Chocolate Frogs

by iwasbotwp

A series of vignettes depicting the reactions various characters have to seeing themselves or others on Chocolate Frog trading cards. Spanning different time frames from before the first war, to far past the second war.

2. Filius

The stack of books he perched upon was evident in the picture on the card. Filius Flitwick sighed. Yes, he chose to stand on those every day in his Charms classes. And yes, he chose to stand on a raised platform when conducting the Frog Choir. However, he did not spend his entire life atop items to make himself taller.

Filius realized some students incorrectly assumed his lineage contained elf ancestry rather than goblin. However, for anyone who cared to ask, he was more than forthcoming that his stature was due to a goblin ancestor now five generations removed. He really wished the photographer had possessed a modicum of common sense and used a charm to take a photograph at his height, upon the floor.

That being said, Filius did rather like the dueling stance in which he stood, starting with the correct wand presentation and bow to an imaginary opponent, the point of his wand then whipping towards the viewer. Among the noted life accomplishments, the card listed his Master Duelist status, including the years he held the title Dueling Champion, from 1922 to 1939. Filius admitted to being prideful of his dueling capabilities.

He once dueled Albus Dumbledore in their time together at Hogwarts and disarmed him. They were fifth years, practicing for their OWLs. Upon occasion, he wondered what could have been if he had ever dueled Albus as an adult. Filius did not think of himself as someone who craved power, but he understood the temptation of being the owner of the Elderwand.

As Filius watched his picture prepare to duel again, he remembered an afternoon tea shared with Minerva in the Headmistress' office two months after the final battle at Hogwarts. He sat staring at the picture of a sleeping Severus Snape hanging on the wall behind her, while admitting to her that there occurred but one duel in his life where he wished he not come out the victor. After all, Filius had been the one, not Minerva, to cast the final spell that sent Severus fleeing from the castle.

Minerva's hand reaching across the desk to cover his in a comforting gesture had pulled his eyes away from the painting and to her instead, as she pronounced, "He knows and he forgives us. I have forgiven myself, and you must do the same."