Whose Vanishing Cabinets?

[Peggy Wilkins]

No: HPFGUIDX 149134

> Peggy:
> > ...  if he [Filch]
> > bought a pair of Vanishing Cabinets and moved one inside Hogwarts,
> > where would he put the other one?  It's useless to put the second one
> > inside Hogwarts, because he's already there.
>
> Ceridwen:
> Actually, it would even help him out in Hogwarts.  He has to go all
> over a castle that has several different areas, the towers, where he
> would have to go back downstairs to go back upstairs, and he's
> getting on in years.  ... it would certainly save him steps.

True that a pair of Vanishing Cabinets within Hogwarts could offer a
great convenience, but I was thinking more along the lines of how
useful Dark objects would be to Filch as a Squib, and that it fits his
character.  Filch repeatedly remarks how he wants to string students
up by their ankles in chains as a punishment--this suggests someone
who would be interested in the Dark Arts,  and his favored punishment
sounds very much like a strong wish to perform Levicorpus.  Such a
person must find Borgin and Burkes as compelling and exciting as Ron
finds Honeydukes.

> Peggy:
> > Most other possible
> > locations would put the cabinet in danger of discovery or destruction
> > from people running across it and wondering why it was there.
>
> Ceridwen:
> That would depend on where he put it.  He might store it with a WW
> friend - another Squib, perhaps, or family.  Which would make sense
> as well, for holidays.

Does Filch have any friends aside from Mrs. Norris?  :)  Well, I have
to wonder...

> Peggy:
> > Where would it be safe?  The clear answer: leave the second one inside
> > Borgin and Burkes, where he bought it from.  It could be marked as not
> > for sale, and he could pay Mr. Borgin a rental fee for storing it for
> > him. <snip>
>
> Ceridwen:
> Leaving it in either Diagon Alley or Knockturn Alley would make
> sense, yes, since I imagine Filch needs to do shopping now and then,
> not just personal, but for the things he needs to do his job.  I
> suppose he could owl, I haven't seen where Squibs can't use owls.
> They differ from Muggles in that they're part of the WW.

That is a good suggestion for another possible use for the Cabinet
pair: owl in an order, get immediate delivery through the Cabinets.

> There's one problem.  When Draco is talking to Borgin, HBP, US, p.
> 125, Borgin asks Draco,  "Perhaps you'd like to take it now?"  Draco
> responds on p. 126 that he wouldn't, but that Borgin should not sell
> it.  So it does not belong to Filch, unless he has authorized B&B to
> act as his agent if a high enough offer came through.  Which I doubt,
> it if is so useful to Filch to have it at B&B.

I am guessing that Filch has stopped paying the rental fee after the
Hogwarts cabinet broke, since a broken cabinet would have become
useless to him.

> But, that brings up another question.  Dumbledore, in the passage you
> cite, asked about there being another vanishing cabinet.  Why would
> anyone want a single vanishing cabinet and not a pair?

Easy disposal, perhaps.  Everyone doesn't know about the Room of
Requirement as a place to ditch unwanted objects.

Ceridwen:
> And, Dumbledore should have known that, unless he assumed that the
> other cabinet was destroyed or otherwise missing.

I presume he was leading Draco to tell him about the Hogwarts cabinet's brother.

--
Peggy Wilkins
enlil65 at gmail.com