Squib Summer
a Harry Potter fan-fic
by Ozma and Jelsemium
a sequel to Squib Caretaker
Chapter Eight: The Squib and The Boy Who Lived
All recognizable characters copyrighted by J.K. Rowling.
The less recognizable ones might be under your bed.
Maybe you should charge rent.
Harry stirred uneasily, pushing against the stifling warmth that kept
him pinned. He had to keep quiet or they would hear. He must not attract
their attention. He had to get out, he had to... had to... be quiet... or
Voldemort would hear him. Voldemort was going to...
Harry bit down to keep from screaming.
...Bit down on something waxy. Instinctively, Harry tried to spit it out,
but it wouldn't budge. The effort woke him up and he tried to spit
again, but only managed a slight gargling noise. He tried to roll onto
his side, to reach up and feel for the source of the waxy taste in his
mouth, but his arms were pinned to his side and he couldn't move.
"Easy, Potter," a familiar voice grumped. "No need to get in a tizzy."
Somebody pulled the waxy gag out of his mouth, leaving trails of drool
all down Harry's chin.
Harry blinked up and, after a few seconds, identified the speaker. "Mr.
Filch!"
Panicked, Harry managed to push himself free of the entangling blankets.
He shoved himself back until he fetched up against the headboard. "I
didn't fall asleep during detention, did I? No? I did, didn't I? What's
the penalty for that?" He drew his knees up and buried his head in his
arms. "Oh, it just figures, I'll go down in "Hogwarts: A History" as the
only person to get detention during detention!"
"Potter!" Filch said, gruffly. "Relax, boy. You're at St. Mungo's. Not
at Hogwarts. And you haven't got detention. I've got the summer off too,
don't I? Besides, you haven't done anything wrong."
Cautiously, Harry peeked up at the caretaker. Filch was battered and
exhausted. Mrs. Norris, who was curled up fast asleep on the old man's
knee, looked more tired than Harry had ever seen her.
"You look terrible," Harry blurted out, wiping at his chin.
Filch snorted. "You're not a very likely candidate for the cover of
Witch-Weekly yourself at the moment."
"No... I meant that you and Mrs. Norris almost died... I'm sorry."
"If you don't stop apologizing, Potter, I'm going to stick this thing
back in your mouth," Filch growled. "The Nurse put it there so you
wouldn't bite your lip again, but it also kept you from spouting
nonsense. You've done absolutely nothing that you ought to feel sorry
for!"
*******
I really hadn't meant to snap at Potter. My talk with the Headmaster had
left me unsettled and uneasy and the scared look on Potter's pale face
when he'd awakened and recognized me had filled me with shame. Of course
the boy was afraid of me. Didn't I *want* to have that effect on the
students? Hadn't I bragged about it to Potter's cousin?
I was in fine company, too. It seemed that those Dursleys had done a
pretty fair job of scaring Potter themselves. Locking him up in a
cupboard when they weren't forcing him to slave away like the most
wretched of house-elves. He'd rather chew his lip to bloody ribbons than
anger them. And I was no better than they were. No wonder he looked at
me like that.
I stroked Mrs. Norris. She purred sleepily, which soothed me a bit.
"Speaking of detentions, I can't have you clean the Castle any more..." I
muttered. "It's not a punishment for you, is it? Just business as usual.
I suppose that Aunt of yours is every bit as exacting a taskmaster as I
am."
"Oh, no, she's even worse," Potter said. Then he looked chagrined, as if
he wasn't sure if he'd insulted me or not. "Sometimes you tell me when
I've done a good job," Potter offered. "Aunt Petunia never does."
That wasn't much of a consolation.
"Oh, Merlin, everything I say is coming out wrong," groaned Potter. He
scrunched back into the bed. "I mean, I should be thanking you for
risking your life to save mine, but everything's coming out RUDE!" He
caught his lower lip with his teeth.
I glared at him. Thankfully, he caught on before I had to wave the wax
gag under his nose.
There was a long silence while he got himself propped up in the bed.
Finally, he said "Mr. Filch? Could we, erm, start this conversation
over? I mean, I wasn't properly awake the first time and I was still
sort of stuck in the last nightmare and I wasn't being very, what I... oh,
Merlin." He stuck his hand out.
"Thank you for coming to my rescue, Mr. Filch," he said formally. "I
wish there was some way that I could repay you."
"You don't have to repay me, Potter, I was just doing my job."
"Almost getting killed for a student isn't part of your job," Potter
protested.
"No," I said with exaggerated huffiness. "Almost getting killed BY a
student is more the norm." I gave him the evil eye. (Like a Squib could
actually make that trick work.)
Potter looked startled, then he managed a faint smile. "I hope you
realize it's not deliberate," he looked down at his hands and made an
effort to straighten his blankets. "Some of us don't mean to be bad, it
just... comes out that way."
"You're not bad, Potter," I said. "Trust me, I've seen much worse than
you." I gave him a sideways look. "A little discipline is all you need."
I tried for a joke. "As I was saying, since cleaning doesn't bother you,
I'll have to come up with something else; something really special just
for you."
Potter looked at me wide-eyed, then his lips twitched. "Oh, NO, Mr.
Filch," he said with the same look of wounded innocence that his father
used to try on me. (Harry was much more convincing than James had ever
been.) "You don't need to go to all that extra effort on MY behalf. The
usual, run-of-the-mill detention will be FINE!"
He looked at his hands again and his smile grew shy. "That's something
else I'm grateful for, by the way. That you've never treated me
differently than you treat the other students."
"Where it matters most, you're NOT any different from the other
students," I told him. "Brats, the lot of you. Messy and thoughtless and
inconsiderate..."
My voice trailed off in a sigh. I stopped my litany of grouchy
complaints. They were safe, familiar, and they were even making the boy
smile, but Potter deserved more honesty from me.
"Potter," I said, gruffly, "the things about you that are different... you
didn't ask for them. It's plain that you'd be perfectly happy if you
were The Boy That Nobody Ever Heard Of, and you could have your own Mum
and Dad alive and well and waiting for you to come home to them on
Holidays..."
The boy blinked a few times rapidly, but kept looking at me.
"...where, undoubtedly, they'd scold you for all the mischief you'd got
yourself into during the term," I continued. "Though James couldn't have
been too cross with you, seeing how he got into plenty of trouble
himself. And Lily never seemed like the type to stay angry for long
either so they wouldn't have been too hard on you."
Potter looked wistful. "Thank you for not saying anything too bad about
my Dad. I don't suppose that you must have liked him very much."
I snorted. "How would you feel about someone who'd blown up your toilet?
Though your godfather told me recently that the exploding toilet was an
accident. They were trying to get rid of some fireworks..."
Potter was trying not to grin and failing miserably. I didn't mind the
grin, but I tried not to show it.
*******
Filch was trying to cheer him up. Actually, he was succeeding, more from
the fact that he was trying than from anything he said. "I guess I owe
you a toilet, if nothing else," Harry said gravely. He was rewarded with
a sardonic look from Filch and a catly smirk from a sleepy Mrs. Norris.
Harry fiddled with the blankets a little. "Mr. Filch? Would you do me a
favor?"
Filch eyed him warily. "It depends on the favor, Potter."
"Would you NOT tell Sn... Professor Snape that you know about the
Invisibility Cloak?"
Filch shook his head. "Listen, Potter, if Ron Weasley or Hermione
Granger had been right about something for years and you kept telling
them that they were wrong, only to find out that YOU were the one who
was wrong... would YOU deprive them of the chance to gloat?"
"But Ron and Hermione don't even LIKE to gloat!" Harry paused and
reconsidered this. "Well, maybe Ron does a little, but Hermione is above
that sort of thing, really."
"Don't be cheeky, you know what I mean. It wouldn't be fair."
Harry snorted. "FAIR? Since when is Snape FAIR?"
"That's Professor Snape to you, boy."
"And why should I show any respect for a bullying git..."
Filch looked annoyed. "He's not..."
"He is! He's worse than the Dursleys! He's as bad as Vol..." Harry choked
to a stop because Filch had lunged forward and shoved the wax gag back
into his mouth.
"Enough! Sn... Professor Snape is an honorable man," Filch snapped.
Harry tried to glare, but suddenly his vision blurred and his eyes were
burning. Oh, Merlin, please don't let him burst into tears now.
Something about his expression must have given Filch pause. The
caretaker averted his eyes and moved away, allowing Harry to pull the
wax gag out again and swipe at his eyes.
Filch sighed. "I'm sorry, Potter. I know that Professor Snape isn't
exactly fair when it comes to Gryffindors in general and you in
particular. But he's not a bad man, really he isn't. He's saved my life,
and yours as well. Please don't classify him with You Know Who."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm asking you not to ... and because you SAID you wanted to
repay me for saving your life," Filch said.
Harry's eyes went wide. "Oh. I..." he slumped down. He buried his head in
his arms and tried to organize his thoughts for a long time. Filch
obviously liked Snape, and Harry had always known that Dumbledore liked
and trusted Snape. He couldn't get past everything that Snape had done
to him, or had said about his father, though. He knew that Snape had
only saved him to repay his debt to Harry's Dad. But he didn't want to
part on bad terms with Filch, not after what they'd been through.
Finally he gained control of his jumbled thoughts long enough to say:
"I'm sorry I lost my temper. I'll try not to hate him. I promise I'll
never compare him to... to the Dark Lord again."
Filch sighed and sat back on the other bed. "Thank you, Potter."
Harry finally realized that Filch was a patient, too. "I hope you're not
badly hurt, sir," he said, a trifle lamely.
Filch was apparently ready to accept an olive branch, no matter how
lame. "No, they just wanted to keep me for observation," he said.
There was a long silence as they both calmed down. After a while, Filch
broke it. "So, you were on the stairs that night," he said. "And yes, I
do realize I owe you something for that."
"Owe me for what?" Harry asked. Some of his attention was diverted and
he dabbed at his lower lip. It was itching as it healed. He wondered why
the Nurse hadn't healed it completely like Madam Pomfrey would have.
Maybe she wasn't as powerful?
"For keeping that urn from falling on my head the night that I knocked
Moody down the stairs," Filch elaborated.
Harry shook his head. "Oh, I hadn't thought about that," he said.
"You're welcome, by the way."
"Then what did you think I meant?"
"I thought you meant that night during the Tri-Wizard Tournament when
Barty Crouch, Jr., disguised as Professor Moody, broke into Snape's
office."
Filch's mouth flickered. "I'd already figured out you were there, then.
Professor Snape said as much, but I didn't believe him." He looked
curiously at Harry. "Where exactly were you?"
Harry made a wry face. "I forgot about the trick step on that
staircase," he admitted ruefully.
"Got stuck, did you?" Filch seemed as if he were trying not to crow.
"I'm surprised that Professor Snape didn't catch you."
"He almost did," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "If he had taken one more
step, I think I would have died of a heart attack... or maybe sheer
embarrassment."
"It would have served you right," Filch said, still amused.
Harry pulled a face at him, but didn't answer verbally. This time, the
silence was a comfortable one, and it lasted until Harry broke it
timidly. "Mr. Filch? Do you have to tell Professor Snape right away?"
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"I mean, do you have to tell him that you know about the Invisibility
Cloak as soon as you see him? Can you wait until later in the term, when
he's in a particularly foul mood and off on one of his usual rants about
me... then you can just casually throw in that you know about the cloak?
It might be amusing..." Of course, it could get Filch turned into a toad,
Harry realized.
Filch sighed. Apparently he realized it, too.
Harry shot him a sideways look. "I'll let you borrow it," he wheedled.
*******
I was aware that his offer was an attempt at bribery. Nevertheless,
Potter was actually willing to loan me something as rare and valuable as
his Invisibility Cloak! Where had he learned such generosity of spirit?
Certainly not from those Muggles...
I could not help mulling over the possibilities. Why, I could catch
Peeves at all sorts of mischief, to say nothing of what I could catch
the students at...!
My grin became a frown. What was I thinking? How could I possibly expect
Potter to choose restraint over temptation if I couldn't manage to set
him a decent example?
"Nice try, Potter," I said, gruffly, "but I can't be bribed. If the
Headmaster didn't feel so strongly that you need to keep that cloak with
you, I'd insist that you put it in a Gringotts' vault as soon as
possible! Besides, Professor Snape trusts me. I've never lied to him and
I don't intend to start now!"
"You wouldn't be lying to him, Mr. Filch!" Potter said. "Withholding
information is different. After the Professor finishes gloating, he'll
want to know why you won't confiscate my cloak! Will you tell him that
Professor Dumbledore wants me to have it? It's not safe to make
Professor Snape angry."
"He already suspects that the Headmaster wants you to have the cloak.
When I confirm it, I think he'll be more bitter and hurt than angry.
He'll find the Headmaster's reasons much harder to accept than I do.
He's always felt that your father and his friends got special
treatment."
"Yes, he's mentioned that," Potter said, wryly. "I'd have an easier time
not hating him if he could manage to stop hating my father. Look, isn't
that a good reason not to tell him? He's your friend. You don't want to
upset him, do you?"
Of course I didn't. It was the one argument that might possibly convince
me. Potter was as shrewd as any Slytherin.
For a few moments I remained silent, thinking. Mrs. Norris purred softly
on my knee.
"It can't be helped," I said, finally. "The Professor deserves to know
that he was right, and that's that. Of course it'd make it easier for
everyone concerned if you'd simply try to stay in your bed at night,
come September. Because rest assured, Potter, cloak or no cloak, if I
catch you out of bed in places where you ought not to be, I still intend
to do my duty and insist that you should be punished. The rules exist to
protect you as much as any other student."
Potter had a sober expression on his face. "I understand, Mr. Filch. You
have to do your job. I just hope you understand MY position. I'd love to
not be involved, but the Dark Lord has other ideas. I was in bed when my
parents were killed. I was in bed when Sirius Black broke into
Gryffindor Tower. I slept in the same room as Voldemort's right hand rat
for almost three years. And, no disrespect intended, but there weren't
any teachers around when Quirrel went after the Philosopher's Stone. Can
you imagine what would have happened to me if I had stayed in bed and
let Voldemort be reborn when Wormtail was living in the same dorm as I
was? What could have happened to Ron and the others?
There was a long pause, then the boy sighed. "All I can truthfully
promise is that I'll try. But sometimes things happen, things I hadn't
planned on. Like the Tri-wizard tournament, or the Grey Woman. And the
less people who get involved, the less people there are around me to get
hurt. Or ...worse. Believe me, I want to keep the Castle and everyone in
it safe, just as much as you do."
"That's not your responsibility, Potter!" I protested.
Harry's green eyes looked haunted; old and weary. I'd seen that look
before, not so long ago, on another troubled young face. Who...?
Oh. It had been Severus. So determined to protect the Stone. All alone
if necessary...
I decided to keep that thought to myself. Potter was unlikely to
appreciate the comparison.
Potter studied my face for a few moments, then he must have decided that
we were being too serious, for a spark of mischief gleamed in his eyes
as he added. "If that's not enough, then I'll promise that you will
never SEE me break curfew!"
"Very amusing, boy," I growled. Potter knew that the growl was mostly
for effect, because he smiled.
"I don't work alone, you know," I reminded him, stroking Mrs. Norris. My
cat purred sleepily.
"You ought to be resting," I continued, quietly. "If you're worried
about nightmares, maybe the nurse could give you something. Would you
like me to fetch her?"
Potter shook his head. "I don't want any more sleeping potions. There's
something better that you can do on your own." He looked wistful. "Tell
me some things about my Dad and Sirius and Professor Lupin. You don't
have to pretend that you liked them or anything. Or tell me about my
Mum. Ginny said that you took that sketchbook away from Mum because she
drew a sketch of you. I looked at the drawing. It wasn't as bad as all
that..."
"Hmmph..." I muttered, gruffly, wondering where to start.
To Be Concluded
Authors' Notes:
Andrea13: Thank you!! When my kids and I started reading the Harry
Potter books together (taking turns reading out loud) the chapters
featuring the Dursleys would often make me say "poor baby!" My sons
didn't see Harry as a 'poor baby.' Harry was resourceful and brave and
the Dursleys would surely get what was coming to them someday. I love
the way that the stories have so many different levels. By the time that
we got to "Goblet of Fire" my sons were old enough to read the book on
their own, but we also read quite a lot of it aloud to each other. And,
that scene when Molly Weasley held Harry like a mother, and it was the
first time that he could remember being comforted like that... well, all
of us got choked up. I enjoy seeing the boys appreciate more of the
stories' levels as they get older. -Ozma
Andrea13 -- Thanks! It's really the little details that really show what a person's situation is like. ** I'm glad my nightmare scene worked. -Jelsemium
Alla: Thank you!! Poor Albus, he's got so much pressure on him to be
right all the time. And his choices really were between "bad" and
"worse." I'm sure that he aware that Harry's situation at the Dursleys
is pretty horrible. And I'm sure that he's not happy about it at all.
But he obviously considered the alternative to be even worse, or he
wouldn't have left Harry on Privet Drive. Thinking up Filch's insult was
fun! I'm glad that it made you laugh! Yes, check out Jelsemium's other
stories!! -Ozma
Alla -- Ozma does have a way with words. I thought Filch's comment to Petunia was great. Harry will be sorry that he missed that, if he ever finds out about it. ** Guess I didn't come off as rude, thanks. ** Glad you like my writing! Hope you like my other stories! ** I've just recently taken up the habit of putting Author's Notes at the end of each chapter. Glad they're as fun to read as they are to write! -Jelsemium
Mysterious Unsigned Reviewer: Thank you!! I find Filch a refreshing
character too. He's pretty much the opposite of everything that a hero
usually is; old and unattractive, with a menial job and a sour
disposition. I love his sarcasm and his black sense of humor. I love his
feisty attitude. I love the way that he believes himself to be
completely hard-hearted and unsentimental when the opposite is true. The
old grump is such fun to write! -Ozma
Anonymous -- Thanks! Um, I do have one 'cute Harry falls in love with Ginny' story underway. (But it will have other things in it.) I also have an action packed adventure with Harry, Hermione, Ron and a really big worm. -Jelsemium
Ariana Deralte: Thank you!! -Oooh- Filch action figures, I'll take a
dozen for me and a dozen more for Jelsemium! Regarding why Harry's
situation affects Filch so deeply, see my note to aurendel, below. Filch
also feels ashamed that he didn't pick up on the clues. Thanks for the
kind words on Filch's insult to Petunia! -Ozma
Ariana Deralte -- Ozma did a great job on that scene with Argus and Albus, didn't she? (Argus and Albus sounds like a comedy team, doesn't it?) ** I hope those Filch action figures come with Mrs. Norris and Founder's Doors! -Jelsemium
aurendel: Thank you!! I loved Filch and the Dursleys too! That scene was
so much fun to write. What truly distresses and horrifies Filch about
Harry's situation is the way that Harry's family considers him a shame
and an embarrassment. Filch's parents loved him and cared for him,
despite his "disability" and Filch expects most families to be like the
norm that he's used to. Filch was taught to work hard because his
parents wanted to make sure he would be able to earn his keep. With
their mistreatment of Harry, the Dursleys have completely twisted the
work-ethic that Filch holds so dear. They've turned their own flesh and
blood into a virtual house-elf!
Yes, Filch will eventually apologize to Severus for not believing him. I
loved your description of Snape's shoulder-chip! -Ozma
aurendel -- Yes, Filch is finding out that not even Famous Harry Potter has it all his own way all the time. Or even much of the time. ** I think Snape would be a lot happier if he'd just realize that the Gryffindor success is not just dumb luck. (Not that dumb luck hasn't been a factor.) ** Somehow I can see Snape and Sirius making the same complaint... "You always favor HIM!" -Jelsemium
Persephone Kore: Thank you!! Yes, Dumbledore did turn Filch's world
upside down. I had fun with the scene where Harry pointed out all the
ways that Filch had made him behave. Filch understands Mrs. Norris
pretty well, for a human who doesn't speak `cat.' But McGonagall gives
him literal translations every now and then. -Ozma
Persephone Kore -- Thanks for the review! ** I'm not sure that understanding Mrs. Norris all the time would be a good thing. There are some comments best left to the imagination. -Jelsemium
shadowycat: Thank you!! I agree that the spell of familial protection
would be strongest if there was love present between Harry and the
Dursleys. But Harry clearly inspires some very powerful feelings in
Petunia. Old bitterness, terrible jealousy, all the things that can
never be resolved between Lily and Petunia. These feelings can create
some pretty potent connections as well. My take on the situation is that
Dumbledore's spell can somehow channel powerful emotions into a
protective spell, even if they're negative feelings.
Harry was afraid that Voldemort could see him too, but so far there's
been no evidence that the connection is two-way. For Harry's sake, I
hope it isn't.
Yes, Filch was terribly frightened to hear Dumbledore admit that he
might have made a wrong choice. And it's a brilliant point (with which
I completely agree) that Snape would be unnerved as well to hear the same admission from Albus. You're right, this puts a terrible burden on Dumbledore. Probably one of the reasons that Albus enjoys his friendships with unusual beings such as Hypatia, the Sphinx. -Ozma
shadowycat -- I've always thought that the spell that protects Harry is based, in part anyway, on the fact that Harry's an orphan, and that he was orphaned by violence. If it was just a matter of blood relatives, then why not put that spell on the Potters earlier? I don't think it's based on love for the same reason. ** I don't know if Voldemort can see Harry. That was not really based on anything but Harry's fears. ** Yes, Dumbledore has a big burden, doesn't he? He can't afford to make mistakes, and yet he's only human. -Jelsemium
Spark-Chick: Thank you!! Hyperextending your knee and biting through
your lip... OUCH!! Be careful running to the car!! -Ozma
Spark-Chick -- You poor thing! Sorry to hear about your past experiences with hyper extended knees and bitten lips. ** Congratulations on your Trivia Bowl win! ** Thanks for the praise! -Jelsemium
Aeryn Alexander: Thank you!! Harry's nightmare gave me the shivers too!
(Jelsemium wrote that chilling scene.) -Ozma
Aeryn Alexander -- Thanks for the review, and for telling us what part you especially liked. I agree that Dumbledore admitting that he might have chosen unwisely is scary, but understandable. Ozma did a good job with that! ** Glad the nightmare gave you shivers. It gave me the shivers when I wrote it, so I figured that it was going to work. -Jelsemium
Larania: Thank you!! 'With practice, would Filch be able to see through
invisibility cloaks?' Hmmm. Good question. I don't think that he'd
actually be able to SEE through one, but it's conceivable that he could
learn to sense the "void." (Moody just LOVES that idea. Perhaps next
term he'll ask Harry stay up late with his permission, so Filch can
practice stalking him.) -Ozma
Larania -- I don't know that Filch would be able to see through Invisibility Cloaks, but he might be able to sense the presence of one. Could give poor Harry a nasty shock some night. (Better yet, give some other Invisibilty Cloak owner a nasty surprise. Could be more than one of the things at Hogwarts!) -Jelsemium
aniwda: Thank you!! You've described how wonderful it feels to read
reviews!! Ah, fan-fic writing and reviewing can be such a delightfully
symbiotic process! -Ozma
aniwda -- Thanks, glad we can help brighten up your day! -Jelsemium
A. Lee: Thank you!! Poor Filch. Harry and the Invisibility Cloak may
well become Filch's next big lesson with Moody... -Ozma
A. Lee -- Thanks for the review! Yes, it was a shock for Argus to learn that Harry has the Invisibilty Cloak. I wonder what his reaction will be if he finds out that James had the cloak, too? It might explain a lot of things to him.
-Jelsemium
a Harry Potter fan-fic
by Ozma and Jelsemium
a sequel to Squib Caretaker
Chapter Eight: The Squib and The Boy Who Lived
All recognizable characters copyrighted by J.K. Rowling.
The less recognizable ones might be under your bed.
Maybe you should charge rent.
Harry stirred uneasily, pushing against the stifling warmth that kept
him pinned. He had to keep quiet or they would hear. He must not attract
their attention. He had to get out, he had to... had to... be quiet... or
Voldemort would hear him. Voldemort was going to...
Harry bit down to keep from screaming.
...Bit down on something waxy. Instinctively, Harry tried to spit it out,
but it wouldn't budge. The effort woke him up and he tried to spit
again, but only managed a slight gargling noise. He tried to roll onto
his side, to reach up and feel for the source of the waxy taste in his
mouth, but his arms were pinned to his side and he couldn't move.
"Easy, Potter," a familiar voice grumped. "No need to get in a tizzy."
Somebody pulled the waxy gag out of his mouth, leaving trails of drool
all down Harry's chin.
Harry blinked up and, after a few seconds, identified the speaker. "Mr.
Filch!"
Panicked, Harry managed to push himself free of the entangling blankets.
He shoved himself back until he fetched up against the headboard. "I
didn't fall asleep during detention, did I? No? I did, didn't I? What's
the penalty for that?" He drew his knees up and buried his head in his
arms. "Oh, it just figures, I'll go down in "Hogwarts: A History" as the
only person to get detention during detention!"
"Potter!" Filch said, gruffly. "Relax, boy. You're at St. Mungo's. Not
at Hogwarts. And you haven't got detention. I've got the summer off too,
don't I? Besides, you haven't done anything wrong."
Cautiously, Harry peeked up at the caretaker. Filch was battered and
exhausted. Mrs. Norris, who was curled up fast asleep on the old man's
knee, looked more tired than Harry had ever seen her.
"You look terrible," Harry blurted out, wiping at his chin.
Filch snorted. "You're not a very likely candidate for the cover of
Witch-Weekly yourself at the moment."
"No... I meant that you and Mrs. Norris almost died... I'm sorry."
"If you don't stop apologizing, Potter, I'm going to stick this thing
back in your mouth," Filch growled. "The Nurse put it there so you
wouldn't bite your lip again, but it also kept you from spouting
nonsense. You've done absolutely nothing that you ought to feel sorry
for!"
*******
I really hadn't meant to snap at Potter. My talk with the Headmaster had
left me unsettled and uneasy and the scared look on Potter's pale face
when he'd awakened and recognized me had filled me with shame. Of course
the boy was afraid of me. Didn't I *want* to have that effect on the
students? Hadn't I bragged about it to Potter's cousin?
I was in fine company, too. It seemed that those Dursleys had done a
pretty fair job of scaring Potter themselves. Locking him up in a
cupboard when they weren't forcing him to slave away like the most
wretched of house-elves. He'd rather chew his lip to bloody ribbons than
anger them. And I was no better than they were. No wonder he looked at
me like that.
I stroked Mrs. Norris. She purred sleepily, which soothed me a bit.
"Speaking of detentions, I can't have you clean the Castle any more..." I
muttered. "It's not a punishment for you, is it? Just business as usual.
I suppose that Aunt of yours is every bit as exacting a taskmaster as I
am."
"Oh, no, she's even worse," Potter said. Then he looked chagrined, as if
he wasn't sure if he'd insulted me or not. "Sometimes you tell me when
I've done a good job," Potter offered. "Aunt Petunia never does."
That wasn't much of a consolation.
"Oh, Merlin, everything I say is coming out wrong," groaned Potter. He
scrunched back into the bed. "I mean, I should be thanking you for
risking your life to save mine, but everything's coming out RUDE!" He
caught his lower lip with his teeth.
I glared at him. Thankfully, he caught on before I had to wave the wax
gag under his nose.
There was a long silence while he got himself propped up in the bed.
Finally, he said "Mr. Filch? Could we, erm, start this conversation
over? I mean, I wasn't properly awake the first time and I was still
sort of stuck in the last nightmare and I wasn't being very, what I... oh,
Merlin." He stuck his hand out.
"Thank you for coming to my rescue, Mr. Filch," he said formally. "I
wish there was some way that I could repay you."
"You don't have to repay me, Potter, I was just doing my job."
"Almost getting killed for a student isn't part of your job," Potter
protested.
"No," I said with exaggerated huffiness. "Almost getting killed BY a
student is more the norm." I gave him the evil eye. (Like a Squib could
actually make that trick work.)
Potter looked startled, then he managed a faint smile. "I hope you
realize it's not deliberate," he looked down at his hands and made an
effort to straighten his blankets. "Some of us don't mean to be bad, it
just... comes out that way."
"You're not bad, Potter," I said. "Trust me, I've seen much worse than
you." I gave him a sideways look. "A little discipline is all you need."
I tried for a joke. "As I was saying, since cleaning doesn't bother you,
I'll have to come up with something else; something really special just
for you."
Potter looked at me wide-eyed, then his lips twitched. "Oh, NO, Mr.
Filch," he said with the same look of wounded innocence that his father
used to try on me. (Harry was much more convincing than James had ever
been.) "You don't need to go to all that extra effort on MY behalf. The
usual, run-of-the-mill detention will be FINE!"
He looked at his hands again and his smile grew shy. "That's something
else I'm grateful for, by the way. That you've never treated me
differently than you treat the other students."
"Where it matters most, you're NOT any different from the other
students," I told him. "Brats, the lot of you. Messy and thoughtless and
inconsiderate..."
My voice trailed off in a sigh. I stopped my litany of grouchy
complaints. They were safe, familiar, and they were even making the boy
smile, but Potter deserved more honesty from me.
"Potter," I said, gruffly, "the things about you that are different... you
didn't ask for them. It's plain that you'd be perfectly happy if you
were The Boy That Nobody Ever Heard Of, and you could have your own Mum
and Dad alive and well and waiting for you to come home to them on
Holidays..."
The boy blinked a few times rapidly, but kept looking at me.
"...where, undoubtedly, they'd scold you for all the mischief you'd got
yourself into during the term," I continued. "Though James couldn't have
been too cross with you, seeing how he got into plenty of trouble
himself. And Lily never seemed like the type to stay angry for long
either so they wouldn't have been too hard on you."
Potter looked wistful. "Thank you for not saying anything too bad about
my Dad. I don't suppose that you must have liked him very much."
I snorted. "How would you feel about someone who'd blown up your toilet?
Though your godfather told me recently that the exploding toilet was an
accident. They were trying to get rid of some fireworks..."
Potter was trying not to grin and failing miserably. I didn't mind the
grin, but I tried not to show it.
*******
Filch was trying to cheer him up. Actually, he was succeeding, more from
the fact that he was trying than from anything he said. "I guess I owe
you a toilet, if nothing else," Harry said gravely. He was rewarded with
a sardonic look from Filch and a catly smirk from a sleepy Mrs. Norris.
Harry fiddled with the blankets a little. "Mr. Filch? Would you do me a
favor?"
Filch eyed him warily. "It depends on the favor, Potter."
"Would you NOT tell Sn... Professor Snape that you know about the
Invisibility Cloak?"
Filch shook his head. "Listen, Potter, if Ron Weasley or Hermione
Granger had been right about something for years and you kept telling
them that they were wrong, only to find out that YOU were the one who
was wrong... would YOU deprive them of the chance to gloat?"
"But Ron and Hermione don't even LIKE to gloat!" Harry paused and
reconsidered this. "Well, maybe Ron does a little, but Hermione is above
that sort of thing, really."
"Don't be cheeky, you know what I mean. It wouldn't be fair."
Harry snorted. "FAIR? Since when is Snape FAIR?"
"That's Professor Snape to you, boy."
"And why should I show any respect for a bullying git..."
Filch looked annoyed. "He's not..."
"He is! He's worse than the Dursleys! He's as bad as Vol..." Harry choked
to a stop because Filch had lunged forward and shoved the wax gag back
into his mouth.
"Enough! Sn... Professor Snape is an honorable man," Filch snapped.
Harry tried to glare, but suddenly his vision blurred and his eyes were
burning. Oh, Merlin, please don't let him burst into tears now.
Something about his expression must have given Filch pause. The
caretaker averted his eyes and moved away, allowing Harry to pull the
wax gag out again and swipe at his eyes.
Filch sighed. "I'm sorry, Potter. I know that Professor Snape isn't
exactly fair when it comes to Gryffindors in general and you in
particular. But he's not a bad man, really he isn't. He's saved my life,
and yours as well. Please don't classify him with You Know Who."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm asking you not to ... and because you SAID you wanted to
repay me for saving your life," Filch said.
Harry's eyes went wide. "Oh. I..." he slumped down. He buried his head in
his arms and tried to organize his thoughts for a long time. Filch
obviously liked Snape, and Harry had always known that Dumbledore liked
and trusted Snape. He couldn't get past everything that Snape had done
to him, or had said about his father, though. He knew that Snape had
only saved him to repay his debt to Harry's Dad. But he didn't want to
part on bad terms with Filch, not after what they'd been through.
Finally he gained control of his jumbled thoughts long enough to say:
"I'm sorry I lost my temper. I'll try not to hate him. I promise I'll
never compare him to... to the Dark Lord again."
Filch sighed and sat back on the other bed. "Thank you, Potter."
Harry finally realized that Filch was a patient, too. "I hope you're not
badly hurt, sir," he said, a trifle lamely.
Filch was apparently ready to accept an olive branch, no matter how
lame. "No, they just wanted to keep me for observation," he said.
There was a long silence as they both calmed down. After a while, Filch
broke it. "So, you were on the stairs that night," he said. "And yes, I
do realize I owe you something for that."
"Owe me for what?" Harry asked. Some of his attention was diverted and
he dabbed at his lower lip. It was itching as it healed. He wondered why
the Nurse hadn't healed it completely like Madam Pomfrey would have.
Maybe she wasn't as powerful?
"For keeping that urn from falling on my head the night that I knocked
Moody down the stairs," Filch elaborated.
Harry shook his head. "Oh, I hadn't thought about that," he said.
"You're welcome, by the way."
"Then what did you think I meant?"
"I thought you meant that night during the Tri-Wizard Tournament when
Barty Crouch, Jr., disguised as Professor Moody, broke into Snape's
office."
Filch's mouth flickered. "I'd already figured out you were there, then.
Professor Snape said as much, but I didn't believe him." He looked
curiously at Harry. "Where exactly were you?"
Harry made a wry face. "I forgot about the trick step on that
staircase," he admitted ruefully.
"Got stuck, did you?" Filch seemed as if he were trying not to crow.
"I'm surprised that Professor Snape didn't catch you."
"He almost did," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "If he had taken one more
step, I think I would have died of a heart attack... or maybe sheer
embarrassment."
"It would have served you right," Filch said, still amused.
Harry pulled a face at him, but didn't answer verbally. This time, the
silence was a comfortable one, and it lasted until Harry broke it
timidly. "Mr. Filch? Do you have to tell Professor Snape right away?"
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"I mean, do you have to tell him that you know about the Invisibility
Cloak as soon as you see him? Can you wait until later in the term, when
he's in a particularly foul mood and off on one of his usual rants about
me... then you can just casually throw in that you know about the cloak?
It might be amusing..." Of course, it could get Filch turned into a toad,
Harry realized.
Filch sighed. Apparently he realized it, too.
Harry shot him a sideways look. "I'll let you borrow it," he wheedled.
*******
I was aware that his offer was an attempt at bribery. Nevertheless,
Potter was actually willing to loan me something as rare and valuable as
his Invisibility Cloak! Where had he learned such generosity of spirit?
Certainly not from those Muggles...
I could not help mulling over the possibilities. Why, I could catch
Peeves at all sorts of mischief, to say nothing of what I could catch
the students at...!
My grin became a frown. What was I thinking? How could I possibly expect
Potter to choose restraint over temptation if I couldn't manage to set
him a decent example?
"Nice try, Potter," I said, gruffly, "but I can't be bribed. If the
Headmaster didn't feel so strongly that you need to keep that cloak with
you, I'd insist that you put it in a Gringotts' vault as soon as
possible! Besides, Professor Snape trusts me. I've never lied to him and
I don't intend to start now!"
"You wouldn't be lying to him, Mr. Filch!" Potter said. "Withholding
information is different. After the Professor finishes gloating, he'll
want to know why you won't confiscate my cloak! Will you tell him that
Professor Dumbledore wants me to have it? It's not safe to make
Professor Snape angry."
"He already suspects that the Headmaster wants you to have the cloak.
When I confirm it, I think he'll be more bitter and hurt than angry.
He'll find the Headmaster's reasons much harder to accept than I do.
He's always felt that your father and his friends got special
treatment."
"Yes, he's mentioned that," Potter said, wryly. "I'd have an easier time
not hating him if he could manage to stop hating my father. Look, isn't
that a good reason not to tell him? He's your friend. You don't want to
upset him, do you?"
Of course I didn't. It was the one argument that might possibly convince
me. Potter was as shrewd as any Slytherin.
For a few moments I remained silent, thinking. Mrs. Norris purred softly
on my knee.
"It can't be helped," I said, finally. "The Professor deserves to know
that he was right, and that's that. Of course it'd make it easier for
everyone concerned if you'd simply try to stay in your bed at night,
come September. Because rest assured, Potter, cloak or no cloak, if I
catch you out of bed in places where you ought not to be, I still intend
to do my duty and insist that you should be punished. The rules exist to
protect you as much as any other student."
Potter had a sober expression on his face. "I understand, Mr. Filch. You
have to do your job. I just hope you understand MY position. I'd love to
not be involved, but the Dark Lord has other ideas. I was in bed when my
parents were killed. I was in bed when Sirius Black broke into
Gryffindor Tower. I slept in the same room as Voldemort's right hand rat
for almost three years. And, no disrespect intended, but there weren't
any teachers around when Quirrel went after the Philosopher's Stone. Can
you imagine what would have happened to me if I had stayed in bed and
let Voldemort be reborn when Wormtail was living in the same dorm as I
was? What could have happened to Ron and the others?
There was a long pause, then the boy sighed. "All I can truthfully
promise is that I'll try. But sometimes things happen, things I hadn't
planned on. Like the Tri-wizard tournament, or the Grey Woman. And the
less people who get involved, the less people there are around me to get
hurt. Or ...worse. Believe me, I want to keep the Castle and everyone in
it safe, just as much as you do."
"That's not your responsibility, Potter!" I protested.
Harry's green eyes looked haunted; old and weary. I'd seen that look
before, not so long ago, on another troubled young face. Who...?
Oh. It had been Severus. So determined to protect the Stone. All alone
if necessary...
I decided to keep that thought to myself. Potter was unlikely to
appreciate the comparison.
Potter studied my face for a few moments, then he must have decided that
we were being too serious, for a spark of mischief gleamed in his eyes
as he added. "If that's not enough, then I'll promise that you will
never SEE me break curfew!"
"Very amusing, boy," I growled. Potter knew that the growl was mostly
for effect, because he smiled.
"I don't work alone, you know," I reminded him, stroking Mrs. Norris. My
cat purred sleepily.
"You ought to be resting," I continued, quietly. "If you're worried
about nightmares, maybe the nurse could give you something. Would you
like me to fetch her?"
Potter shook his head. "I don't want any more sleeping potions. There's
something better that you can do on your own." He looked wistful. "Tell
me some things about my Dad and Sirius and Professor Lupin. You don't
have to pretend that you liked them or anything. Or tell me about my
Mum. Ginny said that you took that sketchbook away from Mum because she
drew a sketch of you. I looked at the drawing. It wasn't as bad as all
that..."
"Hmmph..." I muttered, gruffly, wondering where to start.
To Be Concluded
Authors' Notes:
Andrea13: Thank you!! When my kids and I started reading the Harry
Potter books together (taking turns reading out loud) the chapters
featuring the Dursleys would often make me say "poor baby!" My sons
didn't see Harry as a 'poor baby.' Harry was resourceful and brave and
the Dursleys would surely get what was coming to them someday. I love
the way that the stories have so many different levels. By the time that
we got to "Goblet of Fire" my sons were old enough to read the book on
their own, but we also read quite a lot of it aloud to each other. And,
that scene when Molly Weasley held Harry like a mother, and it was the
first time that he could remember being comforted like that... well, all
of us got choked up. I enjoy seeing the boys appreciate more of the
stories' levels as they get older. -Ozma
Andrea13 -- Thanks! It's really the little details that really show what a person's situation is like. ** I'm glad my nightmare scene worked. -Jelsemium
Alla: Thank you!! Poor Albus, he's got so much pressure on him to be
right all the time. And his choices really were between "bad" and
"worse." I'm sure that he aware that Harry's situation at the Dursleys
is pretty horrible. And I'm sure that he's not happy about it at all.
But he obviously considered the alternative to be even worse, or he
wouldn't have left Harry on Privet Drive. Thinking up Filch's insult was
fun! I'm glad that it made you laugh! Yes, check out Jelsemium's other
stories!! -Ozma
Alla -- Ozma does have a way with words. I thought Filch's comment to Petunia was great. Harry will be sorry that he missed that, if he ever finds out about it. ** Guess I didn't come off as rude, thanks. ** Glad you like my writing! Hope you like my other stories! ** I've just recently taken up the habit of putting Author's Notes at the end of each chapter. Glad they're as fun to read as they are to write! -Jelsemium
Mysterious Unsigned Reviewer: Thank you!! I find Filch a refreshing
character too. He's pretty much the opposite of everything that a hero
usually is; old and unattractive, with a menial job and a sour
disposition. I love his sarcasm and his black sense of humor. I love his
feisty attitude. I love the way that he believes himself to be
completely hard-hearted and unsentimental when the opposite is true. The
old grump is such fun to write! -Ozma
Anonymous -- Thanks! Um, I do have one 'cute Harry falls in love with Ginny' story underway. (But it will have other things in it.) I also have an action packed adventure with Harry, Hermione, Ron and a really big worm. -Jelsemium
Ariana Deralte: Thank you!! -Oooh- Filch action figures, I'll take a
dozen for me and a dozen more for Jelsemium! Regarding why Harry's
situation affects Filch so deeply, see my note to aurendel, below. Filch
also feels ashamed that he didn't pick up on the clues. Thanks for the
kind words on Filch's insult to Petunia! -Ozma
Ariana Deralte -- Ozma did a great job on that scene with Argus and Albus, didn't she? (Argus and Albus sounds like a comedy team, doesn't it?) ** I hope those Filch action figures come with Mrs. Norris and Founder's Doors! -Jelsemium
aurendel: Thank you!! I loved Filch and the Dursleys too! That scene was
so much fun to write. What truly distresses and horrifies Filch about
Harry's situation is the way that Harry's family considers him a shame
and an embarrassment. Filch's parents loved him and cared for him,
despite his "disability" and Filch expects most families to be like the
norm that he's used to. Filch was taught to work hard because his
parents wanted to make sure he would be able to earn his keep. With
their mistreatment of Harry, the Dursleys have completely twisted the
work-ethic that Filch holds so dear. They've turned their own flesh and
blood into a virtual house-elf!
Yes, Filch will eventually apologize to Severus for not believing him. I
loved your description of Snape's shoulder-chip! -Ozma
aurendel -- Yes, Filch is finding out that not even Famous Harry Potter has it all his own way all the time. Or even much of the time. ** I think Snape would be a lot happier if he'd just realize that the Gryffindor success is not just dumb luck. (Not that dumb luck hasn't been a factor.) ** Somehow I can see Snape and Sirius making the same complaint... "You always favor HIM!" -Jelsemium
Persephone Kore: Thank you!! Yes, Dumbledore did turn Filch's world
upside down. I had fun with the scene where Harry pointed out all the
ways that Filch had made him behave. Filch understands Mrs. Norris
pretty well, for a human who doesn't speak `cat.' But McGonagall gives
him literal translations every now and then. -Ozma
Persephone Kore -- Thanks for the review! ** I'm not sure that understanding Mrs. Norris all the time would be a good thing. There are some comments best left to the imagination. -Jelsemium
shadowycat: Thank you!! I agree that the spell of familial protection
would be strongest if there was love present between Harry and the
Dursleys. But Harry clearly inspires some very powerful feelings in
Petunia. Old bitterness, terrible jealousy, all the things that can
never be resolved between Lily and Petunia. These feelings can create
some pretty potent connections as well. My take on the situation is that
Dumbledore's spell can somehow channel powerful emotions into a
protective spell, even if they're negative feelings.
Harry was afraid that Voldemort could see him too, but so far there's
been no evidence that the connection is two-way. For Harry's sake, I
hope it isn't.
Yes, Filch was terribly frightened to hear Dumbledore admit that he
might have made a wrong choice. And it's a brilliant point (with which
I completely agree) that Snape would be unnerved as well to hear the same admission from Albus. You're right, this puts a terrible burden on Dumbledore. Probably one of the reasons that Albus enjoys his friendships with unusual beings such as Hypatia, the Sphinx. -Ozma
shadowycat -- I've always thought that the spell that protects Harry is based, in part anyway, on the fact that Harry's an orphan, and that he was orphaned by violence. If it was just a matter of blood relatives, then why not put that spell on the Potters earlier? I don't think it's based on love for the same reason. ** I don't know if Voldemort can see Harry. That was not really based on anything but Harry's fears. ** Yes, Dumbledore has a big burden, doesn't he? He can't afford to make mistakes, and yet he's only human. -Jelsemium
Spark-Chick: Thank you!! Hyperextending your knee and biting through
your lip... OUCH!! Be careful running to the car!! -Ozma
Spark-Chick -- You poor thing! Sorry to hear about your past experiences with hyper extended knees and bitten lips. ** Congratulations on your Trivia Bowl win! ** Thanks for the praise! -Jelsemium
Aeryn Alexander: Thank you!! Harry's nightmare gave me the shivers too!
(Jelsemium wrote that chilling scene.) -Ozma
Aeryn Alexander -- Thanks for the review, and for telling us what part you especially liked. I agree that Dumbledore admitting that he might have chosen unwisely is scary, but understandable. Ozma did a good job with that! ** Glad the nightmare gave you shivers. It gave me the shivers when I wrote it, so I figured that it was going to work. -Jelsemium
Larania: Thank you!! 'With practice, would Filch be able to see through
invisibility cloaks?' Hmmm. Good question. I don't think that he'd
actually be able to SEE through one, but it's conceivable that he could
learn to sense the "void." (Moody just LOVES that idea. Perhaps next
term he'll ask Harry stay up late with his permission, so Filch can
practice stalking him.) -Ozma
Larania -- I don't know that Filch would be able to see through Invisibility Cloaks, but he might be able to sense the presence of one. Could give poor Harry a nasty shock some night. (Better yet, give some other Invisibilty Cloak owner a nasty surprise. Could be more than one of the things at Hogwarts!) -Jelsemium
aniwda: Thank you!! You've described how wonderful it feels to read
reviews!! Ah, fan-fic writing and reviewing can be such a delightfully
symbiotic process! -Ozma
aniwda -- Thanks, glad we can help brighten up your day! -Jelsemium
A. Lee: Thank you!! Poor Filch. Harry and the Invisibility Cloak may
well become Filch's next big lesson with Moody... -Ozma
A. Lee -- Thanks for the review! Yes, it was a shock for Argus to learn that Harry has the Invisibilty Cloak. I wonder what his reaction will be if he finds out that James had the cloak, too? It might explain a lot of things to him.
-Jelsemium