Chapter 7: Chapter 7
When the school year had just begun, the professors mainly imparted theoretical knowledge to the young wizards. Salim, however, was already well-versed in these topics, allowing him ample free time in the current relaxed environment.
By the morning of this day, the awaited letter had arrived for Salim. With only morning classes scheduled for Friday, he had the entire afternoon and evening free.
After lunch, Salim began searching for a specific person on the Hogwarts grounds—Argus Filch.
Argus Filch served as the gatekeeper at Hogwarts. He was known for his ill temper and unpleasant demeanour, often finding ways to antagonize the students. Filch's constant companion was a cat named Mrs Norris, which seemed to serve as his sole source of companionship. Just like Filch, the cat roamed the castle corridors all day, alerting him whenever a student caused even the slightest disturbance.
Filch was a Squib, born into a wizarding family but lacking magical abilities. This unfortunate situation contributed to his bitter behaviour and resentment towards young wizards. Filch had a stash of chains and handcuffs hanging from his office ceiling, which he meticulously polished. He hoped for the day when he could use them to discipline unruly students, a prospect he seemed to relish.
Salim had a specific reason for seeking out Filch: they shared a common trait of being Squibs.
Finding Filch without causing trouble proved to be quite a challenge. After wandering around and inquiring about several portraits, Salim finally located Filch as he scrubbed graffiti off a wall.
Filch was quite elderly. Incapable of using magic, he had to rely on brushes and cleaners to deal with messes, a stark contrast to wizards who could simply cast a cleaning spell with a wave of their wands.
"Clean it up!" Filch shot back at Salim quickly, thinking he might be witnessing another prank.
"Good afternoon, Mr Filch." Salim tucked away his wand.
"Get lost, boy!" Filch hobbled over with a long-handled brush. "Don't try to mock me!"
"I didn't mean to mock you, Filch. I just wanted to have a conversation."
"Get out of here before I hang you up!" Filch snarled at Salim venomously.
"Aren't you curious about using magic like a wizard?" Salim said with a smile. "Let's get straight to the point. My sister is also a Squib like you, and I want to help her gain magical abilities. And in this endeavour, fellow Squibs like you can assist me."
Salim regarded Filch, who still held the brush, and continued, "Shall we have a more private discussion in your office? You see, I have no classes scheduled for this afternoon or evening, and if I'm not having fun, I'm not doing my job... hehe, what do you say?"
Upon learning of his Squib status, Filch felt as if the world had lost its colour. Despite being a pure-blood wizard, he was unable to perform magic. He could only watch others wield magic, endure his family's disappointment, and endure the mockery of others. Filch had indeed attempted various methods to awaken his magic, even resorting to self-torture, but nothing worked. Slowly, he gave up, and with his family's guidance, he became the gatekeeper at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Filch had never been cared for or shown kindness, nor had he made any friends throughout his fifty-plus years of life. Yet now, a young wizard stood before him, offering help. Even though he was merely an experimental subject in Salim's eyes, Filch wasn't willing to let this opportunity slip away. However slim the chance, Filch was eager to try. He understood that becoming a wizard would transform his life.
"If you're playing some trick on me..."
Filch's office was a small room illuminated by an oil lamp hanging from the ceiling, the scent of grilled fish lingering in the air. Filing cabinets held student disciplinary records, revealing Filch's position at Hogwarts. Despite the school's spacious premises, Filch was assigned this cramped space.
"Come in, Filch. Time is precious." Salim extended a package he had received earlier in the day.
"Before we begin, Mr Filch," Salim explained while unwrapping the package, "you should understand that there are two types of Squibs."
Squibs were individuals born into wizarding families who lacked magical abilities. While Squibs and Muggles shared the inability to use magic, Squibs, due to their magical heritage, could perceive magical creatures like Dementors, which were invisible to Muggles.
However, not all Squibs were the same. Some couldn't perform magic due to limited magical talent; their weak magical power prevented them from experiencing magical surges. A significant surge of magical energy could cause irreversible harm to a young wizard's body, prompting their body to instinctively suppress magical power—a condition known as a magical surge.
The first step for Salim was to determine Filch's situation: whether he was a Squib due to insufficient magical power or if an early magical surge had rendered him unable to perform magic.
"Here, drink this potion, Mr. Filch. It's a magical reaction potion," Salim explained to Filch. "Try it and let me know how you feel."
The magical reaction potion was used to gauge an object's magical potential. Typically, it was employed to test the magical potency of potion ingredients or alchemical components, with qualifying items used in various concoctions. However, this type of potion was not safe for wizards to ingest. Before coming to Hogwarts, Salim had enlisted the help of a skilled potion master, introduced by his grandfather, who modified the potion for safe consumption by wizards.
Without a word, Filch consumed the potion. From his perspective, nobody would dare poison him unless they were insane. He figured that if something were to happen, the young wizard before him wouldn't be able to escape unscathed.
"How do you feel now?" Salim produced a notebook and quill from beneath his wizard robes. "If you don't feel anything right away, just wait."
For the next two minutes, Salim and Filch stared at each other in anticipation.
"Could it be? Isn't there supposed to be some reaction, even if it's a tiny amount of magical power? Could Filch be a Muggle rather than a Squib?" Salim mused, feeling puzzled.
"Wait, I think I sense something." Filch suddenly widened his eyes. "It's like my body is immersed in warm water."
Salim quickly approached and rolled up Filch's sleeves, feeling his flushed and heated skin.
"Very well. Let me know if anything changes." Salim began jotting down notes in his notebook.
With an excited demeanour, Filch paced back and forth in his cabin. Better to feel something than nothing, right? It seemed to him that this might be the start of his journey to harnessing magical abilities. At Salim's request, however, Filch obediently settled into the lone chair in his small dwelling.
"Mr Filch, I suggest you start exercising your body first," Salim advised as he gathered his belongings, preparing to leave. "Even if you do succeed, your current physical condition might not be able to withstand the surge of magical power."
Upon
leaving, Salim planned to contact his grandfather. Over the past six months, Salim's grandfather had been relatively unoccupied, often spending time in the basement of Selwyn Castle. However, once he resumed his duties, contacting him would become more challenging. Salim intended to make the most of their current ability to communicate, seeking his grandfather's assistance—a course of action that was also in line with their family values.
Salim's request to his grandfather was straightforward: to assess Sierna's situation and explore alternative options if her condition was severe. If Sierna's situation mirrored Filch's, Salim wanted his grandfather to search for other Squibs to determine if there were any unique individual characteristics.
The tome Salim had recently been reading was a compilation from the family collection. It wasn't so much a book as a compilation of bound notebooks and research notes. These records documented various studies and solutions related to curses, deformities, spell damage, and persistent illnesses. Given the absence of a table of contents, Salim had no choice but to peruse the contents page by page. Unfortunately, there were very few studies on Squibs within the tome, which increased his research workload.
Salim was pragmatic and didn't harbour a sense of entitlement in this familiar yet unfamiliar magical world. While his unique background provided access to knowledge that ordinary wizards wouldn't possess, he didn't let it foster arrogance. Thanks to his lineage, he was privy to many secrets and understood facets of magic that most wizards could only dream of, or hadn't even heard of.
The issue of Squibs was more than just an individual problem—it was a social concern, especially among pure-blood wizarding families. Pure-blood families were typically those with a lineage spanning five or more generations. Such families enjoyed a variety of advantages over half-blood and Muggle-born wizards, including more powerful magical surges due to their ancient lineage, accumulated wealth, and extensive connections. However, pure-blood families also grappled with their own set of challenges, including the issue of Squibs and the so-called "pure-blood curse." At this point, though, Salim wasn't focused on the latter concern.
Given that the problem of Squibs had persisted for centuries, it naturally led to the study of its causes, potential solutions, and ways to prevent its occurrence from the root. Salim didn't intend to tackle his sister's predicament single-handedly. As the saying goes, "The predecessors plant the trees, and the descendants enjoy the shade." If others had previously delved into the issue of Squibs, Salim saw value in reviewing their research findings and exploring their research directions and ideas. After all, the process of "research" was time-consuming and resource-intensive.
Fortunately, among the sea of research manuscripts, Salim eventually located the material he sought. The detailed manuscript focused on Squibs and outlined a plan for restoring magical ability to them. However, this plan had not yet been put into practice by its author.
This discovery concerned Salim, as Squibs were typically born with congenital magical deficiencies. Almost all the manuscripts indicated that no solution existed for this situation. Salim understood that congenital insufficiency was a common cause of Squib status, whereas individuals like Filch, possessing adequate magical power but lacking magical surges, were rare occurrences. Before taking any further steps, Salim needed to ascertain the nature of his sister Sierna's condition.
Salim hadn't known the duration it took an owl to travel between Hogwarts and the Isle of Man until now. He selected one of the strongest owls from the owl tower for the delivery, and the owl returned within an hour—making the journey from lunch to dinner. As Salim dined in the Great Hall, he received a response from his grandfather, including confirmation of Sierna's condition.
Salim was pleased to learn that his grandfather's reply indicated that Sierna and Filch were in the same situation. However, his grandfather couldn't guarantee the discovery of a third Squib with a similar condition. Furthermore, there was an issue involving potion masters. The specific potions master his grandfather had sought had become occupied with "work," rendering any contact impossible for at least half a year. Additionally, other potion masters who were currently on a break awaited Salim's grandfather's response before confirming their availability.
Salim understood his grandfather's professional role and the network of wizards he knew. If the potion masters his grandfather had contacted were already engaged, it would be Salim's responsibility to find a solution.
However, an important question arose: Didn't Hogwarts already have a resident Potions Master?
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