Movies - Argus Filch

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	Movies - Argus Filch

Argus Filch is the caretaker and (effectively) hall monitor in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of books. While he arguably 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. Filch's attempts to enforce the letter of rules against activities such as being outside the dorms late make life very inconvenient for Harry Potter and many of his friends. His knowledge of the secrets and shortcuts of the castle is nearly unparalleled. It appears that the only people who may have known more, were the Marauders.

Filch has a cat named Mrs Norris; he frequently calls her "my sweet". As for the students, it's the dearest ambition of many to give her a good kick. If Mrs Norris catches a student putting one toe out of line, Filch will arrive in seconds. The cat has been known to follow Hagrid everywhere when he goes up to the school, apparently under Filch's orders – which suggests an extraordinary connection between cat and owner, and makes Hagrid want to introduce her to Fang.

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). His surname, "Filch", is an English word meaning "to steal", usually in a sneaky manner. The name of his cat, "Mrs Norris", is probably borrowed from Jane Austen's novel Mansfield Park. Mrs Norris is a nosy, interfering character in Mansfield Park who makes life difficult for the heroine, Fanny Price. Interestingly, in some versions of the myth, Argus is described as having four eyes, not a hundred, which recalls the almost psychic connection Mrs Norris appears to have with her master, as if they share two pairs of eyes.

Filch is played by David Bradley in the films. By the fourth film, he had merely become a comedy character, seen running in an amusing fashion, dancing with Mrs Norris and letting the cannon that announces when tasks start go off early all three times.

For years Filch has been trying to bring the "old punishments" back, where students are hung by their hands in the dungeons for days, are whipped, and so forth. In the fifth book when Dolores Umbridge took control of Hogwarts, he briefly got his wish as a result of Educational Decree Number Twenty-Nine. Filch called Umbridge the best thing that ever happened to Hogwarts, making him the only staff member to take her side. (Which likely intensified whatever ill-will the students may have already had for him.)

Filch and his cat are mutual mortal enemies of Peeves the poltergeist, against whom they constantly wage war. Harry and his friends sometimes get involved in this conflict, though they don't take sides, finding no likable choice.

Filch was revealed to be a Squib in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when Harry accidentally caught him trying to teach himself basic magic from a correspondence course. His inability to use magic in a setting where it would greatly help his duties, the fact that students are learning magic all around him, and the fact that he is at least a half-blood are likely causes of his bitterness. Many fans believe that Mrs Norris will play a larger role in the forthcoming books.

Filch, Argus Filch, Argus

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