SWDnovel Chapter 177 Filch's Role
Chapter 177 Filch's Role
Chapter 177 Filch's Role
The caretaker, Mr. Filch, had his office on the first floor of the castle, right next to the entrance hall.
The air here seems colder and heavier than elsewhere.
He knocked on the door. There was a deathly silence inside. After a long while, a hoarse voice, as if polished by sandpaper, weakly asked, "—Who is it?"
Jim Lynch.
Another long silence followed before the door was slowly pulled open from the inside. Filch appeared in the doorway, looking much older and more haggard than he had a few days ago. His eyes were sunken and bloodshot, and his face was ashen, as if he hadn't washed in days. His already worn clothes were even more wrinkled and stained with unidentified dirt. The office was dimmer and messier than usual; the oil lamp seemed to be dimly lit, and unwashed cups and saucers were piled in the corner. The air was filled with a mixture of stale dust, cheap cleaning agents, and a faint, rancid smell, like food that had been left out for too long and hadn't been cleaned.
"Professor Lynch?" Filch asked in a hoarse voice, his eyes vacant, seemingly unconcerned about the visitor's purpose.
"I need your help with something, Mr. Filch," Lynch said with a smile, speaking in a slightly calmer tone than usual.
Hearing that it was important, a glimmer of light appeared in Filch's cloudy eyes, but that light was quickly drowned out by deeper pain. He mechanically stepped aside, gesturing for Lynch to come in, his movements as slow as a marionette.
Ever since Mrs. Lorris's incident, he's been like this: when he leaves his office, he's Filch, who's become even more aggressive in cracking down on student misbehavior. But when he returns to his office, he looks completely lost.
The fact that Mrs. Lorris was petrified was a huge blow to Filch.
Lynch could see this clearly.
The scene inside the office confirmed his judgment: the punishment instruments on the walls were covered with a thin layer of dust, and several drawers of the huge filing cabinet were half-open, with the documents inside crammed haphazardly. On the table was a plate of almost untouched, hard-looking food.
"What do you need me to do, Professor Lynch?" Filch asked in a hoarse voice.
"It's about the attack on Mrs. Lorris." Lynch's gaze swept across the room before returning to Filch. "I found traces of the monster that attacked Mrs. Lorris."
These words struck Filch like a bolt of lightning. His previously hunched body suddenly straightened, his cloudy eyes narrowed sharply, and he stared intently at Lynch. A few seconds later, a flame of pain and anger ignited within them.
Filch's voice suddenly rose, becoming sharp and urgent, no longer the lifeless hoarseness of before. "You found the killer? That—that beast who hurt my Loris? What is it? Where is it?!" He took a step forward, his withered fingers unconsciously curling up, as if trying to grab the invisible enemy.
Meeting his excited gaze, Lynch did not answer immediately, but instead took out the parchment scroll that Professor McGonagall had just signed from his robe and slowly unfolded it in front of him.
“Look at this, Mr. Filch,” he said in a steady, reassuring tone, “a warrant signed by Vice-Headmistress McGonagall. It authorizes me to take the necessary measures to resolve this threat. And at the heart of it all,” he paused, directing Filch’s gaze to the official seal and signature, “is to find and eliminate that monster. For the sake of all of Hogwarts, and so that there will never be another victim like Mrs. Norris.”
Filch's breathing became heavy, and his chest heaved violently.
He stared greedily at the document, as if it were his only lifeline. His gaze shifted from the parchment to Lynch's face, where the pain remained profound, but was now overshadowed by an increasingly fervent desire for revenge.
"Solve it—take it down?" he repeated, his voice trembling with excitement. "You—you can do it? You can make that monster—pay the price?"
“That’s what I’m here for,” Lynch replied firmly, carefully putting away the parchment. “But I need your help, Mr. Filch. No one knows the bones and veins of this castle better than you, no one knows better than you the pipe entrances hidden behind the statues and tapestries.”
He looked sharply at Filch: "I need your knowledge, and your key. We need to operate like ghosts at night, secretly sealing off all possible passages."
"Based on the clues I have so far, there are likely people in the castle who are on that monster's side. Therefore, our actions must be completely silent, and we must not alert anyone."
"It's Potter! It must be him!" Filch practically roared, his voice filled with a clear-cut hatred.
Lynch didn't correct him, but gave Filch a meaningful look and said in a calm voice, "We need to be cautious until we have solid evidence, Mr. Filch. Making a move that alerts the enemy might allow the real mole to hide even deeper."
The key now is to find and kill that monster. Can you help me, Mr. Filch? Can you help me get these things done for Mrs. Lorris?
"End the monster—" Filch murmured, his eyes burning with the flames of revenge.
He whirled around, grabbed the heaviest, clanging keychain, and clutched it tightly to his chest like a weapon.
"I know!" he hissed. "I know all the paths! All the secret doors! My keys—they know every keyhole in the castle!"
“Very good.” Lynch nodded. “But the two of us alone aren’t enough. We need help. We need absolutely obedient helpers who won’t utter a word. You know where to find such helpers, don’t you, Mr. Filch? Those little guys who work in the kitchen.”
Filch's eyes lit up; he immediately understood Lynch's meaning. "House-elves—" he said hoarsely, "Yes, yes—they can do it. Quiet, obedient—never asking many questions."
"Furthermore, they are bound by ancient magic and cannot voluntarily reveal their master's secrets," Lynch added. "Once we find them, I'll need you to oversee the actual construction work. Are you up to the task?"
"You won't be disappointed, Professor Lynch." Filch nodded heavily, his eyes burning with the flames of revenge.
"For Lady Lorice!" he repeated, his voice filled with renewed determination.
"Very good." Lynch nodded. "Then let's go to the kitchen. After finding the elves, you'll explain the work requirements to them and lead them into their nighttime operations. I'll take care of the necessary magical protection."
As Lynch spoke, he turned to reveal the path leading to the corridor, "We'd better get going now, while the students are still in class and the corridor is the quietest."
Filch didn't say anything more, but nodded vigorously, clutching the bunch of keys tightly like a soldier about to go to battle, and followed Lynch out of his office.