Argus Filch

Template:HP character Argus Filch is the caretaker of Hogwarts in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of books. While he does not act maliciously, and is not an evil character, he is certainly both short- and ill-tempered, which has made him very unpopular with the student body. His knowledge of the secrets and shortcuts of the castle is nearly unparalleled. The only people who have known more were the Marauders and the Weasley twins.

Filch owns a cat named Mrs. Norris to which he has a particular attachment; he frequently calls her "my sweet". She acts as a hallway monitor or spy for Filch: if she observes students engaging in suspicious activity, or out of bed after hours, Filch arrives in seconds. She has been known to follow Hagrid everywhere when he goes about to the school, apparently under Filch's orders. According to Rowling, there is nothing particularly magical about Mrs. Norris, other than her being "...just an intelligent (and unpleasant) cat."

The name "Argus" comes from Greek mythology, where it was the name of a giant with one hundred eyes who served the goddess Hera as a watchman (much like Mr Filch's role in patrolling the hallways of Hogwarts). The surname, "Filch", is an English word meaning "to steal", usually in a sneaky manner. The name of his cat, "Mrs Norris", is borrowed from Jane Austen's novel Mansfield Park. Austen's Mrs Norris is a nosy, interfering character in Mansfield Park who makes life difficult for the heroine, Fanny Price.

Filch is played by David Bradley in the films. By the fourth film, he had merely become a comic relief, seen running in an amusing fashion, dancing with Mrs Norris and letting the cannon that announced the tasks for the Triwizard Tournament go off early. In the fifth film, although having many more appearances, he is still used as comic relief, mostly seen trying to catch Dumbledore's Army in the act. (He is also implied to have a crush on Dolores Umbridge.)

Filch appears in the seventh book to complain that students are out of bed. He is promptly informed that the students are on the move because the school is readying for war and to find Peeves. He is then ordered to oversee the evacuation of younger students. It's unclear what side he would take in any fight, but his squib status would prevent him taking a serious part in any battle (And present a liability for those with magic since he would need protecting).

Filch is revealed to be a Squib in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when Harry accidentally discovers he is trying to teach himself basic magic from a Kwikspell correspondence course. His inability to use magic in a setting where it would greatly help his duties and the fact that students are learning magic all around him are likely causes of his bitterness. Nonetheless, Filch is at least able to use wizarding devices with their own innate magic (such as the Secrecy Sensor used in Book 6). Although Filch's work brings him into frequent contact with the castle's house-elves, such interaction has not been described to date.

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