Argus Filch
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Argus Filch |
| Occupation: | caretaker |
| Relationships: | Mrs. Norris (his cat) Dolores Umbridge (supported) Fred and George Weasley (enemies) Peeves (enemy) |
| Fandom: | Harry Potter |
| Other: | born before 1956[1] |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article or section needs expansion. |
Argus Filch is a character in the Harry Potter series. He is the caretaker at Hogwarts and a known squib.
Canon
Argus Filch is the old Hogwarts caretaker, who spends his days cleaning the castle, disciplining the students, and battling the poltergeist Peeves. He's assisted by his pet cat Mrs. Norris, who seems to be somewhat sentient. Filch adores Mrs. Norris and usually refers to her as, "my sweet."
Filch hates the students and enjoys punishing them very much, often expressing his displeasure that corporal punishment is no longer allowed at Hogwarts. In the second book, it's revealed that Filch is a squib, meaning that he has no magic powers. Ron speculates that Filch's hatred for the students stems from his bitterness that they can perform magic.
Throughout the series, Filch and Mrs. Norris mostly play the role of minor antagonists, whom Harry and his friends have to avoid whenever sneaking out at night or otherwise breaking the rules. In the fifth book, Filch gets a somewhat more prominent role when he supports Dolores Umbridge's takeover of the school and serves as her right-hand man.
Fannish Opinion
...no one could look simpler on the surface than Argus Filch. A man of middling to advancing age whose life's obsession is keeping the goings-on at Hogwarts neat and orderly, he's the typical cranky old caretaker, more mindful of the castle as a building than as a school. He tosses out detentions left and right, makes wild threats, and yearns for a return to the days of his predecessor, when the judicious use of corporal punishment ensured that his position was a respected one.
And yet, from Chamber of Secrets on, we've glimpsed depths to the character: His shame at being discovered as a Squib, and the determination that's led him to still be trying to overcome his condition after all these years. The disdain he gets from the students. His grief when Mrs. Norris is lost to him. All these things paint a different portrait than the one we see through Harry's young eyes. From a less innocent perspective, Argus is still a mean man, yes - a petty man at times, and a suspicious one always. But we can also see that he's a sad man, an outcast, and above all, lonely. (Delphi)[2]
Fandom
Filch is one of the less-popular characters in fanworks. Although he's a fairly common background character in works set in Hogwarts, he only rarely gets a starring role. Stories and art have been created depicting him at the HP Beholders Fest in the past. Probably the most common pairing is with Severus Snape, sometimes called "Snilch". Albus Dumbledore is a rare slash partner. In het, the romantic pairing with his cat, Mrs Norris – often portrayed as a stuck animagus in this context – has been written. Filch/Irma Pince fanworks also began to appear after Harry made a joke about the two in Half-Blood Prince.[3]
Fanworks
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Example Fics
- Leporiphobia by curia_regis, a crackfic where Filch has to deal with his rabbit phobia.
- How Argus Filch Got Wild, Got Laid, and Got His Magic by dracontia, rated PG-13, Lavender Brown gets in a tight spot. Can she get out of it by making a deal with the devil? No? Okay, how about a deal with Filch? In the process, Argus Filch gets his magic. (Filch/human!Mrs. Norris)
- Father to the Man by Delphi, one of the few Filch aficionados. Snape/Filch. Beth H writes Childrearing, domesticity, hurt/comfort, and slash - with a gen sensibility. And so well written.[4]
- Give Him the Good News by Camillo1978. Albus Dumbledore/Filch; art & fanfiction. Beth H writes A smart and original backstory for both of these men.[4]
- Every Day This Week by Predatrix. A young borderline autistic Snape is befriended by Filch whilst serving detentions with him.
- The Case of the Boomslang Skin by Sinick. Filch plays Watson to Snape's Holmes in this case fic
- Classy by tattooedsappho, Filch/Pince, When Argus begins working with Umbridge he gains some self confidence and goes after what he wants. (Written for HP Beholder fest)
- Squib series by Ozma. Long gen series centering on Filch, written in 2002–3
Example Meta
- An Acquired Taste by Delphi. Snape/Filch pairing at The Shipper's Manifesto
Archives and Communities
- Argus Filch works at AO3
- Argus Filch works at FFN
Resources
References
- ^ McGonagall says in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, that Filch has been working at Hogwarts for "a quarter of a century". This means he was already of age (17) by 1973. HPWiki (Accessed 22 April 2014.)
- ^ "ship-manifesto: An Acquired Taste". Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, "Chapter 15: The Unbreakable Vow" (2005): "It's not my fault [Pince's] barking mad, Hermione. Or d'you think she overheard you being rude about Filch? I've always thought there might be something going on between them. . . . "
- ^ a b "Beth H: Harry Potter Slash Recs. A-L". Archived from the original on 2021-03-06. Retrieved 24 August 2014.