Later that same evening, three figures stand before the entrance into the woods near the town of Norton. The dark-haired woman, who once had shallow skin looked to be in peak health. Her dark eyes were rimmed red as if she had been weeping. Cradled in her arms was a baby boy close to a year old. The dark-haired babe resembled his father, Roderic Filch, down to the tiny, slightly crooked nose. At her side, stood the slender, broad-shouldered man of Roderic, her husband, and that the slightly hunched-over figure of her brother-in-law, Argus Filch.
"Is this the place, love?" Roderic asked as he stared at the gravel path that led inside called 7th Meadow Lane.
Argus tactfully remained silent as he knew the full truth but didn't want to cause trouble between his brother and his wife. Argus nervously pulled at his collar as if trying to breathe. Though there was a slight sweat across his face as if screaming out his terrified nerves.
"Yes, hon," Eileen whispered before leading the way in the shadow-filled forest in the setting sun. They had not gone very far when a soft sound could be heard. Roderic immediately reached for his wand as Argus clenched a stone in his hand to throw.
A white ghostly figure appeared to reveal a handsome ghost, Sir Knight Prince. Sir Knight Prince stopped a short way away from them and said, "Eileen, you know that you cannot enter no more. You will hurt yourself and your companions should you try to force your way inside."
"I know," Eileen pleaded. "But please, I have to at least say goodbye to her."
"The funeral was already this morning, there is nothing to say goodbye to."
Eileen let out a gasp, she hadn't known she had been holding. "I know, but please at least let me place flowers on her gravestone. Just this once."
Sir Knight Prince is silent for what seems like a long time, before he says, "Very well, but stick close to me. The wards will attempt to harm you otherwise."
Eileen rushes forward as Roderic and Argus hurry after her. The woods were strangely silent as they flitted through the path. Not long after they emerged onto giant green lawns with a grandiose castle-like manor looming even from the distance. Argus lets out a gasp of shock as Roderic furrows his brows wondering exactly how his wife knew the Prince family.
A loud peacock cry can be heard across the grounds echoing mournfully through the evening sky. The evening sky was in shades of violet and pink as if not sure whether to be joyous or sad. The peacock sounded rather sad as its cry trailed off in the distance. They suddenly came to a stop as Sir Knight Prince stopped before the gravel path that led to the white granite front steps inside.
The grand front doors swung open as a rather tall, very slender man with a stern face emerged. His mostly silver-streaked hair glinted in the dim light. Reginald Prince's cold eyes came to finally settle on the face of Eileen Filch. "What are you doing here, Eileen?" Reginald coldly said. "The funeral was this morning."
"I know," Eileen whispered, "but I still came."
"It is much too late," Reginald said as he began to turn away.
"Please papa," Eileen begged one last time. "Please let me see Mama."
Reginald froze as he burned with anger, loss, pain, and so much more. "How dare you!" Reginald turned and hissed. "You have no right to call either of us that. No right at all!"
Eileen flinched as though slapped as Roderic looked on in confusion and moved to step forward to defend his wife. Argus grabbed his brother by the sleeve and shook his head at him. "Brother, this is not your place," Argus whispered. "Please trust me on this little brother, this is between the two of them."
"She is still your offspring, grandfather," a voice from behind Reginald flatly said.
They all turned to study the figure of Rowan coming down the stairs. "Let her at least just this once view grandmother's grave for grandmother's sake."
Reginald frigidly says, "My granddaughter has pleaded on your behalf, Mrs. Filch, consider yourself lucky."
Reginald takes a deep breath and shouts, "Tadbey!"
The male elf still in a black mourning suit appears with a soft pop. "Yes, Master?"
"Please escort, Mrs. Filch to-," Reginald's face breaks as his voice drops down to a whisper, "To my Sirsa's resting place."
"Yes, Master," Tadbey said, before coldly turning towards Mrs. Filch. "Mrs. Filch, please come right this way," Tadbey said as Eileen glanced once or twice at her daughter and father, but neither turned to look her in the eye. With her head bowed forward, she rocked her son to her chest as she followed the house elf to her mother's resting place in the Prince family cemetery.
Reginald merely nodded at the two Filch brothers before walking inside. "Offspring?" Roderic finally croaked as if not still understanding what was going on. Was Eileen the old Prince's bastard?
"Hello, Caretaker Filch," Rowan kindly said to the Hogwarts caretaker. "How goes your summer?"
"Restful," Argus admitted as he glanced at his brother. "And-." Argus paused as his cheeks turned splotchy red. "My apologies, we don't mean any ill intentions."
"I know," Rowan truthfully stated as she eyed the husband of Eileen. The man must be as thick as a post since he still hadn't put the pieces together. What was with Eileen's taste in men? Really, neither husband had much smarts to begin with. She sure knew how to pick them. Eileen really would have been better off marrying Alphard Black.
Rowan winces imagining being related to Walburga or Bellatrix Black. That was not a pleasant image whatsoever in the end. Perhaps, being a Snape had been better in the end.
Roderic finally says, "Little lady, how is my wife related to the Prince's?"
"She was once the only daughter of Reginald and Sira Prince," Rowan distantly answered. "Then she was disowned."
Roderic snorted and said, "Merely because I'm a poor pureblood? How crude and vile of the old Prince!"
Argus had the rather strong urge to slap his own face and scream at his brother to shut his bloody pie hole! "I'm sure that is not what Miss Prince is referring to," Argus hastily interrupted.
Roderic sullenly quiets down before eyeing the tall, slender girl that greatly resembled the Old Prince. Though strangely he felt that there was some resemblance to his wife there as well. But then again, the old Prince had said this girl was his granddaughter.
"Are you the product of one of the old Prince's sown wild oats?" Roderic asked as Argus finally bit his lip, unable to keep his peace anymore.
"My parents were married, I can assure you," Rowan flatly retorted, not quite believing just how thick this guy was.
"Ah, then whose child, are you?" Roderic naively asked.
"I can see, why Eileen likes you," Rowan changed the subject. "You must love her and your son very much."
"I do," Roderic swore with all his might.
"Then be good to them," Rowan softly said.
Turning to Argus she nods and says, "I suppose, we'll see you again in September, Filch."
"Likewise," Argus inclined his head as he watched the girl head inside. The front doors closed rather softly as if sighing. Argus let out a breath of relief that he hadn't known he had been holding in.
"I knew she was a good one," Argus muttered under his breath knowing full well, that the girl could have said the truth. Not out of consideration for his brother and him, rather than for her mother.
Argus sighed to himself as he listened to his younger brother mutter things under his breath. Argus always personally thought that despite having magic, Roderic had secretly been dropped on his head by their parents when he was just a baby. There must seriously be something wrong with him! And despite being a squib at least he could put two and two together!