Squib Puppet
a Harry Potter fan-fic
by Ozma
a sequel to "A Squib's Proper Place"
Epilogue: Healing and Moving On
Everything in this story really belongs to J.K. Rowling
It was a sunny, warm Hogsmeade weekend. The Castle grounds were
nearly empty. Almost every student above second year had gone to the
village. Clusters of first and second years roamed the grounds, but none
of them were near me.
I'd chosen a secluded bit of the lake's shoreline to walk to.
Shaded by trees and hidden by bushes, this spot was chilly in spite of
the warm sunlight glittering like gold across the water. The chill
didn't bother me. Nor did the slight breeze. Walking from the Castle to
the lake had left me tired and sweaty. The wind felt pleasantly cool.
I would rest here for a while until I felt strong enough to walk
back to the Castle. Summoning a Door was always another option, but I
needed the exercise. I wanted to rebuild my strength.
My reflection in the water was blurred by the wind. I didn't mind.
No one had ever called me handsome, but I'd always been sturdy. Now, two
very serious encounters with Lucius Malfoy in the past six months had
taken a toll on me. Whenever I could bring myself to glance in a mirror,
I saw a frail old man. The image frightened me.
Poppy had released me from the hospital wing on the condition that
I was not allowed to do anything more strenuous than paperwork. Bored, I
had flung myself into my backlog of forms with a vengeance.
After my own work was reasonably caught up, I had started on the
kitchen inventory records for the house-elves. In addition to taking
inventory of perishable supplies, each elf had made notes regarding
equipment that needed to be mended or replaced over the summer holiday,
which was fast approaching. Those items needed to be entered on forms as
well.
Doing the house-elves' paperwork seemed only fair, as the elves
were currently handling my cleaning chores as well as their own.
House-elves are mysterious creatures. I don't know how to tell an
old elf from a young one. But, Browly had to be among the oldest elves
in the Castle. When Apollyon Pringle had first taken me on as his
apprentice, Browly was among the elves who had fed me my meals in the
kitchen. She was one of the elves who had tried to comfort me whenever
I'd disappointed the old man or made him angry.
Slowly the passing years had changed me from a cranky, bitter
young man to a cranky, bitter old man. But Browly looked and acted
exactly the same.
"You is not any getting stronger sitting at a desk, Argus Filch!"
the old elf scolded me when she came to pick up the completed forms.
"Enough writing! Tis exercise you is needing! Outside! In sunshine!!"
Hermione Granger thinks that house elves are downtrodden and ought
to be liberated from their lives of toil and slavery. Hermione is
Muggle-born. I doubt that she's ever been bullied by a house-elf.
Albus Dumbledore is the only one that the Castle's elves call
"Master." Everyone else is pretty much at their mercy. If a house-elf
decides that they know what is best for you, then you don't have a
chance.
Obeying Browly, I'd gone for a walk. The elf had been right, it
did feel good to work up a bit of a sweat. I did not feel up to walking
back to the Castle just yet, so I decided to take a nap.
*******
I was awakened by a soft rustling in the grass near the lakeshore.
Two cats padded swiftly towards me. One was thin and grey, the other was
a sleek tabby. A heartbeat later, Minerva McGonagall shifted to her
human shape.
"I was looking for you, Argus," Minerva said. She leaned over to
stroke Mrs. Norris. "Thank you for helping me find him."
My cat purred and jumped into my lap, as Minerva sat on the ground
beside us.
The day had grown chillier while I'd been sleeping. Sliding my
coat off my shoulders, I put it around Minerva.
Later, it occurred to me that she could have simply used a heating
Charm. But she seemed content with my coat. She tucked part of the coat
around me too. Her body was pleasantly warm beside mine. For a time we
simply stayed beside each other, quietly.
"I promised Alastor Moody that I would discuss something with
you," Professor McGonagall said, after a while.
I frowned, knowing what Moody must be after.
"He wants me to take you through a Door, doesn't he? Tell him I
won't. Better yet, I'll tell him myself. I'm going to use some language
you won't want to repeat! He won't be content until I've incapacitated
everyone in the Castle! I nearly killed poor Snuffles!"
"No, it was falling from the West Tower that nearly killed both of
you," Minerva pointed out, reasonably.
"Snuffles told me that going through the Door itself wasn't so
bad," she continued. "He recovered from the after-effects quickly. And
he suffered no nausea. He was only knocked unconscious and forced back
into his human form."
"Only?!" I growled, upset by the idea of such a thing happening to
her. Seeing Black lying unconscious had been bad enough.
Minerva shook her head at me. "Both Snuffles and I learned to
endure similar unpleasant things while studying to become Animagi," she
explained.
"You may not know this, Argus," she continued, "but Moody has
asked everyone that you've taken through a Door to write a brief account
of their experiences for him."
"Moody, Snuffles, Neville and Ginny have all completed their own
accounts. Poor Severus is still working on his. Having read about the
others' experiences, I'm most curious about the Doors. As well as eager
to add my own impressions."
"And, not a word from you about curiosity and cats!" she added,
acerbically, as I opened my mouth.
Mrs. Norris reinforced that sentiment, by giving me a baleful
stare.
"If anything happened to you I'd never forgive myself!" I told
her.
"Do not worry about me, Argus," Minerva said.
"I'm not worried," she assured me. "I trust you to bring me safely
through to the other side."
I couldn't answer. Her lack of fear and her faith in me left me
overwhelmed and speechless.
"I will promise to keep my claws in," she assured me, gravely.
That earned her a wry smile from me.
Minerva pressed her advantage. "I'm sure that you can see the
sense in choosing a traveling companion who is small enough to carry. I
won't have to bite your arm to avoid getting lost."
Her hand rested gently on my left arm. The wound was healed now,
and the scars would fade, eventually.
I sighed. "Professor, you are a true Gryffindor. You know that,
don't you?"
"Why thank you, Argus," she said, sweetly.
I frowned.
Her eyes twinkled. She knew perfectly well that I hadn't meant it
as a compliment. But she sensed defeat and acquiescence in my manner.
Alastor Moody, I thought wryly, was a true Slytherin. He'd sent
Professor McGonagall to discuss this with me, knowing that I would have
been able to keep on stubbornly refusing anyone else but it's very
difficult for me to say "No" to Minerva.
"Of course, I will tell Moody that we'll have to wait until you're
feeling up to it," Professor McGonagall said, reasonably. She's always
gracious in victory.
"It shouldn't be too long of a wait. You look so much better than
you did..." she said, studying me.
A little embarrassed by her scrutiny, I turned my attention to
petting Mrs. Norris. Perhaps it was my imagination, or maybe it was
wishful thinking, but Minerva was not looking at me as if she saw a
frail old man. I thought I saw affection in her eyes. And perhaps
something more.
"It's getting late. I suppose that we ought to head back." I said,
gruffly.
Climbing gracefully to her feet, my coat still around her, Minerva
reached down to help me up.
I told myself not to be a fool. Professor McGonagall was a lovely
woman, a powerful witch. I was fortunate that she considered me a
friend. Wanting any more would be ridiculous. I might as well wish for
the moon...
She was the Deputy Headmistress, for Merlin's sake...
Her hand remained in mine, even though I was standing.
Hands clasped, Minerva and I walked towards the Castle. When I
glanced over my shoulder to make sure that Mrs. Norris was following, I
discovered that my cat was observing us.
She looked rather smug.
The End
Author's Notes:
Wow, did I mss ff.net when it was down! I'm glad that it's back!
Blue Moon: Thank you!! I wasn't able to go without writing completely...
I did do a short epilogue. But the next story hasn't been started yet.
It's still busy forming in my head.
Elspeth: Thank you!! Yes, Mrs. Norris was trying to do a bit of
matchmaking. She likes and approves of Minerva.
Your exchange between Severus and Sirius made me laugh!! It's so
perfect!! I wish I'd thought of it...
Emma: Thank you!! Yes, it may be a few more weeks before my next story.
So far my summer has been pretty busy.
Tina: Thank you!!
Elektra: Thank you!! I hope that Draco eventually rejects Lucius's path
and makes his own. But that's up to Rowling.
Remus is one of my favorite characters. I have idea-fragments with him,
but no complete stories, as of yet. Thank you for letting me know about
your new chapter!! (I think I reviewed it before ff.net went down.)
Jelsemium: Thank you!! Your exchange between Poppy, Filch and Sirius
made me laugh!!
Lataradk: Thank you!! I love the idea of Sirius sending Lucius a rubber
mouse as a get-well gift!!
Both Argus and Minerva are beginning to get a clue, I think.
Lizard of Fire: Thank you!!
Ariana Deralte: Thank you!!
Demeter: Thank you!! Poor Narcissa indeed. (She thinks Lucius's purring
is rather cute, but the shedding bothers her.)
Redone: Thank you!! Yes, Lucius is the pale-haired Dark wizard and
Severus is the dark haired pale wizard! I like that!
Besnaped: Thank you!! The story with Snape and Azoth is still taking
shape in my head, but I'll write it as soon as it "solidifies..."
a Harry Potter fan-fic
by Ozma
a sequel to "A Squib's Proper Place"
Epilogue: Healing and Moving On
Everything in this story really belongs to J.K. Rowling
It was a sunny, warm Hogsmeade weekend. The Castle grounds were
nearly empty. Almost every student above second year had gone to the
village. Clusters of first and second years roamed the grounds, but none
of them were near me.
I'd chosen a secluded bit of the lake's shoreline to walk to.
Shaded by trees and hidden by bushes, this spot was chilly in spite of
the warm sunlight glittering like gold across the water. The chill
didn't bother me. Nor did the slight breeze. Walking from the Castle to
the lake had left me tired and sweaty. The wind felt pleasantly cool.
I would rest here for a while until I felt strong enough to walk
back to the Castle. Summoning a Door was always another option, but I
needed the exercise. I wanted to rebuild my strength.
My reflection in the water was blurred by the wind. I didn't mind.
No one had ever called me handsome, but I'd always been sturdy. Now, two
very serious encounters with Lucius Malfoy in the past six months had
taken a toll on me. Whenever I could bring myself to glance in a mirror,
I saw a frail old man. The image frightened me.
Poppy had released me from the hospital wing on the condition that
I was not allowed to do anything more strenuous than paperwork. Bored, I
had flung myself into my backlog of forms with a vengeance.
After my own work was reasonably caught up, I had started on the
kitchen inventory records for the house-elves. In addition to taking
inventory of perishable supplies, each elf had made notes regarding
equipment that needed to be mended or replaced over the summer holiday,
which was fast approaching. Those items needed to be entered on forms as
well.
Doing the house-elves' paperwork seemed only fair, as the elves
were currently handling my cleaning chores as well as their own.
House-elves are mysterious creatures. I don't know how to tell an
old elf from a young one. But, Browly had to be among the oldest elves
in the Castle. When Apollyon Pringle had first taken me on as his
apprentice, Browly was among the elves who had fed me my meals in the
kitchen. She was one of the elves who had tried to comfort me whenever
I'd disappointed the old man or made him angry.
Slowly the passing years had changed me from a cranky, bitter
young man to a cranky, bitter old man. But Browly looked and acted
exactly the same.
"You is not any getting stronger sitting at a desk, Argus Filch!"
the old elf scolded me when she came to pick up the completed forms.
"Enough writing! Tis exercise you is needing! Outside! In sunshine!!"
Hermione Granger thinks that house elves are downtrodden and ought
to be liberated from their lives of toil and slavery. Hermione is
Muggle-born. I doubt that she's ever been bullied by a house-elf.
Albus Dumbledore is the only one that the Castle's elves call
"Master." Everyone else is pretty much at their mercy. If a house-elf
decides that they know what is best for you, then you don't have a
chance.
Obeying Browly, I'd gone for a walk. The elf had been right, it
did feel good to work up a bit of a sweat. I did not feel up to walking
back to the Castle just yet, so I decided to take a nap.
*******
I was awakened by a soft rustling in the grass near the lakeshore.
Two cats padded swiftly towards me. One was thin and grey, the other was
a sleek tabby. A heartbeat later, Minerva McGonagall shifted to her
human shape.
"I was looking for you, Argus," Minerva said. She leaned over to
stroke Mrs. Norris. "Thank you for helping me find him."
My cat purred and jumped into my lap, as Minerva sat on the ground
beside us.
The day had grown chillier while I'd been sleeping. Sliding my
coat off my shoulders, I put it around Minerva.
Later, it occurred to me that she could have simply used a heating
Charm. But she seemed content with my coat. She tucked part of the coat
around me too. Her body was pleasantly warm beside mine. For a time we
simply stayed beside each other, quietly.
"I promised Alastor Moody that I would discuss something with
you," Professor McGonagall said, after a while.
I frowned, knowing what Moody must be after.
"He wants me to take you through a Door, doesn't he? Tell him I
won't. Better yet, I'll tell him myself. I'm going to use some language
you won't want to repeat! He won't be content until I've incapacitated
everyone in the Castle! I nearly killed poor Snuffles!"
"No, it was falling from the West Tower that nearly killed both of
you," Minerva pointed out, reasonably.
"Snuffles told me that going through the Door itself wasn't so
bad," she continued. "He recovered from the after-effects quickly. And
he suffered no nausea. He was only knocked unconscious and forced back
into his human form."
"Only?!" I growled, upset by the idea of such a thing happening to
her. Seeing Black lying unconscious had been bad enough.
Minerva shook her head at me. "Both Snuffles and I learned to
endure similar unpleasant things while studying to become Animagi," she
explained.
"You may not know this, Argus," she continued, "but Moody has
asked everyone that you've taken through a Door to write a brief account
of their experiences for him."
"Moody, Snuffles, Neville and Ginny have all completed their own
accounts. Poor Severus is still working on his. Having read about the
others' experiences, I'm most curious about the Doors. As well as eager
to add my own impressions."
"And, not a word from you about curiosity and cats!" she added,
acerbically, as I opened my mouth.
Mrs. Norris reinforced that sentiment, by giving me a baleful
stare.
"If anything happened to you I'd never forgive myself!" I told
her.
"Do not worry about me, Argus," Minerva said.
"I'm not worried," she assured me. "I trust you to bring me safely
through to the other side."
I couldn't answer. Her lack of fear and her faith in me left me
overwhelmed and speechless.
"I will promise to keep my claws in," she assured me, gravely.
That earned her a wry smile from me.
Minerva pressed her advantage. "I'm sure that you can see the
sense in choosing a traveling companion who is small enough to carry. I
won't have to bite your arm to avoid getting lost."
Her hand rested gently on my left arm. The wound was healed now,
and the scars would fade, eventually.
I sighed. "Professor, you are a true Gryffindor. You know that,
don't you?"
"Why thank you, Argus," she said, sweetly.
I frowned.
Her eyes twinkled. She knew perfectly well that I hadn't meant it
as a compliment. But she sensed defeat and acquiescence in my manner.
Alastor Moody, I thought wryly, was a true Slytherin. He'd sent
Professor McGonagall to discuss this with me, knowing that I would have
been able to keep on stubbornly refusing anyone else but it's very
difficult for me to say "No" to Minerva.
"Of course, I will tell Moody that we'll have to wait until you're
feeling up to it," Professor McGonagall said, reasonably. She's always
gracious in victory.
"It shouldn't be too long of a wait. You look so much better than
you did..." she said, studying me.
A little embarrassed by her scrutiny, I turned my attention to
petting Mrs. Norris. Perhaps it was my imagination, or maybe it was
wishful thinking, but Minerva was not looking at me as if she saw a
frail old man. I thought I saw affection in her eyes. And perhaps
something more.
"It's getting late. I suppose that we ought to head back." I said,
gruffly.
Climbing gracefully to her feet, my coat still around her, Minerva
reached down to help me up.
I told myself not to be a fool. Professor McGonagall was a lovely
woman, a powerful witch. I was fortunate that she considered me a
friend. Wanting any more would be ridiculous. I might as well wish for
the moon...
She was the Deputy Headmistress, for Merlin's sake...
Her hand remained in mine, even though I was standing.
Hands clasped, Minerva and I walked towards the Castle. When I
glanced over my shoulder to make sure that Mrs. Norris was following, I
discovered that my cat was observing us.
She looked rather smug.
The End
Author's Notes:
Wow, did I mss ff.net when it was down! I'm glad that it's back!
Blue Moon: Thank you!! I wasn't able to go without writing completely...
I did do a short epilogue. But the next story hasn't been started yet.
It's still busy forming in my head.
Elspeth: Thank you!! Yes, Mrs. Norris was trying to do a bit of
matchmaking. She likes and approves of Minerva.
Your exchange between Severus and Sirius made me laugh!! It's so
perfect!! I wish I'd thought of it...
Emma: Thank you!! Yes, it may be a few more weeks before my next story.
So far my summer has been pretty busy.
Tina: Thank you!!
Elektra: Thank you!! I hope that Draco eventually rejects Lucius's path
and makes his own. But that's up to Rowling.
Remus is one of my favorite characters. I have idea-fragments with him,
but no complete stories, as of yet. Thank you for letting me know about
your new chapter!! (I think I reviewed it before ff.net went down.)
Jelsemium: Thank you!! Your exchange between Poppy, Filch and Sirius
made me laugh!!
Lataradk: Thank you!! I love the idea of Sirius sending Lucius a rubber
mouse as a get-well gift!!
Both Argus and Minerva are beginning to get a clue, I think.
Lizard of Fire: Thank you!!
Ariana Deralte: Thank you!!
Demeter: Thank you!! Poor Narcissa indeed. (She thinks Lucius's purring
is rather cute, but the shedding bothers her.)
Redone: Thank you!! Yes, Lucius is the pale-haired Dark wizard and
Severus is the dark haired pale wizard! I like that!
Besnaped: Thank you!! The story with Snape and Azoth is still taking
shape in my head, but I'll write it as soon as it "solidifies..."