"Yuck! I am not looking forward to these N.E.W.T.s!" Lorelei threw her Advanced Herbology book down next to her.
"Prrrr." Mrs. Norris bumped her head against Lorelei's arm in sympathy.
Lorelei sighed. "I know, I know. Just take it one day at a time. Besides, I aced my O.W.L.s last year so the N.E.W.T.s can't be that much harder." She looked back down at her Herbology assignment. She was studying to one day become a professor of Advanced Potions, which meant a lot of complicated and frustrating homework. Lorelei absently stroked Jester's ears as she read about the sixteen types of Asphodel and their uses.
Suddenly Mrs. Norris's ears perked up. She let out a chirp and hopped down from the window ledge.
"What is it, Norris?" Lorelei asked without looking up. She was busy taking notes.
The dust-coloured cat had disappeared around the corner and had come back a moment later followed by someone.
Lorelei looked up at the sound of booted footsteps coming towards her. In front of her stood a balding, middle-aged man dressed in worn out clothing and carrying a lantern. Mrs. Norris was winding herself around his legs and purring.
Before Lorelei could say anything, the man spoke, "What do you think you're doin' over here?" He said with a gruff, Irish accent.
"I was … I mean I am …" Lorelei held up her Advanced Herbology book and pointed at it helplessly. "Studying."
"And why ain't you in the common rooms then?" He growled.
"We always study here." Lorelei replied. She felt like she should know who this man was, but couldn't quite put a finger on it.
The man raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Who's we? Are there more of ya hidin' around here?" He looked around him as if expecting students to pop out of the cracks in the stones.
"Well no, not really. I guess it's just me, Jester," Lorelei gestured to her sleeping cat, "and Mrs. Norris."
He took a step back at the mention of the scrawny cat at his feet. "Mrs. Norris? What do you mean?" He looked down accusingly at the cat. "Do you know this girl, Mrs. Norris?"
In answer, Mrs. Norris jumped up next to Lorelei and put her paw on her arm. She blinked once.
Lorelei slapped her hand over her mouth in shock; she had just realized who he was.
"Oh my gosh, you're Filch!" She gasped from between her fingers. "I should've known when Mrs. Norris recognized you before you had even walked around the corner."
"Yeah. Well if you know who I am, then you should know what I do to students that break the rules." Filch threatened.
Lorelei let out a small laugh. "Oh yes, I've heard the horror stories about you from some of the other students. I just never thought I would actually meet you. You see, this is only my second year at Hogwarts so there's still a lot I don't know about this place."
Filch was stunned into momentary silence by her response to his reputation, but only briefly. "Who are you, eh? You think you don't have to worry about the consequences of breaking the rules?"
"I'm not breaking any rules though." Lorelei said as she stood up. "This part of the castle isn't off limits, and it's not curfew yet for another few hours. Besides, Mrs. Norris is with me and I'm sure she wouldn't tolerate me breaking the rules; being your cat and all." Lorelei gathered up her books, it would be time for supper soon so she had to get back to the Slytherin common room.
"Oh, and my name is Lorelei Grummel. Year Seven Slytherin." She held out her free hand. "Nice to meet you finally, Mr. Filch."
Filch looked at Lorelei as if she were crazy. He glanced down at her outstretched hand and back at her smiling face. He shook his head and forced a scowl. "Bah, get going Grummel. I'll be keeping my eyes on you, both of you." He glared down at Mrs. Norris who only purred harder, a sly glint in her eyes.
Lorelei smiled once more and turned to go back to the common room. Jester stretched and hopped down from the ledge to follow.
She could hear Filch grumbling and scolding Mrs. Norris as she walked down the hallway. Lorelei chuckled to herself. 'Such a strange man. I wonder why everyone is so scared of him?'
Life at Hogwarts continued as normal, except for one small detail. Now that Lorelei knew who Filch was, she began noticing him around the castle; skulking in the shadows of the hallways and leaning in the corner of the Great Hall during meals.
Very rarely Lorelei was able to catch Filch's eye. She made sure to smile or give a subtle wave when she did. Filch's face always blushed in embarrassment and he tried extra hard to avoid eye contact for a day or two.
Lorelei was by no means a great artist according to wizard standards, she could never get her pictures to move, but she enjoyed sketching in her free time nonetheless. Her most recent muse had been the scrawny Mrs. Norris, who seemed to enjoy posing for the pencil. That was, however, until Filch had come into her artistic field of view.
There was something about his perpetually grumpy face that captivated her. How could one person show such a small range of emotions yet make them so meaningful? Was he capable of smiling? Lorelei couldn't even imagine him laughing.
Those were some of the thoughts bouncing around in Lorelei's head as she sketched Filch holding his beloved cat. She was hoping to gift the picture to him once it was finished. Lorelei was determined to see him smile one day. The mental image made her smile as she bent back over her drawing.
A few days passed and Lorelei was walking through the halls after working on her drawing some more. Jester padded behind her, not enjoying the interruption from her nap but happy to be going back to her food dish.
Lorelei was so lost in her thoughts that as she rounded the corner she nearly collided with Filch.
"Ach! Watch where you're going!" Filch exclaimed, almost dropping his lantern.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" Lorelei squinted in the bright light from the lantern. "I should've been paying more attention."
Filch snorted. "Oh it's you again. Lorelei was it?" He sounded irritated.
"Yes." Lorelei said meekly. She smiled and recovered her composure. "You remembered my name." Her heart beat a little faster.
"What of it? I know all the annoying brats' names." Filch crossed his arms.
Lorelei's smile vanished instantly. "Annoying brat …?" She felt tears prick the corner of her eyes.
"What's the matter now?" Filch huffed. "Thinking of another way to be a nuisance?"
Lorelei's lower lip trembled. She tried to speak but her throat felt tight and her chest hurt. A tear trickled down her cheek, leaving a glistening trail. 'Why did that hurt so much?'
"Are you crying?" Filch asked, genuinely surprised. He had never seen anything but a smile on her face before.
Lorelei thought Filch was mocking her and that opened the floodgates, tears began streaming freely down her face and plopping onto the stones at her feet. Before she could embarrass herself further, Lorelei pushed past Filch and ran back to the Slytherin common room.
Unbeknownst to her, a piece of paper fell out of her sketchbook and fluttered to the ground at Filch's feet.
"What's this?" He stooped to pick up the paper and turned it over. There was writing on it;
To Filch,
May this gift put a smile on your face and a warmth in your heart.
Lorelei
Filch turned the paper over. When he saw what was on the other side something inside him stirred, he felt a feeling wholly foreign to him. He felt … Bad. Guilty. Regret at what he had said. The lines on his face softened slightly.
Filch stood in silence for a moment before he shoved the feeling aside and resumed his usual scowl. She was just an annoying student that toed the line between breaking the rules and following them. He was about to crumple up the drawing and toss it out a window but something stopped him. Instead, he carefully folded the piece of paper and tucked it into his coat pocket.