Argus Filch, who was wearing a brown ancient wizard robe similar to Hagrid's, appeared at the door, panting heavily. He obviously cherished his uniform very much as it was ironed neatly because it was a proof of his connection with the Hogwarts.
Ever since Mr. Nimble Hands came along, Filch no longer needed to do many cleaning tasks by himself, which allowed him to maintain a more decent image than before. Only the Madam Loris in his arms was still as skinny as before, but her fur was a little greasier than before.
When they entered the room, Little Hand, who was in front of them, wiggled its fingers and jumped back to its original position on the table. It looked like climbing a building was really tiring for an undead creature like it.
Obviously, Filch had never been to the headmaster's office before. The decorations and the portraits on the wall made him look more reserved than Allen when he met him in other places. He picked up his cat with both hands and raised it to his chest, as if he was holding a hat to show respect to the owner of the house. After he received a signal from Allen, he walked to the headmaster's desk and stopped at a distance.
Filch, who was suffering from arthritis, tried his best to bow as he spoke, "Headmaster Harris, I salute you …" He glanced at the little witch sitting in front of the desk, then raised his head and said in a flattering manner, "Headmaster Harris, what can I do for you? Have you changed your mind? Did this witch do something wrong? Do you want me to take her to the trophy room and punish her with cleaning? "
This caused Pan Xi, who was not very calm in her heart, to pull her attention back. She glared at the old mute in annoyance, but because of Allen, she did not mock him as usual.
"Argus, I told you that corporal punishment will not appear in the school anymore … The school has a new system … Uh, no, Miss Parkinson did not do anything wrong." Allen noticed Pency's gaze and knew that he was almost led astray. He pointed at the empty seat next to Pency and motioned for Filch to sit down. "Argus, do you want black tea or pumpkin juice? Or do you want to try the popular drink among Muggle students? "
Muggle cola … For a moment, Filch felt humiliated. Ever since that annoying Potter leaked the news that he was a Muggle, those annoying students had been asking him if he wanted to try all kinds of Muggle products, insinuating that he was a Muggle and deliberately making fun of himself.
After a moment, Filch realized who asked this question. He was a little ashamed of his sensitivity and looked up. He happened to see what was in the cup in front of Allen, and remembered that Muggle drink was Headmaster Harris's own hobby.
Filch obediently walked over, his face wrinkled like a chrysanthemum, "Headmaster Harris, please give me a cup of your favorite drink …" He looked at the ice and thought.... of his toothache, he, but he still said straightforwardly, "Although it's not common to have a cup in the winter with ice, it '''s's.. but still, but still, he said, it it...
"Eh? You want ice as well? " Allen paused his action of pouring the drink, a little confused. After a few seconds, his expression became a little cheerful. "Argus, it's good that you can understand this point. Besides, the caffeine in it can also keep your central nervous system stimulated, temporarily driving away sleepiness and restoring energy. It's very suitable for when you're overexerting your brain, and it's perfect to pair with ice."
Filch's smile became a little forced. Only then did he realize that adding ice cubes was not a standard. It was just the other party's personal preference. He could completely not add them. However, at this time, Allen had already added the ice cubes. It was not good for him to say anything about his teeth being very sensitive at this time.
On the other hand, Allen, who had also found out about Filch's true feelings, didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He could only pretend that he didn't know and pushed the bubbling glass to Filch.
Pency, on the other hand, had heard from the Slytherin that the gatekeeper's teeth were sensitive to the cold and sour, so she took the initiative to raise her own pumpkin juice.
The gatekeeper, who was being retaliated against by Pency, looked at the dark brown sparkling drink in the glass and raised it to Allen as well. Then, he took a big gulp as if to curry favor.
Instantly, rich bubbles bloomed in his mouth. His tongue tasted sour and sweet, and a slightly prickly feeling came from behind his ears. Then, the cold and carbonation caused his teeth to start to hurt, and then the cold pierced his brain. It was as if his nasal cavity was frozen, twitching and twitching uncomfortably.
Filch, who was trying his best to not show any disgust or disgust towards Allen's hobby, almost had tears in his eyes.
Allen really couldn't stand it anymore. He glared at Pency, scaring her. Then, he held back his laughter and said to Filch, "Oh, Argus, drinking such a big gulp in winter does make my head go numb … Also, it seems that there's something wrong with your teeth? Why don't you go to Madam Pomfrey? Besides, Miss Granger's parents are also experts in this field. I think they can solve it for you. "
"Don't waste your energy on me, Headmaster Harris …" Filch was touched when he saw that Allen had noticed. He controlled the flesh on his chin so that they would no longer tremble due to the toothache. Then, he said with a flattering smile, "That's right, Headmaster Harris. Miss Granger has asked me many times to pay attention to the trash thrown out of the headmaster's office … She asked me to help her count how many empty drink bottles you have here every day …" Noticing that Allen seemed to be a little nervous, Filch quickly added, "Ah, please don't worry. I've been keeping it a secret for you. I've only reported a small amount every time!"
"You've done a good job! That's great, Argus. " Allen's relaxed smile looked even more enthusiastic. He asked with pleasant concern, "By the way, how's the work in the castle recently? Is it too tiring? Are these few Mr. Skillful Hands enough? You have arthritis, so you can't work too hard. This is also a legitimate school expense. Just tell me if you need anything. "
"It's enough, it's enough! Thank you very much, Headmaster! I feel that it's enough now … They have already freed me from the endless cleaning work … "Filch's cloudy eyes were filled with tears. He even stood up and bowed low to Allen once again," Patrolling the castle with my Madam Loris every day is more like a kind of exercise … I've never heard of any school's gatekeeper being treated like me … This makes me feel very ashamed … "
"It's also a skill to be able to command the Mr. Skillful Hands to go where they should go. This is an irreplaceable job, Argus. Don't think too much of yourself … If you wait for them to come by themselves, I reckon that even if there are more than ten of them, they won't be as efficient as you are now." Allen waved his hand at Filch. As an old mute who had spent almost his entire life dealing with the problems left behind by the wizards in the Hogwarts Castle, it was indeed more efficient for him to command the Mr. Skillful Hands.
Filch, whose heart was sweeter than drinking a drink, raised his voice and patted his chest, "Headmaster, is there anything you want me to do? If there's anything, just send me a note. There's not much I can do, but I'll do my best to get it done for you immediately! "
"I believe you will, Argus." Allen put his hands on the table and paused for a moment before asking in a more serious tone, "I called you here today because I have something to ask you face to face, something more personal …"
"Oh?" Filch was a little surprised. His cat twisted uncomfortably in his arms, causing him to quickly come back to his senses. "Go ahead, Headmaster Harris."
Allen asked in a gentle voice, "Argus, are you still taking those correspondence courses like Quick Incantation Magic Introduction? After so many years, do you still think it's useful to you? "
Filch's originally happy face turned pale in an instant. When his gaze fell on Pency, his pale face turned red again. He twisted his two knuckled hands together. Allen asked him this in front of other students, which made him feel very embarrassed for a moment.
However, Filch, who had suffered this kind of discrimination many times, quickly adjusted his mentality. He lowered his head and said mechanically, "I'm sorry, Headmaster Harris … But, I didn't ask for it … Anyway, it's fine. I'll give it a try … If it violates the rules, I'll stop it … Headmaster Harris."
"Don't get me wrong, Argus." Allen continued to lean on his headmaster's chair. "The reason why I asked you this is because I care about you, about your situation …" When Allen finished speaking, he saw Filch raise his head with a baffled expression. He smiled gently, "You know that I and Miss Royna … Miss Royna Ravenclaw will have some interaction, so I thought of your question … So we both have some ideas about this …"
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
