Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to JK Rowling. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 57: Argus Filch
The commotion caused by the Azkaban breakout sent the entire wizarding world of Britain into chaos. Even Dudley could see that his cousin, Harry Potter, was deeply engaged in conversations with others about the incident. It made sense to Dudley, after all, this was a good sign for Harry. People were finally starting to believe him about Voldemort's return.
For Dudley, however, the situation was more complicated. He knew the plot of the story and by interfering in it, he had already caused a butterfly effect. Releasing Sirius Black had altered events, and the plotline was now diverging from what should have happened.
Despite the chaos, Dudley didn't want to get involved in the ongoing drama talk about something that had already been known. He decided to head to the Room of Requirement for more training. But on his way, he encountered someone who was being hated and ostracized by others.
Argus Filch the man who had been squib and at the same time hold the position of the caretaker of Hogwarts.
"What are you doing here?" asked Argus Filch.
"Walking. Why?" replied Dudley nonchalantly.
Argus knew about Dudley, the student who had stayed off his radar for three years, except for last year when he suddenly drew attention due to some commotion he caused.
Filch wanted to punish Dudley because he looked suspicious, wandering alone on the seventh floor.
"Go back to your room," said Argus.
"It's not yet 10 PM, so we can still be outside the common room," replied Dudley.
Argus could only sigh in frustration because he didn't have a valid reason to punish him.
As Dudley watched Argus walk away, an idea sparked in his mind.
"Argus Filch, the Squib," said Dudley suddenly, and unfortunately, Argus overheard him.
Filch turned back, grabbed Dudley's collar, and demanded, "How do you know?" His voice was hoarse, filled with anger.
Seeing Filch's reaction, Dudley recalled some details from the books he'd read, and he decided to offer an alternative.
"I need your blood," said Dudley, which made the angry Argus suddenly go quiet and look terrified.
"Headmaster," muttered Argus as he tried to run away from Dudley.
But Dudley was quicker. He caught Argus's wrist before he could flee.
"No, you cannot torture me!" Argus said, his voice shaky.
Judging by his reaction, Dudley figured that Filch had probably been tortured by his pureblood family in the past, which might explain his fear.
"Don't worry. I'm here to propose a deal—to make you a wizard," said Dudley.
Argus's terrified eyes widened in shock.
"You can turn me into a wizard?" Argus asked, needing confirmation.
"My parents are Muggles, and I became a wizard. So I want to understand why magic chose me and not you," Dudley explained. "By collecting your blood, I might discover the answer to turning someone into a wizard."
Hearing this, Argus's hopes deflated. He had thought Dudley already had a potion that could turn him into a wizard, but the boy simply wanted to use him as an experimental subject.
Argus looked at Dudley and saw that his eyes were clear, not calculating or cruel like those of the purebloods he had always dealt with.
Living in the past had been hard. The Filch family was a pureblood line in Britain, but Argus was the last descendant—and unfortunately, not a wizard.
For some reason, the Filch family could only have one child. They tried many potions, but Argus was their only offspring. When he turned 11 and didn't receive his Hogwarts letter, his parents were devastated.
They performed countless experiments trying to activate the wizard blood in him, but they eventually had to accept that he would never be a wizard. Those experiments left him traumatized, which is why he had tried to flee when Dudley asked for his blood.
"You just need my blood and won't force me into any experiments?" asked Argus cautiously.
"If the potion is ready, I might need you to drink it because you'll be the only subject in my experiment," Dudley replied honestly.
"Hmmm..." Argus hesitated, but the trauma still lingered.
"It's up to you. I might be the only one offering you this chance, so think carefully," said Dudley, turning to leave.
"I'll do it. Take my blood," replied Argus.
Dudley smiled when Argus agreed. He had countless ideas on how to activate the cells in him, but he lacked someone willing to be the subject of his experiments.
He couldn't let his parents drink the potion until it was confirmed to be safe and guaranteed to work with 100% success.
---Voldemort POV---
"How is your work at Hogwarts?" asked Voldemort to Lucius.
"It is going well, my lord. I don't teach the Mudbloods, I only teach Slytherin students privately," replied Lucius Malfoy.
Hearing this, Voldemort was slightly pleased. At least Lucius was doing his job well and ensuring that the Slytherin students were receiving a proper education.
"Lucius, I have a new task for you," said Voldemort, raising his wand toward a newspaper.
The paper floated toward Lucius. He grabbed it and read the headline.
"My lord, do you want me to do something about this news?" asked Lucius.
"Yes, can you handle it?" replied Voldemort.
Lucius hesitated, not wanting to risk Voldemort's wrath if the mission failed.
"I cannot stop it, my lord," said Lucius, quickly adding when he noticed Voldemort's eyes narrowing in anger. "But I can divert the attention of the wizarding world to something else."
"Tell me your plan, Lucius," said Voldemort.
"The news has spread widely, so it is impossible to stop the rumors among the citizens. But I can silence Fudge and create a bigger story to shift their focus," explained Lucius.
Voldemort didn't fully grasp the idea, so Lucius continued.
"For example, last year, after our attack, the news focused heavily on the incident. But when the Triwizard Tournament was announced, people stopped talking about the Death Eater attacks during Quidditch tournament," said Lucius.
"Good idea. Do it, Lucius," said Voldemort. Suddenly, a silver figure appeared before Voldemort.
"Hello, Tom. You were really foolish to release your Death Eaters. Now everyone knows you've returned," said the Patronus.
Voldemort became enraged and asked Lucius one last time.
"Is this voice really that of Dudley Dursley, Harry Potter's cousin?"
"100% his voice," replied Lucius.
....
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