Highlights
- Squibs, non-magical people born from wizard parents, are rare in the Harry Potter world and often choose to live as either muggles or allies to wizards.
- Argus Filch, the Hogwarts caretaker, is a rare case for a Squib as he fully immersed himself in the wizarding world and didn’t integrate into Muggle society.
- Filch’s bitterness and resentment towards students stems from his shame about being a Squib and jealousy of their magical abilities.
Squibs are quite rare in the Harry Potter world. Essentially the opposite of Muggle-born wizards, Squibs are non-magical people born from at least one wizard parent. Although they do have magical blood and can interact with magical objects and see things regular Muggles cannot, such as ghosts and Dementors, Squibs aren’t capable of practicing magic in any way. Since they are often looked down upon by the wizarding community, many of them choose to live their lives as muggles and detach themselves from the wizarding world. Others choose to live somewhere in the middle, remaining allies to wizards but distancing themselves from them. Argus Filch, the foul-tempered Hogwarts caretaker, is a rare case for a Squib, as he spent his life fully immersed in the wizarding world and didn’t integrate into Muggle society.
Best known for his unpleasant personality and for always having his beloved cat companion, Mrs. Norris, by his side, Argus Filch is far from a fan-favorite character within the Harry Potter fandom. But after learning about his life and his identity as a Squib, one can’t help but to feel some sympathy for him and at least somewhat understand the root of his signature pessimism.
RELATED: Harry Potter: What Is A Squib?
What Is Argus Filch’s Role At Hogwarts?
| Argus Filch | |
|---|---|
| Played by | David Bradley |
| Blood status | Squib |
| Occupation | Hogwarts caretaker |
| First appearance (books) | Philosopher’s Stone |
| First appearance (movies) | Philosopher’s Stone |
| Last appearance (books) | Deathly Hallows |
| Last appearance (movies) | Deathly Hallows: Part 2 |
Throughout the series, Filch remained one of the least explored regular characters. Besides being a Squib, not much is known about his life before he started working at Hogwarts. He was born before 1951 to at least one magical parent, and sometime around 1968, he became the caretaker of the wizarding school, a job he kept for over 30 years. Most of what is known about him is through speculation, although it is well known that Squibs are unable to attend Hogwarts as students. Dumbledore offered him the job out of kindness, since he had hired other Squibs before, and Filch had a clear desire to be part of the wizarding world and no interest in joining the Muggle society. It is known that House-elves are employed at Hogwarts and take care of duties such as cleaning, and caretakers are in charge of managing the elves and maintaining control of the students.
His duties included taking care of the cleanliness and hygiene of the castle, patrolling the hallways to ensure no student would wander during late hours, overseeing the students’ punishments, being in charge of security during trips to Hogsmeade, and fulfilling any additional duties the Headmaster required. As Hogwarts’ caretaker, Filch was also able to award and take away house points. Filch in particular took his job quite seriously and enjoyed punishing students who broke the rules. He supported Dolores Umbridge and her methods when she became High Inquisitor at Hogwarts, and he enjoyed inflicting physical punishments. He was often seen patrolling the castle’s corridors with his cat, Mrs. Norris, looking for students to penalize even over the smallest infractions. In the books, Filch had a constant war with Peeves the Poltergeist and constantly sought for a way to expel him from the castle. However, Peeves was removed from the movies altogether.
A pity they let the old punishments die. Was a time detention would find you hanging by your thumbs in the dungeons. God, I miss the screaming.
How Did Being a Squib Affect Argus Filch?
Besides his bond with Mrs. Norris, perhaps the most compelling aspect about Filch is the fact that he is a Squib. Although there’s no information about his upbringing, growing up in a family with at least one wizard parent, Filch more than likely faced societal expectations that he was unable to fulfill. At the time of the Harry Potter series, the disappointment of not having any magical abilities deeply impacted his life. In The Chamber of Secrets, Harry discovers Filch’s identity as a Squib when he notices his Kwkikspell letter. It is explained that his lack of magical ability makes him unfit for nearly every job in the wizarding world, except for the role of caretaker. His bitterness, resentment, and hatred towards young students is rooted in his own shame about his blood status and jealousy of witnessing countless children gaining all the magical skills he will never have.
If Filch’s trying to learn magic from a Kwikspell course, I reckon he must be a Squib. It would explain a lot. Like why he hates students so much. He’s bitter.
Squibs are looked down upon by many wizards, and to many pure-blood supremacists such as the Malfoys, being a Squib is way worse than being a Muggle. Filch is deeply ashamed of being a Squib, and he feels deeply insecure when his blood-status is brought up. When Harry discovers his Kwikspell letter, he begs him not to tell anyone about it. Although it can be suspicious that the Hogwarts caretaker is never seen using magic, it can be assumed that most students don’t pay enough attention to him to notice or suspect about his lack of magical abilities.
What Happened to Argus Filch?
Filch’s participation in the Battle of Hogwarts is never detailed in the books. Although he stayed in the castle, it is unknown how he took part in the war as a Squib. In the movies, however, he is seen involved in the battle to some extent. With his extensive knowledge about the Hogwarts castle’s layout and secret passages, he, alongside Madam Pomfrey, evacuated the underage students and those unwilling to fight via the Room of Requirement. During a scene in The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Horace Slughorn is seen treating Filch’s injured arm.
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After the battle, Filch immediately carried on with his duties at Hogwarts, and he began to sweep a pile of rubble as the fighters mourned the dead and celebrated their victory in the Great Hall. He continued working as the school’s caretaker, punishing students, and fighting with Peeves for years to come.
Filch may not be a particularly charming or beloved character in Harry Potter, but it is not too hard to understand why he acts the way he does. While his bitter approach to life may not be the best way to cope with his misfortune, it must be quite frustrating to be surrounded by all this magic but not being able to perform it.
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