Jordyn's Fan Fiction (draft)

In the beginning...

Outline - Argus Filch was born into the world with eyes wide open, watchful of his surroundings. Named for being alert, this trait often got him on the wrong side of people, his father most of all. With his mother's death, a strained relationship with his father and rejection from the world that meant the most to him, it is not long before Argus is ready to give everything up. Until the summer that he met Ruth...

Characters:
Argus Filch - main character, loner, strained relationship with father, squib
Nolan Filch - Father, works at Ministry of Magic, strained relationship with son, magic
Irene Filch (nee Norris) - Mother, deceased, magic

Ruth Watson - moves into the same town as the Filch family, friend of Argus, muggle

Story told using third person.

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Beginning: "That's all you'll ever be! A Muggle! Nothing but a muggle!"

The words echoed in the young man's head as he sat by the river crying. Growing up in a magic family, it was taken for granted that he would make it into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the best magic school in Britain. However, things had turned out different from what he expected when he opened the letter from Professor Minerva McGonagall, which she had apparently regretted sending. Why send the stupid letter then? All these thoughts swirled in Argus's head before a stern voice interrupted him.

"What are you doing outside, boy? Crying like a girl, it's no wonder even Hogwarts didn't accept you. Stop the tears, that's not going to change anything. Get inside."

Argus met his father's face with a frightened one, only daring to look away as soon as his father started walking to their house. Making sure to keep a good few metres behind him, Argus followed him home. Ever since his mother died two years ago, the gruff but loving man he had once recognised as his father had disappeared. In its place was a cruel master, the result of grief, heartache and bottled feelings. Going only to work at the Ministry of Magic and then coming home to emotionally abuse the boy before repeating the cycle the next day, Nolan Filch was a hated and loved man to his son. At first, Argus could understand some of the reasons why his father was the way he was, but as he got older, he started to resent it. Fight back even. However, with the rejection from Hogwarts, his world came crashing down around him. With a muggle school being completely out of the question, Argus would have to stay at home, his education being completely at the mercy of his father. Knowing that Nolan Filch spent a lot of his hours at work or sleeping, Argus faced a bleak future with no friends and no education. (need to find a way to end this properly and link to Middle part)

Middle: Meets Ruth Watson who becomes his only friend. Argus falls in love with her but an accident happens that leaves them both dying; Father's heartbreak catching up with him - getting more ill.
Years later, Argus had settled into the familiar routine of cleaning the house in the morning, going to the market to collect dinner for the evening and then spending his time by the river. Ofttimes he would watch the muggle kids wistfully, wishing he could be accepted but with the strange happenings surrounding the Filch household guaranteed that any normal person stayed away from the boy and his father. It hurt. It really did. But those who are helpless often find themselves moving on from a situation that is seemingly impossible to change, and such was the case with Argus. Getting up, he stood to look again after the group of kids before SMACK! Spluttering water from the river he just landed in, he brushed his hair aside to take a look at the brute that had knocked him over. He was surprised to see that instead, it was a girl of about the same age, who was rubbing at a very stubborn stain that refused to budge. Surprise turned to anger as he started yelling at her, telling her what a stupid, clumsy muggle she was before clapping a hand over his mouth. The girl looked at Argus for a second, before she burst out laughing. "Muggle? What on earth is a 'muggle'? I'm so sorry I wasn't looking where I was going, but if you're going to reprimand me, you ought to use better words. Such a strange boy you are!", all said with a mischievous grin on her face. Argus started. This girl thought she could just come here, knock him over and then laugh at him? He would show her, he thought. Just as he opened his mouth to start yelling at her again, she shocked him by asking if he could show her around the village. "I'm new here and I don't know anyone, but since you're such a kind boy, I think you'd do a wonderful job of showing me around", she simpered sweetly. Argus was struck. What kind, he did not know, but he knew that he wanted to stay with this girl for as long as he could.
- meets Ruth Watson who has just moved into the village
- signs of his father's illness
- need to establish the age(?) maybe not so important
-  friendship formed on keeping an eye out for each other (like canon Filch and Mrs. Norris)


Ending: Argus recovers but Ruth still in coma. Father's last act of penance to son is to save Ruth's life through Transfiguration, which will change her body to something easier to fix. She becomes a cat, but social norms which are against human transfiguration means that Argus must hide her identity. Taking on his mother's maiden name, and in the token that their love was good enough to be husband and wife, Ruth becomes Mrs. Norris the cat, Argus Filch's lifelong companion.