As the weeks went by, Aurelian discovered a side to the Hogwarts caretaker that he never thought he would see. The books said that Argus practiced spells in secret in case he ever gained magical powers, but this... was incredible, the level of knowledge he possessed... there were even parts that Aurelian didn't fully understand when Filch mentioned them.
"Listen to me carefully, boy," Filch began one day when they met in his office. "If you're going to manipulate it, be careful. I haven't managed to balance it completely yet... one of my calculations always fails me."
Aurelian nodded as he finished drawing the pattern on a square piece of parchment. That day, they were going to test one that, in theory, would only produce a small flame.
"Don't worry, Mr. Filch... this time, I'm sure nothing will explode," said Aurelian, concentrating on drawing the pattern exactly.
"I still don't understand how you weren't hurt that time," Argus muttered, taking two steps back... just in case.
"The world has many mysteries, sir... I am one of them," he replied with a smile. Argus just rolled his eyes. "Better be careful, Gaunt... I don't want Professor McGonagall to reprimand me again," he muttered.
Aurelian chuckled quietly. The time Professor McGonagall had yelled at them was quite an event at the school. Everyone at Hogwarts began to notice how the normally quiet Aurelian Gaunt and the grumpy Hogwarts caretaker were talking and being seen together more often. They were usually found talking while gesturing exaggeratedly.
The teachers watched them with raised eyebrows, intrigued. Of all the people one would expect Lord Gaunt to associate with, Argus was not the first name on that list, nor the second or third.
"The castle always shows us interesting things," Dumbledore said, scratching his beard. "The threads of fate bring the right people together at the right time."
Snape looked at the headmaster with a confused expression. "Albus... you and your amusing riddles... you never cease to amaze me," he said sarcastically.
Albus could only smile. He understood a little of what Argus and Aurelian were doing, and he truly wished them success in their project. Looking back, it was never very clear to him why he hired Argus as the school guard. As he recalled, there had been some... much better candidates than Argus, but there was something different about him. When he interviewed him, he quickly realized that he wasn't doing it for the pay or any other reason, but for the knowledge. He asked him to allow him to visit the library whenever he could or wanted to. That something... was what made him stand out, even with his lack of magic.
A few years ago, he tried to help him when he came to him for advice and guidance on his ideas. Albus really tried, but every time Argus explained how his "arcane pattern" worked, it made less and less sense to him.
He looked again at the new fashionable 'duo'. Thanks to them, the students had something to focus their attention on for a moment, forgetting the presence of the Dementors in the castle. He would have to thank Aurelian another time. When he thought about all his moments with the boy, it was undeniable that he had always been a mystery... a walking paradox if you looked closely. He had Slytherin blood and unmatched magical talent, the perfect combination to create someone egocentric. The fact that Aurelian did not become someone like that was not due to growing up in an orphanage; if that were the case, Lord Voldemort would never have existed.
"Severus, you know better than anyone that fate moves in mysterious ways," Dumbledore emphasized with a smile.
Snape frowned and left, muttering what were surely curses. "Ahhh Severus, you should face your fears," he whispered, watching him disappear.
Hestia and Flora Carrow were angry. For the past few weeks, their boy... the love of their lives... had been more concerned with a mere Squib than spending time with them.
"Hestia... what do you think Flich has," Flora said venomously, "that has Aurelian so entertained?"
They were lying in their room in the Slytherin dormitory. Normally, they would be next to Aurelian, but he was busy with his new interest.
"I thought we would have to worry about Lovegood wanting Aurelian's attention, not some simple guard," she said, staring at the ceiling.
"Yes," Flora confirmed. "All he told us was that it was very dangerous and that he didn't want us to get hurt if something went wrong."
Hestia approached her sister and stroked her head. "The good thing is that he promised to show us when he makes progress." Flora nodded. "For now, we can only wait... we mustn't rush things... he's just a Squib, after all."
Hestia smiled. "Flora, have you made any progress with the Flamel grimoire?" she asked, curious to know if her sister had found something she hadn't.
"Not really," she shook her head and shrugged. "I'm still at the same point," she sighed. "It's becoming quite a challenge," she said with resignation.
A huge, proud smile filled Hestia's face. "There we have it, my dear sister."
Flora moved away from Hestia a little. "What's that smile, Hestia... do you know something I don't?" she added, raising an eyebrow questioningly.
Hestia just puffed out her chest even more. "Yes... sister, I discovered something, and when I tell Aurelian, he'll congratulate me and not you."
"It's not fair, Hestia," Flora shouted, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Tell me what you found. I want Aurelian to congratulate me too."
"Not this time, Flora. I want Aurelian to focus only on me," she replied with a smug smile.
Flora began to shake Hestia. "YOU CAN'T DO THAT. AURELIAN IS MINE!"
Hestia just laughed, enjoying teasing her sister. "Umm, let me think," she said, putting a finger to her chin before whispering in her ear, "NO."
"So that's how it is, huh?" Flora gave her a tense smile. "You asked for it... don't ask me for mercy later."
Hestia's eyes widened before she began to laugh out loud. "Enough, Flora." Flora began to attack her. "This is what you deserve, dear sister," she continued to scratch her stomach and the soles of her feet without mercy. "Please, I can't take it anymore, stop." Hestia continued to laugh and writhe, trying unsuccessfully to escape.
"So... are you giving up and telling me what you found out?" she asked, stopping her attack for a moment.
"I'm sorry, sister," Hestia said between gasps, "but it's my victory, I won't tell you." Seeing her sister, Flora's refusal, she could only sigh. When Hestia said no it was no, but it never hurt to try to persuade her.
"All right, Hestia, you won this time," she sighed resignedly, lying down on the bed. "Enjoy your victory." Hestia approached her and pushed her gently to get her attention. "Don't worry, I'm sure Aurelian will congratulate you anyway."
Flora opened one eye, and a small smile crossed her lips. "If that's the kind of guy he is," she crossed her hands behind her head, "speaking of Aurelian, what do you think he's doing now?"
Before Hestia could answer, there was a loud explosion that echoed throughout the castle. The two sisters looked at each other for a few seconds.
"Aurelian?" Flora asked, smiling.
"Aurelian," Hestia nodded, getting up.
Minutes before the twins heard the explosion, Aurelian and Mr. Filch were on the other side of the castle near the Whomping Willow, with everything ready and prepared for another experiment.
"I'll ask you again, boy, are you sure about this?" Argus questioned as he held Mrs. Norris in his arms.
"No... but what is life without a little risk?" he smiled before concentrating. "Okay, sir, if all goes well, when we finish drawing the pattern, it will obtain the necessary magic from the environment to create what we indicate."
Aurelian began to draw precisely on the paper. When he was missing the last part, he turned his head to look at Mr. Filch. "Ready to make history, Argus?"
Argus gave him a small smile and nodded his head. Mrs. Norris meowed in confirmation.
"Let's hope it works," he whispered before finishing the last part of the drawing.
As soon as he finished drawing, the paper began to spin around, burning uncontrollably. "Mr. Filch, I think it worked... it's not just a small flame anymore," Aurelian shouted with a smile.
Argus didn't respond, his entire attention focused on the fire before his eyes, his mind racing through all the challenges he had overcome just to be standing there.
"You see, Mrs. Norris, finally... after so long... all the work," his eyes filled with tears, "is paying off," he finished in a low voice, hugging his cat to his chest.
Aurelian smiled when he saw this. After getting to know Filch a little better, he realized that he wasn't just a grumpy old man, he was someone who had been dealt a bad hand by life but who still tried, in his own way, to see the bright side of life and pursue his dreams.
Before they could celebrate their success, the flame began to compress into a yellow ball with reddish highlights. With each passing second, the magic around them became more unstable. Aurelian barely had time to throw himself in Filch's direction to protect him from possible harm.
When the explosion happened, there was a large crater in the ground... most likely everyone in the castle had heard it, Professor McGonagall would scold them again, and this time the punishment would not be so lenient.
"Mr. Filch, are you all right?" he said loudly.
"Yes, boy... Mrs. Norris and I are fine... thanks for the shield," he said, coughing from all the dust in the air.
Aurelian lay down on the grass and watched the clouds in the sky. He could feel everyone gathering around to witness what had happened. Because if there's one thing even the Dementors can't stop or take away from Hogwarts, it's the gossips.
"Great..." he whispered as he sat up. Looking up, he saw Dumbledore watching him with a small smile.
"Mr. Gaunt, I think we need to talk," he said, offering him a hand.
Aurelian took it and stood up completely. "Yes, Headmaster... I think so, I think so."
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