Chapter Forty-One
The next two weeks in the Filch household went by quickly. Argus was enjoying being at home for once. He and Lucy were looking through one of his ghost books on the couch downstairs. Lilac briefly looking over as she was making dinner in the kitchen. She almost burned one of the duck meats to a crisp on the stove, making her quickly remove it. Slapping it down on one of the slabs, Lucy heard this small commotion as she asked...
"Do you want any help, Mrs Filch?"
"No, Lucy. Not at all...You're a guest here" Lilac quickly replied with a smile.
Lucy just smiled back before looking back down on Argus' book. There was nothing in there that could help get rid of Peeves. It was just mostly about getting rid of demons, something Peeves was not (though he may as well be according to Argus). For he hated the poltergeist, he made his already difficult life even harder. He already complained to Headmaster Dippet, the elderly wizard just told him to ignore him.
"I already tried the sugar and he just used it back on me. Oakleigh said that he can't be rid off. He annoys him too but he can use spells against him to make him quiet and so he's just bullying me now instead" Argus expressed with a sigh.
"I know. He's awful" Lucy spoke back.
The squib just giving a shrug as he closed the book. Leaning against her as they held hands. Mrs Filch looking over again and she felt slightly guilty she couldn't give her son any comfort like that. She just felt so disgusted in his squib status that she can barely touch him. She's produced a muggle in her eyes! That was worse than being a muggle-born (or magbob as she called them) in the wizarding world. Even among more accepting families, squibs were seen as something to be hidden. They were a problem that could never be fixed.
"Is Peeves really that awful to him, Lucy?" Lilac suddenly asked, taking an interest at last in her youngest son's ongoing problem.
"Yes. He doesn't let him sleep, Mrs Filch. And Hogwarts won't do anything about it or least, they can't do anything about it" Lucy answered; turning her head towards her again.
"I don't recall him being that bad when I was there"
"That's because you were a student, mother" Argus spoke up, still holding onto Lucy's hand.
The witch just gave a small nervous chortle as she looked away again. Even now, she never spoke to him; it was like something invisible was preventing her from doing so. Argus was use to it by now but it still broke his heart. Especially in moments like this when he thought she might speak to him again like old times. Lucy didn't know what she could do really but at least she was speaking about him, even if it was just to her.
"Argus attended a care of magical creatures lesson with me. Did you know? Newt Scamander gave us a special lesson" Lucy said.
"Oh yes. Archibald told me. I use to attend school with him. Never thought he would amount to anything, funny how things work out" Lilac replied.
"People can surprise you"
"Yes I suppose they can"
Lucy gave her a second smile on this. The door soon swung open as Archibald came in all muddy as he and his friends had played some rough quidditch. Lilac was slightly outraged as she tutted at him. He had trodden mud all over her carpet! She shouted...
"Clean that up before you go up, Archibald Bard Filch!"
"I always do, mother dearest...Aguamenti!" Archibald began.
Water going all over his muddy clothes and broomstick. The floor was soon filled with water. The mud however had washed away. He had a cheeky grin however and his brother knew exactly his plan. Before he could warn Lucy, water splashed onto the couch where they were both sitting. Lucy giving a small squeal as she ducked for cover behind the couch. Argus giving a yelp as his brother began chasing him around the room with the water coming from his wand.
"Grow up, Archibald!" Lilac yelled as she watched her giggling son chase his younger brother around the room.
"You aren't allowed to use magic outside of school" Argus reminded him in mid-chase.
"I can in my household when my mother's at home" Archibald replied with another cheeky grin.
His brother giving another yelp as water went up his nose. Lucy getting out her own wand as she shouted..."Expelliarmus!"
Archibald's wand flew out of his hand and the water spell was broken. The older boy turning around to see her. He gave her a smile as if he was impressed, quick thinking he thought. He almost forgot another witch was in the room, he put his hand up to admit defeat. Picking up his wand and walking back towards the now wet ground as he just said a spell to blow hot air into the soggy carpet. Soon it was all clean and dry.
"Don't ever do that again!" Argus yelled at his brother.
"Well now you said it...I'm going to do it twice again" Archibald replied.
"Just get upstairs and stop annoying your brother and his friend. I'll shout you down when dinner's ready" Lilac demanded from the kitchen.
The teenage lad gave one last grin before departing upstairs. His broomstick in one hand as he rushed to his bedroom. Lucy wished she knew the spell for hot air but she didn't. His mother however thankfully came to the rescue as she said the spell and he was as dry as a bone in no time. The two of them sat back down on the couch.
...
In the Hogwarts library, Tom Riddle was sat with a book about dangerous magical creatures. A muggle-born girl from Hufflepuff made her way over to him as she sat across from him with her own book. He was aware he now had company as he looked up in confused anger. She was a ginger-haired third-year girl called Elizabeth Gibson. Her book was about magical creatures as well. The Slytherin boy just stared at her for a few moments before asking...
"Can I help you?"
"Oh no...I just saw you sitting on your own and thought you might want company. It must be lonely being the only Slytherin left during Christmas and Easter break. Us muggle-borns have to stick together" Elizabeth answered politely.
"I'm not a muggle-born!" Tom snapped; losing his temper slightly. He fixed his sleeve quickly as he looked back down.
"Sorry...I just presumed because you live in a muggle orphanage like me. It's nothing to be ashamed about" Elizabeth tried to assure him.
Not knowing every word she breathed made him seethe. She really was only trying to be nice to the only Slytherin student left behind. Tom didn't want to bring anymore attention to himself so he just remained quiet. Hoping she would just leave him alone. Though the girl just kept talking as she tried to relate to him as she explained how she doesn't know her parents either as they died when she was very young. Though he didn't even want to talk to those he called "mudbloods".
"I don't care about your stupid little issues, mudblood. Now leave me alone before I get my house onto you and then you can join your dead parents in the rotten grave along with all the other parasites" Tom hissed quietly.
"What? I don't understand...Why would you say such cruel words? I thought you would understand"
"Are you deaf as well as stupid? I don't want to talk to your kind and I will never be able to relate to you. You're just a parasite and you should had died alongside your dear old muggle mother"
This harsh response made the girl well up as she picked up her book from the table. Leaving the library in tears. Tom barely reacted as he just looked down upon his book, barely flinching. Writing down more notes in his diary as if nothing was even said. Her friends quickly walking after her as they managed to catch up with her. Elizabeth really thought he would have understood.
"I'm alright. Really...I should have trusted everyone when they told me not to bother with him but I thought he would be different alone" Elizabeth spoke to them, wiping away more tears.
"A handsome face doesn't make a handsome heart" her friend responded with her arm around her.
The three muggle-born Hufflepuff girls thus left the hallway and went towards their common room. Elizabeth promising to not let him get her down.
...
The two weeks were up as Hogwarts was filled once again with students. The days back went by very quickly. Lessons resumed and homework piled up even more so due to upcoming exams. Lucy felt overwhelmed by the amount she got and now she had to think about her elective subjects for year three. She was really keen on choosing care of magical creatures. Her second option was more difficult as she looked through her options during breakfast one morning. She gathered however that she should pick divination. Recalling Argus' love for the textbook.
"Is it any good, Ruth?" Lucy questioned her as she pointed towards the word 'divination'.
"Depends if you're a sceptic or not. We do dream diaries and the like, I believe it myself but if you don't, the subject can become very tiresome. Professor Janus is lovely but he's cranky and obsessed with dreams. Sometimes he makes us nap to see if we see anything" Ruth explained.
"Professor Janus? I never seen him"
"He doesn't come down often. He mostly stays in his room"
"Oh. Do you think I would like it?
"Depends. Do you think it's real?"
"Well not really but Argus does. So does his mother as she has dream meaning books and things. I personally think it's not real but maybe that's because I grew up with muggles-"
"No Lucy. No...You don't choose this subject because Argus wants you to. This is your education, not his" Ruth reminded her firmly.
"He will be really upset with me. He wants the textbook and he wants me to pick it so he can read it. He will help me with the homework he said and everything if I choose it" Lucy exposited.
"He won't do anything. He will take the textbook for himself and let you deal with the difficult stuff. I bet you ten galleons" Victoria chimed in.
The other girls nodding in agreement. Before Lucy could reply, the lad in question wandered in with his mop and bucket. He walked over towards the table and began scoffing the breakfast away as always. Ruth, Victoria and Poppy glaring in his general direction. They just accepted he was Lucy's friend by this point but that didn't mean they liked him suddenly.
"Argus. I heard you want Lucy to choose divination so you can have the textbook. Don't you think that's a little selfish?" Ruth questioned rhetorically.
Argus looked at Lucy with a scoff. He didn't like that she told them that. She just looked down on her breakfast, avoiding his now frosty gaze. Archibald looking over from the Ravenclaw table again. He overheard as always as he forced himself up and walked over, leaning in between an amused Victoria and Ruth. He agreed with the girls actually.
"You can have my old textbook, Argus. All you needed to do was ask...Now let Lucy choose a subject she likes. I wouldn't wish divination on anybody" Archibald said.
"Really?" Argus asked him with scepticism.
"Yes. I dropped the subject. The textbook means nothing to me now...Do we have a deal?"
"Yes"
"Alright then" Argus agreed with his arms crossed.
His brother leaned back and returned to his table. Lucy felt his eyes go back on her as he gave a sigh. Giving her a hand a small tap as if to say it was alright now which made her breath a sigh of relief. She hated when he shouted at her, Archibald saved the day again really. She looked back onto the subjects and announced she would be choosing the 'Study of Ancient Runes'.
"You won't have much time for fun, Tom" Nott was heard saying on the Slytherin table.
As Tom had wrote three elective subjects he was taking. Which were 'Arithmancy', 'Divination' and 'Study of Ancient Runes'. He knew he couldn't take all of them and had to cut out 'Care of Magical Creatures' due to time. Muggle studies of course wasn't even an option. He was quite pained about missing out on care of magical creatures as he knew they could become quite useful to him in time. He was planning on speaking to Slughorn about it.
"I would have taken four had it been possible" Tom admitted.
"You are so smart, Tom" Walburga spoke.
Eileen scoffing loudly on the other side. Making them stare, even more so when they noticed she had written down 'Care of Magical Creatures' and 'Muggle Studies'. She was the only Slytherin pureblood to be wanting to take that dreaded subject and they were naturally disgusted.
"Traitor!" Druella hissed at her as if she said something offensive regarding her.
"Anything to avoid seeing you lot in class is worth it" Eileen hissed back.
Picking up her piece of paper and leaving the sneering table. The other reason she wanted to take muggle studies was because she wanted to understand Tobias Snape's life more.
...
TBC