Heartbreaking Harry Potter Theory Will Make You Regret Hating Poor Old Filch

What do we know about Argus Filch?

He’s the Hogwarts caretaker, a grumpy old man who finds pleasure in punishing children, loves rules (especially bans and restrictions), feels vulnerable being the only Squib around hundreds of magic-wielding underage fidgets, and potentially has a thing with the librarian lady. Oh, and he loves his cat, Mrs. Norris.

While every other part of this description is plain and simple, Mrs. Norris has always been a subject of many theories and speculations — specifically, those implying that she was no ordinary cat. Say what you will, but the theory about Mrs. Norris being an enchanted woman makes a whole lot of sense — and we’ll prove it to you.

Let’s start from the most obvious points, shall we? First of all, what kind of a cat name is Mrs. Norris? It’s painfully obvious that it’s a human name. This assumption only grows stronger as we watch how Filch himself treats his cat: they have perfect communication as if she’s fully conscious, and the caretaker was beside himself from grief when she was petrified by the Basilisk.

However, that’s not the most intriguing part. The Marauder’s Map holds the answer.

The Marauder’s Map famously allowed its owner to see all people in Hogwarts. Magical disguise didn’t mean anything to this artifact as it revealed the real identities of Peter Pettigrew, Barty Crouch Jr., and others; but most importantly, it was only showing humans — otherwise, it would be plagued with owls’ and cats’ names.

But Harry clearly saw Mrs. Norris on the Map and used it to avoid the cat!

So first of all, how about we stop calling her a cat? And second of all, it’s about time we accept the fact that Mrs. Norris was, in fact, a human. While all the other notions were merely suggestions, the Marauder’s Map can’t be fooled — and it obviously recognized a human being in her. It didn’t show any “other” cats, did it?

Whether Mrs. Norris was a result of a Transfiguration spell gone wrong, a stuck Animagus, a Maledictus, or something else is irrelevant. But since she was a human trapped in a feline body and shared such a deep connection with Argus Filch, most fans assume that she was the Hogwarts caretaker’s love back in the day.

This is more than likely, all facts considered, and only makes Filch’s story more dramatic and saddening: he was stuck with the love of his life being a cat, himself being an old Squib hated by the kids around him, and no way to change things.

Life definitely wasn’t kind to good old Argus Filch, was it?