Silhouette of witch with tall hat and cape on broomstick. Banner underneath reads: "Squibstress"
Short Story

Sweep

In the aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts, Argus Filch does the only thing he can.

Argus Filch
0 words
T/PG-13
Violence

Read It On

This is so amazing. … So thought-provoking and touching. What a way to look at that scene!

Writey Starkid

Ohhhh, this is lovely. So true to character, heart-breaking and real. Thank you for showing me a different, softer side of Filch.

rayvyn2k

I think I held my breath throughout. And yes, it made me sniffle a little.

islandsmoke

You sweep.

It’s all you know to do here. It’s all you have to offer: your tiny contribution to sani-ty, to restoring a world in which words like “tidy” and “clean” still make as much sense as “dead” and “corpse”.

When the battle began, you were excited—you couldn’t help but be caught up in the frenzy of preparation and flight. Your blood, it hadn’t pumped quite so fast in years, not since you caught sight—accidentally of course, you weren’t no pervert—of them seventh-year boys skinny-dipping in the loch one early autumn evening.

The children—some of ’em—acted like it were a game, smiling and chattering as they rushed about, happy at the prospect of being allowed to brandish them bloody wands at grown witches and wizards, and you felt it, too. Or maybe it were hyste-ria. Any road, after the shock of hearing that horrible voice in your head—and eve-ryone had heard it right enough, it weren’t just you—had worn off, and before the first curse hit the barriers, it seemed to you like you’d stepped right into one of them Muggle pictures Mam sometimes made you go to with her when Dad were away. Which he were a lot when it came clear that there weren’t no Hogwarts let-ter coming for Argus Filch. Funny how you ended up here anyway. If by “funny” you mean “thanks to the old Headmaster”, who appeared with a job offer the week after your dad had left for good. Now they were dead, the Headmaster and your dad, both, but you were still here, weren’t you? For the moment.

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