The Old Punishments


Argus Filch had lived a hard life. Born Argus Black, the boy was pampered just like his three sisters. He was the first born of Cygnus and Druella Black (nee Rosier).

Years one through eleven were simple and carefree. As a Black he was brought up right; he was taught about purebloods and mudbloods. He was taught of his place in the wizard's world.

He was a Black, practically royalty.

His general lack of magic was completely missed early on. Most children didn't perform accidental magic until they were eight or nine anyway, so it was really no problem.

As his tenth year passed without an incident of magic, his parents started to grow weary, but they didn't worry overly much. Some children never had accidental magic at all; they pampered him, so when would he ever feel the need for something so great that his magic would need to respond?

They day he turned eleven was the day when everything changed.

No letter. No letter meant only one thing: squib. They were only second cousins! How could this have happened?

What an embarrassment! They'd been parading around their heir at all the posh events for over a decade, and now everyone would know!

They distanced themselves from the dirty squib straight away. No magic meant no Hogwarts.

Their bastard squib had to go to a damned muggle school!

Sadly, Argus had no previous muggle schooling. His teachers placed him in the 'special' class and taught him as best they could, but the second he hit the age of fifteen, the system washed their hands of him and he promptly flunked out.

They were forced to let the boy stay in school when he was young and in their minds 'stupid', but at fifteen education was no longer compulsory, and they no longer felt an obligation to teach him.

Argus was not the most pleasant of students after all.

He was a Black! Why must he learn from filthy muggles?

Only he wasn't a Black, not anymore. He may have been one in his head, but as far as the family was concerned, he was 'Argus Finch'.

He was alone in the world. He could never return to his family, and he couldn't even find work in the muggle world!

"We don't hire dropouts!" they always said.

As a last ditch effort, he went to the headmaster of Hogwarts looking for a job. The man was known to be fair and just, so surely he would show mercy?

Albus was however reluctant to hire him, and only after Argus dropped to his knees and begged – with tears streaming down his face – did the headmaster take pity on him.

Pringle was old, and perhaps Argus would be a replacement when the time came?

He could clean the floors and take some nightly strolls.

It was hard work for the squib, but he got three square meals a day, and he got a little pocket change for his troubles. He kept his distance from the mudbloods, but he was forced to keep an even greater distance from the purebloods – some of which had been close friends just a handful of years prior.

He had been ecstatic to finally see his little sisters again, but that had been the biggest disappointment of his life. Andromeda had at least been polite in her dismissal, but Narcissa and especially Bellatrix had been violently dismissive.

"Never speak to me again you filthy squib!" she screamed, "You're a disgrace to our family name, and don't you ever tell anyone you know me! If you ever even hint to anyone that we're related, I'll kill you painfully!"

Even surrounded by his family and hundreds of people, Argus had never felt so alone.

Over the years he grew to resent not only his sisters, but his whole family and eventually he started to resent wizards as a whole.

He became so lonely that the only companionship he could find was in his dear friend, Mrs. Norris.

The Black family was quite large at the time, and so he was never short on family to 'keep him company' or rather to 'torment' him.

Time dragged on for the man, and eventually Pringle retired leaving the caretaker job to Filch.

The Black torture of him didn't stop even with the Gryffindor sorting of one Sirius Black and his band of miscreants.

Andy, Cissy, and Bella had the good grace to leave him alone eventually after he stopped trying to rekindle their childhood friendships, but Sirius would seek him out!

He and his gang targeted him relentlessly.

Perhaps Sirius never told them why they were pranking the caretaker so fervently, but if they learned that he was Sirius' bastard squib cousin, then that sure as hell wouldn't have stopped them.

The eighties were great for Argus. No Blacks. No Potters. There was only the constant taunts and threats by the pureblood children, but nothing like he received in the past at the hands of his 'family'.

Nymphdora Tonks took after her mother, and she simply ignored him as best she could. After four decades of rejection, what was a little more from a halfblood freak-show like her?

The Potter spawn however, could not be ignored when he started in '91.

A celebrity even before he came to school? His head would be bigger than his father's, and that would be quite the accomplishment!

A Weasley as a best mate? He'd had to deal with those blood traitors for years now, and the last pair was worse than the rest combined! How bad was this one going to be? Why oh why couldn't he flog them like in the good 'ol days!

The mudblood that followed them around everywhere was just icing on the cake!

No, Filch didn't like Potter and he made it known every chance he could.

Filch and Potter had their little spats over the years, but as time passed and Potter won most of their little quarrels, Argus began to not just dislike him, but hate him.

He hated him because he was popular and loved.

He hated him for escaping his wrath time and time again.

But most of all, he hated him for being a wizard.

Even when caught, the boy didn't give him the satisfaction to complain. So aggravating!

It took him many years, but he finally found the boy's weakness.

Give him detention cleaning toilets and he would clean silently.

Get a teacher to take points, and he would take it stride.

But if he went after his friends, that was when Potter got pissed off.

Oh boy did he get angry.

So when that delightful woman Umbridge came to the school he practically salivated when she reinstated the old punishments.

Her one rule was that Potter was hers.

Every time he misbehaved he was to be sent to her.

That was fine, she could have the dull one. He wanted one that would scream.

Forty years he had been insulted.

Forty years he had been alone.

Forty years he watched as witches and wizards alike did the magic that he had been denied.

Forty years of anger and hate all bottled up.

Not anymore. As he beat the stupid ginger once again, he laughed.

He never noticed the swelling on the face. He never noticed when the boy stopped fighting back. He missed the blood splattering in every direction, and he sure as hell never noticed when Ron Weasley took his last shuddering breath.

A few days later the caretaker was Kissed.

The High Inquisitor was permanently released of her duties and had a six month term in Azkaban.

Who lets a hateful old squib like Argus Filch have access to the 'old punishments'?

But then again, wizards are stupid.


AN: Thanks be to DemonicNargles who continues to find the errors in my ways. Damn you DemonicNargles! Damn you!

Thanks to Slytherin66 who gave me the idea for this chapter like two months ago.

Sorry about the delays folks, my dad's in the hospital at the moment with pneumonia and a weak heart. One caused the other and the doctors are doing some checks to see which came first.