A Squib's Proper Place
a Harry Potter fan-fic
by Ozma
a sequel to "To Save A Squib"
Chapter 8: There's No Place Like Home
Severus was kneeling on the floor in the corridor outside my
office, trying to detach a five week old black kitten from the trailing
end of his robe.
"Ow! Azoth, you needle-clawed pestilence!! Filch, why does this
accursed little creature insist on following me everywhere? Ouch! Stop
that! My hand is NOT a cat-toy...!"
"He likes you, Professor," I called to Snape, patiently, from the
chair behind my desk. "You named him. He's yours. He doesn't want to
belong to anyone else."
Snape distracted the kitten by rubbing gently under the creature's
tiny jaw. The black kitten's contented purr was loud enough to belong to
a much larger cat.
"The absurd little beast needed a name, didn't he?" Snape said,
testily. "And I needed something to shout at him. He's a four-footed
harbinger of chaos and destruction!"
"Stop purring at me," he added sternly, glaring at the kitten.
"Bring him in here, Professor," I said. "He must be hungry. The
others have all eaten!"
Professor Snape stared into my office. His expression was one of
consternation.
There was barely any room to walk. Children and animals seemed to
be everywhere.
Ginny, Hannah, Colin, Dennis, Lilith and Gehenna, all of whom
spent as much time with their kittens as they could, were crowded into
the room, either sitting on the floor or lounging against my file
cabinets.
Daniel Moffitt, who had been chosen by one of the ginger toms, was
there as well.
Hermione was sitting in my office's other chair. The ledger that
she'd given was open on her lap. The kittens had now been started on
solid food. Hermione had taken notes on how much each kitten had eaten.
Both Mrs. Norris and Crookshanks were sitting at Hermione's feet,
curled up together, purring softly. Hermione had succeeded in winning my
cat's friendship.
(The matter had been firmly clinched the first time that
Crookshanks had been allowed to see his offspring. The large, ginger tom
had acquired a decided swagger in his step as he'd inspected his brood.
"Look at you... acting as if you did all the work." Hermione had
sighed at him with affectionate exasperation. Mrs. Norris had
immediately rubbed up against Hermione's ankles.)
Harry and Ron, who had accompanied Hermione, were also sitting on
the floor, in the corner nearest my desk.
Snuffles, almost fully healed now from the terrible internal
injuries he'd suffered at the Dark Lord's hands, was resting on the
floor between the two boys.
Having eaten their fill, seven of the kittens had been unable to
resist the lure of such a large, warm, furry body. The Animagus had
kittens stuck all over him like burrs.
Ginny's smoky-grey Bastet, Lilith's dusty-grey Juno and Gehenna's
misty-grey Beatrice were snuggled up together on the dog's back.
Colin's black-and-ginger Pellinore, (who would never need Muggle-
fixing because he was sterile, as I'd learned) rested between the dog's
front paws.
Dennis's stormy-grey Paladin, (who would have an unpleasant
encounter with a Muggle vet someday unless the Creeveys could convince
their parents that anti-kitten charms were as effective as Muggle-
methods of feline birth control) seemed determined to win a wrestling
match with Black's tail.
Hannah Abbott's ginger-colored Briar was draped over the
Animagus's head, batting at Black's ears. The other ginger tom; Daniel's
Semyon, was nestled against Sirius's ribs.
Frowning with disapproval, Severus picked his way carefully into
the room, trying not to step on anyone or anything. When he caught sight
of Sirius, he froze.
"Mr. Creevey," he addressed Colin in his silkiest voice. "Do you,
by any chance, have your camera with you?"
"Yes, Professor."
Snape nodded towards the Animagus-and-kittens tableau. "I believe
that is a sight that really ought to be preserved for posterity."
"Oh, you're right, sir!!" Lilith said, delighted. "What a CUTE
picture!"
"`Cute' is not exactly the word I had in mind, Miss Morgan," Snape
said, dryly.
"Adorable?" Gehenna suggested.
"Sweet?" Hannah volunteered.
"Precious?" Ginny asked, tongue in cheek. (She did not know who
the dog really was, but she knew that Severus didn't seem fond of him.)
"Blackmail!" Ron said, under his breath.
"Or Revenge," Harry murmured back, quietly.
Sirius sighed and rested his head (Briar and all) on Harry's knee.
"That's perfect!!" Colin cried, camera in hand. "And I can fit you
in too, Harry!"
As nearly everyone started asking Colin for copies, Snape peeled
the black kitten off the front of his robe.
"There. Go and eat your dinner, Azoth, you little bile-black
demon!" he murmured almost affectionately, setting the black kitten on
the floor.
Hermione opened the ledger to the page that she'd labeled "Azoth
Norris" and got her quill ready as the black kitten trotted to the food
bowl.
"What does `Azoth' mean, anyhow," Ron asked, conversationally.
Severus ignored the question, but Gehenna looked aghast that a
fifth year wouldn't know such a thing, even if he was only a Gryffindor.
"`Azoth' is an Arabic word for Mercury, regarded by Alchemists as
the first principle of metals," Gehenna told him, very earnestly.
"It's in our Potions book, Ron..." Hermione sighed, carefully
watching the black kitten eat.
"Ron's only teasing," Harry assured both Hermione and Gehenna. "He
knew that."
"Mr. Weasley only acquired that knowledge after he'd already
gotten the answer wrong on a test..." Severus said, sneering.
"Filch," he continued, still sneering. "Don't you have anything
better to do than host a party in your office?"
"I am doing paperwork, Professor." I told him.
"In the midst of all this bedlam?" Severus looked incredulous.
Then he regarded the Morgan sisters, sternly.
"Lilith. Gehenna. Come. You are keeping Mr. Filch from his
duties," the Professor said.
Reluctant, but obedient, the Morgan sisters waved to everyone and
carefully picked their way out of my office in Severus's wake.
Just before leaving, Severus glowered around the room as if to say
that certain students from Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw could
all take a lesson from properly well-behaved Slytherins.
*******
It was approaching dinner time. Hannah and the Creevey brothers
had asked Mrs. Norris if they could bring Briar, Paladin and Pellinore
up to the Great Hall with them.
Mrs. Norris had blinked her golden eyes at them regally, which the
children took as an affirmative answer.
Hannah, Dennis and Colin had all taken their kittens happily as
they'd left for dinner.
Daniel and Ginny immediately asked if they could do the same with
Semyon and Bastet.
"Don't worry," Hermione assured Mrs. Norris. "I'll make sure that
they're all brought back to you!"
"She will, too," Ron said, dryly.
The rest of my guests were clearly preparing to go up to the Great
Hall as well. Kittens were being carefully removed from Snuffles' fur so
the dog could rise. Ron was holding onto Juno and Beatrice, trying to
stop them from climbing up his robe. Harry was cuddling Azoth.
(To judge by the concerned expression on Potter's face, I could
tell that the boy thought poor Azoth wasn't going to get enough
cuddling.)
Despite what Severus had thought, I hadn't really minded all the
company. Though I was looking forward to some peace and quiet. Then, I
heard a familiar voice in the hallway.
"Excellent work, Callie, my lass! Excellent!"
Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody was standing in the corridor, beaming. His
electric blue eye swept over my office and everyone in it, lingering
longest on Snuffles.
No one had told me if Moody knew the truth about Sirius Black, but
I assumed he did. Moody seemed to know a great deal about what went on
at Hogwarts, though he was retired, and no longer on the staff.
On either side of the old Auror stood Neville Longbottom and
Callandra Moffitt.
"What did Callie do, sir?" Daniel asked.
"She did some searching for me, laddie! I took her outside on the
front steps and asked her to find you and Longbottom. First she led me
straight to Neville, and then she led me right to you!"
"It's been a long time since I had a chance to work with a Squib
who could do that particular trick," Moody's gravelly voice was pleased.
Hermione looked up, with interest. "Squibs can locate individual
people? Even in a place as crowded as Hogwarts" she asked.
"Some Squibs can," Moody said.
"I can't," I murmured, a bit wistfully.
Callandra looked at me with concern. She seemed to be worried that
she'd hurt my feelings. "I can't manage it with everyone, Mr. Filch.
Just my Mum and Dad and Danny. And Neville."
As Callandra spoke, she reached for Neville's hand.
"Just the people who mean `home' to you." Moody said. "Finding
your brother and your young man will do nicely for a start. That's the
part that seems to come to Squibs naturally. But you can eventually work
your way up to being able to find anyone, once you've gotten the `feel'
of their particular magic."
Hermione was fascinated. "But, this isn't in any of my books..."
she said, intrigued.
"Maybe you'll have to write your own book on Squib magic, then,"
Ron told her. He was teasing, but Hermione's eyes brightened at the
thought.
Callandra was still looking at me sadly.
"Have you *ever* been able to find people in a crowd like that,
Mr. Filch?" she asked me.
"Many years ago," I said, "I could always find my parents, no
matter where they were. Even down in the village."
Callandra smiled. "You can do it, then."
"No, I've long since lost the knack," I told her. "Mum and Dad
were the only ones I could ever find. I'd felt their magic around me
every day of my life, until they brought me here."
I sighed, lost in an old memory. Awakening in an unfamiliar bed
during my first night in Hogwarts Castle. Reaching out in fear and
loneliness, with the part of me that could feel magic, for the familiar
traces that had always been there before.
But Mum and Dad had been too far away. Strange magic, strange
wizards and witches were everywhere around me, their magic seething,
swirling, whispering. Even though I was older than the oldest of the
Hogwarts students, I'd wept like a homesick child.
My expression must have revealed my melancholy thoughts. Still
cradling Bastet, Ginny put her hand on my shoulder.
"Interesting," Moody was saying. "See, Callie? It's a talent you
can lose if you don't keep right on using it. You've got to practice
constantly. Branch out too, and work at finding other people."
Both his bright blue eye and his normal eye were locked onto
Hermione.
"I believe that Miss Granger has been one of your roommates these
past few weeks," he said, speculatively. "Why don't we have her go
elsewhere in the Castle and..."
"Moody," I reminded him. "The children *were* getting ready to go
and have their dinner."
"Another time, then," Moody said, undaunted.
Harry and Ron had put Beatrice, Juno and Azoth down beside Mrs.
Norris and Crookshanks. The three kittens nestled between their parents.
The Animagus had moved casually over to Moody, who was idly
scratching the dog's ears.
"He'll be along in a while..." Moody told Harry.
After the children had all gone, the old Auror closed my office
door.
Sirius Black shifted to his human form and stretched. "I feel like
a pincushion," he said.
"I'm sure that Colin will give Harry a copy of that picture," I
told him.
Sirius sighed, ruefully.
"So..." Moody said, rubbing his hands together. "How are you
feeling, Argus?"
It had been many weeks since my last lesson with the retired
Auror. Dumbledore had told Moody about the mission to rescue Callandra.
Moody had been waiting for me to recover enough to resume our lessons.
Poppy had given me a clean bill of health, and Moody looked eager
to start again.
"Fine," I said.
He grunted in approval, and turned to Black. "You've still got
some mending to do, I hear."
The Animagus nodded, sighing again.
"Once you're fit, there's an experiment I'd like to try with the
pair of you. In the meantime, Filch, call one of your Doors. I want to
show Black what they are."
I focused. A moment later, red-and-gold appeared on my office
wall.
The Animagus's eyes widened.
"That's a Door?" Black asked, looking from one of us to the other.
"Yep," Moody said. "There's four of 'em, one made by each of the
Founders. Got some very interesting properties, they do. Filch here can
use 'em to get anywhere in the Castle, instantly. Squibs are immune to
the protective spells meant to keep anyone but their creators from using
'em."
"What," I asked the old Auror warily, "sort of experiment did you
have in mind?"
"Well, the Animagus spell has been known to confer a form of
increased resistance to certain types of protective..."
Immediately, I sent red-and-gold away.
"NO! I am NOT hearing this!" I snapped. "I've told you, Moody! No
more passengers! Ever!"
"Passengers?" Black asked, intrigued.
"But, we'll never know unless you experiment!" Moody argued with
me.
"I guess we'll never know then!" I retorted.
"What sort of experiment?" Black asked.
"A very dangerous one that could endanger your life!" I growled.
(Then I remembered that he was a Gryffindor who had probably not
gotten his quota of foolish risks today. Maybe acting as a kittens'
playground had not been dangerous enough to suit him.)
"Filch took Severus through a Door. Nearly killed him," Moody
said. "He took me too. I was flat on my back, sick, for nearly two days
afterwards. But Ginny and Neville recovered much more quickly. They were
fine within a few minutes."
"It was longer than that. More like ten minutes!" I said. "The
longest ten minutes of my life!"
"And you think that my dog form would protect me?" Black asked,
thoughtfully.
"There's only one way for us to find out..." Moody told him.
"We are NOT having this conversation." I said, loudly enough to
wake Mrs. Norris and Crookshanks who were still cuddled up with the
three kittens.
Moody shrugged. "All right. Young Black is not up to it yet,
anyhow. I was also thinking of asking Minerva if she'd like to give it a
go."
"NO!" I cried, horrified. "Take such a risk with her? Never!"
Black was grinning. "I guess you'll be waiting for me, then."
"No!" I glared at Moody. "You *promised* you wouldn't ask me to
take anyone through my Doors again!"
"But he's not asking you. I am." Black said.
Moody smiled, smugly.
"My answer is NO!" I repeated, and turned my back on them.
"Don't worry. I'll work on him..." I heard Moody muttering to
Black.
I snorted to hide my feelings of trepidation. Gryffindors and
Slytherins can cause a big enough mess when they are at each other's
throats. They can create even bigger messes when they work as a team.
"All right, Filch. That particular subject is closed, for now. For
tonight I want you to try a different experiment."
"What?" I asked, warily, as I turned back to face him.
Moody held out his hands, placatingly. "This experiment won't hurt
anyone. I only want you to try to do what Callie was doing earlier. Find
someone in the Castle. Someone who means `home' to you, like Daniel or
Neville do, to Callandra."
"Weren't you listening?" I asked, irritably. "I haven't been able
to do that for years."
"Wouldn't you like to regain the ability?" Moody asked. "Try. Take
me to Albus. His magic must be easy to feel. You've known him for years,
haven't you?"
"Or Minerva. You ought to be able to find her easily enough,"
Black said.
They both looked at me expectantly.
Sighing, I closed my eyes, and tried reaching out in a way I
hadn't attempted for years.
Looking for "Home," and the people who mean home to you, is a
natural enough thing for any creature. Each of Mrs. Norris's kittens had
searched the Castle, looking for a companion, and a home. They'd been
certain of the rightness of their choices, too. As sure as Callandra had
been, leading Moody to her brother and Neville.
There was a sudden change in the air. A tingle of power, not my
own, ran down my spine.
I had called out, searching. Something inhuman, ancient and
incredibly powerful, was stirring. It turned the merest fragment of Its
attention towards me, and answered.
My heart raced. I felt filled with light. Power flowed through me,
spilling into Black and Moody.
"What in Merlin's Name is he *doing?*" Moody shouted.
"I don't know, but I don't think he ought to keep doing it for
much longer!" Black shouted back. "It doesn't look healthy for him!"
"Sorry, Filch," I heard Black say.
Then he Stunned me.
********
"Argus?" It was the Headmaster's voice. "Wake up."
"Hurts..." I moaned. "Moody LIED."
Not much time seemed to have passed. I was still in my office,
lying on the floor.
Dumbledore helped me sit up.
He, Black and Moody were all watching me with concern. Mrs. Norris
had left Azoth, Beatrice and Juno curled up against Crookshanks. She was
beside me, nuzzling me as if I were one of the kittens.
"You felt that?" I asked Dumbledore.
"I did, indeed. All the way upstairs in my office."
"It was an accident, Headmaster." I was trembling all over. "Do
you think It's angry with me?"
"Is *what* angry with you?" Moody asked.
"The Castle," I whispered.
"No," The Headmaster said, gently. "I very much doubt that the
Castle is angry with Its Caretaker."
Moody and Black exchanged a look. Moody looked like a child on
Christmas morning. His reaction to new information reminded me very much
of Hermione's.
"So, do the pair of you chat with the Castle often?" The old Auror
asked, with great interest.
I pulled Mrs. Norris onto my lap, stroking her as I slowly grew
calmer.
"I'd hardly call it `chatting.' It happens, perhaps twice a
decade, in my case," Dumbledore said, gravely.
"The Castle's attention, focused on any one person for longer than
a few moments, would probably prove fatal," the Headmaster continued.
"Though, Argus seems well suited for it, even more so than I am. His
`conversations' seem to happen more frequently than mine do."
"I don't understand." I said.
Dumbledore's voice was low and soothing. "Alastor told me what he
asked you to do. You were searching for the magic that you associate
with home, were you not? Every other witch and wizard here has been
Sorted into a House, Argus. Including me. Only you are not Gryffindor,
not Slytherin, not Hufflepuff, and not Ravenclaw. You are the Caretaker,
and the entire Castle is your House."
I stared at him for a moment, then the truth in his words sunk in.
My place here is considered lowly. But it is still an important place
and a unique one, in spite of that.
Moody was looking at me speculatively.
"Well, tonight, I am the one who gets to say that the lesson is
over," I told him gruffly.
Black grinned at the imperious tone in my voice. And Moody didn't
argue with me.
"As you wish, Master Caretaker," he said, giving me a slight bow.
I smiled.
THE END
Author's Notes:
Well, this one's over now. I'll be taking a break from writing for at
least a week or two. (I still have more ideas, but no new complete
stories yet; just a lot of fragments and scattered scenes.)
I am going to enjoy relaxing and reading everyone else's stories, catch
up on some sleep and housework and other chores too.
Three Sickles Short: Thank you!! I never thought about a Potion not
being able to undo a Charm. Snape seems like he can do anything with a
cauldron and the right ingredients.
Your comment on Snape's and Filch's reaction, if anyone remarked on
their friendship, matches my impressions of them exactly!
Helen: Thank you!! I used Filch's personal boggart in one of my other
stories, "The Squib and the Werewolf." (Filch helps Remus catch a
boggart.)
I'm don't know if Rowling will ever say much about Filch's past, so I
came up with a backstory for him. I agree that he would have been a very
conscientious teenager, doing everything according to schedule.
For the purposes of my stories (unless Rowling ever says differently)
Filch's parents arranged for him to be apprenticed to Appollyon Pringle,
the previous caretaker, when he was in his late teens.
Andolyn: Thank you!! Not only for your comments on this story, but for
also commenting on the two previous ones!! Gryffindor was the best place
for Callandra, for exactly the reasons that you describe.
I think the hostility of (many but not all) Slytherins will actually be
easier for Callandra to deal with than the over-concern and smothering
kindness that she might face from some of the Hufflepuffs.
As for Ravenclaws, Callandra is quite well prepared to deal with *them.*
Her parents and brother (and Aunts, Uncles, and both sets of
Grandparents) are all Ravenclaws. She's an intellectual, from a family
of intellectuals and can hold her own in any discussion of magic, even
if she can't work the spells.
Callandra's mother and father are both renowned scholars in the study of
Ancient Runes. Callandra (who is artistic) is quite adept with a magic
paintbrush, and can paint magical runes with the best of them.
That doesn't mean that she won't meet condescending Ravenclaws. She
will. But she'll put them in their place very handily.
I know what you mean about that condescending kindness. My father (who
was blind) had to deal with that quite a lot. I remember going with him
to a bank, when I was twelve years old. The lady at the bank kept
addressing all her comments to me instead of to my father.
It was "tell your father this, honey. Tell your father that, honey."
Until my father said, "Tell the lady that your father is blind. Not
deaf. And not STUPID!" :-)
Elspeth: Thank you!! Yes, that was why the Hat sang for Callandra. Just
to make sure that EVERYONE got the point. That Callandra had as much
right to be there as every other student.
"Hemlock" was actually the front-runner for the black kitten's name. And
then I found something with a reference to Alchemy, and I couldn't
resist using "Azoth" instead.
ThePet: Thank you!! Yes, I am worried about Draco too. I don't *want*
him to choose Voldemort.
Melodie: Thank you!! Poor Draco... I like showing him more sides of him
than we get to see in the actual books.
Alchemine: Thank you!! I love the idea of the Sorting Hat working for
Hallmark! Yes, Dumbledore just asked "you can sort Miss Moffitt, can't
you?" and the Hat said "Of course!"
The Harry Potter websites that "sort" people always put me in Ravenclaw.
But I love Hufflepuff! I think it's the Hufflepuffs who really DO keep
the world running.
Besnaped: Thank you!! You can borrow the song if you want. It's fun to
write Snape as younger.
Lataradk: Thank you!! I am so envious that you already have the DVD!!!
The image of Sirius and Severus as two crabby old wizards, still chasing
each other around made me laugh! Especially Sirius's motor and Severus's
quills!
Gramarye: Thank you!!
Jelsemium: Thank you!! "Hard work and pain are the best teachers..."
always sounded so Hufflepuff to me. Filch probably enjoys the hard work
more than he lets on. Filch also really enjoys complaining.
Lilith Morgan named her kitten "Juno Norris."
I gave some thought to Lilith and Gehenna's feelings about Harry, though
they only interacted very briefly in this chapter. Lilith and Gehenna
adore Professor Snape (and both of them have little-girl crushes on him)
but they do know how to think for themselves. They don't accept *all*
his opinions blindly.
Harry fascinates both girls. They would not confess this to anyone, but
they think he's very cute. And he's a PARSELMOUTH! Not to mention a
brilliant Seeker (though Lilith and Gehenna loyally support Draco, whom
they also think is extremely cute.)
Demeter: Thank you!! Lucius Malfoy is slippery and likes to cover every
contingency. Taking the blame for all the other Death Eaters and
suffering Voldemort's wrath was his own Calculated Risk. Now, he has
this hold over a group of his fellow Death Eaters. It could be a
powerful weapon someday.
Ariana Deralte: Thank you!! Lucius isn't going to die... he's too
interesting to kill. I do want to try to stay as close to canon as I can
and I don't think that Rowling is going to kill him. (At least I hope
not!)
a Harry Potter fan-fic
by Ozma
a sequel to "To Save A Squib"
Chapter 8: There's No Place Like Home
Severus was kneeling on the floor in the corridor outside my
office, trying to detach a five week old black kitten from the trailing
end of his robe.
"Ow! Azoth, you needle-clawed pestilence!! Filch, why does this
accursed little creature insist on following me everywhere? Ouch! Stop
that! My hand is NOT a cat-toy...!"
"He likes you, Professor," I called to Snape, patiently, from the
chair behind my desk. "You named him. He's yours. He doesn't want to
belong to anyone else."
Snape distracted the kitten by rubbing gently under the creature's
tiny jaw. The black kitten's contented purr was loud enough to belong to
a much larger cat.
"The absurd little beast needed a name, didn't he?" Snape said,
testily. "And I needed something to shout at him. He's a four-footed
harbinger of chaos and destruction!"
"Stop purring at me," he added sternly, glaring at the kitten.
"Bring him in here, Professor," I said. "He must be hungry. The
others have all eaten!"
Professor Snape stared into my office. His expression was one of
consternation.
There was barely any room to walk. Children and animals seemed to
be everywhere.
Ginny, Hannah, Colin, Dennis, Lilith and Gehenna, all of whom
spent as much time with their kittens as they could, were crowded into
the room, either sitting on the floor or lounging against my file
cabinets.
Daniel Moffitt, who had been chosen by one of the ginger toms, was
there as well.
Hermione was sitting in my office's other chair. The ledger that
she'd given was open on her lap. The kittens had now been started on
solid food. Hermione had taken notes on how much each kitten had eaten.
Both Mrs. Norris and Crookshanks were sitting at Hermione's feet,
curled up together, purring softly. Hermione had succeeded in winning my
cat's friendship.
(The matter had been firmly clinched the first time that
Crookshanks had been allowed to see his offspring. The large, ginger tom
had acquired a decided swagger in his step as he'd inspected his brood.
"Look at you... acting as if you did all the work." Hermione had
sighed at him with affectionate exasperation. Mrs. Norris had
immediately rubbed up against Hermione's ankles.)
Harry and Ron, who had accompanied Hermione, were also sitting on
the floor, in the corner nearest my desk.
Snuffles, almost fully healed now from the terrible internal
injuries he'd suffered at the Dark Lord's hands, was resting on the
floor between the two boys.
Having eaten their fill, seven of the kittens had been unable to
resist the lure of such a large, warm, furry body. The Animagus had
kittens stuck all over him like burrs.
Ginny's smoky-grey Bastet, Lilith's dusty-grey Juno and Gehenna's
misty-grey Beatrice were snuggled up together on the dog's back.
Colin's black-and-ginger Pellinore, (who would never need Muggle-
fixing because he was sterile, as I'd learned) rested between the dog's
front paws.
Dennis's stormy-grey Paladin, (who would have an unpleasant
encounter with a Muggle vet someday unless the Creeveys could convince
their parents that anti-kitten charms were as effective as Muggle-
methods of feline birth control) seemed determined to win a wrestling
match with Black's tail.
Hannah Abbott's ginger-colored Briar was draped over the
Animagus's head, batting at Black's ears. The other ginger tom; Daniel's
Semyon, was nestled against Sirius's ribs.
Frowning with disapproval, Severus picked his way carefully into
the room, trying not to step on anyone or anything. When he caught sight
of Sirius, he froze.
"Mr. Creevey," he addressed Colin in his silkiest voice. "Do you,
by any chance, have your camera with you?"
"Yes, Professor."
Snape nodded towards the Animagus-and-kittens tableau. "I believe
that is a sight that really ought to be preserved for posterity."
"Oh, you're right, sir!!" Lilith said, delighted. "What a CUTE
picture!"
"`Cute' is not exactly the word I had in mind, Miss Morgan," Snape
said, dryly.
"Adorable?" Gehenna suggested.
"Sweet?" Hannah volunteered.
"Precious?" Ginny asked, tongue in cheek. (She did not know who
the dog really was, but she knew that Severus didn't seem fond of him.)
"Blackmail!" Ron said, under his breath.
"Or Revenge," Harry murmured back, quietly.
Sirius sighed and rested his head (Briar and all) on Harry's knee.
"That's perfect!!" Colin cried, camera in hand. "And I can fit you
in too, Harry!"
As nearly everyone started asking Colin for copies, Snape peeled
the black kitten off the front of his robe.
"There. Go and eat your dinner, Azoth, you little bile-black
demon!" he murmured almost affectionately, setting the black kitten on
the floor.
Hermione opened the ledger to the page that she'd labeled "Azoth
Norris" and got her quill ready as the black kitten trotted to the food
bowl.
"What does `Azoth' mean, anyhow," Ron asked, conversationally.
Severus ignored the question, but Gehenna looked aghast that a
fifth year wouldn't know such a thing, even if he was only a Gryffindor.
"`Azoth' is an Arabic word for Mercury, regarded by Alchemists as
the first principle of metals," Gehenna told him, very earnestly.
"It's in our Potions book, Ron..." Hermione sighed, carefully
watching the black kitten eat.
"Ron's only teasing," Harry assured both Hermione and Gehenna. "He
knew that."
"Mr. Weasley only acquired that knowledge after he'd already
gotten the answer wrong on a test..." Severus said, sneering.
"Filch," he continued, still sneering. "Don't you have anything
better to do than host a party in your office?"
"I am doing paperwork, Professor." I told him.
"In the midst of all this bedlam?" Severus looked incredulous.
Then he regarded the Morgan sisters, sternly.
"Lilith. Gehenna. Come. You are keeping Mr. Filch from his
duties," the Professor said.
Reluctant, but obedient, the Morgan sisters waved to everyone and
carefully picked their way out of my office in Severus's wake.
Just before leaving, Severus glowered around the room as if to say
that certain students from Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw could
all take a lesson from properly well-behaved Slytherins.
*******
It was approaching dinner time. Hannah and the Creevey brothers
had asked Mrs. Norris if they could bring Briar, Paladin and Pellinore
up to the Great Hall with them.
Mrs. Norris had blinked her golden eyes at them regally, which the
children took as an affirmative answer.
Hannah, Dennis and Colin had all taken their kittens happily as
they'd left for dinner.
Daniel and Ginny immediately asked if they could do the same with
Semyon and Bastet.
"Don't worry," Hermione assured Mrs. Norris. "I'll make sure that
they're all brought back to you!"
"She will, too," Ron said, dryly.
The rest of my guests were clearly preparing to go up to the Great
Hall as well. Kittens were being carefully removed from Snuffles' fur so
the dog could rise. Ron was holding onto Juno and Beatrice, trying to
stop them from climbing up his robe. Harry was cuddling Azoth.
(To judge by the concerned expression on Potter's face, I could
tell that the boy thought poor Azoth wasn't going to get enough
cuddling.)
Despite what Severus had thought, I hadn't really minded all the
company. Though I was looking forward to some peace and quiet. Then, I
heard a familiar voice in the hallway.
"Excellent work, Callie, my lass! Excellent!"
Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody was standing in the corridor, beaming. His
electric blue eye swept over my office and everyone in it, lingering
longest on Snuffles.
No one had told me if Moody knew the truth about Sirius Black, but
I assumed he did. Moody seemed to know a great deal about what went on
at Hogwarts, though he was retired, and no longer on the staff.
On either side of the old Auror stood Neville Longbottom and
Callandra Moffitt.
"What did Callie do, sir?" Daniel asked.
"She did some searching for me, laddie! I took her outside on the
front steps and asked her to find you and Longbottom. First she led me
straight to Neville, and then she led me right to you!"
"It's been a long time since I had a chance to work with a Squib
who could do that particular trick," Moody's gravelly voice was pleased.
Hermione looked up, with interest. "Squibs can locate individual
people? Even in a place as crowded as Hogwarts" she asked.
"Some Squibs can," Moody said.
"I can't," I murmured, a bit wistfully.
Callandra looked at me with concern. She seemed to be worried that
she'd hurt my feelings. "I can't manage it with everyone, Mr. Filch.
Just my Mum and Dad and Danny. And Neville."
As Callandra spoke, she reached for Neville's hand.
"Just the people who mean `home' to you." Moody said. "Finding
your brother and your young man will do nicely for a start. That's the
part that seems to come to Squibs naturally. But you can eventually work
your way up to being able to find anyone, once you've gotten the `feel'
of their particular magic."
Hermione was fascinated. "But, this isn't in any of my books..."
she said, intrigued.
"Maybe you'll have to write your own book on Squib magic, then,"
Ron told her. He was teasing, but Hermione's eyes brightened at the
thought.
Callandra was still looking at me sadly.
"Have you *ever* been able to find people in a crowd like that,
Mr. Filch?" she asked me.
"Many years ago," I said, "I could always find my parents, no
matter where they were. Even down in the village."
Callandra smiled. "You can do it, then."
"No, I've long since lost the knack," I told her. "Mum and Dad
were the only ones I could ever find. I'd felt their magic around me
every day of my life, until they brought me here."
I sighed, lost in an old memory. Awakening in an unfamiliar bed
during my first night in Hogwarts Castle. Reaching out in fear and
loneliness, with the part of me that could feel magic, for the familiar
traces that had always been there before.
But Mum and Dad had been too far away. Strange magic, strange
wizards and witches were everywhere around me, their magic seething,
swirling, whispering. Even though I was older than the oldest of the
Hogwarts students, I'd wept like a homesick child.
My expression must have revealed my melancholy thoughts. Still
cradling Bastet, Ginny put her hand on my shoulder.
"Interesting," Moody was saying. "See, Callie? It's a talent you
can lose if you don't keep right on using it. You've got to practice
constantly. Branch out too, and work at finding other people."
Both his bright blue eye and his normal eye were locked onto
Hermione.
"I believe that Miss Granger has been one of your roommates these
past few weeks," he said, speculatively. "Why don't we have her go
elsewhere in the Castle and..."
"Moody," I reminded him. "The children *were* getting ready to go
and have their dinner."
"Another time, then," Moody said, undaunted.
Harry and Ron had put Beatrice, Juno and Azoth down beside Mrs.
Norris and Crookshanks. The three kittens nestled between their parents.
The Animagus had moved casually over to Moody, who was idly
scratching the dog's ears.
"He'll be along in a while..." Moody told Harry.
After the children had all gone, the old Auror closed my office
door.
Sirius Black shifted to his human form and stretched. "I feel like
a pincushion," he said.
"I'm sure that Colin will give Harry a copy of that picture," I
told him.
Sirius sighed, ruefully.
"So..." Moody said, rubbing his hands together. "How are you
feeling, Argus?"
It had been many weeks since my last lesson with the retired
Auror. Dumbledore had told Moody about the mission to rescue Callandra.
Moody had been waiting for me to recover enough to resume our lessons.
Poppy had given me a clean bill of health, and Moody looked eager
to start again.
"Fine," I said.
He grunted in approval, and turned to Black. "You've still got
some mending to do, I hear."
The Animagus nodded, sighing again.
"Once you're fit, there's an experiment I'd like to try with the
pair of you. In the meantime, Filch, call one of your Doors. I want to
show Black what they are."
I focused. A moment later, red-and-gold appeared on my office
wall.
The Animagus's eyes widened.
"That's a Door?" Black asked, looking from one of us to the other.
"Yep," Moody said. "There's four of 'em, one made by each of the
Founders. Got some very interesting properties, they do. Filch here can
use 'em to get anywhere in the Castle, instantly. Squibs are immune to
the protective spells meant to keep anyone but their creators from using
'em."
"What," I asked the old Auror warily, "sort of experiment did you
have in mind?"
"Well, the Animagus spell has been known to confer a form of
increased resistance to certain types of protective..."
Immediately, I sent red-and-gold away.
"NO! I am NOT hearing this!" I snapped. "I've told you, Moody! No
more passengers! Ever!"
"Passengers?" Black asked, intrigued.
"But, we'll never know unless you experiment!" Moody argued with
me.
"I guess we'll never know then!" I retorted.
"What sort of experiment?" Black asked.
"A very dangerous one that could endanger your life!" I growled.
(Then I remembered that he was a Gryffindor who had probably not
gotten his quota of foolish risks today. Maybe acting as a kittens'
playground had not been dangerous enough to suit him.)
"Filch took Severus through a Door. Nearly killed him," Moody
said. "He took me too. I was flat on my back, sick, for nearly two days
afterwards. But Ginny and Neville recovered much more quickly. They were
fine within a few minutes."
"It was longer than that. More like ten minutes!" I said. "The
longest ten minutes of my life!"
"And you think that my dog form would protect me?" Black asked,
thoughtfully.
"There's only one way for us to find out..." Moody told him.
"We are NOT having this conversation." I said, loudly enough to
wake Mrs. Norris and Crookshanks who were still cuddled up with the
three kittens.
Moody shrugged. "All right. Young Black is not up to it yet,
anyhow. I was also thinking of asking Minerva if she'd like to give it a
go."
"NO!" I cried, horrified. "Take such a risk with her? Never!"
Black was grinning. "I guess you'll be waiting for me, then."
"No!" I glared at Moody. "You *promised* you wouldn't ask me to
take anyone through my Doors again!"
"But he's not asking you. I am." Black said.
Moody smiled, smugly.
"My answer is NO!" I repeated, and turned my back on them.
"Don't worry. I'll work on him..." I heard Moody muttering to
Black.
I snorted to hide my feelings of trepidation. Gryffindors and
Slytherins can cause a big enough mess when they are at each other's
throats. They can create even bigger messes when they work as a team.
"All right, Filch. That particular subject is closed, for now. For
tonight I want you to try a different experiment."
"What?" I asked, warily, as I turned back to face him.
Moody held out his hands, placatingly. "This experiment won't hurt
anyone. I only want you to try to do what Callie was doing earlier. Find
someone in the Castle. Someone who means `home' to you, like Daniel or
Neville do, to Callandra."
"Weren't you listening?" I asked, irritably. "I haven't been able
to do that for years."
"Wouldn't you like to regain the ability?" Moody asked. "Try. Take
me to Albus. His magic must be easy to feel. You've known him for years,
haven't you?"
"Or Minerva. You ought to be able to find her easily enough,"
Black said.
They both looked at me expectantly.
Sighing, I closed my eyes, and tried reaching out in a way I
hadn't attempted for years.
Looking for "Home," and the people who mean home to you, is a
natural enough thing for any creature. Each of Mrs. Norris's kittens had
searched the Castle, looking for a companion, and a home. They'd been
certain of the rightness of their choices, too. As sure as Callandra had
been, leading Moody to her brother and Neville.
There was a sudden change in the air. A tingle of power, not my
own, ran down my spine.
I had called out, searching. Something inhuman, ancient and
incredibly powerful, was stirring. It turned the merest fragment of Its
attention towards me, and answered.
My heart raced. I felt filled with light. Power flowed through me,
spilling into Black and Moody.
"What in Merlin's Name is he *doing?*" Moody shouted.
"I don't know, but I don't think he ought to keep doing it for
much longer!" Black shouted back. "It doesn't look healthy for him!"
"Sorry, Filch," I heard Black say.
Then he Stunned me.
********
"Argus?" It was the Headmaster's voice. "Wake up."
"Hurts..." I moaned. "Moody LIED."
Not much time seemed to have passed. I was still in my office,
lying on the floor.
Dumbledore helped me sit up.
He, Black and Moody were all watching me with concern. Mrs. Norris
had left Azoth, Beatrice and Juno curled up against Crookshanks. She was
beside me, nuzzling me as if I were one of the kittens.
"You felt that?" I asked Dumbledore.
"I did, indeed. All the way upstairs in my office."
"It was an accident, Headmaster." I was trembling all over. "Do
you think It's angry with me?"
"Is *what* angry with you?" Moody asked.
"The Castle," I whispered.
"No," The Headmaster said, gently. "I very much doubt that the
Castle is angry with Its Caretaker."
Moody and Black exchanged a look. Moody looked like a child on
Christmas morning. His reaction to new information reminded me very much
of Hermione's.
"So, do the pair of you chat with the Castle often?" The old Auror
asked, with great interest.
I pulled Mrs. Norris onto my lap, stroking her as I slowly grew
calmer.
"I'd hardly call it `chatting.' It happens, perhaps twice a
decade, in my case," Dumbledore said, gravely.
"The Castle's attention, focused on any one person for longer than
a few moments, would probably prove fatal," the Headmaster continued.
"Though, Argus seems well suited for it, even more so than I am. His
`conversations' seem to happen more frequently than mine do."
"I don't understand." I said.
Dumbledore's voice was low and soothing. "Alastor told me what he
asked you to do. You were searching for the magic that you associate
with home, were you not? Every other witch and wizard here has been
Sorted into a House, Argus. Including me. Only you are not Gryffindor,
not Slytherin, not Hufflepuff, and not Ravenclaw. You are the Caretaker,
and the entire Castle is your House."
I stared at him for a moment, then the truth in his words sunk in.
My place here is considered lowly. But it is still an important place
and a unique one, in spite of that.
Moody was looking at me speculatively.
"Well, tonight, I am the one who gets to say that the lesson is
over," I told him gruffly.
Black grinned at the imperious tone in my voice. And Moody didn't
argue with me.
"As you wish, Master Caretaker," he said, giving me a slight bow.
I smiled.
THE END
Author's Notes:
Well, this one's over now. I'll be taking a break from writing for at
least a week or two. (I still have more ideas, but no new complete
stories yet; just a lot of fragments and scattered scenes.)
I am going to enjoy relaxing and reading everyone else's stories, catch
up on some sleep and housework and other chores too.
Three Sickles Short: Thank you!! I never thought about a Potion not
being able to undo a Charm. Snape seems like he can do anything with a
cauldron and the right ingredients.
Your comment on Snape's and Filch's reaction, if anyone remarked on
their friendship, matches my impressions of them exactly!
Helen: Thank you!! I used Filch's personal boggart in one of my other
stories, "The Squib and the Werewolf." (Filch helps Remus catch a
boggart.)
I'm don't know if Rowling will ever say much about Filch's past, so I
came up with a backstory for him. I agree that he would have been a very
conscientious teenager, doing everything according to schedule.
For the purposes of my stories (unless Rowling ever says differently)
Filch's parents arranged for him to be apprenticed to Appollyon Pringle,
the previous caretaker, when he was in his late teens.
Andolyn: Thank you!! Not only for your comments on this story, but for
also commenting on the two previous ones!! Gryffindor was the best place
for Callandra, for exactly the reasons that you describe.
I think the hostility of (many but not all) Slytherins will actually be
easier for Callandra to deal with than the over-concern and smothering
kindness that she might face from some of the Hufflepuffs.
As for Ravenclaws, Callandra is quite well prepared to deal with *them.*
Her parents and brother (and Aunts, Uncles, and both sets of
Grandparents) are all Ravenclaws. She's an intellectual, from a family
of intellectuals and can hold her own in any discussion of magic, even
if she can't work the spells.
Callandra's mother and father are both renowned scholars in the study of
Ancient Runes. Callandra (who is artistic) is quite adept with a magic
paintbrush, and can paint magical runes with the best of them.
That doesn't mean that she won't meet condescending Ravenclaws. She
will. But she'll put them in their place very handily.
I know what you mean about that condescending kindness. My father (who
was blind) had to deal with that quite a lot. I remember going with him
to a bank, when I was twelve years old. The lady at the bank kept
addressing all her comments to me instead of to my father.
It was "tell your father this, honey. Tell your father that, honey."
Until my father said, "Tell the lady that your father is blind. Not
deaf. And not STUPID!" :-)
Elspeth: Thank you!! Yes, that was why the Hat sang for Callandra. Just
to make sure that EVERYONE got the point. That Callandra had as much
right to be there as every other student.
"Hemlock" was actually the front-runner for the black kitten's name. And
then I found something with a reference to Alchemy, and I couldn't
resist using "Azoth" instead.
ThePet: Thank you!! Yes, I am worried about Draco too. I don't *want*
him to choose Voldemort.
Melodie: Thank you!! Poor Draco... I like showing him more sides of him
than we get to see in the actual books.
Alchemine: Thank you!! I love the idea of the Sorting Hat working for
Hallmark! Yes, Dumbledore just asked "you can sort Miss Moffitt, can't
you?" and the Hat said "Of course!"
The Harry Potter websites that "sort" people always put me in Ravenclaw.
But I love Hufflepuff! I think it's the Hufflepuffs who really DO keep
the world running.
Besnaped: Thank you!! You can borrow the song if you want. It's fun to
write Snape as younger.
Lataradk: Thank you!! I am so envious that you already have the DVD!!!
The image of Sirius and Severus as two crabby old wizards, still chasing
each other around made me laugh! Especially Sirius's motor and Severus's
quills!
Gramarye: Thank you!!
Jelsemium: Thank you!! "Hard work and pain are the best teachers..."
always sounded so Hufflepuff to me. Filch probably enjoys the hard work
more than he lets on. Filch also really enjoys complaining.
Lilith Morgan named her kitten "Juno Norris."
I gave some thought to Lilith and Gehenna's feelings about Harry, though
they only interacted very briefly in this chapter. Lilith and Gehenna
adore Professor Snape (and both of them have little-girl crushes on him)
but they do know how to think for themselves. They don't accept *all*
his opinions blindly.
Harry fascinates both girls. They would not confess this to anyone, but
they think he's very cute. And he's a PARSELMOUTH! Not to mention a
brilliant Seeker (though Lilith and Gehenna loyally support Draco, whom
they also think is extremely cute.)
Demeter: Thank you!! Lucius Malfoy is slippery and likes to cover every
contingency. Taking the blame for all the other Death Eaters and
suffering Voldemort's wrath was his own Calculated Risk. Now, he has
this hold over a group of his fellow Death Eaters. It could be a
powerful weapon someday.
Ariana Deralte: Thank you!! Lucius isn't going to die... he's too
interesting to kill. I do want to try to stay as close to canon as I can
and I don't think that Rowling is going to kill him. (At least I hope
not!)