry about ourselves!"
I saw the looks on their pale faces and felt ashamed. Of course they were worried. But these
children were two of Minerva's young lions, and they were trying hard to be brave.
In spite of the horrible smell I took deep breaths, struggling to stay calm. Breathing deeply hurt
my bruised ribs, but at least the pain gave me something to focus on besides my fear. Squibs don't get
Sorted, so I've never worn the Hat. If I had, I never would have ended up in Gryffindor. I'm not a bit
brave.
But the vine-beast ate magic, and probably magical people as well. I was the only non-magical
thing standing between that monster and Neville and Ginny and Mrs. Norris. (That monstrous thing
wasn't going to get my cat, either!)
I couldn't be as brave as they were, but I couldn't help any of us by panicking.
The children were standing together, talking in quiet voices. Then Ginny looked at me.
"Mr. Filch, we think that you should stand behind us," she said, deep in thought.
Suddenly my fear was unimportant. Anger and bitterness, my two constant and trustworthy
companions, did an excellent job of banishing all other emotions.
"What did you say, Miss Weasley?" I demanded, my voice a harsh growl. "Are you implying that
I'm useless, just because I'm a squib?"
Ginny blinked, as if she hadn't expected my reaction. But then her eyes flashed.. "Of course
you're not useless!! But you've already been hurt, protecting us!! Please, just do it!"
"Er.. Ginny...?" said Neville.
My voice rose, furiously. "If you think I'm going to hide behind two children, think again!! That
evil thing doesn't even want me! It wants the two of you, because you're magic!!! And I'm the fool who
didn't stop you brats from using your magic down here! Do you really expect me to cower in a corner
while that thing kills you!?!"
"Mr. Filch!! Ginny!!" Neville shouted. He's not usually the type who shouts, but it was necessary
in order to make himself heard.
At the same moment, Mrs. Norris dug her claws into my leg and let out a yowl.
Ginny and I stopped yelling as we noticed what Neville and Mrs. Norris had already seen. The
stinking vines had caught up with us. The first thin, sickly green creepers were winding their way along
the floor and the walls in front of us.
"Ginny's right, Mr. Filch. You should stay behind us." Neville said earnestly. "Not because we
think you're useless. Not at all. You're right, those vines don't want you. And we don't want them to
circle around in back of us."
Ginny nodded, firmly. "If we stand in front, they'll stay focused on us. If you stand in back,
maybe they won't close us in! And, you have to stand back there anyhow, so you don't get hurt when
Neville and I use `Incendio' together."
I opened my mouth, and then shut it again. So, the Gryffindors were thinking on their feet, and
they had a plan. As plans went, it wasn't too shabby. Professor Snape often makes disparaging comments
about the strategic abilities of Gryffindors. But Ginny's and Neville's plan wasn't nearly as reckless as
others I've seen.
For example, there was a certain Slytherin Professor, who wanted to make sure that a certain
Stone was still well guarded. Oh, he'd insisted that nearly getting his leg bitten off by the Cerebus, wasn't
part of his plan, but still...
I didn't have the nerve to bring up that subject with Severus any more. But I had once overheard
Professor Snape sounding off to Minerva and the Headmaster about the thick-headed, "rules don't apply to
me so I can go off on my own any time I please, risk my neck and damn the consequences" tendencies of
certain young Gryffindors.
Hands folded, Dumbledore had been waiting quietly and patiently for Severus to run out of
steam. But Minerva had picked up her handkerchief and coughed into it, delicately.
Her coughs had sounded remarkably like "Fluffy! Fluffy!"
The Headmaster had lost his battle not to grin. (So had I, but thankfully Severus wasn't looking
in my direction.)
I hoped that we would get out of this somehow, to tell Minerva how her young lions had done her
proud.
Obediently, I stepped back to let the children confront the encroaching vines. Mrs. Norris stayed
by my feet.
Reaching into his pocket, Neville turned to me. "Hold Trevor, please, Mr. Filch? I'm worried that
he might get away from me."
Ugh. I don't much care for toads. But I accepted the cool, moist creature anyhow, cupping the
hand that wasn't holding the lantern carefully around him. Neville didn't need any additional worries.
Mrs. Norris gave me a hopeful, peckish look and I glowered at her.
Neville and Ginny had their wands outstretched. With one voice they cried out "INCENDIO!!!"
The resulting blast of mingled heat and magic was so strong that I reeled, even though I stood
behind the children. The vines burned brightly, filling the corridor with smoke, adding to the strong
stench of decay. Not one vine touched the children. Not one vine got behind them.
I have always been able to feel the force and power behind the spells used near me. Whether he
believed it or not, Neville was as powerful a young wizard as his old and noble family could have wished
for. Still tired from his previous spell, he managed to put a respectable amount of power into this one.
And Ginny's magic was incandescent, fierce and mighty. It seemed too much for such a small girl to carry
inside her.
They were strong, yes. But not fully grown and not fully trained. Destroying the horrible thing
they faced would have taken the combined efforts of several adult wizards and witches. The two children
could manage to burn the vines to ashes. But the heart and brain of this thing lay somewhere under the
dirt floor of that storeroom. Someday, Neville and Ginny would have enough power to force their spells
underground to destroy the creature itself. But, I knew that they could not do such a thing now. The vines
would be back.
Ginny and Neville surely knew that too.
This victory was only temporary. The children had bought us some time, but we didn't know how
much.
In the smoky, foul gloom that the light from my lantern barely managed to penetrate, the three of
us and Mrs. Norris huddled together on the stone floor of the passageway. The children were exhausted. It
was almost certainly past their bedtime. Neville wearily accepted Trevor back again and slipped the toad
into his pocket. Ginny leaned against my shoulder. Mrs. Norris was curled up in my lap.
"I wish Professor Dumbledore was here..." Ginny said softly. "Or Professor McGonagall."
"I'd even be glad to see Professor Snape..." Neville said, wryly.
We were going to die. Minerva had trusted me to teach the children a hard lesson, and I had
certainly outdone myself this time.
A few weeks earlier, Professor Snape had destroyed a scroll, a piece of Dark Magic, that could
have awakened my own power. The cost would have been high; I would have had to sell myself to the
Dark Lord, piece by piece. Severus had trusted me enough to know that I would refuse. And I had.
But if the Dark Lord were to come before me right now I knew that I would have given him
anything he wanted from me, if he would only give me the power to save Ginny and Neville and Mrs.
Norris.
"I hate being a useless squib..." I said, bitterly. "I'm so sorry!"
"Mr. Filch!" Ginny sounded like I'd broken her heart. "It's not your fault..."
"Yes, it is," I growled, "but self-pity isn't going to help us any. Don't worry, I'm not going to
keep going on and on about it. I'm sorry, and I just wanted the two of you to know. Why don't you try to
rest for a bit? I'll wake you when the vines come back."
Neither child thought they would be able to fall asleep, but Neville was soon snoring, his head
against my shoulder. Ginny was curled up against my side, which made my ribs hurt terribly. I didn't
have the heart to move her.
Mrs. Norris and I stayed awake, staring at my oil lantern. The light was getting dim.
"Well," I said to my cat, ruefully, "Who would ever have thought it'd end like this? I always
thought that caring about a couple of students would be the very last thing I'd ever do. Guess I was right."
END OF CHAPTER FOUR
(Chapter Five coming soon!)
Author's Notes:
Kaylynne: You're welcome! And Thank You!! Your story, "The Squib," gave me inspiration for the next
chapter, which I have almost finished writing.
Lataradk: Thank You!! This story is turning out to be longer than I thought it would be...
RioRaptor & Shadow: Thank You!! Filch agrees with you. He thinks that Ginny and Neville should let
him protect them, but the children think it's their duty to protect him...
Gramarye: Thank You!! Filch can't help but remember Cedric Diggory and how unfair he was to the poor
boy. It's a wrong he did that can never be put right.
Elspeth: Thank You!! The magic-eating vine-beastie is something new. I don't actually have a name for it
yet. Neville is brave, and he's the sort who always comes through in a pinch.
Rabbit: Thank You!!
Lyansidde: Thank You!!
5
a Harry Potter fan-fic
by Ozma
a sequel to "The Squib and The Death Eaters"
Chapter 4: Oubliette
Everything in this story really belongs to J.K. Rowling
"Yes, Ginny. This is very bad," I said.
"I suppose you must have seen something like this before, Mr. Filch?" Neville asked me
hopefully. "You've lived at the Castle for such a long time..."
I shook my head grimly. Things inside Hogwarts do tend to move about, but I had never seen an
entire passageway seal itself off from the rest of the Castle. There's a first time for everything. Ginny,
Neville, Mrs. Norris and I (as well as Trevor, who was in Neville's pocket) had just been trapped in a
double-dead end passage, in a remote part of Hogwarts' lowest dungeon.
Finding one's way around Hogwarts isn't easy. I'd be the first to admit that. And I know the
Castle very well indeed. From the lowest reaches of the dungeons, up to the highest towers. It had taken
me many years to learn the Castle so well. For a moment, it seemed as if all those years had never
happened. I felt as uncertain as I had during my days as an apprentice caretaker. As if at any moment, old
Apollyon Pringle would find me and give me a terrible clout for getting myself lost again.
The fact that we shared this trap with a deadly, foul smelling, magic-eating vine-creature that
was, even now, inching its tenacious, many-runnered way along the stone walls and floor of the
passageway behind us did not improve matters one bit.
"Why do you think the passageway sealed itself off like this?" Ginny asked me. "Do you think
someone ...outside the Castle... maybe You Know Who...?"
I shook my head. "I don't think so, Ginny. The Castle has more magical defenses than even the
Headmaster knows. This might be one of them. That ...thing back there has somehow managed to get a
foothold in the storeroom. Who knows how long it's been there, growing in the dirt. I'm the only one who
usually comes down here, and I can't do magic. The monster never reacted to me. It never left the
storeroom before. Perhaps when it did leave the storeroom the Castle defended itself by sealing off the
passage."
"Then the Castle isn't trying to trap us in here, just the monster." Ginny said.
"Unfortunately," Neville pointed out, wryly, "we're still trapped along with it."
The children and I turned to face back in the direction we'd come from. Mrs. Norris wound her
way around all our feet, hissing, while I lifted my lantern to examine the walls and floor near us. So far,
we had managed to outrun the vines.
But, their terrible stench filled the gloom all around us, and we had nowhere else to go.
"It would have been better if I'd simply chained both of you up in my office," I said, bitterly.
"Maybe Professor McGonagall is right, about it showing a lack of imagination. But, when all's said and
done, you can't go wrong by sticking to the basics!"
Ginny gave me a wry smile. "I'm glad you didn't chain us up. I liked restoring those paintings
much better. Do you think the vines will bother them?"
"Is *that* what you're worrying about?" I demanded incredulously
"We did do a lot of work on those paintings," Neville said. "And they turned out rather well..."
"The paintings were in that storeroom for a long while! And that vine-thing didn't just get there
yesterday," I said. "I'd imagine that the paintings will be all right. It would be much more sensible to
worry about ourselves!"
I saw the looks on their pale faces and felt ashamed. Of course they were worried. But these
children were two of Minerva's young lions, and they were trying hard to be brave.
In spite of the horrible smell I took deep breaths, struggling to stay calm. Breathing deeply hurt
my bruised ribs, but at least the pain gave me something to focus on besides my fear. Squibs don't get
Sorted, so I've never worn the Hat. If I had, I never would have ended up in Gryffindor. I'm not a bit
brave.
But the vine-beast ate magic, and probably magical people as well. I was the only non-magical
thing standing between that monster and Neville and Ginny and Mrs. Norris. (That monstrous thing
wasn't going to get my cat, either!)
I couldn't be as brave as they were, but I couldn't help any of us by panicking.
The children were standing together, talking in quiet voices. Then Ginny looked at me.
"Mr. Filch, we think that you should stand behind us," she said, deep in thought.
Suddenly my fear was unimportant. Anger and bitterness, my two constant and trustworthy
companions, did an excellent job of banishing all other emotions.
"What did you say, Miss Weasley?" I demanded, my voice a harsh growl. "Are you implying that
I'm useless, just because I'm a squib?"
Ginny blinked, as if she hadn't expected my reaction. But then her eyes flashed.. "Of course
you're not useless!! But you've already been hurt, protecting us!! Please, just do it!"
"Er.. Ginny...?" said Neville.
My voice rose, furiously. "If you think I'm going to hide behind two children, think again!! That
evil thing doesn't even want me! It wants the two of you, because you're magic!!! And I'm the fool who
didn't stop you brats from using your magic down here! Do you really expect me to cower in a corner
while that thing kills you!?!"
"Mr. Filch!! Ginny!!" Neville shouted. He's not usually the type who shouts, but it was necessary
in order to make himself heard.
At the same moment, Mrs. Norris dug her claws into my leg and let out a yowl.
Ginny and I stopped yelling as we noticed what Neville and Mrs. Norris had already seen. The
stinking vines had caught up with us. The first thin, sickly green creepers were winding their way along
the floor and the walls in front of us.
"Ginny's right, Mr. Filch. You should stay behind us." Neville said earnestly. "Not because we
think you're useless. Not at all. You're right, those vines don't want you. And we don't want them to
circle around in back of us."
Ginny nodded, firmly. "If we stand in front, they'll stay focused on us. If you stand in back,
maybe they won't close us in! And, you have to stand back there anyhow, so you don't get hurt when
Neville and I use `Incendio' together."
I opened my mouth, and then shut it again. So, the Gryffindors were thinking on their feet, and
they had a plan. As plans went, it wasn't too shabby. Professor Snape often makes disparaging comments
about the strategic abilities of Gryffindors. But Ginny's and Neville's plan wasn't nearly as reckless as
others I've seen.
For example, there was a certain Slytherin Professor, who wanted to make sure that a certain
Stone was still well guarded. Oh, he'd insisted that nearly getting his leg bitten off by the Cerebus, wasn't
part of his plan, but still...
I didn't have the nerve to bring up that subject with Severus any more. But I had once overheard
Professor Snape sounding off to Minerva and the Headmaster about the thick-headed, "rules don't apply to
me so I can go off on my own any time I please, risk my neck and damn the consequences" tendencies of
certain young Gryffindors.
Hands folded, Dumbledore had been waiting quietly and patiently for Severus to run out of
steam. But Minerva had picked up her handkerchief and coughed into it, delicately.
Her coughs had sounded remarkably like "Fluffy! Fluffy!"
The Headmaster had lost his battle not to grin. (So had I, but thankfully Severus wasn't looking
in my direction.)
I hoped that we would get out of this somehow, to tell Minerva how her young lions had done her
proud.
Obediently, I stepped back to let the children confront the encroaching vines. Mrs. Norris stayed
by my feet.
Reaching into his pocket, Neville turned to me. "Hold Trevor, please, Mr. Filch? I'm worried that
he might get away from me."
Ugh. I don't much care for toads. But I accepted the cool, moist creature anyhow, cupping the
hand that wasn't holding the lantern carefully around him. Neville didn't need any additional worries.
Mrs. Norris gave me a hopeful, peckish look and I glowered at her.
Neville and Ginny had their wands outstretched. With one voice they cried out "INCENDIO!!!"
The resulting blast of mingled heat and magic was so strong that I reeled, even though I stood
behind the children. The vines burned brightly, filling the corridor with smoke, adding to the strong
stench of decay. Not one vine touched the children. Not one vine got behind them.
I have always been able to feel the force and power behind the spells used near me. Whether he
believed it or not, Neville was as powerful a young wizard as his old and noble family could have wished
for. Still tired from his previous spell, he managed to put a respectable amount of power into this one.
And Ginny's magic was incandescent, fierce and mighty. It seemed too much for such a small girl to carry
inside her.
They were strong, yes. But not fully grown and not fully trained. Destroying the horrible thing
they faced would have taken the combined efforts of several adult wizards and witches. The two children
could manage to burn the vines to ashes. But the heart and brain of this thing lay somewhere under the
dirt floor of that storeroom. Someday, Neville and Ginny would have enough power to force their spells
underground to destroy the creature itself. But, I knew that they could not do such a thing now. The vines
would be back.
Ginny and Neville surely knew that too.
This victory was only temporary. The children had bought us some time, but we didn't know how
much.
In the smoky, foul gloom that the light from my lantern barely managed to penetrate, the three of
us and Mrs. Norris huddled together on the stone floor of the passageway. The children were exhausted. It
was almost certainly past their bedtime. Neville wearily accepted Trevor back again and slipped the toad
into his pocket. Ginny leaned against my shoulder. Mrs. Norris was curled up in my lap.
"I wish Professor Dumbledore was here..." Ginny said softly. "Or Professor McGonagall."
"I'd even be glad to see Professor Snape..." Neville said, wryly.
We were going to die. Minerva had trusted me to teach the children a hard lesson, and I had
certainly outdone myself this time.
A few weeks earlier, Professor Snape had destroyed a scroll, a piece of Dark Magic, that could
have awakened my own power. The cost would have been high; I would have had to sell myself to the
Dark Lord, piece by piece. Severus had trusted me enough to know that I would refuse. And I had.
But if the Dark Lord were to come before me right now I knew that I would have given him
anything he wanted from me, if he would only give me the power to save Ginny and Neville and Mrs.
Norris.
"I hate being a useless squib..." I said, bitterly. "I'm so sorry!"
"Mr. Filch!" Ginny sounded like I'd broken her heart. "It's not your fault..."
"Yes, it is," I growled, "but self-pity isn't going to help us any. Don't worry, I'm not going to
keep going on and on about it. I'm sorry, and I just wanted the two of you to know. Why don't you try to
rest for a bit? I'll wake you when the vines come back."
Neither child thought they would be able to fall asleep, but Neville was soon snoring, his head
against my shoulder. Ginny was curled up against my side, which made my ribs hurt terribly. I didn't
have the heart to move her.
Mrs. Norris and I stayed awake, staring at my oil lantern. The light was getting dim.
"Well," I said to my cat, ruefully, "Who would ever have thought it'd end like this? I always
thought that caring about a couple of students would be the very last thing I'd ever do. Guess I was right."
END OF CHAPTER FOUR
(Chapter Five coming soon!)
Author's Notes:
Kaylynne: You're welcome! And Thank You!! Your story, "The Squib," gave me inspiration for the next
chapter, which I have almost finished writing.
Lataradk: Thank You!! This story is turning out to be longer than I thought it would be...
RioRaptor & Shadow: Thank You!! Filch agrees with you. He thinks that Ginny and Neville should let
him protect them, but the children think it's their duty to protect him...
Gramarye: Thank You!! Filch can't help but remember Cedric Diggory and how unfair he was to the poor
boy. It's a wrong he did that can never be put right.
Elspeth: Thank You!! The magic-eating vine-beastie is something new. I don't actually have a name for it
yet. Neville is brave, and he's the sort who always comes through in a pinch.
Rabbit: Thank You!!
Lyansidde: Thank You!!
5
