Why was Filch allowed to remain at Hogwarts?

Amidst all the trauma and chaos, with death eaters taking over the castle and muggle borns being driven out, I was ever so surprised to see that through all of this, Filch was still there. This completely baffles me. Filch being a squib is no secret, in book 2 for he openly admits to it in front of various professors including Snape, most of whom probably knew already. I just find it baffling that death eaters who were out for muggle born blood, left the squib Filch untouched. He is technically a muggle, and we know that death eaters had no qualms with torturing muggles.


Any explanations?

Hm... good question.
I can only think of two possibilities here:
1) for the death eaters, being a squib is as bad as being a muggleborn, so there wouldn't be anymore danger for Filch than for the students
2) Filch probably had no other place to go... and in Hogwarts, there are at least wizards, who can defend him, if he gets attacked. If he is somewhere alone, it would be quite easy to get him.

Or maybe they just assumed that Snape would find it too unimportant to tell the other death eaters...

Amidst all the trauma and chaos, with death eaters taking over the castle and muggle borns being driven out, I was ever so surprised to see that through all of this, Filch was still there. This completely baffles me. Filch being a squib is no secret, in book 2 for he openly admits to it in front of various professors including Snape, most of whom probably knew already. I just find it baffling that death eaters who were out for muggle born blood, left the squib Filch untouched. He is technically a muggle, and we know that death eaters had no qualms with torturing muggles.

Any explanations?

I don't think it was that well known outside the castle, Filch always tried to hide it. Snape must have known, but why should he have told it to the other Death Eaters?

There wasn't a real reason to fire Flich, rather the reverse. Filch knew more about the castle then anyone else, which made him a great ally, even though he was a Squib, the Carrows must have used them to their advantage.

I don't think it was that well known outside the castle, Filch always tried to hide it. Snape must have known, but why should he have told it to the other Death Eaters?.



Most certainly Snape did know. But I would find it difficult to believe that none of the other death eaters knew that Filch was a squib. From what we have seen though the series it wasnt that difficult to find out. Harry discovered it by looking in his office, and Draco eventually found out by overhearing harry and co. talking. And if Draco knew that Filch was a squib i doubt he would have kept this information to himself. Either way, I find it difficult to believe that no one seem to catch on to the fact that Filch never uses a wand. Not even to clean up the messes in the castle.

But come to think of it, while the wizarding world was after the blood of muggles and muggle borns, squibs seemed to be left out of the equation completely. At MOM we never saw any squibs being taken in for questioning, nor did we really see any harm come to the squibs we were made aware of. I would think that they would be a little more vunerable than the average muggle, since there are wizards who know them personally. It just seemed kinda odd.

There wasn't a real reason to fire Flich, rather the reverse. Filch knew more about the castle then anyone else, which made him a great ally, even though he was a Squib, the Carrows must have used them to their advantage

Well i wouldnt say sack, i was thinking more along the lines of torture/kill since this is what they do to muggles. And Filch didnt seem like he knew all that much about the castle, it seemed like fred and george were able to manuever around him rather easily.

Most certainly Snape did know. But I would find it difficult to believe that none of the other death eaters knew that Filch was a squib. From what we have seen though the series it wasnt that difficult to find out. Harry discovered it by looking in his office, and Draco eventually found out by overhearing harry and co. talking. And if Draco knew that Filch was a squib i doubt he would have kept this information to himself. Either way, I find it difficult to believe that no one seem to catch on to the fact that Filch never uses a wand. Not even to clean up the messes in the castle.

I see no reason why Draco should have told it, Filch was his ally during his school days, especially in OotP. Voldemort wouldn't have really cared about it anyway, if someones useful he uses them. Filch was useful.

But come to think of it, while the wizarding world was after the blood of muggles and muggle borns, squibs seemed to be left out of the equation completely. At MOM we never saw any squibs being taken in for questioning, nor did we really see any harm come to the squibs we were made aware of. I would think that they would be a little more vunerable than the average muggle, since there are wizards who know them personally. It just seemed kinda odd.

I think Squibs are pretty rare and families with Squibs probably held it quiet or went undercover.



Well i wouldnt say sack, i was thinking more along the lines of torture/kill since this is what they do to muggles. And Filch didnt seem like he knew all that much about the castle, it seemed like fred and george were able to manuever around him rather easily.

Killing him would have been useless in my view, because what we have seen of Filch, especially during OotP, was that he was a great ally for wizards with a preference for fighting rule breakers and he didn't mind torture. So I think Snape protected Filch by convincing the Carrows he was an ally.

I never said that Filch knew everything, but as Harry once said, he probably knew the most about the castle after the twins.

Well, from the point of view of adult Death Eaters (ones removed by a few years at least from their Hogwarts years) Filch is fulfilling his proper place in the New World Order. He's a non-magical being who is basically a servant to the magical world. I would think that Death Eaters would approve of that. He's not competing with wizards for the world, rather he does work that Death Eaters would consider beneath themselves.

Is Filch definitely a Squib, or is he just magically ungifted? When Mrs. Figg was testifying at Harry's trial, it was questioned whether Squibs could see dementors... if Filch is a Squib, would he be able to see/do his job at Hogwarts?

In regard to the original question, I agree that the answer lies with Snape.

Amidst all the trauma and chaos, with death eaters taking over the castle and muggle borns being driven out, I was ever so surprised to see that through all of this, Filch was still there. This completely baffles me. Filch being a squib is no secret, in book 2 for he openly admits to it in front of various professors including Snape, most of whom probably knew already. I just find it baffling that death eaters who were out for muggle born blood, left the squib Filch untouched. He is technically a muggle, and we know that death eaters had no qualms with torturing muggles.


Any explanations?

It wasn't a common knowledge to all that Filch was a squib, it has been proved in Ootp...and since Snape wasn't exactly working for Voldemort therefore he didn't make an effort to remove him. ;)

It wasn't a common knowledge to all that Filch was a squib, it has been proved in Ootp...and since Snape wasn't exactly working for Voldemort therefore he didn't make an effort to remove him. ;)
I agree. Although, I wouldn't put it past Snape to have tried to remove him in the past. However, Filch didn't present too much of a bother. He just didn't like kids, but we never saw anything too bad from him aside from his wanting to torture the kids. (:D)

Filch knew almost as much about the castle as the marauders, a great advantage to the Carrows and snape. There were guards on all the exits, most likely information supplied my Filch. There may have been slytherins or Death Eaters who just happened to know the ones Filch didn't, but still a huge advantage.

The second reason I can think of is that since Filch is a squib, he would have pure blood parents, and Death Eaters would probably respect that.

Also, he probably supported them a lot, like the ways to torture students. I'm sure the rest of the teachers wouldn't like that, but still, the Death Eaters are the only ones he needs to please.

The second reason I can think of is that since Filch is a squib, he would have pure blood parents, and Death Eaters would probably respect that.

I don't think that would buy him any reason not to be detained, for it is made clear in the book that after muggles and muggleborns, squibs were in the line.

Is Filch definitely a Squib, or is he just magically ungifted? When Mrs. Figg was testifying at Harry's trial, it was questioned whether Squibs could see dementors... if Filch is a Squib, would he be able to see/do his job at Hogwarts?


All we know is that Filch considered himself a Squib, he has more or less confirmed this when he accused Harry of bewitching Mrs Norris. He said Harry had done it because he knew Filch was a Squib.

I don't think that Filch has trouble with the dementors, he could feel them even if he wasn't able to see them. They weren't supposed to enter the grounds and only did that during the Quidditch game(s), which weren't Filch responsibility.

The specific accusation made against Muggle-borns by the DEs was that they stole someone's magic. Squibs might be viewed as 'victims' of such crimes.

The specific accusation made against Muggle-borns by the DEs was that they stole someone's magic. Squibs might be viewed as 'victims' of such crimes.

Good observation, I never saw it that way, I thought it just meant that Muggleborns took away the magic (opportunities) of the pure-blooded wizards.

Good question.... I guess there could be several explanations. Filch was a squib, not a muggle-born, so perhaps that made him okay in the Death Eater's eyes. Or maybe Filch was in such support of torturing the students that the Death Eaters really liked him. Filch was also friends with Umbridge when she was at Hogwarts, so perhaps her friendship gave him protection since she had a high status at the Ministry.

Yes, the Ministry was saying that muggleborns stole the magic, so squibs dont really work in their plan. Filch was helpful anyway, so they kept him.

Squibs are purebloods or at least are known to have significant "Wizarding blood", so I don't know if the fact that they can't do magic is enough to denigrate them to Muggle status in DE eyes.

It wasn't a common knowledge to all that Filch was a squib, it has been proved in Ootp...and since Snape wasn't exactly working for Voldemort therefore he didn't make an effort to remove him. ;)

When i say common knowledge I mean among the proffesors and things. But again I find it hard to believe that none of the other students figured it out except the trio, considering he never uses a wand.

Squibs are purebloods or at least are known to have significant "Wizarding blood", so I don't know if the fact that they can't do magic is enough to denigrate them to Muggle status in DE eyes.


I am not too sure about that. We know that squibs were disowned from the Black family tree(Marius black), so I doubt that someone like Bellatrix would look upoun them kindly. Marvolvo Gaunt certainly didnt either, seeing as he used the word squib as an insult to his daughter.

The Death Eaters and Voldy thought that Squibs weren't the same as Muggles. Their problem with Muggle-borns is the fact that they "stole" the magic, or so the Daily Prophet claims. But the Squibs aren't the same; they can't do magic, so what harm are they doing to the DEs? Also, Voldemort makes it clear during the BoH that he doesn't want magical blood to be spilled, making it known that he doesn't want to destroy the world, but rule it. He undoubtedly believes that the Squibs still have the magical powers, they simply can't use them. So he wants them to live, so their bloodlines can stay alive. That was why he didn't kill Filch, Mrs. Figg, etc. But Flich could only stay as long as he went along with everything that the Carrows and Snape said.

The Death Eaters and Voldy thought that Squibs weren't the same as Muggles.

While it is a happy thought to think that the death eaters showed some mercy and discrimination to a certain group of people , some how I am willing to bet that this was not the case. More than likely since squibs are supposed to be rare, this meant that they werent a large enough group to be specifically targeted. But if death eaters came across a person that they knew to be a squib, i sincerely doubt that their fate would be any different than that of a muggle.



Their problem with Muggle-borns is the fact that they "stole" the magic, or so the Daily Prophet claims. But the Squibs aren't the same; they can't do magic, so what harm are they doing to the DEs?

This is not their problem with muggle borns. The whole idea that they stole magic was fabricated in order to get wizarding community approval. Its propganda, even the death eaters werent dumb enough to believe this.


Also, Voldemort makes it clear during the BoH that he doesn't want magical blood to be spilled, making it known that he doesn't want to destroy the world, but rule it.

This is a lie. Voldemort may say he doesnt want magical blood(pureblood) to be spilt, but his reign of terror is one of the main reasons why we saw so many pureblood family lines exterminated. He really doesnt care at all he says he does to keep the support of his fellow death eaters and he'll say anything so long as he is forever in power.


He undoubtedly believes that the Squibs still have the magical powers, they simply can't use them. So he wants them to live, so their bloodlines can stay alive.

Im sorry, but i dont really see any canon to support this.

While it is a happy thought to think that the death eaters showed some mercy and discrimination to a certain group of people , some how I am willing to bet that this was not the case. More than likely since squibs are supposed to be rare, this meant that they werent a large enough group to be specifically targeted. But if death eaters came across a person that they knew to be a squib, i sincerely doubt that their fate would be any different than that of a muggle.

I agree here. I dont think that any of the Death Eaters felt pity or mercy for anyone. Not even Filch. I think that non-magical people would have been seen just as bad as muggles or mud-bloods would have.

While it is a happy thought to think that the death eaters showed some mercy and discrimination to a certain group of people , some how I am willing to bet that this was not the case. More than likely since squibs are supposed to be rare, this meant that they werent a large enough group to be specifically targeted. But if death eaters came across a person that they knew to be a squib, i sincerely doubt that their fate would be any different than that of a muggle.

Well, we did see how Death Eaters treated muggleborns who had their wands stripped from them - they tolerated them, allowing them to beg, for instance. I'd think that a squib who was properly subservient wouldn't be an issue for them - it's not like they'd want to do the sort of work that Filch does, after all.





.

This is a lie. Voldemort may say he doesnt want magical blood(pureblood) to be spilt, but his reign of terror is one of the main reasons why we saw so many pureblood family lines exterminated. He really doesnt care at all he says he does to keep the support of his fellow death eaters and he'll say anything so long as he is forever in power.

True enough - but part of staying in power is not needlessly upsetting magical families. Some families would have disowned squibs - but not all of them. Attacking squibs - who pose zero threat to Voldemort's power - would upset people needlessly. It's just not a good political strategy. All the more so if the squib is functioning as a servant to wizards anyway.

Well, we did see how Death Eaters treated muggleborns who had their wands stripped from them - they tolerated them, allowing them to beg, for instance. I'd think that a squib who was properly subservient wouldn't be an issue for them - it's not like they'd want to do the sort of work that Filch does, after all.

I can agree with this. But i find it hard to believe that someone like the carrows would not be tempted to torture him just for fun, we know that most of the death eaters joined for their love of violence.



True enough - but part of staying in power is not needlessly upsetting magical families. Some families would have disowned squibs - but not all of them. Attacking squibs - who pose zero threat to Voldemort's power - would upset people needlessly. It's just not a good political strategy. All the more so if the squib is functioning as a servant to wizards anyway.

I doubt that it would have upset magical families too much, atleast the sort of magical familiies that Voldemort was looking to please. Voldemort was only looking to appeasw a minority of the wizarding world, his death eaters, the rest of the population he could easily lie to and keep them under control.

I can agree with this. But i find it hard to believe that someone like the carrows would not be tempted to torture him just for fun, we know that most of the death eaters joined for their love of violence. .

But torturing Filch for the sake of torture would be a very public violation of the public persona that was being advanced (not their true agenda, but what was being shown publically). And we did see that in DH the Death Eaters were trying to maintain the public image that the Ministry was still in charge - they had little to gain by doing needless things to violate that image - there were ample targets that wouldn't attract publicity. Why would they attack undoubtedly the most prominent squib, when he was already being useful, and when it would create problems for them - when they could attack literally millions of other targets instead? We know how Voldemort reacts when somebody messes up and makes it more difficult to achieve his goals - even if the Carrows were tempted, I don't think they would act on that impulse - when they had plenty of fun attacking students for actually doing things against Voldemort's rule.






I doubt that it would have upset magical families too much, atleast the sort of magical familiies that Voldemort was looking to please. Voldemort was only looking to appeasw a minority of the wizarding world, his death eaters, the rest of the population he could easily lie to and keep them under control.

But from canon we know that Voldemort is trying to allow most wizards to take the easy way out - act as if Voldemort is not behind the changes in the ministry, etc. Since there is no advantage to attacking squibs, and since attacking squibs does have some risk of alienating magical families, I don't see any reason for the Death Eaters to do it. Squibs are no threat to the order, and properly subservient ones are actually a benefit to Voldemort - not like Muggleborns, who in principle have to be opposed to Voldemort given the lies he used to gain followers in the first place.

He may be a Squib, but he's as ruthless as they are. From the first story he talks of the chains in his quarters, and in Phoenix, Umbridge tells him to get the whips out, to flog Fred and George. He'd do it, and enjoy it!

Well, from the point of view of adult Death Eaters (ones removed by a few years at least from their Hogwarts years) Filch is fulfilling his proper place in the New World Order. He's a non-magical being who is basically a servant to the magical world. I would think that Death Eaters would approve of that. He's not competing with wizards for the world, rather he does work that Death Eaters would consider beneath themselves.

This is so true and something I never thought of. I figured they would have kept Filch around because he was always the one advocating capitol punishment for the kids. I could just see the Carrows using the Cruciatus Curse on the kids then sending them to Filch for a little "whips and chains" stuff.

But torturing Filch for the sake of torture would be a very public violation of the public persona that was being advanced (not their true agenda, but what was being shown publically). And we did see that in DH the Death Eaters were trying to maintain the public image that the Ministry was still in charge - they had little to gain by doing needless things to violate that image there were ample targets that wouldn't attract publicity.

And torturing students, the children of the wizarding community, is not? The death eaters may have tried to maintain a public image, per say, but it wasnt one of non violence, fair and non corrupt government. They really didnt care about that. They were trying to maintain control by any means necessary, ie fear, violence, threats. They may used proganda to further their cause, but their rule was mostly secured through fear. I seriously doubt torturing a squib would have had anything to do with maintaining a public image when they were abusing students left and right.


Why would they attack undoubtedly the most prominent squib, when he was already being useful, and when it would create problems for them - when they could attack literally millions of other targets instead?

A prominent squib? Im sorry, but i have to disagree. Attacking filch would not have created problems for them at all, and just how useful a person who cannot do magic is doubtful. Knowing his way around the castle, that may be possible. But like said before, fred and george weasley as well as Harry(the room of requirment) knew more secret passages of hogwarts than filch ever did. And we have to remember that most likely these death eaters were once former students themselves.

We know how Voldemort reacts when somebody messes up and makes it more difficult to achieve his goals - even if the Carrows were tempted, I don't think they would act on that impulse - when they had plenty of fun attacking students for actually doing things against Voldemort's rule.

I am sure they would, unless there was some specific reason as to why voldemort would not want them harmed and we have no evidence to believe that. We have to remember that many of these death eaters, including the carrows i am sure, joined the cause so that they could have free rein to destroy and kill. Dumbledore tells us this. And we have seen in the series that Voldemort 'rewards' his followers by allowing them to indulge in their sadistic pleasures.




Since there is no advantage to attacking squibs, and since attacking squibs does have some risk of alienating magical families, I don't see any reason for the Death Eaters to do it.

Well there is really no advantage to attacking muggles either, once you think about it. But we know that many of them were killed for mere sport. We are told this by various characters. And attacking muggle borns would certainly alienate many magical families too, but we know the sort of magical families that voldemort wished to appease arent too concerned with that.

Squibs are no threat to the order, and properly subservient ones are actually a benefit to Voldemort - not like Muggleborns, who in principle have to be opposed to Voldemort given the lies he used to gain followers in the first place

Yes it is true that squibs would not be a threat to the order, but their group most likely isnt high enough to be an actual benefit to voldemort, and as we learn from DH, most squibs are encouraged to assimilate into the muggle world anyway.

I guess The Heads have alway's taken pity on Filch, as Hogwarts is his home and they understand that his hatred for the kids is maybe due to the fact he could never learn magic himself at Hogwarts. I can't see his knowledge of the castle overiding the fact that he has medieval ideals about punishment and when given the choice he would use them.

And torturing students, the children of the wizarding community, is not? The death eaters may have tried to maintain a public image, per say, but it wasnt one of non violence, fair and non corrupt government. They really didnt care about that. They were trying to maintain control by any means necessary, ie fear, violence, threats. They may used proganda to further their cause, but their rule was mostly secured through fear. I seriously doubt torturing a squib would have had anything to do with maintaining a public image when they were abusing students left and right.

They were torturing them as corporal punishment - different in degree but not in kind from paddling them, for instance. They weren't (publically, anyway) torturing them for the sake of torture. I have no doubt that if Filch was stupid enough to step out of line he'd have paid a high price. But he didn't.





A prominent squib? Im sorry, but i have to disagree. Attacking filch would not have created problems for them at all, and just how useful a person who cannot do magic is doubtful. Knowing his way around the castle, that may be possible. But like said before, fred and george weasley as well as Harry(the room of requirment) knew more secret passages of hogwarts than filch ever did. And we have to remember that most likely these death eaters were once former students themselves.

But he was helpful in doing work that wizards would consider beneath themselves - he was a servant to wizards, which was useful. And it's a good message for the Death Eaters to send - be properly subservient, and you will get along.




Well there is really no advantage to attacking muggles either, once you think about it. But we know that many of them were killed for mere sport. We are told this by various characters. And attacking muggle borns would certainly alienate many magical families too, but we know the sort of magical families that voldemort wished to appease arent too concerned with that.

Sure there's an advantage from the DE perspective to attacking muggles. Their point of view implies that wizards and muggles are ultimately at war with each other, that muggles have fundamentally usurped supremacy of the world from witches and wizards. Now, if a muggle acknowledged and acted on the idea that his or her role in the world is to serve the magical, that would be different - but that's what we see Filch doing.

Maybe they hadn't totally made up their minds/come to a consensus on whether Squibs were considered of "magical blood" or not, so tabled the issue basically?

While Filch is a squib, he is of pure-blood. And Voldemort openly declared he thought every drop of pure-blood was a waste. So he would keep Filch alive.

:tu:

I believe that Filch was probably allowed to stay at Hogwarts because they probably wouldn't have been able to find a witch or wizard who would want to only be the caretaker/cleaner of the school. Even in the magical world, i'm doubtful that it was a desired job.

On the other hand, they could have believed that Filch's magical powers had been stolen by a muggle born :lol: although I doubt that the death eaters or anyone really actually believed that excuse!

Maybe Snape managed to keep the fact that Filch was a squib away from the other Death Eaters, and Voldemort wouldn't have been that interested in him. After all it wouldn't have been the first thing that Snape hid from Voldemort.

I believe that Filch was probably allowed to stay at Hogwarts because they probably wouldn't have been able to find a witch or wizard who would want to only be the caretaker/cleaner of the school. Even in the magical world, i'm doubtful that it was a desired job.

On the other hand, they could have believed that Filch's magical powers had been stolen by a muggle born :lol: although I doubt that the death eaters or anyone really actually believed that excuse!


I agree and since Filch had no magical ability, they really couldn't even accuse him of stealing any :lol:

But I think you bring up a great point, I too don't think that many wizards would be interested in the position.

even though he was a mean, bitter, favored cruel punishment, and probably liked what the DE's were doing, he wasn't seen as a real or potential threat. He probably couldn't make sparks fly out of a wand, so he wasn't actually dangerous, though mean.

Well we see in Book 1 that Snape and Filch seem to have a good relationship. That's why all the theories about Filch and Irma Pince started up. With Snape being in charge of Hogwarts, I doubt he'd suddenly start being mean to Filch. And I doubt Filch was a big enough deal to draw Voldemort's attention, or the attention of any high ranking Death Eater. The Carrows probably never figured out that he was a Squib.

He probably wasn't important enough for the DE's to worry about - they may not have even known he was a Squib, or if they did, he might have just been so insignificant to them that they didn't bother trying to get him out of Hogwarts. That and the fact that no wizard would likely do his job, as others said.

First of all, was there ever anything in the book that said Squibs were being rounded up like the Muggles? If so, I'd say it's an error, just like (Muggle born) Creevy being at the battle (sorry, that 'he came in through the RoR!' was a retcon). If there wasn't anything that said that, I'd think that the Ministry and the powers that be just didn't have any problems with squibs. Can they have magical children, at a higher percentage than normal Muggles? Maybe they justified it by saying it was a Muggle born who 'stole' the squibs' powers.

Is Filch definitely a Squib, or is he just magically ungifted? When Mrs. Figg was testifying at Harry's trial, it was questioned whether Squibs could see dementors... if Filch is a Squib, would he be able to see/do his job at Hogwarts?

In regard to the original question, I agree that the answer lies with Snape.

Maybe he was like Merope, and that Squibs have magic, they just can't access it. He may be able to see Dementors because of that reason

I think that Filch was kept on simply because he did a good job. He struck a bit of terror into the hearts of the students, and kept them in-line. Many students were probably terrified of getting caught breaking rules because of Filch. If that were not the case then the headmaster would be the lead disciplinarian, and I doubt that Dumbledore wanted to be thought of in that manner.

Filch also ensured that Dumbledore knew of anything going on in the school that might be bordering on illegal.

In any case, he was good at his job, and fulfilled a key role in the school.

Maybe Snape managed to keep the fact that Filch was a squib away from the other Death Eaters, and Voldemort wouldn't have been that interested in him.

True, Voldemort was only interesting in the grand and glorious and powerful. As DD said. that's why he missed out on the power of things like fairy tales and house elves, etc. (He probably could have lived forever had he been willing to put one of his soul pieces in a rusty tractor part and throw it into a lake. But no, he had to have relics of Hogwarts' founders and such, and hide them in places like Gringotts, because I guess he told himself, as they say in the hair color ads, "you're worth it." So I could see a relative peon like Filch being far beneath his notice.

Filch was a pureblood, even though he wasn't a wizard. It's the muggleborns that Voldemort wants to keep out of Hogwarts.

Personally I think that Filch tried everything in his power to keep this hushed. Foolish it might have been to leave a letter lying on his desk for Harry to read, but nonetheless he really did kick up a fuss when he suspected that Harry had read it.
Also I think he was under the impression that the Professors would protect him if it came to the crunch. For instance, he knew Snape was a Death Eater so he was under the impression that they're quite good friends really so there's no way that Snape would hurt him and Snape knows all these Death Eater friends and Voldemort himself so there's no way he'd hurt him.
But obviously seen as Voldemort did not spare the love of his life's life then there's no way he's going to spare little old Argus Filch's. But obviously Filch is not aware of that.
Filch seems the sort of person that without Hogwarts he doesn't have anywhere else to go. God knows what he does in the holidays.

Filch was a pureblood, even though he wasn't a wizard. It's the muggleborns that Voldemort wants to keep out of Hogwarts.

I think this is the main reason. The way I think Voldemort's legacy works would be

Him on top
Death Eaters
Pure Bloods
Half Bloods
Squibs
Muggle borns/Mudbloods/magical creatures like goblins, house elves, etc.

I suppose Squibs may also be put with Pure Bloods, since they are pure bloods themselves, and they would be pitied because they had their "magic stolen".

The biggest reason i think he stayed at hogwarts was because of his knowledge of the castle.

Personally I think that Filch tried everything in his power to keep this hushed. Foolish it might have been to leave a letter lying on his desk for Harry to read, but nonetheless he really did kick up a fuss when he suspected that Harry had read it.
Also I think he was under the impression that the Professors would protect him if it came to the crunch. For instance, he knew Snape was a Death Eater so he was under the impression that they're quite good friends really so there's no way that Snape would hurt him and Snape knows all these Death Eater friends and Voldemort himself so there's no way he'd hurt him.
But obviously seen as Voldemort did not spare the love of his life's life then there's no way he's going to spare little old Argus Filch's. But obviously Filch is not aware of that..

There was a reason for Voldemort to kill Lily - she was in his way, when he was trying to commit the murder that would guarantee his supremacy. Filch is doing useful work. Voldemort wouldn't make any effort to save Filch - but he's also not going to bother with him. That would be like killing a house elf just for the heck of it. Now, I'm assuming that Filch would have the good sense to stay out of Voldemort's way, be respectful (even subservient) etc.


Filch seems the sort of person that without Hogwarts he doesn't have anywhere else to go. God knows what he does in the holidays.

Probably focuses on keeping the library clean.

Originally posted by Ralphmuggle
Probably focuses on keeping the library clean.


Haha!
He probably sits there in his office thinking of new ways to get rid of Peeves. That's the highlight of his life! That and praying for the old punishments to come back in!

Filch: the conundrum.

Why he was there in the first place! I believe Mr. or Mrs. Weasley mentioned a predecessor of their day. So presumably he arrived in the days of Albus Dumbledore.

Although there are house-elves, the poor man has to scrub the mud off corridor floors and dragon bogies off the ceiling -- by hand. He has a horrible basement office, no windows. Was it doing him a favor to give him a job, or was it a punishment?

Dumbledore knew he was a squib and he knew about the Qwikspell course before Harry found it: "He saw my Qwikspell letter!"

Flich and Snape previously appeared to be allies at times -- for instance, Filch was the one who helped Snape after Fluffy bit him. There was also some physical resemblance. It's possible he was maybe a distant relative of Snape. Then we have to remember that Snape was not really wicked, so he would not want hand over Filch to the DE's, in any case.

I do find it somewhat difficult to believe that Voldemort would not have known that Filch was a Squib. However, Umbridge (thus meaning the majority of the Ministry) did not know he was a Squib (why else would she tell him not to explode the fireworks), so maybe Voldemort did not bother - he just assumed he was a wizard. Nonetheless, if he was a pureblood, he would still have the ability to produce magical offspring, so even if Voldemort knew he was a Squib, this may have convinced him not to kill/fire Filch.

...maybe Voldemort did not bother - he just assumed he was a wizard.

I would guess you were right. He never asked, and Snape didn't bring it up.

I do find it somewhat difficult to believe that Voldemort would not have known that Filch was a Squib. However, Umbridge (thus meaning the majority of the Ministry) did not know he was a Squib (why else would she tell him not to explode the fireworks), so maybe Voldemort did not bother - he just assumed he was a wizard. Nonetheless, if he was a pureblood, he would still have the ability to produce magical offspring, so even if Voldemort knew he was a Squib, this may have convinced him not to kill/fire Filch.

I don't think Voldemort cared, honestly. Filch was doing dirty work for him indirectly all along...so he would overlook the Squibness until he had served his purpose.

Voldemort was a little preoccupied with his obsessions to be concerned about Filch. :)

How does one become the caretaker of Hogwarts?

I presume the headmaster hires and fires you at will, like the rest of the staff. Interested in the job? :)

I presume the headmaster hires and fires you at will, like the rest of the staff. Interested in the job? :)

Or maybe teachers in the magic would have tenure too, like in the real world.

I presume the headmaster hires and fires you at will, like the rest of the staff. Interested in the job? :)

Haha, no. I was just wondering how Filch got the job. If it is up to the headmaster, perhaps he got the job after Dumbledore was hired and perhaps Dumbledore felt bad (or something) because Filch is a Squib. Filch, with his Kwikspell course, does seem like one that wants to be magical.

Maybe he was like Merope, and that Squibs have magic, they just can't access it. He may be able to see Dementors because of that reason

Except Merope was more similar to Ariana Dumbledore. A fully capable witch, who through abuse entered a regressed state. Ariana could never properly access her magic, and Merope only finally overcame her issues with the arrests of her father and brother.

Maybe because Filch,like Hagrid,didn't have a home to go to and have always thought Hogwarts as his home.And as a squib,of course he couldn't do any magic to defend himself so maybe he thought it was safer to be in a place where there were a lot of witches and wizards who could protect him.

Of course,that would make Filch sound as an ungrateful,bias person as he always hated the students and when out of his way to make sure they got into trouble but we may never know the true reason why Filch has always been in Hogwarts.

Another possible reason is tht nobady outside Hogwarts knows because Filch never told anybody.There is a possibility that not a lot of Hogwarts students know tht he is a squib because they just hated him and wanted to get away from him when they saw him approaching.

I have been thinking about this for a while now and I just wondered what other people thought about Dumbledore hiring Filch. It seems almost cruel to me for Dumbledore to hire a caretaker with no magical ability. Dumbledore must have known that pupils could take advantage of Filch because they could do magic and he couldn't. I feel kinda sorry for Filch - Fred and George and other pupils make his life difficult.

I think it was a matter of him being marginally useful, and none of the Death Eaters really caring. He probably knows more about the castle than anyone in it when Voldemort takes over, so he's useful to them until they know everything he does, which probably took a lot more than a year for him to learn. And for all intents and purposes, Filch is a non-magical being in servitude to the wizarding world. He's serving exactly the purpose Voldemort wants to force non-magical folk into anyways, so it's hard to imagine he'd have any real complaints with the arrangement as long as Filch remained useful. Considering the Death Eaters' stance on muggle-borns stealing the magic from purebloods, it's also likely they pitied squibs as victims of stolen magic.


As for why Dumbledore hired Filch, I have no idea. It does seem cruel to hire someone who can't do magic to work around it so much. Maybe there's a theory in the magical world that exposing a squib to large concentrations of magic will spark their magic?

I've been wondering about Dumbledore hiring Filch too. However, Filch doesn't have to do all the cleaning, I think the main part of the house work is done by the house elves. So maybe he is mainly there to supervise it and to do the extra work when students have caused mayhem?
Maybe Dumbledore wanted to give him a place in the wizarding world, and a feeling of being needed there. It must be horrible for a squib to leave their own world behind and try to fit in in the muggle one, so humiliating. In this position he has a least a certain amount of power.

Dumbledore seems to collect people who appear unwanted, for some reason or another, being able to see what makes them special and finding a place for them where their skills are useful.

Hagrid, for example, was half giant and possibly rejected by both giants and humans. Not only that, he was expelled in his 3rd year. However, he was excellent with magical creatures.

Flitwick seems to do his job well. He and Mrs. Norris also seem quite talented in knowing when students are roaming about the castle after hours.

Perhaps Filch had no where else to go.

Perhaps Filch had no where else to go.

That could be a possible explanation. Dumbledore definitely has a habit of hiring people that other people see as strange or different. Let's face it he hired a half giant, werewolf, mad ex auror, etc. My guess is that Dumbledore offered him the job because Filch had no where else to go in the magical world.

When Voldemort took over, I don't think he paid much attention to Filch. Yes, he is a squib, but the Ministry would have seen him as someone who had their powers stolen. Also, blood purity is extremely important, so Filch has the blood status, just not the powers to go along with it.

I agree that Dumbledore probably hired Filch because he had nowhere else to go in the magical world.

As for why the DE's would allow Filch to stay at Hogwarts after they came to power, here's my take. Voldemort and his DE's allowed Fenrir Greyback to work with them because he was useful, even if they despised part-humans. Greyback was even allowed to wear DE robes; although, he was never given a dark mark. Filch's knowledge of Hogwarts, his cooperation and his willingness to torture students made him useful to the DE's.

I'm not sure if the DE's were aware that Filch was a squib. If they knew, my bet is that his usefulness saved him.

Well, we know that some Order members like McGonagall, and half-breeds like Hagrid were still allowed to remain. My guess is that Snape decided to keep them relatively safe in Hogwarts rather than roaming the countryside like others (and somehow convinced Voldemort that this was a good idea). Filch could be included in this. He and Snape did cooperate to some extent in previous books.