Squib Caretaker
a Harry Potter fan-fic
by Ozma
a sequel to "Squib Puppet"
Chapter Twelve: "All The Dark Places Where You Must Walk"
Everything really belongs to J.K. Rowling
Today, Moaning Myrtle was haunting me instead of her bathroom.
While fixing a broken stall door in her drab domain this morning,
I had just happened to bring up the subject of redecorating. Sirius
Black had been right. Myrtle had been surprisingly enthusiastic about
the idea.
For the next few hours, everywhere I went Myrtle followed. Down
to the kitchens, where I'd replaced a broken pipe for the house-elves.
Up to the boys' bathroom on the sixth floor right hand corridor, where I
had cleaned out a blocked drain.
And now we were all the way up in the Astronomy Tower's tiny
bathroom, where I'd just discovered that the leaky old toilet in there
needed to be replaced with an entirely new one...
"Purple walls and stalls?!" I said, frowning in response to a
suggestion that the ghost-brat had just made. My temper was hardly at
its best. "You can't be serious! Isn't your place depressing enough
already?"
Myrtle's lip quivered. "Purple happens to be my favorite color!"
Pearly tears began forming at the corners of her eyes.
"I should have known that you didn't mean it, when you told me
that I could choose whatever colors I liked!" She said, sulkily. "What
an amusing joke! `Let's Tease Myrtle, Raise Her Hopes With False
Promises, and Then Snatch It All Away!'"
Then the ghost-brat began to wail.
*******
"Surely, Madam Pomfrey has headache remedies already prepared!"
Professor Snape said, impatiently.
I couldn't blame him for being irked with me. The Potions Master
had been all packed and ready to go when I'd come to him with my
request.
"Of course she does. It's just that... well, you're still here," I
said, plaintively, rubbing my aching temples.
"I'd rather not start depleting Poppy's supplies so soon," I
continued. "My summer's going to be one continuous headache! Will it
take you very long to brew something up?"
Severus sighed. To my relief, I saw that he'd decided to help me.
With Azoth draped across his shoulders, the Professor strode
through the dungeons to open up his Potions Classroom. I followed.
The room was much emptier than usual, thanks to his failed
experiment with the Alchemist's Door. (Ordering new desks for the
Potions Classroom was on my list of `Jobs to Do'.)
While the Potions Master gathered his ingredients, I sat on one of
the few remaining desks and held Azoth on my lap. The little tom's soft
purring soothed me. It was pleasant just to sit and watch Severus work.
In no time at all, he had a student-sized cauldron heating slowly over a
small fire.
"I really appreciate this..." I murmured. "It's very kind of you."
Severus looked disgruntled, as he almost always does whenever
anyone accuses him of being kind.
"It's no bother," he said, brusquely. "But I shall have to leave
the washing up for you to do. Why do you foresee a constant need for
headache remedies?"
I told him about my redecorating project in Moaning Myrtle's
bathroom.
"And whose idea was this incredibly masochistic endeavor? Yours or
Myrtle's?"
"Neither of us, Professor. It was Sirius Black's suggestion."
Severus gave me an incredulous stare.
"He meant no harm!" I said, defensively. "He was trying to help
me."
Snape's level of skepticism rose by several degrees. "How?"
"Um... I thought that Myrtle's mood could do with some
brightening. So, I asked Black if he would cast one of those... erm...
Cheering Charms on her..."
If looks could dismember, I would have been lying on the floor in
pieces.
"Well, Black didn't think that it was a very good idea, either!" I
said. "That's why he suggested redecorating instead."
"Hmm. Imagine that. The lout can actually learn from his
mistakes," Severus said, dryly.
"It's not his fault that Myrtle has the most appalling taste," I
grumbled. "Myrtle's favorite color happens to be this dreadfully dark
shade of purple! It will make that place even gloomier than it was
before, and I didn't think such a thing was possible!"
"Sirius Black is a harbinger of trouble, even when he means well.
You deserve to have a summer filled with headaches for being foolish
enough to take his advice."
"Don't look at me like that," Snape said, when I was crestfallen.
"I'm not going to refuse to give you the potion. It would be a waste of
good ingredients."
Wryly, Severus continued. "Will you take some advice from me,
now?"
I gave him a glum nod.
"You've already started this foolishness, it would be in your best
interests to see it through. Let the ghost-child have her way if it will
please her. That was your original intention, was it not?"
"But I still have to clean in that bathroom..." I mumbled. "The
purple will make the wretched place so dark that I won't be able to see
my hand in front of my face! I'll fall over my cleaning bucket and break
my neck..."
Snape smiled, wryly. "An old Egyptian blessing comes to mind.
`May the gods stand between you and harm in all the dark places where
you must walk."
"Very funny..." I said, glowering.
*******
When the headache potion was finished, Severus ladled it into a
goblet for me. "Best to drink it quickly, and then lie down for a while.
Drowsiness is one of the side-effects."
I nodded.
"Very well then. I shall see you in a week, perhaps two," Severus
said.
After thanking him, I said earnestly, "the Door Forms should be
ready by the time you return."
He sighed. "My classroom door will be locked. Slip one under the
door for me."
"I will." Awkwardly, I added, "please, be very careful this
summer. Look after yourself."
"I am a careful man, Filch," Severus said, coolly. "And I always
look after myself."
With a stern expression that dared me to contradict him, Snape
reached out and took Azoth from me. The little cat settled onto his
wizard's shoulders once more.
By the new Potions Classroom door, Snape paused. Looking back over
his shoulder he spoke, quietly. "You be careful as well, Argus. Black
might be a lout, but his advice about the Rats was sound."
I nodded again as I followed him from the room.
This summer, every good-bye filled me with fear. I hoped that
Severus would be all right, and that he would return to us safely.
"Professor...?" I said as we stepped into the corridor, and he
stopped to lock the door.
"May the gods stand between you and harm..."
My voice was much graver than his had been.
"In all the Dark Places..." Snape finished for me, softly. "Thank
you, Filch."
Then, trailing his long, black cloak after him, the Potions Master
headed swiftly down the corridor and out of sight. Snape did not care
for lengthy good-byes.
*******
Rowena's Library was quiet and private. The beauty of the sun
shining through the stained glass windows was balm for my worried soul.
The curved couch beneath the Raven tapestry was a good place for a nap.
I'd made a quick trip here earlier to drop off some cleaning supplies;
Magical Mess Remover, a few brooms, several dust mops, wet mops and some
cleaning buckets filled with water.
Giving the floors in both huge rooms a proper, thorough cleaning
would probably take me hours. But, during the summer, my time is my own.
I could rest now and work all night if I chose. I drank the headache
potion and lay down on the couch.
Then, surrounded by peaceful silence and warm colors, I slept, for
a while, in the light.
The End
Author's Notes:
This story's over now, but the next one is already in the works! It's
called "Squib Summer." Jelsemium is co-writing it with me! (She started
it - she sent me the Prologue, with Harry, and invited Filch to come out
and play...) The story features some trouble that poor Harry gets into
during the summer. And poor Filch has the dubious pleasure of meeting
Aunt Petunia and Dudley.
Hopefully, "Squib Summer" will show up before too long!
Saphron: Thank you!! The Alchemist's Door is a mirror, formed from a
glasslike substance that will only congeal and solidify properly in an
extremely cold, steadily maintained temperature.
Once the mirror solidifies and remains stable, the Alchemist has a Door
that can exist at room temperature. Snape was trying to create a Door
that he can use; one that is not bound to the Castle, as the four Squib
Doors are.
Harry may eventually see Godric's Keep, once he figures out that he's
the Heir.
emma: Thank you!! Filch is profoundly reluctant to speak of the Secret
Rooms at all, even to Dumbledore. It could be that the Chambers
themselves do not wish to be spoken of.
Jelsemium: Thank you!! Look up there, I mentioned "Squib Summer!"
Snape guessed where Filch had found the basket. He suspected that Helga
Hufflepuff had a Secret Chamber, and that Helga's Door was the only way
that Filch knew how to reach it. Snape asked Filch if he could take him
there in order to have his guesses confirmed.
Yes, the small footprints in the Library were made by someone that
Rowena Ravenclaw would approve of. That's all I'm saying... ;-) Whoever
it was used a different path than the Door.
I hope that Harry will see both Godric's Keep, and the good side of
Slytherin House someday!
Myrtle's obsession with Olive Hornby sounded more like Hufflepuff dogged
persistence and determination to me. It all depends on how one chooses
to look at the situation. I couldn't see the Hat Sorting a Muggle-born
into Slytherin, especially one who already posessed such a tendency to
be moody and depressed. To me, Myrtle seems like the sort of person who
was always struggling with depression in one form or another. (Such
people often find it hard to make friends, and the Hat might have
figured that she'd have better luck in Hufflepuff than any other House.
I'm sure that there were other Hufflepuff kids who tried to befriend
her, but maybe Myrtle didn't notice, or was too relentlessly gloomy to
respond.)
Tom Riddle regarded other people as cannon-fodder, but it's easier for
me to imagine him leaving a Hufflepuff dead on that bathroom floor than
it would be to picture him casually killing a member of any other House,
particularly his own. Hufflepuffs are "Spares," who die simply because
they're in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Someday, I'd like Myrtle to tell Tommy-boy off and do something Really
Nasty to him that upsets his plans. Her behavior will seem quite
reckless to a horrified Filch, who will ask the ghost-brat if she was a
Gryffindor.
Myrtle: (Glaring at Voldemort) No. I'm a Hufflepuff! Like Cedric!
(Moral: Don't Mess With A Hufflepuff. They're dangerous, even when
they're dead.)
Yes!! Eternal Summer!!
Shadowycat: Thank you!! The Heirs can find the Secret Chambers, but they
aren't the only ones who can. Great need can lead a person to one of the
Secret places. Filch needed a haven, and the Castle "knew" that
Pringle's apprentice had the potential to be a Caretaker someday, as
opposed to a caretaker.
aurendel: Thank you!! Your description of young Snape and Black meeting
on the Hogwarts Express for is superb!! You have them both so
PERFECTLY!! The overgrown Labrador Pup (with big feet and destructively
waving tail) and the "half-fledged falcon!" Magnificent! Especially the
way that both Sirius and Severus are treated with compassion, humor and
understanding!!
Besnaped: Thank you!! Filch has faith that the Castle will show him any
places that he ought to know about. You're right about the secret
passages being in a dreadful state. (I did have a fragmentary story idea
that involves the passage that collapsed, which may turn into a story
someday.)
You're welcome for the story-mention! Your summer just started? I hope
you have fun! I miss summer so much.
Demeter: Thank you!! Salazar Slytherin is a fascinating character. I
think the rift with the others must have hurt him badly too. (I prefer
to believe that he had some personal reason for mistrusting Muggle-born
wizards, even if his reasoning was flawed.)
Sarince: Thank you!! You have a good point about the over-explaining...
I do tend to do that. I'll try to be more mysterious.
Another excellent point about Binns and his homework. Some ghosts must
be able to touch things physically. Binns has to be a fairly powerful
ghost if he didn't even notice that he was dead. An inability to
interact with the physical world would have tipped him off. I don't see
Binns as being up to the Baron's level, but he's still very strong.
You're right, Myrtle does interact with the physical world... she did
mention getting flushed from time to time, against her will. So maybe
she can look at the bathroom furnishings catalogues on her own.
AET: Thank you!! Did Salazar Slytherin have more than one Chamber? It
hasn't yet occurred to Filch to wonder about that. Snape has wondered. A
desire to learn the answer is one of the reasons that Snape wants to
create an Alchemist's Door. Even Filch doesn't know if Mrs. Norris can
use the Doors without him or not.
Liliaeth: Thank you!! Yes, Snape thought that Filch had been punished
enough.
Alla: Thank you!! I hope that Rowling will introduce Chambers for the
other Founders too!!
Darklady: Thank you!! And another Thank you!! Your e-mails provided me
with a lot of inspiration for this story!!
Unrepentant Reader: Thank you!!
Snapefan51: Thank you!! Snape is stubborn... he intends to keep trying
to create the Alchemist's Door.
Lizard of Fire: Thank you!! The owner of the footprints is going to
remain a mystery...
Rabbit and-v-Jinx-v- Thank you!!
Ahg: Thank you!! I love getting encouragement... reviews brighten my
whole day, inspire me and keep me writing!!
a Harry Potter fan-fic
by Ozma
a sequel to "Squib Puppet"
Chapter Twelve: "All The Dark Places Where You Must Walk"
Everything really belongs to J.K. Rowling
Today, Moaning Myrtle was haunting me instead of her bathroom.
While fixing a broken stall door in her drab domain this morning,
I had just happened to bring up the subject of redecorating. Sirius
Black had been right. Myrtle had been surprisingly enthusiastic about
the idea.
For the next few hours, everywhere I went Myrtle followed. Down
to the kitchens, where I'd replaced a broken pipe for the house-elves.
Up to the boys' bathroom on the sixth floor right hand corridor, where I
had cleaned out a blocked drain.
And now we were all the way up in the Astronomy Tower's tiny
bathroom, where I'd just discovered that the leaky old toilet in there
needed to be replaced with an entirely new one...
"Purple walls and stalls?!" I said, frowning in response to a
suggestion that the ghost-brat had just made. My temper was hardly at
its best. "You can't be serious! Isn't your place depressing enough
already?"
Myrtle's lip quivered. "Purple happens to be my favorite color!"
Pearly tears began forming at the corners of her eyes.
"I should have known that you didn't mean it, when you told me
that I could choose whatever colors I liked!" She said, sulkily. "What
an amusing joke! `Let's Tease Myrtle, Raise Her Hopes With False
Promises, and Then Snatch It All Away!'"
Then the ghost-brat began to wail.
*******
"Surely, Madam Pomfrey has headache remedies already prepared!"
Professor Snape said, impatiently.
I couldn't blame him for being irked with me. The Potions Master
had been all packed and ready to go when I'd come to him with my
request.
"Of course she does. It's just that... well, you're still here," I
said, plaintively, rubbing my aching temples.
"I'd rather not start depleting Poppy's supplies so soon," I
continued. "My summer's going to be one continuous headache! Will it
take you very long to brew something up?"
Severus sighed. To my relief, I saw that he'd decided to help me.
With Azoth draped across his shoulders, the Professor strode
through the dungeons to open up his Potions Classroom. I followed.
The room was much emptier than usual, thanks to his failed
experiment with the Alchemist's Door. (Ordering new desks for the
Potions Classroom was on my list of `Jobs to Do'.)
While the Potions Master gathered his ingredients, I sat on one of
the few remaining desks and held Azoth on my lap. The little tom's soft
purring soothed me. It was pleasant just to sit and watch Severus work.
In no time at all, he had a student-sized cauldron heating slowly over a
small fire.
"I really appreciate this..." I murmured. "It's very kind of you."
Severus looked disgruntled, as he almost always does whenever
anyone accuses him of being kind.
"It's no bother," he said, brusquely. "But I shall have to leave
the washing up for you to do. Why do you foresee a constant need for
headache remedies?"
I told him about my redecorating project in Moaning Myrtle's
bathroom.
"And whose idea was this incredibly masochistic endeavor? Yours or
Myrtle's?"
"Neither of us, Professor. It was Sirius Black's suggestion."
Severus gave me an incredulous stare.
"He meant no harm!" I said, defensively. "He was trying to help
me."
Snape's level of skepticism rose by several degrees. "How?"
"Um... I thought that Myrtle's mood could do with some
brightening. So, I asked Black if he would cast one of those... erm...
Cheering Charms on her..."
If looks could dismember, I would have been lying on the floor in
pieces.
"Well, Black didn't think that it was a very good idea, either!" I
said. "That's why he suggested redecorating instead."
"Hmm. Imagine that. The lout can actually learn from his
mistakes," Severus said, dryly.
"It's not his fault that Myrtle has the most appalling taste," I
grumbled. "Myrtle's favorite color happens to be this dreadfully dark
shade of purple! It will make that place even gloomier than it was
before, and I didn't think such a thing was possible!"
"Sirius Black is a harbinger of trouble, even when he means well.
You deserve to have a summer filled with headaches for being foolish
enough to take his advice."
"Don't look at me like that," Snape said, when I was crestfallen.
"I'm not going to refuse to give you the potion. It would be a waste of
good ingredients."
Wryly, Severus continued. "Will you take some advice from me,
now?"
I gave him a glum nod.
"You've already started this foolishness, it would be in your best
interests to see it through. Let the ghost-child have her way if it will
please her. That was your original intention, was it not?"
"But I still have to clean in that bathroom..." I mumbled. "The
purple will make the wretched place so dark that I won't be able to see
my hand in front of my face! I'll fall over my cleaning bucket and break
my neck..."
Snape smiled, wryly. "An old Egyptian blessing comes to mind.
`May the gods stand between you and harm in all the dark places where
you must walk."
"Very funny..." I said, glowering.
*******
When the headache potion was finished, Severus ladled it into a
goblet for me. "Best to drink it quickly, and then lie down for a while.
Drowsiness is one of the side-effects."
I nodded.
"Very well then. I shall see you in a week, perhaps two," Severus
said.
After thanking him, I said earnestly, "the Door Forms should be
ready by the time you return."
He sighed. "My classroom door will be locked. Slip one under the
door for me."
"I will." Awkwardly, I added, "please, be very careful this
summer. Look after yourself."
"I am a careful man, Filch," Severus said, coolly. "And I always
look after myself."
With a stern expression that dared me to contradict him, Snape
reached out and took Azoth from me. The little cat settled onto his
wizard's shoulders once more.
By the new Potions Classroom door, Snape paused. Looking back over
his shoulder he spoke, quietly. "You be careful as well, Argus. Black
might be a lout, but his advice about the Rats was sound."
I nodded again as I followed him from the room.
This summer, every good-bye filled me with fear. I hoped that
Severus would be all right, and that he would return to us safely.
"Professor...?" I said as we stepped into the corridor, and he
stopped to lock the door.
"May the gods stand between you and harm..."
My voice was much graver than his had been.
"In all the Dark Places..." Snape finished for me, softly. "Thank
you, Filch."
Then, trailing his long, black cloak after him, the Potions Master
headed swiftly down the corridor and out of sight. Snape did not care
for lengthy good-byes.
*******
Rowena's Library was quiet and private. The beauty of the sun
shining through the stained glass windows was balm for my worried soul.
The curved couch beneath the Raven tapestry was a good place for a nap.
I'd made a quick trip here earlier to drop off some cleaning supplies;
Magical Mess Remover, a few brooms, several dust mops, wet mops and some
cleaning buckets filled with water.
Giving the floors in both huge rooms a proper, thorough cleaning
would probably take me hours. But, during the summer, my time is my own.
I could rest now and work all night if I chose. I drank the headache
potion and lay down on the couch.
Then, surrounded by peaceful silence and warm colors, I slept, for
a while, in the light.
The End
Author's Notes:
This story's over now, but the next one is already in the works! It's
called "Squib Summer." Jelsemium is co-writing it with me! (She started
it - she sent me the Prologue, with Harry, and invited Filch to come out
and play...) The story features some trouble that poor Harry gets into
during the summer. And poor Filch has the dubious pleasure of meeting
Aunt Petunia and Dudley.
Hopefully, "Squib Summer" will show up before too long!
Saphron: Thank you!! The Alchemist's Door is a mirror, formed from a
glasslike substance that will only congeal and solidify properly in an
extremely cold, steadily maintained temperature.
Once the mirror solidifies and remains stable, the Alchemist has a Door
that can exist at room temperature. Snape was trying to create a Door
that he can use; one that is not bound to the Castle, as the four Squib
Doors are.
Harry may eventually see Godric's Keep, once he figures out that he's
the Heir.
emma: Thank you!! Filch is profoundly reluctant to speak of the Secret
Rooms at all, even to Dumbledore. It could be that the Chambers
themselves do not wish to be spoken of.
Jelsemium: Thank you!! Look up there, I mentioned "Squib Summer!"
Snape guessed where Filch had found the basket. He suspected that Helga
Hufflepuff had a Secret Chamber, and that Helga's Door was the only way
that Filch knew how to reach it. Snape asked Filch if he could take him
there in order to have his guesses confirmed.
Yes, the small footprints in the Library were made by someone that
Rowena Ravenclaw would approve of. That's all I'm saying... ;-) Whoever
it was used a different path than the Door.
I hope that Harry will see both Godric's Keep, and the good side of
Slytherin House someday!
Myrtle's obsession with Olive Hornby sounded more like Hufflepuff dogged
persistence and determination to me. It all depends on how one chooses
to look at the situation. I couldn't see the Hat Sorting a Muggle-born
into Slytherin, especially one who already posessed such a tendency to
be moody and depressed. To me, Myrtle seems like the sort of person who
was always struggling with depression in one form or another. (Such
people often find it hard to make friends, and the Hat might have
figured that she'd have better luck in Hufflepuff than any other House.
I'm sure that there were other Hufflepuff kids who tried to befriend
her, but maybe Myrtle didn't notice, or was too relentlessly gloomy to
respond.)
Tom Riddle regarded other people as cannon-fodder, but it's easier for
me to imagine him leaving a Hufflepuff dead on that bathroom floor than
it would be to picture him casually killing a member of any other House,
particularly his own. Hufflepuffs are "Spares," who die simply because
they're in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Someday, I'd like Myrtle to tell Tommy-boy off and do something Really
Nasty to him that upsets his plans. Her behavior will seem quite
reckless to a horrified Filch, who will ask the ghost-brat if she was a
Gryffindor.
Myrtle: (Glaring at Voldemort) No. I'm a Hufflepuff! Like Cedric!
(Moral: Don't Mess With A Hufflepuff. They're dangerous, even when
they're dead.)
Yes!! Eternal Summer!!
Shadowycat: Thank you!! The Heirs can find the Secret Chambers, but they
aren't the only ones who can. Great need can lead a person to one of the
Secret places. Filch needed a haven, and the Castle "knew" that
Pringle's apprentice had the potential to be a Caretaker someday, as
opposed to a caretaker.
aurendel: Thank you!! Your description of young Snape and Black meeting
on the Hogwarts Express for is superb!! You have them both so
PERFECTLY!! The overgrown Labrador Pup (with big feet and destructively
waving tail) and the "half-fledged falcon!" Magnificent! Especially the
way that both Sirius and Severus are treated with compassion, humor and
understanding!!
Besnaped: Thank you!! Filch has faith that the Castle will show him any
places that he ought to know about. You're right about the secret
passages being in a dreadful state. (I did have a fragmentary story idea
that involves the passage that collapsed, which may turn into a story
someday.)
You're welcome for the story-mention! Your summer just started? I hope
you have fun! I miss summer so much.
Demeter: Thank you!! Salazar Slytherin is a fascinating character. I
think the rift with the others must have hurt him badly too. (I prefer
to believe that he had some personal reason for mistrusting Muggle-born
wizards, even if his reasoning was flawed.)
Sarince: Thank you!! You have a good point about the over-explaining...
I do tend to do that. I'll try to be more mysterious.
Another excellent point about Binns and his homework. Some ghosts must
be able to touch things physically. Binns has to be a fairly powerful
ghost if he didn't even notice that he was dead. An inability to
interact with the physical world would have tipped him off. I don't see
Binns as being up to the Baron's level, but he's still very strong.
You're right, Myrtle does interact with the physical world... she did
mention getting flushed from time to time, against her will. So maybe
she can look at the bathroom furnishings catalogues on her own.
AET: Thank you!! Did Salazar Slytherin have more than one Chamber? It
hasn't yet occurred to Filch to wonder about that. Snape has wondered. A
desire to learn the answer is one of the reasons that Snape wants to
create an Alchemist's Door. Even Filch doesn't know if Mrs. Norris can
use the Doors without him or not.
Liliaeth: Thank you!! Yes, Snape thought that Filch had been punished
enough.
Alla: Thank you!! I hope that Rowling will introduce Chambers for the
other Founders too!!
Darklady: Thank you!! And another Thank you!! Your e-mails provided me
with a lot of inspiration for this story!!
Unrepentant Reader: Thank you!!
Snapefan51: Thank you!! Snape is stubborn... he intends to keep trying
to create the Alchemist's Door.
Lizard of Fire: Thank you!! The owner of the footprints is going to
remain a mystery...
Rabbit and-v-Jinx-v- Thank you!!
Ahg: Thank you!! I love getting encouragement... reviews brighten my
whole day, inspire me and keep me writing!!
