This weeks Your Nerd Side Show:
The Harry Potter universe has shown that even characters that weren't considered villains could still have a mean streak tied to them. The best example of this was Argus Filch, who was Hogwarts' caretaker for decades. In that time, Filch was present for many important events, such as the reawakening of the Basilisk and the Battle of Hogwarts. But no matter the conflict, Filch always carried a surly attitude that made him infamous among the students of the school. And while he wasn't a villain, he was probably the closest thing most young students experienced during their time at the school.
Filch was a child born of magical parents that had no magic of his own. Known as a Squib, it was something that deeply bothered Filch. But even without magic, he was shown equal respect and given the chance to be Hogwarts' caretaker. While there, he quickly made it evident that he had no care or interest in the happiness of Hogwarts' students, and no House felt this more than Slytherin. Though not all evil, they were a focus of Filch's anger, and a deleted scene of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II proved that he was easily the House's greatest enemy.
Slytherins Always Had a Bad Rap at Hogwarts
Over the centuries, Slytherin House has always held a less-than-kind rap when it came to popularity among the other houses. This idea came about as early as the House's beginnings with the four founders of Hogwarts. It was no secret that Salazar Slytherin was adamant that magic should be performed by pure-blood wizards, and he was often very vocal about his beliefs. He was also the one that placed the Basilisk in the lower levels of the school. Since then, pure-blood wizards have been sorted into the school, with many sharing similar beliefs of their superiority over other types of wizards.
Though not all Slytherins were bad, like Horace Slughorn or Severus Snape, many carried a belief that they had to be the superior wizard over all others. This sense of pride permeated Slytherin House and even corrupted the mind of Draco Malfoy, who eventually found this way of thinking unfitting for him. Even still, before Malfoy came to his senses, he and his friends were one of many Slytherins that perpetrated Slytherin's less than stellar reputation and became a thorn in the side of Filch.
Filch and Slytherins Had a Legendary Feud
Malfoy was the primary Slytherin that seemed to always find himself crossing paths with Mr. Filch. This was first evident when he often tried to get Harry Potter in trouble during the early years of their schooling. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was the earliest example, as Malfoy tried to outsmart Filch to get Harry and his friend's detention. However, the two had a more personal meeting in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince when he caught Malfoy trying to sneak into Slughorn's party. What made this particular meeting even worse was that it came a year after the two worked together to catch Dumbledore's Army in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It showed that Filch could work with Slytherins, but they would still just as quickly turn on him as there was no love between Filch and Hogwarts' students.
One of the scariest instances between Slytherin and Filch came in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when his cat, Ms. Norris, was found petrified by the Basilisk. Though Filch swore to get revenge on whoever was responsible, his true enemy was Tom Riddle and the Basilisk, both tied to Slytherin. It showed that while he wasn't specifically targeting the House at the time, they were still responsible for his most emotionally traumatic experience. Eventually, Filch managed to get brief revenge on Slytherin's House for years of headaches thanks to a brief moment before the Battle of Hogwarts.
In a deleted scene from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, Filch was ordered to lock the remaining Slytherin students in the dungeon, which he did with pleasure. It's likely his happiness at the order would've come no matter the House, but even Filch knew that Slytherin was no good, and with so many of them siding with Voldemort, locking them up was for the best. Sadly, the victory was short-lived as a blast set the students free and nearly trampled by Filch in a comedic moment at his expense. Ultimately, the scene would've been entertaining to see in the movie, even if it might've slowed its momentum because it showed Filch finally getting a win, albeit a brief one.
Filch Could Outsmart Any Slytherin, Even Without Magic
Though Filch failed in his attempt to detain the Slytherins in the Battle of Hogwarts, there's much to be said about his ability to detain an entire House of wizards and witches without magic. Realistically, if there was any time for these students to get revenge on the wizard, it was during the battle. Their numbers alone could've offered spells that would've incapacitated Filch before he could try to defend himself. Yet, for some reason, he kept all the students in line with nothing more than a grimace and devotion to his duty. As a result, it served as a small reminder of why he had been the caretaker for so many decades.
Argus Filch knew every nook and cranny of Hogwarts and used that to his advantage whenever he could. He could get the drop on students before they realized and relished in the look of terror students had when he managed to find them. Filch could also evoke enough fear that young students were often powerless against him, even if they knew a debilitating spell. In the end, Filch may not have had the powers to combat the likes of Slytherin House, but with his cleverness and ingenuity, he proved he could outsmart almost anyone with enough time.