Elias waited excitedly by the castle. Already, he could see the dark coaches approach Hogwarts, their lights flickering in the darkness. It was only September, but night was starting to fall sooner and sooner every day.
"Calm down, or you'll scare the horses," advised his father.
Argus was standing behind him, arms crossed over his chest. Ms Norris was resting lazily at his feet. Elias ignored the comment and zipped his coat. He wished he didn't have to cover up the Hogwarts crest on his new wizard robes, but it was truly getting cold.
"What about the first years?" asked Elias.
"They're coming by boat, so they'll enter last for the sorting ceremony," answered his father. He was in a good mood right now. Peeves had gotten absolute orders from the Headmaster to not prank anyone on the first day, which meant less work for the caretakers.
"Sorting, huh," muttered Elias to himself. He buried his hands in the pockets of his coat as he wondered in which house he would have been sorted into had he been accepted into Hogwarts when he was eleven. He truly did not know, and he'd never know until the sorting hat would rest on his head. Which would never happen, as he was all grown up now.
Yet, now, he was part of the wizarding world. Part of Hogwarts. He'd even been given the important task to welcome and secure the arrival of every student coming back to Hogwarts.
Having suffered the previous day in the hands of Professor Snape, who never found Elias good enough, even though his potions clearly answered the criteria, Elias was happy to finally have a moment where he could enjoy Hogwarts for what it was: an awesome wizarding school. Tonight was going to be great: not only would he see her again, but he'd finally witness a sorting ceremony and the feast following it for the first time in his life.
Already, the first carriage was arriving. Even though there were no horses pulling it, it stopped right in front of the entrance to the castle. From it came Professor McGonagall, with three other students. She had a long parchment in her hands, which she unrolled as she met with Elias and Argus.
"Here." She presented the parchment with a hurried expression. "We've taken attendance for most of the students. We're only missing two of them. If there's ever a Miss Jackson or Mr Kyles who suddenly appears, scratch them out from the list."
Professor McGonagall turned to the other students, who looked like second years, as soon as Argus had the parchment in his hands.
"This way! Come on, now! This way!" she indicated. The students hurried inside, barely glancing at either caretakers.
Already, the other coaches were arriving. Most students had the same behaviour as the first ones: they just hurried on, talking between each other, ignoring Elias' presence. After five carriages, Elias understood that perhaps his job wasn't as exciting as he had thought it'd be. Oh well. At least he had a coat to keep his warm, unlike the many students who were only wearing their school robes.
When the Weasley twins got out of their carriage, Elias made an effort to look even more invisible that he already was. Luckily, they did not notice him and went on with their friends Lee Jordan and Alicia Spinnet. Where was she?
Almost as if the universe had read Elias' thoughts, she arrived. Angelina Johnson, a sixth year witch, had just appeared. As beautiful as ever, with her gorgeous dark hair and bright eyes, she climbed down the coach as if she was a fairy. Elias' heart skipped a beat. She was even prettier than he remembered.
Angelina was with her friend, who Elias recognised as Katie Bell, who had always been friendly towards him. She was chatting with her, so Elias didn't interrupt them to say hi, even if he was dying to. He'd been friends with Angelina since she had volunteered to show him around Hogwarts when he had been eleven years old. They'd been good friends as years passed, even though they could only see each other for a few weeks per year. He always enjoyed spending time with Angelina, Katie and Alicia, even with Lee, but Fred and George always seemed to have something against him. Yet, it did not stop Elias from falling in love with her when he was fourteen. Ever since, he'd hoped of a day where they could spend more time together. And it seemed like this year would be the perfect opportunity.
Angelina noticed him, standing on the side of the entrance. She seemed surprised, but a warm smile soon appeared on her face. Katie waved at him with a smile as a greeting.
"Elias!" she exclaimed with warmth in her voice as she came closer. "What are you doing here?"
Elias had a small laugh.
"Well, I'll be working at Hogwarts this year," he proudly announced.
"Really?" Angelina asked. Was she impressed? Or just surprised? Elias did not know. He only knew that he loved the way the girl smiled at him.
"Yeah, I'm helping out Professor Sprout and Professor Snape," continued Elias.
"Woah, that's cool! I'm glad that they finally recognised your talent."
"Yeah," said Elias with a small laugh, passing a hand in his hair. He could've spent an eternity with Angelina. But now was not the time. They'd have plenty of time to talk later.
"Sorry Elias, but we gotta go," spoke up Katie without any mean intentions, "I don't wanna be late to the feast. See you later!"
"Yeah, I understand," answered Elias with a smile.
"Bye bye!" waved Angelina.
Elias couldn't believe it. She had been happy to see him! He'd been somewhat scared that Angelina didn't care about him anymore, as she had not sent him any letters this summer. But this moment, this greeting, had gone well! Even Kathie seemed pleased to see him. Maybe he wasn't as hated as he thought he was. Maybe it was just the Weasley Twins and Professor Snape messing with his mind.
"We're almost done," noted Argus, interrupting Elias' thoughts.
The young man stupidly smiled at his father, who just rolled his eyes. Elias laughed. He felt ridiculously glad that everything had gone okay.
He took a deep breath before looking at the last few students coming to the castle. He recognised a few of them: there was Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Neville something. They were famous for stopping dangerous threats from harming students. Harry Potter himself was extremely famous: he'd survived the attack of the Dark Lord and killed him, but lost the three other members of his family in the process.
"Are we done?" asked Elias when the last carriage had carried off in the distance.
"Yes," answered his father.
They escorted the last of the students to the Great Hall. Argus had made sure to lock the doors. Suddenly, a student slipped and fell down on the ground. Her friends caught her before she hurt hersefl. Elias noticed the large puddles of water on the floor.
"Peeves..." he heard his father whisper angrily.
As expected, the ghost appeared over their heads, laughing his head off. He had a water balloon in his hands. He grinned and threw it at the Ravenclaw girls. They screamed. Luckily, Peeves missed and it crashed on the floor.
Argus took the attack personally. He let go of Ms Norris and started insulting the Poltergeist. Elias, knowing that his father had the situation under control, as their arguing could last literally hours without seeing the end of it.
"Come on," he pushed the girls forward. Thankfully, they weren't too wet. It was probably not the case for whoever had passed before them. Frankly, they'd been idiots to think that Peeves would obey any orders. He liked to wreak havoc too much to let this opportunity go.
As he waited close to the Great Hall for the first years, Elias caught himself staring inside the room. It was so exciting! Finally, the Welcoming Feast was starting. They were only missing the first years. The brouhaha of the Great Hall made him excited. This was way too much. The young man wished he could've been part of it. Oh, what he'd given to be one of the students sitting at their house's table! He almost laughed at his own childishness. Oh, how his father would've been exasperated by his demeanor.
Finally, Professor Flitwick appeared from the corridor. Behind him were a dozen of kids, cold, scared and excited to finally be at Hogwarts. Elias smiled at the few who glanced at him curiously. They probably thought that he was a wizard like any other. Still, it was nice. Elias noticed that one of them, a small boy, was completely wet. The boy seemed almost glad to be wet. What had happened to him?
When everyone had entered, Elias closed the large doors behind them as silently as possible. Everyone's attention was directed at the first years, so no one noticed him. He remained by the door as the sorting ceremony started. Technically, he was supposed to help out his father with Peeves drama. However, he couldn't fight the desire to see a sorting ceremony with his own eyes. He knew Argus wouldn't hold it against him, as long as he didn't cause a scene.
Therefore, he stayed discreetly behind as the kids were called to the front one by one. Professor McGonagall would then put the sorting hat on their head. The hat itself looked strangely bland, but it spoke with great wisdom. Every time a student was sorted, the hall erupted in cheers. The Gryffindors were particularly enthusiastic.
Elias smiled to himself. How often he'd imagined this scene! How often he'd dreamt of being sorted! Every time, he woke up before the hat announced in which house he belonged. Yet, now, he could finally know what it felt like to be at Hogwarts. To belong.
The moment the last student was seated with his new house, hundreds of plates of food appeared on the tables of each house. Happily, everyone filled up their plates and started talking about their summer vacations with their friends. Elias reluctantly left the festive atmosphere that he liked so much. He had to find his father. If Peeves had decided to throw a fit, they'd need to be both there to deal with the damage. Just the day before, Peeves had destroyed the kitchen. It'd taken the entire staff of house elves - strange creatures that Elias was still puzzled by – to clean the mess up.
He closed the door silently behind him. After walking a minute, he found out with surprise that both his father and Peeves were not where they were. The water had been cleaned up.
Puzzled, Elias turned to the painting hung on the wall. It depicted a young wizard reading a book.
"Did you see where Peeves went?" the young man asked the sorcerer. The boy of the painting shrugged.
"I don't think he ever left."
"Oh shit," whispered Elias. He slowly turned back, to find Peeves just in front of his face.
"Boo!" screamed the poltergeist.
Elias jumped back, surprised.
"Goddammit, Peeves," he breathed out. He had been expecting it, but the jumpscare had still gotten to him.
Peeves simply laughed.
"Do you know where my father is?" Elias asked the ghost. Peeves floated back a bit, stroking his non-existent beard in a pensive and exaggerated manner.
"So you can tell him where I am?" the poltergeist asked.
"Depends if you intend on pulling pranks on me all year long," answered Elias as he crossed his arms. He was good as arguing as well. He understood the ghost's way of thinking. A bit. Somewhat. He just hoped that he'd listen to him.
"And if I didn't?" wondered Peeves as he floated upside down.
"Then I don't see why anyone would need to know your whereabouts."
Peeves grinned.
"I like you, little caretaker," he answered. "Fine. Deal. He went to the Gryffindor Tower. He thinks I pranked the staircase!"
He broke into laughter. Elias blinked and he was gone, his laughter hanging in the air like the Cheshire Cat. Well, this had gone better than expected. If he didn't team up against Peeves with his father, then the ghost would leave him alone. Maybe it was an egotistical decision, but Elias felt like it was the best option. He had no weapon against Peeve's traps.
Elias ran to the Gryffindor tower as fast as he could. For all he knew, Peeves had truly pranked the staircase. Who knew the mess he'd have to clean up?
He had expected getting lost, but he soon found himself at the bottom of the Gryffindor tower, which was adjacent to the moving staircases hall. He had small map of the castle in his pocket in case he got lost. Even if his father had given him a detailed tour of the castle the day before, after Professor Snape's lecture, there was a risk of getting lost in Hogwarts. Elias felt glad to have this little map just in case.
He started walking up the moving staircases, looking for the familiar silhouette of his father. He hoped that as soon as he found Argus, they'd be able to go back to the Welcoming Feast.
Yet, he knew he didn't belong there. He was not a professor, nor was he truly a student: the young man was only helping. And, for tonight, Elias' role as caretaker was to make sure that Peeves had not trapped the way to Gryffindor's dormitories.
He climbed up the white stone stairs of a moving staircase to get to higher floors. The school was completely silent. The only sound was his footsteps. It should've felt creepy, but Elias felt at ease. He felt at home. He'd spent his childhood wishing to be somewhere else. And now, he was finally there. Elias was not quite a sorcerer, but he still lived in a magic world now.
Then, he remembered that there was also the threat of some kind of serial killer Elias had forgotten the name of. The Headmaster had mentioned it to Elias. Apparently, a death eater had broken in last year. Elias did not remember it, but it wouldn't be surprising to him if his father had voluntarily kept that information away from him. There was however still the possibility of the criminal breaking in another time. And the first night was the perfect opportunity, as all teachers were busy and in the same room. Elias and Argus were the only defense. It made Elias a bit stressed, even if there was no sign of intrusion anywhere.
Frankly, Elias did not know what the hell he was to do if he did come in contact with an enemy. Sure, he could scream for help and warn the others, but he did not have a wand to protect himself. He didn't even have a weapon. It felt strange to him that the Headmaster would send the two squibs of the school to patrol. How could they assure the school security if they couldn't even fight off a sorcerer?
The young man shook his head. Dumbledore trusted him. If his only task was to make sure that there weren't any traps hidden around the dormitories, then so be it. Elias was not going to betray the Headmaster's trust.
Finally, he reached the Gryffindor's quarters, built in the tower. It was hidden behind the portrait of "the Fat Lady". Elias, even if he was a caretaker, was not allowed to go in, as he was not a Gryffindor. Still, he knew the place well, having spent quite the time with Angelina and other Gryffindors in the last few years.
The woman in the portrait was a bit overweight, which had given her her nickname. She wore a white gown. A flower crown rested on her head. She had been chatting with another painting by her, but she immediately abandoned the conversation when she Elias approach.
"Elias! Is that you?" asked the Fat Lady, decidedly very surprised, as she jumped back when she saw the young man.
"Hey," Elias replied with a wave. "How's it going?"
"I'd heard rumors of a new caretaker, but I'd never thought that it'd be you!" continued the Fat Lady. Elias was not surprised that she had ignored him completely. The Lady loved the sound of her own voice. She rarely listened to others. However, she was very dutiful and an excellent painting to guard the chambers of one of the houses.
"Did Peeves give you trouble? I've heard he threw a fit this morning," the Lady whispered as if she was telling Elias a secret.
"That's why I'm here," answered Elias. "I'm searching for my father. Did you see him anywhere?"
"Mr. Filch? Oh, I believe he went to dungeons. Something about Peeves pranking Slytherins. That horrible ghost's been having fun in the dungeons for a few months. Thank Merlin, he's left us alone. The worst we got was back in March. Thankfully those boys never did that again."
"Thanks. Well, have a nice evening, Lady," finished Elias. She smiled and nodded, wishing him good luck.
Elias walked off. At least the paintings appreciated what he'd done for them. Fred and George had not. No, he had to think positively. That incident was all in the past.
Now, he had another reason to be angry. Peeves had lied to him! Yes, it was to be expected, but Elias had though that the ghost still had some kind of honor and would respect his promise. Seems like he didn't. Elias had just run around the castle pointlessly. At least, he knew that they way to the Gryffindors' common room was safe.
Angry but trying to calm himself down, Elias made his way back to the Great Hall. Perhaps his father would have returned. There was no way that he was adventuring in the dungeons tonight. It was a part of the castle he was still very unfamiliar with.
He walked all the way back, which was somewhat a pain. The young man was extremely relieved when he found his father moping the floor in front of the Great Hall. The old man had almost got rid of all the water.
"Elias?" Argus asked as he frowned. "Where were you?"
"Peeves told me you had gone to the Griffindors'. Seems like he enjoys making fools of ourselves," answered Elias. He kneeled down to pet Ms Norris, who had come to cuddle against his legs. The cat looked at him with her bright green eyes. She looked happy. Elias smiled.
"That damned Peeves..." grumbled his father. "He could've gotten you lost."
Elias simply shrugged. Internally, he was happy that his father had been worried. Their relationship had been tense ever since he started working at Hogwarts. Elias held on to these glimpses of love like a dragon would protect its gold.
Argus placed the mop against the wall. With a hand movement, he indicated to his son that they could enter the Great Hall once again.
"You wanted to see what it was like," explained his father with his usual scowl. Elias simply smiled. It was hard to see, but there was care behind his usual grumpiness.
They entered the Hall discretely, Ms Norris following them. Argus was still grumbling under his breath about Peeves and what he'd like to do to him if he wasn't a ghost. Elias noticed that everyone had finished their meals. Elias felt hungry. Luckily, he'd have supper as soon as the students were back in their dorms. Argus had promised him that the food was as good as the meals served at the feast.
Noticing their arrival, the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, the old sorcerer with the terribly long beard that had welcomed Elias, stood up. He started his welcome speech by mentioning that the list of forbidden objects at school had augmented, due to the demand of Argus Filch. Elias sent a look to his father. He seemed very pleased. Well, as long as no one confiscated his mp3, Elias would be happy.
Almost on cue, the sky of the Great Hall was filled with lighting the moment someone appeared at the teacher's table. Grumbling, the man spelled the sky before it started to rain. Dumbledore smiled to him as a welcome.
"May I introduce our new Defence against the Dark Arts Teacher," said Dumbledore brightly into the silence, "Professor Moody."
Moody was an old man that seemed to have led a hard life. He didn't seem to tolerate anyone's bullshit. From what Elias could see from where he was, he had a cane made of rough wood. He had never heard of him before. Dumbledore cleared his throat again to bring the students' attention back to him.
"Secondly, Elias Filch will be helping Professor Snape and Professor Sprout with their classes this year. He will also help out our caretaker, Mr Filch" Dumbledore continued with a hand movement in Elias' direction.
Elias was very surprised. He had not been ready to be introduced so formally in front of everyone. Every student in the room turned their heads towards Elias. The young man smiled hesitantly to hide his internal panic and waved with his hand. Thankfully, Dumbledore carried on.
Elias let out a sigh of relief. He was as read as a tomato, that was for sure. He had not expected to be called out that way! They should've warned him. Maybe it amused his father, but not him.
"As I was saying," Dumbledore said, smiling at the sea of students before him, all of whom were still gazing transfixed at their new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, "we have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event which has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."
"You're JOKING!" said someone from the Gryffindor table.
The tension that had filled the Hall ever since Moody's arrival suddenly broke. Nearly everyone laughed, and Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively. Elias, thinking that the exclamation must've come from one of the Weasley twins, didn't even smile.
Dumbledore had to use his wand to project his voice over the brouhaha. The Great Hall finally calmed down. The old man could continue his explanations
"Where was I? Ah, yes, the Triwizard Tournament..." said Dumbledore, who had found the remark amusing, "well, some of you will not know what this tournament involves, so I hope those who do know will forgive me for giving a short explanation, and allow their attention to wander freely. The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago, as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry – Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took it in turns to host the Tournament once every five years and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities – until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the Tournament was discontinued."
Everyone was silent, hung on the Headmaster's lips, Elias included.
"There have been several attempts over the centuries to reinstate the Tournament," Dumbledore continued, "none of which have been very successful. However, our own Departments of International Magical Co-Operation and Magical Games and Sports have decided the time is ripe for another attempt. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that, this time, no champion will find himself or herself in mortal danger."
"The Heads of Beauxbâtons and Durmstrang have already arrived, and on Halloween we will have the Champion Selections. An impartial judge will decide which students, are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school and a thousand galleon personal prize money."
At the mention of the prize, impressed gasps were heard. Many people started talking to their schoolmates. Elias sent a look towards his father.
"A thousand galleons?!" he whispered to him. Argus shrugged, grumbling under his breath about some stupid kids killing themselves.
Elias looked back at Dumbledore. Now he understood why his father had felt that he might volunteer. A thousand galleons! That was a crazy amount, both in wizarding and muggle money! With all that money... Actually, Elias had no idea what he'd do with such an amount, but the idea of it was very tempting. He technically received a salary for his work at Hogwarts, yet it was nothing as incredible as winning some much money in one shot. He could feel his father's disagreement from a few meters away, but he ignored it.
"Eager though I know all of you will be able to bring the Triwizard Cup to Hogwarts," Dumbeldore continued as he tried to bring back the silence on the Great Hall with more or less success, "the heads of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, have agreed to impose an agreed restriction on contenders this year. Only students who are of age – that is to say, seventeen years or older – will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration. This," Dumbledore raised his voice slightly for several people had made noises of outrage at these words, "is a measure we feel is necessary, given that the Tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below Sixth and Seventh year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts champion."
"Bullshit!" screamed someone from the Slytherin table. Elias almost agreed, before he remembered that he was actually seventeen. He could technically participate, right? Even if he wasn't quite a sorcerer... No, it was impossible. He'd never be chosen.
"I therefore beg you not to waste your time submitting yourself if you are under seventeen," Dumbledore finished. "The delegations from Beauxbâtons and Durmstrang will be staying with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected. And now, as it is late, to bed!"
The excited and kind of disappointed crowd of student slowly started to move out of the Great Hall. Elias stayed inside to make sure that there would not be any fights while his father went outside, in case Peeves decided to make reappearance.
Elias calmly watched the students leave. He recognised a few, mostly the ones in the sixth and seventh years, as they had been the one he'd hung out with over the years when he stayed at Hogwarts. He almost crossed the glare of Marcus Flint, but he looked away in time to avoid the awkward interaction. Instead, he tried to find Angelina. To Elias' displeasure, he found her with the Weasley twins. He still waved back at her when she passed by him, but the grins of Fred and George harboured when they saw him had diminished his enthusiasm.
He waited till everyone had left. Only the teachers who were not Heads of any house were still chatting in the room. Finally, his work was over. The young man felt good. He felt a thousand times better than when he'd lived at his muggle school in London.
Elias looked down at his chest. On his shirt was magically woven Hogwarts's crest. The crest was separated in four, each showing the animal and symbol of the different houses.
He smiled at himself. He was finally home.