Arabella Figg vs. Argus Filch Trivia Quiz

Answer: Arabella Figg

Mrs. Figg moved to Little Whinging in 1981; she was sent there to keep a protective eye on Harry. In the book "Sorcerer's Stone", she lived around the corner from Uncle Vernon on Wisteria Walk; in the movie she lived across the street on Privet Drive.

She made friends with the Dursleys so that they would allow her to watch Harry whenever needed, however, she did not go out of her way to make the visits overly pleasant for him.

Answer: Arabella Figg

Every now and then the Dursleys would allow Mrs. Figg to babysit for Harry as he was growing up. Harry didn't especially like going to her house because it smelled. In addition, the treats were stale and the main activity was looking at pictures of her cats.

In "Order of the Phoenix", Mrs. Figg finally confessed to Harry that she was afraid his aunt and uncle would not have allowed him to come to her house if they thought he enjoyed the visits.

Answer: Arabella Figg

It wasn't quite clear if Mrs. Figg was a member of the original Order of the Phoenix, although she was referred to as a member of the "old crowd" toward the end of "Goblet of Fire" when Dumbledore instructed Sirius to "alert Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher...." Although Harry heard the name Figg in the order, it had been kept such a close secret that he had no idea that Dumbledore was referring to his neighbor.

Answer: Arabella Figg

Mrs. Figg proved herself to be a brave friend after Harry was attacked by the Dementors in "Order of the Phoenix". He was temporarily expelled from Hogwarts for performing underage magic by the Ministry For Magic. The Ministry really didn't have the power to do so - as Professor Dumbledore testified, only Hogwarts Headmaster could expel students - but Harry had still used underage magic.

She testified in front of the Wizengamot that Harry had used the Patronus Charm in self-defense. In spite of her non-magical status, Mrs. Figg was still a member of the wizard community and had witnessed the Dementor attack. Harry was cleared of all charges.

Answer: Both

By outward appearances, Mrs. Figg seemed to be a kind of crazy old woman who liked cats. Her cats, however, weren't all just ordinary cats. They actually may have been Kneazles, or part Kneazle, magical cat-like creatures that possessed a sixth sense. Their purpose was to help her keep an eye on Harry and let her know if he needed assistance. Mr. Tibbles was the one who let her know that Mundungus Fletcher had left his post, but Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tuffy helped her as well.

Of course, Mr. Filch's friend and constant companion was Mrs. Norris, a completely normal cat with which he seemed to have a very strong bond. Mrs. Norris helped Filch patrol the halls at Hogwarts, and she appeared to summon him when she caught a student misbehaving. In "Chamber of Secrets", she was petrified for a time when she saw the Basilisk's reflection in a puddle of water.

Answer: Both

A Squib was a non-magical person who was born to magical parents. Apparently this was something that didn't happen very often, and when it did some witches and wizards weren't very kind to the afflicted individuals. Typically, a magical child would begin to show some ability when he or she was around seven years old; if they did not, the parents usually thought (hoped) they were late bloomers and just needed more time. For example, Neville Longbottom was a bit of a late bloomer, and his family feared that he would turn out to be a Squib.

There was absolutely no reason for a Squib to even think about attending a wizard school. They had magical blood - but no power - so being a Squib was not the same as being a Muggle, a person with no magical powers or ancestry.

Answer: Both

It appeared that Mrs. Figg's role in the Order of the Phoenix was mainly to watch over Harry. She seemed especially annoyed that Mundungus Fletcher was also given that responsibility because she did not see him as being very reliable. In fact, Fletcher proved her right when he vacated his post before the Dementer attack on Harry and Dudley in the "Order of the Phoenix". In her anger, Mrs. Figg actually confronted Fletcher and hit him with her shopping bag.

Filch was the caretaker at Hogwarts, and had many different duties. He maintained the grounds and had to do everything by hand because he did not possess any magical powers. He also did a lot of patrolling of areas, presumably in order to catch curfew violators and hunt down students who made trouble. It seemed like he enjoyed giving detentions and didn't usually think the punishments were strict enough.

Answer: Both

Mrs. Figg was stationed in Little Whinging by Albus Dumbledore so that he could have a constant watch on Harry as he was growing up at the Dursleys. Her services were voluntary, but as a member of the Order of the Phoenix, which was led by Dumbledore, she reported to him. In "Half-Blood Prince" she attended Dumbledore's funeral at Hogwarts. Mrs. Figg made a living with her Kneazle-cat breeding business.

Likewise, Filch's boss was Dumbledore because as Headmaster of the school he was in charge of everything there. It was said that Filch was given the job because Dumbledore had a desire to help outcasts in the wizard world, and a Squib was considered to be just that.

Answer: Argus Filch

Argus Filch didn't especially handle being a Squib very well, but that should have been understandable based on the fact that he was surrounded by students who were learning how to use the magical powers that he didn't possess. He was frequently the recipient of pranks and spells; Fred and George Weasley stood out as students who unmercifully hounded him. In "Order of the Phoenix" they left him trick Valentine candy that caused him to breakout in painful pustules all over his face.

While it might have been difficult to forgive Filch for his glee in helping Dolores Umbridge during her tenure at Hogwarts due to their shared belief that punishments should be more harsh, it was also understandable. His actions as described in "Deathly Hallows" during the Battle of Hogwarts might have served as some redemption, however. He helped Professor McGonagall move the youngest students to safety and used his extensive knowledge of the grounds at Hogwarts to help plan strategy aimed at keeping Death Eaters out of the school.

Answer: Argus Filch

Argus Filch was one of the employees at Hogwarts whose position made it necessary for him to live at the school year round. In fact, his job was really what gave him purpose in life and any power in the wizarding world, so it was important for him to be able to maintain it over the summer. That was the time when the school would be cleaned and prepared in order to be ready for the upcoming year. Filch seemed to take his job very seriously.

Answer: Argus Filch

Filch took the Marauder's Map from the original Marauders - James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter - during their last year at Hogwarts. Of course, he did not know how to activate or use it, but he filed it under "Confiscated and Highly Dangerous" in his office. Fred and George stole the map during their first year, and later passed it along to Harry, in "Prisoner of Azkaban", because they thought he needed it more than they did.

Answer: Argus Filch

Kwikspell was not a course for Squibs; it was a course for those with magical abilities who needed to brush up on their skills a bit. Nevertheless, Filch apparently signed up for the course. It must have been very difficult and embarrassing for him to be at Hogwarts with all the young witches and wizards who seemed to work very hard to defy him.

Harry found out about the Kwikspell course after being brought into Filch's office because he had tracked mud into Hogwarts from his Quidditch robes in "Chamber of Secrets". While there he saw a course letter on Filch's desk, but agreed to not tell anyone about it. At the time, Harry really didn't understand what a Squib was.